2009

Surely, not as bad as the ones who think they are Thai. I remember sitting in a farang pub and this young chipper lad, clearly in complete rapture of being in Thailand, approches me and says, "Sawadi kap! Yin dee ti die ru jak. Phom chu...." I look behind me thinking that he was talking to a Thai maiden, only to discover he is actually talking to me. Naturally, I was like, "We are both English speakers, man" He kinda reminded me of a "young me" when I was in love with Thailand but I never took it as far as to try to converse in Thai with other farang. Maybe he was high or something. His eyes we all glazed over with bliss.

Haha, Their spatial awareness truly is a phenomenal. It is only at an escalator, they can accuse me of tailgating. Lol. Tailgating at 120km/h -- no problem. But an escalator....dun dun dun..........sheer terror!

Double post

Haha, I still haven't made it passed "farang Lao" status. I just call them "Lao Lao" back. Needless to say, they don't appreciate it.

You reminded me of living up country. Lol Domestication ain't exactly very refined yet, nor care for animals, neighbors, or the environment.

I have experienced this at work. Even though the person disagrees with something, they are afraid that they will be excluded by their peers (who are banding together and suffering collectively) if they stand up for themselves. Super mature, on both sides. Lol.

Yup, the absolute ruthless cut-throat driving which just seems to be the norm among the nation as a whole. Yeah, a lack of honestly and reliability in general. I suppose all cultures have different values, but honestly certainly isn't high on the list here.

Yeah, the psychotic Thai techno party music sounds like something only rebellious children would play for a laugh. Yet, no Issan party is complete without 12 hours of it played so loud you can here it kilometres away and the women actually seem to enjoy dancing to it. I will never comprehend.

So, rather than have a circle jerk over local culture, I am interested to know what aspects of it you dislike. I am sure as foreign guests here we must have experienced culture clash or culture shock at some point. So, is there any cultural difference that you just can't fully appreciate?

Thainess in a nutshell.

So, you can pick any year to go back to. Why year? Why?

I think I have been all of them, except "not-an-expat expat"

The 100 baht massage.

Good point

I don't think they give two <deleted> about anything. Let's see if they pull down Hua Lampong, then I'll tell you if they have any soul left. It was one thing to destroy Washington Square -- that was just a farang playground, but their own train station??! One that played such an important role to Thailand's development. It's like selling your granny to bordello.

Will we be adding Hua Lampong to this list? ????

I'll go first: Washington Square.

I pour out some Chang for the days gone by. Let this be a thread of nostalgia: a bittersweet memorial of Bangkok (and other locales) - when it was ours!

Certainly not being sarcastic. Who wouldn't agree that beer and locomotives are a great combination? A beer whilst looking at the scenery was wonderful. Now, it's just a journey from A to B. In general, Thailand is losing its charm.

Yes, a beer on the train -- such a wonderful thing! Thailand is losing its charm. And few even care.

Some people have no shame. How can they sell their own history like trollups selling their oysters? Bangkok will be a worthless shopping mall in no time.

Some sleep on all fours.

You don't know how long you lived in the UK?

Speaking of boozers, anyone know if the pubs are serving past 9pm?

Interesting, doesn't debt get passed on to the children in Thailand? Like, if mother dies with debt, then child inherits it?