The first golden rule is to only drink purchased bottled water (or beer). The second rule is to eat in restaurants which look reasonably clean and well patronised. At least then, the food will turn over reasonably quickly and be quite fresh. Avoid food that has been sitting around in Bain Maries (food heaters). The third rule is to eat food which is not too exotic for your own taste.

There are wonderful tastes available in Thai cooking made from fresh herbs, vegetables, rice, meat and seafood (click here to see a few from a past trip ). Each region has its own specialities, but there are underlying foods you will find everywhere, such as Nam (fried rice) dishes, Pad Thai (noodles), and red, yellow and green (hottest) curries. Tom Yum soup is a favourite, with seafood and lots of other goodies. It is also good to try street food as long as it is cooked fresh in front of your eyes. One of our favourites is banana rotis which are like a pancake deep fried with banana inside and topped with chocolate or condensed milk. Absolutely perfect for dessert.

Strange as it may sound, it is best to avoid western food, such as steak or chops as it is inevitably tough, poorly cooked and darned expensive. However if the cravings persist, you can often find a big mac, or starbucks on your travels.