hi bob and glorialf
I have been away on family business and that is why I haven't written. Our plans are all in place. I thank you both for your valuable input. We leave on the 20th and spend 14 days up North, C-mai.c-rai,Siem Reap, Mae Hong Song with some possible short bboat trip to Laos. All hotels, flights, guide, car all booked. The back to Bkk for 5 nights with guide for some of that time. When we got our shots at The University of Virginia Medical Center Travel Site the Doctor, who was an experienced traveler suggested we not drink the bottled water unless it was carbonated because he did not know where the water was bottled. Shoud we have a concern about this? None of you have ever mentioned this was a problem. I would like to hear your thoughts especially after the number of times you have visited T.
Thanks

never heard of such a thing....we drink it all the time...i do not like carbonized water so i would have to stick to beer then and that woould not be nice with my pancakes...

hope you have a wonderful trip and that you post a report after you are home...

you will love it!!!!!

I must assume that the travel doc has never been to Thailand. I've been traveling there for 20+ years and have never had a problem with the bottled water.

i did think of one other thing about any water away from home, bottled or not....often the minerals in different waters affect different people differently so this can sometimes cause minor problems...

There is a difference in bottled water quality here in Thailand. There are a lot brand for bottled water here and some of them are of very poor quality, nothing more than glorified tap water. The good quality water will have a mark from the Thai FDA but if you can't read Thai then it's no use.

Try only buying the following reputable brand:
1/. Singha water *the best IMO.
2/. Chang water
3/. Minere(Nestle)
4/. Sprinkle
5/. Polaris

You can ofcourse buy the imported stuff like Perier or Avian but that comes at a high price.

Very interesting, Hanuman. I normally drink Singha (the water not the beer).

stay away from the botled water sold in thick plastic botles that are not clear. these are sometimes sold durring festivals. this tends too be tap water.

another good quality water is
namthip (Coca Cola company)

very very interesting....also interesting that bottled water comes up as a topic all the time on fodors and the only caution that i ever remember is about the seals on the bottles....

How could I forget Namthip! Orgy is correct that it's another good brand.

This is a useful post. Myself, I like Singha (b/c I've drunk the beer for 20 years, which is excellent, I know the water must be as well) and Chang (same reason). And now namthip. thanks for that!

thank you all for your interesting comments. I figured the doctor was overly cautious. As long as I have everybodys attention I have another question which seems to have a difference of opinion. Is it OK to wear shorts for most of the time with either a shirt with a collor or tshirt? or do my wife and I need to wear long pants? I understand it is mandatory to visit the temples and we will wear long sleeves in the jot sun but otherwise? It is so nice to get this feedback from bob, kathie and all you other T vets Thank you all for your kind advise.

Hi all,
One last question about the water. Do we need to brush our teeth with bottled water? and what if you are just washing your face but not necessarily taking a shower? tx again.

Yipes! You've just stepped into a topic that has lots of disagreement. Personally, I am very conservative in my dress when visiting Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, VN, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia. For me that means no shorts in the city, long, light pants or a long (mid-calf) dress. I also don't wear sleeveless, though some people do. I dress conservatively enough that I could visit a temple in whatever I'm wearing (that's my standard). I wear shorts or skimpier attire only at resorts. I'm very fair-skinned, and exposing skin to the sun not only makes me burn, but I find I'm hotter when my skin is more exposed.

Yes -- brush your teeth with the bottled water. Keep your mouth closed when you take a shower and remember to avoid ice cubes in drinks. Get name brand bottled water that is sealed -- I have never had a problem with any of it.
In terms of food -- avoid salads, raw fruit or vegetables that are not peeled. I avoid street food just to play it ultra safe. Other eat it all the time.

Where are you ending up staying?

YOU MUST BRUSH WITH BOTTLED WATER...

you can of course wear shorts and you find many people doing it ...we find that we are "socially" uncomfortable in shorts in asia unless we are at a beach or resort....

with long pants you never have to worry if you are dressed appropriately to enter some place and you blend right in...

i see many people in shorts in bkk and they often look out of place, imo...

be conservative is the best rule in everything in thailand and SEA...

In nothern thailand you can probably wear shorts (as long as they are long shorts) without a problem. However, I'm with Bob and Kathie in thinking that long pants is the safer and better option.

You can wash your face with tap water-- just, obviously, keep your mouth closed.

Get one of those convertible pants and you can have it both way.
BTW, my dad moved back to Thailand 5 years ago and he refuse to wear long pants and he is doing just fine.

look this is the city where katoy's (transexuals) roam the land. so nothing is too odd.

I have been living in BKK for about 3 years now, and one thing I've noticed is that older wealthy men are starting to wear khaki shorts. polo style shirts and casual shoes more often, it is kind of a status symbol, GOLF casual.

jeremiah I have no clue how old you are, but older folk can get away with what I mentioned above and younger folk like myself can wear what ever we please.

I get the feeling many fodorites tend to dress conservatively everywhere so take that with a grain of salt, i guess

Bangkok being a city most people you see are working hence the dress style. Once away from the big city there is no issue wearing shorts, as Orgy says the Polo shirt and khaki/tan or dark blue shorts with trainsers is almost 'the' dress cose for Thais away for weekends, there is probably more who wear long but I can assure you that that is mostly the older age group, Thais up to 30 something it is easy relaxed clothing away from cities,( though reasonably modest ) for the girls and it is t-shirt/polo shirt and long shorts for the guys, whether it is a classy place or down by the beach.
I wear longs in the officre and shorts away from the office daytime but usually long in the evenings but if just hanging out local or when we go away it's shorts.

Just to add about jeans, I threw my last pair away years ago as I found 'jeans' to me the absolute most awaful to wear in the heat, for guys easy chino's / tan / khaki style on Banana republic side is fine. Better a nice cool Polo shirt and decent long shorts than a scruffy t-shirt and grubby jeans!