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Apart from smiling the Thai greeting Sawadee is among the first impression a visitor will get in the kingdom. In the cultural heart of Bangkok, at the Sanam Luang next to the royal Wat Phra Keao, this 18 months old boy was asked by his mother to greet me, while she was smiling broadly.

Thais greet each other with "Sawadee" krap when a man greets or Kra when a woman greets an other person. To do so you do not shake hands but make a WAI. To do so both hands are put together as if in prayer. As higher the hands are hold, as higher is the social position of the person greeted. When greeting a child, the Wai should be made in front of the chest, against the chin to greet someone of equal status or a very close friend, raised to the level of the top lip for meeting an older person or someone of senior status, and placed against the forehead when paying homage to Buddha or when meeting the King or a monk.