The traditional greeting in Thailand is called the Wai. Essentially, the Wai is very similar to the gesture we were taught to make when saying our prayers as children - hands together in front of the face, head slightly bowed. It's used in circumstances where westerners would usually shake hands and it's also used to say 'Thank You' and 'Goodbye'.

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You will read that there are many subtleties in the Wai - how much you bow your head, how far in front of your face you place your hands, how high up you put them etc. These little differences are all to do with social status, family relationship and age and would be extremely difficult for a Westerner to master.

If a Thai person didn't follow these intricate rules, it would be seen as extremely rude behaviour. As a result, I've seen advice in lots and lots of guides about Thailand that the safest thing is not to Wai at all, in case you unintentionally offend someone.

I mentioned this once to some Thai friends and they were quick to inform me that such advice was total nonsense. I checked with many Thai people after that and the unanimous view is that Thais are very flattered when Westerners try to respect their culture - even in such a small way. Any kind of Wai, whether perfectly or not so perfectly executed, will always be very well received.

A good western friend of mine has the most extravagant Wai known to man. He sweeps his hands in a gigantic circle, starts to join them in front of his stomach, raises them up to the tip of his nose and then bows so deeply you think he'll fall off balance and end up flat on his face. I wouldn't recommend for one second that you try to adopt anything quite so theatrical. Indeed, this particular display is reserved for his close Thai friends who all think it's fantastic.

My advice is go for a nice straight forward Wai - just watch for the warming smile you'll get as your Wai is returned. It's a very easy gesture and one that goes a long way - hands together in front of your face, index fingers more or less level with your nose, keep them there for no more than a second or so. What could be simpler!