sutnyod

I gave two monks a lift when I was driving through a quite remote area and took them where they wanted to go. Of course I had asked them before whether it is okay for them to travel with a woman alone and they said no problem. When we arrived, one of them asked me also for money (although I had chatted with them the whole long drive and they knew I was a volunteer with no big money). The monk was even so helpful as to open his bag to me so I was spared the inconvenience of having to hand over the money to him (THAT I would not have done anyway ). I was so perplex I just dropped him a 100 THB. But that was the last time I did such a thing. I guess they were real monks alright, because we run into police roadblocks on the way and were checked (ID and all).

Hi,

just for starters: I have never formally learned Thai, hence my question: what is the reason the letter "r" (ro) is so flexible? I mean historically? It can be pronounced an "r", "n", "t", "s"? Why? And why the "r" only? No other letter in the Thai alphabet behaves like this one. Has any of you learned about this?

Thanks

s.

Is there a place in Thailand called Buriburi?

Oh c'mon! That would be a kind of coat now, wouldn't it?

Nice style.

I can literally see them ....

Go swimming....it is guaranteed to be different water than the last time so no need to be bored.

aehm.... I hope your post was not related to mine. (the part about deciding where to get off).

Disclaimer: Klong swimming is not a discipline I would recommend for humans (and other living things)

There is a shop specialized on horse riding equipment on Rajada. If you come from Esplanade, continue further to Robinson and then in the middle of the entertainment blocks on your left there is the shop. You can walk from Robinson Rajada (direction out of town). Should take between 10 and 15 min.

...the Human Imagery Museum?

What I usually do with people who have seen the sights: take them throught the Klongs. Just on a normal passenger boat. Then let them decide where to get off (some are quite brave!) and scout around on foot. For a special treat I take them to sample all kinds of food at the farmer market in Kampheng Phet.

Same here. We went to MBK and Pratunam. Lots of things. Some also in Platinum.

Another option: the groundfloor (basement) of Central Lat Prao (even shoes) and The Mall. What a waste of money to have to buy something for one-two months!

It's also my most favoured piece from Jethro Tull

Is this your first election experience here?

Yes for Bangkok, no for Thailand.

One of the taxi drivers I took the other day said he hates those posters. They always make him think there are potential passengers waving at him .

As for reality: I think I would most likely end up being hit by a motorcycle. Cars are lined up in a jam, but those motos come from everywhere...

Having one of those cranky PMS days today and the requisite chocolate cookie has not worked its magic. I am thinking of having some ice cream but before I go on a lovely sugar binge thought I'd ask you ladies what you do to try and banish the cranky day blues?

Strange way to look at this! I look forward to my PMS days. Being quite good hearted and I think too soft, I deliberatly schedule tricky meetings for those days. If I would not do that I would NEVER get what I want!

T-t D: (Brrm, brrm) Yaowarat Road closed today!

Maybe the airport is closed today, too?

Wat Thep Leela

I went on a Saturday for the same purpose. The counter was closed and it was my due date. The official said to come on Monday; there won't be any problem. And if there were she would tell the official in charge that I came on Saturday. Well, there WAS no problem.

...who is to blame?

The party that put up the bloody thing blocking the whole sidewalk?

The person who put up the poster?

The person/s depicted on the poster?

The driver of the car that hit you?

You, because you were too lazy/gutless to dismantle the whole thing?

The company that constructed the sidewalk?

The signboard factory for making them too big?

Got alive out of Burma.

Had one of my children to visit for one month

Had one of my best friend visiting yesterday (we live in different countries)

Our dog held her p-p until we came home today and then raced outside rather than soiling our floor.

Here is another happy one. Although soon to leave

Total disrespect for the foreign visitors. Wasn't like that years ago.

My impression, too.

.. and wake me every 5 minutes to buy some of their crap.

They would grab my arm or shake me to wake me up!

Do you think they would do that to some Thai guy?

I think the scammers just play with people's greed. You can say "NO". However, you are helpless in the face of people waking you or placing things in your hands (well, maybe one could drop them). Does the law of self-defence apply here????

I read your other thread about the scammers and find the idea of taking people's pictures a good idea. Or maybe I will just print out some I found here on the forum on a BIG sheet and demonstratively carry them to Erawan shrine. Wonder what will happen...

- any excess is distributed to needy people if the monks are good monks.

Wow! I thought it is a rule that excess food is distributed. I remember when my children were small they often slipped away to the village pagoda to sample all kinds of food.

@OP: I don't know about Chiang Mai, but usually the monks don't go out during Buddhist holidays. Instead, they stay in the pagoda and the followers bring food there. I usually avoid 'town pagodas' but prefer to visit forest pagodas. If you do the same, don't forget to bring along drinking water, too. If the pagoda is very far and difficult to reach (meaning you are likely to arrive after lunchtime) bring preserved food that can be eaten on the day after.

The ghekos eat mozzies. Heck how can you keep 'em out? Not sure about spiders, but it's the bloody ants.

Hi Mosha,

there is this plant (I don't know the name, will take a picture next time) that you just need to lay across your doorstep and all the ants will return on their heels. I use it mainly in the rainy season, when the ants are coming in billions and seek shelter just a day before a major rain.

Cheers

s.

Welcome to the big city.

Hm. Problem is: I almost belong to the furniture here, go waaaayyyyyyyyy back. It's just that my daily life and then this tourism stint do not seem to fit together. Like I was on a completely different planet. I have found quite a lot of consistency in the Thai society (talking to taxi drivers, cleaners; to bio-engineers or farmers, NGO staff, private sector etc.) but THIS did just not fit in.

Would like to know which aiport is closer (time, distance, convenience) to Soi Nana/Sukumvit?

Thanks.

Don Muang if you go the tollway (close to Ploenchit) and if you avoid the rush hour.

Otherwise I would think Nana is quite in the middle between the two.

Hi,

here just some observations I had when I decided to take friends of mine places. Tourist places, like the Grand Palace and Wat Pho and Sanam Luang. I have to say that the last time I did tourism in Bangkok was like ten years ago or even longer. Somehow I had imagined things have not changed. They have:

People were VERY rude. There were the touts on Sanam Luang who put bags with corn in our hands (all of my friends are excellent Thai speakers and said they don't want to feed the doves) AND then demanded to be paid for the corn. (No, we did not pay) There were sellers of all kinds of things who were a real pest. We were in constant danger to have our eyes poked out by cheap fans and postcards. Every other step we took we were approached by jewelery experts, tuc-tuc specialists, travel agency best-offer offerers, and wannabe translators. It was worse than main Angkor! Personnel at the gates was unfriendly and grumpy.

When I did my last tourism exploration here people were friendly, unobtrusive, helpful and not aggressive. I am very sorry that Thailand must, to the normal tourists who have very little occasion to meet other Thais than those in the business, appear like any other country or worse. There is definitely the need to improve things.

Sadly

s.

It is very difficult for Thai women with strong personality to work in male-dominated environment both in public and private sectors in Thailand.

Disagree slightly. According to my observations such environment breeds the most unusual kind of women. Everywhere. Some are more visible than the others, but they all are incredibly strong.

Your thread title led me to think of one particular song. So I dropped in and - it WAS about this song. I don't think they'll stop playing it. No replacement probably.