Let’s say you’re on vacation and choose to stay on the beautiful Thailand island of Ko Samui. You’ve been here for a couple of days and met a nice Thai girl at one of the local bars. The next night, you and your Thai companion go out to eat at a romantic restaurant on the beach. You both have a few drinks and decide to go out for a short walk along the shoreline. You feel that this is the perfect time to land your first kiss. You look over at your girl and see those luscious lips and you just have to feel how soft they really are. You lean in with you lips open and… BAM! You get denied!

One interesting thing about Thai culture is that the mouth-to-mouth kiss is a bit foreign to them. Thai’s have their own method of kissing called a “hom”. The hom kiss is when you put your nose anywhere near the head. It could be the top of their head, their cheek or their neck. Then you quickly sniff them. What’s that? Am I serious? You bet I am! This sniff kiss has been used for generations throughout Thailand and is the preferred method. It’s also your best bet for the first kiss.

That’s not to say that Thai girls don’t kiss in the traditional Western sense. The definitely do! But if you want to be a gentleman about it and impress your Thai girlfriend by sticking to their traditions, go in for a hom. Do that and you’ll find that she’ll likely repay you with a nice big Western smooch!