The wai, the Thai greeting.

Everyone goes through the same questions and hesitations when they visit Thailand for the first time. How do I do this, where do I put my hands. Who goes first?

After having lived in Thailand for almost 10 years now I think I master the wai pretty well, but I still sometimes get confused in some situations.

A few days ago I stopped at a police check point and with my bike engine still running and a little bit stressed (athough I have a license) I shook the policeman's hand after he checked my documents. The look on my face was probably the same as on his. I then attempted to wai him but he was already walking away so my wai was directed at a policeman talking to another guy on a motorbike,. Awkward, especially when he returned the wai.

So we decided to write a little guide to the wai. Hope it will help newcomers or even expats that have lived here for years, to master the Thai greeting like a pro.

oh please this has been done to death   even in the last month  much discussion  please moderate and refer to previous thread 

As this has been done many times, heres one from earlier this month with a larger response ;

This one is now CLOSED