We are going to Bangkok in February and it will be hot (coming from Michigan). Is it acceptable to wear shorts--both men and women? What about entering temples--is it necessary to wear a skirt?

I was in Bangkok in May and some tourists wore shorts. However I think it is better to wear longer shorts or loose fitting pants or sundresses. Sandals with rubber bottoms are a must. You will be sweaty and dirty if you walk around the city - I found it helpful to have handiwipes with me. To visit the temples you should wear pants or a skirt - and I believe your shoulders should be covered. Have a great time! <BR>

Travelsmith has a website which specialises in travel clothes and for men and women they have pants with legs that zip off and turn into shorts. That might be a useful solution.

You will not see Thais wearing short-shorts or sleeveless tops in Bangkok, only other tourists. If you wish to "blend" a little better on the streets of Bangkok, you may feel more comfortable in loose-fitting, but covered clothing. In the most important temples, such as the Grand Palace temple complex, you will be pulled over by the clothing police if you have made the mistake of being indecently dressed! The dress code to enter this temple is very strict! No sarongs, shorts (even knee-length), sleeveless tops, or flip-flop sandals. At this temple, appropriate "cover-up" clothing is provided free of charge, but at others you may have to "rent" a pair of baggy trousers. It's ok for women to wear long pants, though. A crushable wide-brimmed hat is invaluable for beating back the very strong midday sun!

I suggest a sarong. It can serve as a skirt over shorts. A t-shirt is fine, but sleeveless tops can be a problem sometimes. That handi-wipe comment was right, by the way. You definitely need those. I suggest the individually wrapped Wash & Dri's. If you get the pop-up kind, they get dirty, even in the container. Another thing you may want to bring is Avon Skin So Soft to protect you from bugs during the day if you're wearing shorts so that you don't have to be covered in Deet all the time. (During the night you need Deet.)