rene123

The new bridge on the 1257 road in Nan provice

My best memories of Thailand ...well one is when I first came here in 1985 I think, or 1986, and only did a tour of BKK. I stayed at the Mandarin Oriental, with one of the loves of my life, (a French boyfriend, as I lived in France then) and well, we just had a great time there! Most of it had to do with the love life and not Thailand, but I did have a great experience of Thailand, back then. One specific memory, had to do with buying some bananas from a boat lady, in whatever boat market used to exist then, in BKK, and feeling like I had never tasted a real banana up until then! A great, little banana, that had so much flavor!

Our boat tour around BKK canals, something that you cannot do today ...well you can do it, but it is a totally different thing. I have loads of photos of all the shacks around the river, with the main wall of the house, the one that would face the river, not existing. I could see inside everyone's house, see their (even back then) one refrig and one TV, and pretty much, they owned nothing else. Seeing kids from those houses, swimming in the river next to their house.

It was really a SHOCK for me, because I had never really known 3rd world countries at that point ...and why would I, I was only about 19 or 20 years old.

I think we also got a classic scam ...everything was closed for a religious holiday ,,, and actually it did seem like things were closed, but not gem markets! My French b/f bought plenty of nice things for me! I did see so many monks in the streets, and another shock for me, was seeing people using the side of the road in BKK, as a toilet, they just squatted and did their business!

We bought a lot of things, that just don't exist today. Gifts we gave to our parents, and some thing we kept for ourselves, that are really great.

I learned a lot about negotiation, in a way. Things that were 1 for $20, became 2 for $10, and as we continued to walk away, as it was junk we just didn't want, for really any price, I learned some things. By the end, something that was 1 for $20 became people chasing us down the road offering 20 of X, for $5. Those guys seemed desperate then ...and I remember, a big memory, is that as a woman who is 5 feet 3 inches, I was towering over almost every person here, I felt I was in a land of dwarfs!

Then I didn't come again to Thailand, until 2004, and that is another story ...I will write again. But I have to say, that this trip, was the BEST trip and I always told people, who asked, what was my favorite trip/country, that it was Thaiand.

I have thought about posting some photos from then, on to TV ...but just been lazy about it, but I don't think there is another city in the world, that changed so much, in this kind of time period, as BKK has.

Great story, amykat. I have similar memories about my first experiences in Thailand as a single backpacker traveling with a group, but mine didn't involve a lover. Last winter I was on my own, but with the help of my father's friend. A mentor does help in cutting corners and saving you from making mistakes.

I have mixed feelings on this subject. I have a Canadian friend who had both a nose job and breast implants. It improved her appearance a lot. Prior to surgery she was totally flat and now she has nice curves. Her nose was too big but now it looks cute. The surgeon was excellent and you can't notice the scars. Sandra now has far more self confidence and her looks now match her bubbly personality. I forget how much it cost but it was a lot.

That said however, I've seen a lot of botched surgeries and the results can't be repaired. I was at a fancy resort in Arizona and the American women there had so many face lifts that they all looked like plastic mannequins.

I'm waiting for the counterpoint stories where the Thai girl was the level-headed salt-of-the-earth and the farang non-Thai guy turned out to be the total wacko in creating the dysfunctional relationship. Maybe a long wait.

I'm sure there are lots of those stories in Thailand, but this is an English speaking forum.

My fondest memory is not really a separate event so much as the feeling I got when I finally felt capable of finding my way around Thailand on my own without getting lost because I couldn't speak the language or read the signs. The more I traveled the more I wanted to explore further.

Thank you Lemoncake for the soda idea. I'll try it next time I have a problem. Usually a plunger works. When renting a room as a second occupant we can't determine what previous occupants did. I know that threats and aggressive behaviour seldom works in Thailand.

It is a very sad situation when people you have thought of as friends, betray you. As I've learned the hard way when it comes to money or love, you can't really trust anyone. It is a hard lesson to learn and one that hardens you to future relationships. I've even seen it within what were formerly thought to be close family ties. Unfortunately, we now have to have legal documents written up before entering any business deal.

bashing what ? beavers ? is there a community of beaver bashers now>???

Only in Canada where the same group like to bash baby seals.

Great first post. 5555

Tell us something we don't know. On virtually every long distant ride I take I have near misses with those silver van drivers. They pass strings of traffic on blind corners. I've had good success riding in Green busses and they usually arrive on time.

Just the coyotes with wolverines. They are meaner and nastier.

Very nice. Is this your own video? In any case it was well done. It takes skill to make a good video that is not boring.

It sounds like a good idea, but I wonder if the children won't just use it as a toy to play games. If used wisely it could have some benefits. All the Thais that I know who are not working 9 or 10 hour days use their cel phones to play games on them rather than as a phone. I think the quality of Thai teachers needs to be improved, but I'm not sure how that could be achieved without a total overhaul of the system. The present system of learning by rote is not working and stifles an actual interest in creative learning.

I believe there are problems with the quality of the average Thai teacher, but it is hard to generalize to include them all. Thailand seems to have a thriving economy despite the graft and corruption. That tells me there must be some street smarts somewhere. I've also seen some surprising lack of what I would call common knowledge. I've never been short changed in a bank. I'm sure we can all find isolated cases that would support your theory.

As far as lack of tourists is concerned it is the wet, low season. As far as gravel and sand on Thai roads is concerned I can't respond because I'm not there right now, but it has always been something to be aware of when riding a motorbike on Thai roads. Warning signs are NEVER place before a potential hazard. They are only placed right at the hazard. By that time it is too late if you are moving quickly..

I had a boyfriend called Tom. He had a gorgeous girlfriend... me. 5555

When a country provides a "service" then the tourists will come. In the case of Pattaya the "service" is young, reasonably attractive women at a reasonable price. Take away the attraction and the tourists leave... along with their money. There are many kilometers of beautiful deserted beaches in Thailand with not a tourist in sight. Those deserted beaches add nothing to Thailand's economy.

In Chiang Mai the local police close the bar scene in the Loi Kroh area about midnight, and in so doing chase away a certain segment of the tourist trade. How does that affect Chiang Mai's economy?

I don't profess to know what drives Thailand's economy, but I can see what can derail it. The few tourist-expats down on their luck will have little or no impact on Thailand's economy, or reputation as a tourist and potential business destination.

A Cockney phrase to describe a tip, maybe in common use countrywide now, is to give them a drink.

Tommy Cooper, a much loved and very funny man, was mean to the point of it being a legend. On paying off a cab driver Tommy stuffed something in the cabby's top pocket and said "Here, have a drink on me." The cabby thanked him and drove off. A short time afterwards he reached into his top pocket expecting to find a fiver, but fished out a tea bag.

RIP Tom.

Funny story, Bagwan, but without knowing the man I suspect lemoncake is like your departed friend, Tom. Lemoncake is a good example of what the OP was talking about.

Although I only spent 6 months in Thailand, it was my experience that rural Thais are mostly honest and helpful. I don't recall one bad experience, and I spent most of my time visiting Thai villages whenever I could.

Nobody knows what people will do if they are put in the desperate situation of no money, no job and no food. In those cases I give everyone the benefit of doubt and won't judge them. However, rural Thais and transient Burmese workers seem to be able to survive on very little

I've seen so many strange things in Thailand that I hardly notice them anymore. The unusual just seems normal in Thailand. Personally, I try to look reasonably attired when I leave my room and most of my clothes are simple. I don't wear any dress-up clothes in Thailand because I don't attend funerals, weddings or formal events.

Right now I'm still in Canada, but when the weather turns wet I'll be thinking of returning to Thailand. Right now the weather here is too nice to leave. I was on a beach today. I'm only on thaivisa when I'm working on the computer.

mate, they stop being dangerous when they are dead, the best look for any snake

you could say the same for the same percentage of humans.

Golden tree snakes are beautiful creatures and should be left alone. And, even venomous snakes provide a valuable purpose. They can safely swept out of your home with a broom. Snakes just want to left alone.

I can't say my cyber friends are that important to me, but I've met several people in real life that were first met through various forums. So, I have to say that forums are important to me.

What would it take to make me leave Thailand you ask? How about a first class airline ticket? Or, better still an open ended, first class return ticket.

This is the first I've seen this topic and I've now read most of the replies. I have to say that I agree with SBK. I just smile at everyone and it seems to work. I guess I've just trained myself to ignore stares that may, or may not be nasty. If they are nasty then that is their problem that I have no control of. I actually feel sorry for people who are so shallow that they judge people by the colour of their skin or what they wear, and without even knowing them. I get lots of stares in rural areas, but that is probably because of my bright red hair and white freckled skin. Little children sometimes want to touch it. In Chiang Mai where I spend most of my time I haven't been bothered much. But, I don't have to work, so I don't know how it would be with fellow staff. I do understand that black women could have far more problems than me.

Pure greed has always been the downfall of the unwary. Gamblers have always taken chances in hopes of making it big quickly. It is an addiction for some, and for others it is all about the excitement with the possibility of a big reward. Scammers would not have career if there were no suckers hoping to get rich with no effort. Thailand has no exclusive on suckers and scammers.