Al

It's hardly an earth-shaking question, but I <BR>get conflicting advice about wearing shorts. <BR>The guidebooks I've seen say not to do so, yet the photos in the brochures almost always show men wearing them. Your advice?

Glen

Hello <BR> <BR>Depends on which country you visit, but generally it is not acceptable to wear shorts to temples or cultural sites. Take note of what the locals wear! If they wear shorts then go ahead. But please respect cultural sites. Happy travelling. <BR> <BR>Glen

Accanthus

In the eyes of South East Asian men shorts are strictly for kids or tourists. They will only wear shorts for sports or in the privacy of their own homes.

Andrea

It's true that one hardly ever sees Southern Asian men in shorts - here in China, one sees instead men wearing long trousers rolled up to the knees. So if I were you, I'd go with shorts! (Just kidding - tourists and expats commonly wear shorts, though). <BR> <BR>In Bangkok, the temples did ban shorts, sandals, and revealing shirts, but they also provided "rental trousers" - for a small deposit AND AN ID left with them, you can get shoes, trousers, and a shirt, if necessary. I'm not sure how prevalent that practice is outside of Bangkok, however.

harzer

Everyone has covered this topic pretty well. The only local men who wear shorts in SE Asia are the ethnic Chinese, and even then they are most likely to be either young students or the labouring class. At the beach the rules are relaxed somewhat, especially where lots of tourists are present - but not for Muslims who always wear long trousers or full length skirts, even when swimming.

margaret ross

What is all this fuss about not wearing shorts? If you are on vacation you have no problem in Thailand wearing shorts, and even in Bangkok many tourists wear shorts. If you go to a temple then long trousers are required. In Phuket, Hua Hin, Koh Samui etc virtually every single tourist male wears shorts, and so do Thais, although they are usually the 'under 30's' I do admit, but certainly don't think that you have to wear long trousers in resort areas. In Phuket except for 'businessmen' nearly everyone, regardless of race/nationality wears shorts.

mystic

Hi Al, <BR>Don't worry about it. Wear your shorts and be happy! Just use common sense and good manners not to wear shorts to place of worships (temple, mosque - after all, you don't wear shorts to church, right?), dinner at posh restaurants (some places distinctly place dress codes) etc etc <BR> <BR>If you want to walk around the city, sight seeing - shorts are a ok! <BR> <BR>

Craig

The Thai people will respect you more and treat you better if you wear long pants. Shorts are ok on the island beaches since most people there are tourists anyway. Even though I would much prefer to wear shorts on vacation, especially when it is as hot as Thailand is, I wore very lightweight nylon trousers on my trip last July that I purchased from Travelsmith. They were the next best thing.

Pat

Glad to see this topic - do same rules apply to women in SE Asia? Planning a trip sometime in 2002 to visit friends 1st in Mindinao, Phillippines, then add a week at a timeshare elsewhere. Any suggestions on best time of year to plan trip? (Friends have their own schedule difficulties around Easter and Holy Week)