Bday Prang

Out of interest what part of the Thai language has lead you to your decision that it is not a normal language, just the tones? I failed miserably at French in school, despite attending the compulsory classes for about 10 years, Languages were just not for me , or so i was told. However I can speak read and write Thai to a better degree than i could ever do in French despite never having had a single lesson. Actually wanting to learn is a huge advantage, and a refusal to give up is essential. What kept me going is that millions of kids here learn Thai to a usable level, despite not even going to school regularly in many cases. If they can, I can, or so I convinced myself. To be honest I still find older people harder to communicate with, probably due to them often having no teeth. And there are always new words to learn for specific one off situations which can be easily forgotten afterwards To be honest expecting to improve much after a month of lessons is a bit unrealistic, you need to consider that to be just a grounding in the basics, and then persevere by speaking with Thais at every opportunity, that's the only way to become familiar with the language, what is taught in a classroom can differ significantly from every day speech, I would hate to have to learn English from scratch just the slang and the idioms would be beyond me Even worse to learn it from a Thai teacher in a government school. Like most native speakers I have never really understood the tenses either, but naturally through repetition in childhood , like everybody else. I am automatically able to know what is wrong or right just by instinct, and how things sound I doubt I will ever reach that level in Thai, in fact I'm sure of it The older we get the harder it becomes, I know I will never be "fluent" but its not that difficult to reach a useable standard

and the invention of concepts like "Hate speech" and even worse "non crime hate incidents" kind of legitimises and encourages this soft mummys boy attitude. I had no idea South America had also been infected.

its basic human nature for gods sake . When women meet socially they spend a lot of time telling each other how pretty they are, they don't actually mean it , its just something they say which helps them bond, Likewise when men meet, a considerable amount of time is taken up by taking the Pi$$ out of each other, they don't mean it either , its all part of bonding. A sense of humour is essential for enjoying life as is a lack of Ego and a relatively thick skin. There are too many offended snowflakes around these days. one has to learn how to take it as well as how to give it. And to hear somebody on here suggesting reporting things to moderators is nothing short of pathetic. We all left school a long time ago and the days of running to a teacher sobbing with ones hands in the air ended more than 50 years ago

Few would run far in this heat, especially western tourists

so you have never been on the receiving end of a shrieking Thai woman, ? and you pay everything asked without question? Fair enough

So why did she not ask for the money at the toll like they always do ???? app or no app

So why did she not ask for the extra money when she was at the toll booth, like they always unfailingly do? She was trying it on in my opinion

puts me in mind of those who spend money on acquiring the worthless 30 years leases and such like. Generally to enable them to keep living in the wifes village once they have split up. Never ends well regardless of the "legalities"

But you don't find that part of this story a little strange, and are so quick to pronounce the tourists guilty

She argued that police assistance would spoil foreign tourists and encourage them to repeat such behaviour. well only if it was made public, which she ensured it was The taxi driver did not clarify whether she eventually took the money from the police I'd say it was a racing certainty that she snatched their hands off

Price probably already included the toll fee too, she was more than likely just trying it on. Can't have been much more than 50 baht anyway if the cops were prepared to pay it just to shut her up.

Much ado about (next to ) nothing.

Also a bit weird that in this day and age there are still people believe all they read online

not odd at all for anybody who has spent any time here.

Rubbish I have paid many times with large denomination notes and never had an issue with getting change. Toll money is asked for at the point of payment, never at the end of the journey, that in its self is suspicious, You should not believe all you read in the papers or online, especially anything from "The Tiger" You should not be so quick to apportion guilt Have you ever been asked for the toll fee at the end of the journey ? I very much doubt it.

I would want to distance my self from a Thai woman screaming at me like a fish wife. I know how they can erupt whether they are right or wrong

The nationality of the women is of no relevance, the amount of the toll involved would have been interesting and obviously trivial.. So many on here ready to crucify a couple of tourists based on a report from that bastion of "journalism" The Thaiger. Of course all Thai taxi drivers are saints who would never lie, female ones especially so . The cops at the scene offered to pay , that should have been the end of the matter, but no, it obviously wasn't good enough, and only compounded her loss of face from a failed scam

I have been a member a lot longer than that actually, I take people on a post by post basis and very rarely form opinions except in certain circumstances. I just looked back at some of my comments and I have indeed encountered the guy before and have actually commented on a few of his posts, but I have not been inclined to form any sort of a lasting negative opinion

people everywhere have more to worry about, except of course a few busybodies on here

Agree with all you have written , although I can't comment on the posting history of the OP I don't recall any of his posts or comments prior to this thread

indeed and ask them to clarify your visa options, that would soon shut them up

It is not "their country" and with few exceptions they have zero entitlement to know anything. We have no obligation to declare our visa status or show our papers, "on demand" to any member of the public, with few exceptions for example checking into a hotel or for a flight. It really is none of anybody's business I would say that the overwhelming majority of Thais have absolutely no Idea of visa requirements, Most don't even understand the purpose of a passport. in the same way that I have no idea about visa regulations in the UK ( if there are any these days) why would I , unless I was thinking of taking the mrs over there, which I am not Do, or did, you make a habit of checking foreigners documents in your home country, ? I doubt it , but there again there are a few on here who may well do things like that, are you one of those interfering busybody types ?

Other than with a few "bar girls" who have been contaminated with the "Farang roo mak mai dee" philosophy, I have never experienced anything like this. Sure some Thais don't particularly like me, but I am able to understand that their feelings towards me do not reflect their feelings towards all foreigners, The same way that I don't like certain Thais, but there are plenty that I get on with just fine. Same goes for all people I meet.

I never had an immigration officer ask me either, they seem to know what visa I have, except at the airport when I first arrive

Each to their own, and I guess where one lives may have something to do with the way they feel about this, I tend to avoid foreigners when I can, so if I couldn't converse with the Thais I would effectively become a recluse which is not something i have on my bucket list.