WaiWai

Information (incl. credentials of workers, languages spoken & clearly stated prices) and photos outside are a very good idea. The information should be provided in a number of languages. Consider aptitude in other languages (even if it's very basic) when hiring. You could even send your workers to short courses in the most commonly used tourist langages. (*Remember the Asian & Arabic tourists, too.)

The place, and everything and everyone in it, must be super CLEAN. Aroma should be pleasant but subtle .

Workers should not be lounging about, eating or chatting if you wish to attract foreign tourists. All mobile phones swwitched to silent. Landline ringer muted as much as possible.

Train the workers to "suss out" whether a client wishes to chat or not. Some do but in general, I'd discourage it as I think most people prefer a quiet environment. Perhaps play some soothing "spa"/meditation music.

Have fountains or a fish tank ( as dentists do, to relax their patients ), plenty of plants, attractive & soothing decor. Look at photos on the more classy spa websites for ideas,

Must be very cool inside -- tourists have not acclimatized.

Try to develop some kind of theme or style to make your place a little distinctive & memorable (even if it's essentially the same as most other places). This can be done very simply -- just through coordination of decor, clothing colour & styles etc. Have business cards with maps & directions in Thai so tourists can recommend your place to their friends.

Offer tea or cool fruit juices.

The name could reflect the type of massage/s offered or your chosen "style".

Hello Nampeung,

You have received some great suggestions here regarding your son.

You seem to be dealing with most of all this experience very well.

It seems to me it might be helpful for you to press your doctors a little for a more accurate prediction of the time you have left, and what you may experience whem death does approach. Importantly, you should be told if pain/extreme discomfort can be expected and how this can/will be dealt with.

There's a huge cautiousness about allowing people to die peacefully and without pain or excessive degeneration. I have never understood this. I think everyone should have the right to decide when they want to "leave", and even be provided at birth with a pill that will allow them to leave before suffering becomes unbearable. And there are ways ...

I hope one of the moderators can ask Sheryl (of the Medical Forum) to advise.

Best wishes. I had fairly severe asthma as a kid, so I do have some idea of what you are going through.

Cheers and best wishes.

Mae West said "I used to be Snow White, but I drifted" (or similar -- and relevant not only to the topic but the direction(s) of this thread.) Does Thailand have any counterparts to Mae? Please allow me to let my thoughts drift a little, too.

In Thai, as well as many Asian & other cultures, it's generally not considered too appropriate for a woman to suggest that she greatly enjoys or is interested in sex. There's very much a "good girl"/"bad girl" dichotomy. Recently, I even heard a foreign man ask a young Thai hotel receptionist which kind she was, within earshot of everyone within 10 metres. There was a good deal of laughter amongst the staff about this afterwards but it is a fair example of the attitudes many foreigners have towards Thais (both male and female).

And, I have heard from many Asians, including Thais, that ideal qualities in a wife/mother include "chastity" and "modesty". Sexual desire is seen as a male "fatal flaw"/'weakness"; pleasurable sex is something in which men tend to indulge with women/men for whom they have less respect and who are not part of the core family. Yes, this is changing somewhat amongst younger people and obviously this does not apply to everyone.

I have learnt that the notion that we humans are all the same beneath cultural differences is true to an extent only. (I also think this idea of sameness is an idea we from Western cultures are taught to subscribe to, far more than in most other cultures.) I believe culturally proscribed and absorbed values can affect our thoughts and behaviours profoundly. Many studies support this. What happens when cultures meet -- especially when the cultures are very different -- is fascinating. My personal observation is that after initial sensations of "freedom" from the thinking and restraints of one's "home culture", many people (some quite quickly and some more gradually) revert to the values of their own culture, sometimes in quite dogmatic forms.

I have to say that Thailand's reputation cannot be said to be entirely undeserved. There's far too much anecdotal and statistical evidence to think otherwise. However, I still think there's a distinction to be made between perceptions of Thais as promiscuous and those of Thais as pragmatic.

The original question was, "You know the Lie: Thai (and sometimes Asian) woman are often unfairly portrayed as more promiscuous than western woman in the Western media; I allege this is done under the subtle but persistent guise of racism"

I think there is truth in this. There is a subtle type of racism that allows us to rationalize our views of people from different cultures.

I think I have drifted enough for now.

It may be curiousity about all apsects of one's past, but no more important than your jobs you had while in high school or what sports you played as a student.

While specific numbers may be of no great interest (unless extreme in one way or another!), I would think patterns of past relations & relationships will normally be of much interest to people if they are moving past a casual connection, like playing sport .

And while people don't, so far as I know, often make a point of asking about these matters, the information normally just comes out naturally, as part of getting to know someone; just in the course of sharing stories and experiences about the past and expectations for the future. It's not merely interesting; it is an important way of getting to understand the other person.

P.S. Perhaps especially so when people are from diffferent cultural backgrounds?

It may be curiousity about all apsects of one's past, but no more important than your jobs you had while in high school or what sports you played as a student.

While specific numbers may be of no great interest (unless extreme in one way or another!), I would think patterns of past relations & relationships will normally be of much interest to people if they are moving past a casual connection, like playing sport .

And while people don't, so far as I know, often make a point of asking about these matters, the information normally just comes out as part of getting to know someone; just in the course of sharing stories and experiences about the past and expectations for the future. It's not merely interesting; it is an important way of getting to understand the other person.

Here's a very useful website: http://www.chiangmainews.com/ .

The following may also be of interest: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Recommend-Or...ce-t236796.html , depending on the particularities of any personal dietary and other practices.

Same here, StevieH!

Never had any problems with MoW whatsoever but sometimes think the packaging could be reduced/more environmentally friendly.

Always hoping to see new restaurants added, too .

Can't claim to have read the entire thread, but how do we (or perhaps, to return to the OP's question, the "Western media") define "promiscuous"?

Is a promiscuous person one who ...

has sex with another person before marriage

has sex with another person for money

has sex with another person for pleasure

has sex hoping a commitment can be avoided

has sex with another person on the first date

has sex with another person in the hope of a commitment ensuing

has sex with more than a certain number of others

(no need to continue, I hope...) ?

Seems to me that threads like this tend to bring people leaping to defend their partners'/their own practice, with very little real discussion taking place .

It could be an interesting discussion, but it's not heading in that direction at present.

La beaute est toujours ailleurs?

Luxe, calme et volupte ...

on the whole Thai's are very selfish and dont care about anything except themselves...

Blunt , but hits on a fundamental cultural truth, I think.

Several people have made good points about both some of the causes of the problem and some possible solutions. Just to add ...

Re causes:

In Thailand, China, some other Asian (and, no doubt, some other non-Asian) cultures, one's "sphere of responsibilty" tends to end strictly at the boundaries of one's property. Homes and gardens may be kept immaculately while the rubbish dumped directly outside is someone else's problem*. This way of thinking is related to the relative (sorry for pun ) strictness regarding those who may be included in Thais' "inner circle" of people (as in other Asian, and quite a few non-Asian cultures).

Even when it should be apparent that dumping waste, whether close to home or not, cannot be good for *oneself*, somehow that very strong cultural value seems to over-rule other values & thoughts.

Re solutions:

*There are still many people who forage for a living -- this practice need not end with better waste management measures.

I think the trendification of the use of recycling in general (e.g. cloth shopping bags which advertise the fact that one is "kewl" enough to be aware of international thinking) could definitely help here (and be culturally appropriate ) . A few film or soapie stars could do a great deal to help this cause, whilst, of course, offering the chance to promote their wonderful selves .

Does the new clinic have a name? Even a photo, perhaps?

Thanks for the info.

Could you give us a little more info -- e.g. are you Thai/not? have spent much time in Thailand/not? have kids/not?

Whereabouts is friend coming from -- BKK or country? Provinces usually have their specialty crafts.

I think preserved and well sealed foods are not a problem but not sure for the USA.

Lengths of Thai silk or other fabrics not found so much outside Asia are often a good gift -- can be made into shirts or other clothing & no worries about getting sizing right (tho tailors are far cheaper here, of course) or else just used as throws/tablecloths etc.

Depending on gender -- silk ties/scarves/etc.

If you like masks you may like some of the wall hangings found in markets here.

T shirts with whacky Thinglish slogans.

Some small electronic items could be cheaper here (again, not sure).

...

Ah - just noticed "from Chiang Mai". Many heavier woven fabrics available here as well as silk.

Silver.

Various handcrafts.

I recall that there was a thread on "Chabat House" here --- perhaps they can help, smd perhaps someone can pull the thread back up.

No fats in beer .

Everyone, please, do whatever you can ...

For some reason, foreign efforts seem mainly to focus on "domestic" animals (cats and dogs) rather than native animals.

Both are important, but there may not be many of these wonderful, highly intelligent native creatures left, soon .

The abuse is appalling.

A quick google will let you know how the infant elephants are "subdued" in preparation for their lives of slavery.

I did come across a more positive elephant story in the BKK Post.

Journalist-turned-environmentalist Jittin Ritthirat is among a handful of wildlife advocates who have devoted themselves to protecting the elephants along with their habitat.

Ms Jittin, the manager and coordinator of the Kanchanaburi-based Elephant Conservation Network , has initiated a project to reduce conflicts between wild elephants and farmers in the western province and encourage local communities to help restore the 500,000-rai Salakpra wildlife sanctuary, a home to around 170 wild pachyderms

She recently won the Whitley Award, one of the world's top prizes for grassroots nature conservation. ...

She is the first Thai national to have received the prestigious award which came with a project grant of 30,000 (1.65 million baht)

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/1773...aving-elephants

Please, all, do your best to support project such as these.

You might try the food carts near any large school or university for deep fried empty carbs of all shapes and sizes. Not a vitamin or protein in sight and certainly won't break the budget.

What about the ice-cream in a fried sweet bun?

Wash down with a rainbow coloured icy drink with added candies and jellies.

:D

Elephant dies in fall from cliff

Governor orders probe into fears of overwork

Published: 2/06/2009 at 12:00 AM

A working elephant lost consciousness and fell from a cliff to its death in the third fatal accident involving elephants in the past week.

The 50-year-old male elephant, Plai Wilai, was hauling logs in a forest yesterday on the Banthad mountain range in Phatthalung's Kong Ra district.

Two other elephants were killed in the same province on Friday.

Plai Wilai's owner had hired him out to haul logs from the forest.

More details and photograph at http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/1773...fall-from-cliff

-- Bangkok Post 2009/06/02

If a group of us wanted some product from afar, we could band together & request an order.

Like Mt. Dew from America? I'd give an arm to find some of that in Thailand. Ok, maybe not an arm...

We would all lend you a hand when we could .

I guess folk who might like Mt.Dew could p.m. you, or you could begin a new thread (if you dare ).

"Limping" is great. Will even order items in for you (may need to be a fairly large quantity). If a group of us wanted some product from afar, we could band together & request an order.

I very much appreciate that they encourage recycling of their plastic bags.

I'm pretty open about everything I do and for the most part it hasn't harmed me or my friends.

You are, indeed. Thing is, especially with children or partners, if they later discover you have written about them in any way, there can definitely be repercussions as it's been done without their permission (friends have a few such stories !).

It's often quite a simple thing to realize who a particular poster is, and from there, realize what you know about their children/partners etc.

Otherwise, I agree that your thread might be interesting .

Here's the thread: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Strong-Chedd...ai-t266510.html

Pickles are a delightful accompaniment to fried termites.

I know it's really maddening when someone replies in this fashion, but the pickles question came up very recently here.

I know it's even more irritating to hear the following, but I cannot remember the topic of that thread. It may have been that old chestnut, cheese. I'll see if I can locate it. Pickles are important. I believe mcgriffith answered in that thread. Perhaps he will remember.

Maybe people who have children are too busy to spend time on internet forums

I expect that this would be the primary reason, by far.

Secondly, though, many people consider it unwise -- for a whole array of reasons -- to reveal information about their partners/families/children/third parties of any kind on the internet, other than in a very guarded or general fashion, especially in a small town like Chiang Mai.

Ian F., perhaps you could elaborate ... it's not very clear to me where you wanted to go with this as a Chiang Mai thread.

Must be remembered that condoms do not protect against all STDs, including serious ones such as syphilis, I believe.

The point about TB is a good one, too. Also, don't forget about hepatitis & other diseases which can be passed on by kissing, coughing etc.

how does that work then? the condoms not protecting against stds and in particular syphlis, it may not be as fragile as GC but it sure cant penetrate rubber

Syphylis

Type of Infection: Bacterial

Modes of Transmission: Syphilis is almost always transmitted through sexual contact with an infected person. The syphilis bacteria can easily spread from the ulcers on an infected person to the mucous linings of the mouth, genitals, and anus of an uninfected sexual partner. Though unlikely, it is possible to contract the infection by coming into contact with the broken skin of an infected person. Syphilis can also be passed from an infected mother to her unborn child.

Symptoms: Syphilis symptoms occur in stages. Primary syphilis results in painless sores called "chancres." These usually appear on the genitals, but they can also appear on the lips, tongue, and other body parts. These chancres generally disappear within a few weeks, but if left untreated, the disease can progress to chronic stages. Secondary syphilis begins with the syphilis rash. This is an infectious brown skin rash that typically occurs on the bottom of the feet and the palms of the hand. Fever, sore throat, swollen glands, and hair loss can also be experienced. The third stage of syphilis can last for many years, and you may suffer from joint and bone damage, increasing blindness, numbness in the extremities, or difficulty in coordinating movements.

TB, hepatitis and various other diseases may not be classed as STDs but can be passed on through close contact which occurs during sex.