phuketsub

One of the problems I have been dealing with for years is the kids I teach using vulgar language (especially the 'F-word') and gestures (especially middle finger) in the English-language classroom...They are good kids and simply don't know what they are doing or saying. I know they just pick it up by watching movies, or possibly even from their folks, but after decades of putting up with it I feel I am no an inch closer to a solution. I sometimes also worry that their parents might think they learned it from me...

I have considered doing a 'time out' for kids who do it, but I think that might just raise more interest in, and usage of, the offending language and gestures.

So I am just curious to know if anyone else out there has tried other solutions and gotten a positive result...

Very few farangs there. My good buddy married a girl from there and built a house, but they have since moved to the states.

I've been down there many times and also reported on the incidents there for several media outlets. I never worry about my personal safety, or that of my family who accompany me.

In fact, there are far more threats to personal safety in a place like Phuket, and that has been statistically proven by the government.

In more than ten years of living and working in the South and Deep South, I have only  heard of a single instance of a foreigner getting killed, that was of a Chinese tourist. I forget the exact details of that case, but presume he was mistaken as a member of the target group.

As for the lack of nightlife (take note Stocky), the border town of Betong (Yala) has lots of it and also has a 60s James Bond feel that is hard to beat IMHO.

The city is so remote that it has only really had one major spate of insurgent attacks over the years. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to get a full picture of the Deep South.

Other than that, there are little pockets of nightlife, but nothing like you might find in Hat Yai or the major tourist destinations further north.

I like your 1-4 breakdown, but when Thais are dealing with me I still seem to get the overwhelming Farang! Farang! reaction.

I sometimes wonder what it must be like to be an ethnic non-Thai Asian living here, like the many Filipino teachers I have met.

One of the things I like about living in Ranode, after 15 years in Phuket, is that I don't feel the average local person is out to take advantage of me on a deal.

I love durian as much as anyone and continue to suspect that it may be the single greatest evidence of extraterrestrial tampering, as it really is out of this world...so far my attempt to grow my own have failed...

Anyway, I will try to sniff out some new words today to get this thread back on topic!

1 hour ago, surfdog said:

like the point of the video, outsiders not knowing when southerners are insulting them, yes kind of ignorance is bliss, but ignorance nonetheless. Having no idea who you friends really are ????


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Good point...I think when I was a young man living in Bangkok I would go into this heightened state of listening awareness whenever I heard the word 'farang'...maybe it was from a slight kind of paranoia, but it really helped me pick up the language quite well. Now, with the Southern Thai, my inclination is just to tune out.

It's my number one complaint about Songkhla; the disrespect for the environment...I have never heard of the term 'fly tipping', but I guess it means just dumping garbage 'on the fly'. Here in Ranode the practice is still rampant and totally mars what could otherwise be a nice landscape. People do it at the beaches too...they show up for big drinking parties with mountains of plastic bags, then just leave everything on the beach when they are done....

Good posts by Surfdog. The problem I am having now with Southern Thai is a kind of low-grade frustration. I learned to speak Thai in Bangkok and never felt the need to learn Southern Thai when I lived in Phuket, Songkhla Town or Hat Yai...But now living with my elderly peasants-in-law, it seems I will need to learn it if I ever want to communicate effectively with them. (sometimes it is a blessing not to understand what they are saying, that's for sure!)

But then I wonder if it is really worth the effort. After all, when the current elderly generation dies off I think the Southern Dialect will begin to die out too...or will it? Anyway, I guess I just want to open up a discussion on whether Southern Thai is on the way out or not...

Does anyone happen to know of a good, reasonably priced dermatologist in HY or Songkhla Town?...just need some very minor cosmetic work done. Any recommendations much appreciated.

Did that storm sweep away monsoon season? It hasn't rained here in days and the entire south seems to be the same. It looks like we'll have to start watering the garden again.

Anyway, iit's tough to complain about weather like this! Gorgeous...

เข็ด ('khade' low tone): in S. Thai means 'hurt' or 'to be in pain'. It can be used as either a verb or adjective.

Additionally, If someone says เข็ดแล้ว it commonly means "enough" or "I give up" (eg. because the pain or suffering is too much)...hopefully we won't need to use it too often!

20 hours ago, surfdog said:

no luck at this websire for "kot"

http://www.thamnong.com/hs9dmc/phasatai.htm

 

interesting one, for the language as well as the species:

อ้อดิบ - ต้นคล้าย ๆ ต้นเผือก ใช้ก้านใบแกงส้ม

 

oor -dip - it is a rare species of elephant ear plant that the stems can be eaten raw. Regular elephant ear would poison you causing your throat to swell up. From oxyalic acid (spelling?) Have planted extensively at the house for species collection, if you need let me know.

 

 

 

 

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I'll ask my daughter about it...thanks for the links; very useful.

Power back on here in Ranode after a few hours off. Still really gusty with light, driving rain...but at least it's still warm!

Anyway, it seems like the worst has passed. Quite a few trees and signs down, but I didn't see any major damage in downtown Ranode. It could be a long night for our friends in NST and Surat, though.

The eye is due East offshore of Ranode District here in Songkhla now now and the situation here is very windy, with very sustained winds around 50kph, but nothing like hurricane force. Still, these are the strongest sustained winds I have experienced in 30 years living in Thailand.

One papaya tree is down in the garden.

Most of the shops are closed and people are just hunkering down, waiting for it to pass. No major flooding and the rainfall is really nothing special for this time of year.

No power outages and Internet still working well. '

Public schools are all closed.

2 hours ago, Stocky said:

The forecaster at the JTWC seem confident it will swing NW within the next 12hrs.

 

https://pzal.ndbc.noaa.gov/collab/jtwc/products/wp3618prog.txt

 

I do hope they're wrong, I've a flight out of Hat Yai tomorrow and it's looking increasingly like that's not going to happen.

I hope they're wrong too, but you can see the polar outflow channel he references pretty clearly on the Himawari radar...Anyway, best of luck with the flight out.

17 minutes ago, Stocky said:

Been raining in Hat Yai since midnight last night, just steady rain.

 

The change in the storm track is a little worrying, landfall has moved steadily south from Chumphon, to Surat Thani, to NST, now Songkhla.  I do hope that trend continues and it ends up at Kota Bharu - apologies to the residents of Kota Bharu but 'inshallah'.

I am still confused as to why all the storm track projections have the system moving northwest as it reaches the coast. It's been consistently heading due west and as such should make landfall in Kota Baru soon, though many agencies are still predicting landfall in NST. Seems weird to me, but perhaps they know something I don't. Anyway, hopefully we won't get hit too hard here in Ranode...

Thus far, nothing whatsoever on the ground to distinguish this system from a typical, rainy day in the monsoon season.

The center track seems to be continuing due west, not NNW as predicted. Good news for Songkhla and the other Gulf Coast provinces.

I don't think there have been enough similar systems to allow for accurate forecasting based on modelling. I think those forecasting are just taking into account the rotation of the earth and the high pressure systems (see isobar charts) that could be pulling it north.

The worst-case scenario is that this thing veers north and hits near Bangkok, with a storm surge and flooding. If that happens it could also pick up a lot of energy in the shallow gulf and possibly even become a true typhoon. Fortunately this would not coincide with a full moon, but it could still be really bad.

6 minutes ago, Kron said:

Was not Typhoon Gay in 1989 the last Tropical storm to hit the south. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Gay_(1989)

 

 

 

Exactly the point I was going to make. That thing hit just before I arrived here and I don't remember anything as bad hitting the South since. Fortunately Songkhla Lake is still relatively low for this time of the year. You can already see the swirling effect of the storm here.

The graphic shown in the original story, which shows a landfall near Pak Panang in NST, seems irresponsible to me.

A mermaid's tail?...talk about soft targets.

Sunset Cafe on Koh Yor (English owner) is having a big Xmas Day feast with Roast Beef, etc. Price is 750 baht. Will send PM with more info.

Thanks for the field report...sorry your van was late!

Thanks for that...I don't think I could justify a visit to Dan Nok even to myself, let alone the wife!

I find it strangely ironic that my first 20 years of living here I had to pass through Sadao every three months, but now that I do everything by the books I have to pay 1,000 baht for a re-entry permit just to hit the duty free shop there. Oh well, probably better off in the long run.

Thanks for the update...I remember exploring the area just southeast of Diana back in the day and that was almost like an ever-changing, week-to-week minefield of sleezy little pubs and bars back then. Right up my alley.

Another area I want to re-explore is Dan Nok down in Sadao. I looked it up on Google maps (Street Image) recently and couldn't believe what I saw, though I don't have any justification for going down there any more, at least for immigration purposes.

If you or anyone else has been down there I would really a field report.

Anyway, thanks again Stocky. I am sending you a PM as well.

On 11/4/2018 at 12:56 PM, Stocky said:

Yes, you'll need to trawl all the roads around the areas you like, spotting the 'for rent' signs and noting the phone numbers.

 

There's no real western expat community most of the expats in Hat Yai are Malaysians or Singaporeans. Even over in Songkhla Town, as the oil & gas activities have moved up to NST. In Hat Yai you may find a few teachers or retired oilmen hanging around The Swan, but they're a bit thin on the ground.

Your reply is spot on, as usual. I was in Hat Yai a few days ago and noted quite a few changes...I walked from the Police Station all the way to the underground liquor store, then back to Plaza by a different route...I was blown away by the proliferation of beauty parlors...When I lived in Hat Yai back in '97 - 2000, there were already many...but now it is just amazing. I passed by hundreds of them, mostly empty...

I know beauty parlors are a common way for guys with money to set up their mia nois and gigs, but the sheer numbers leads me to think there must be more driving factors than meet the eye...are they fronts for prostitution? I know back in the day some of them offered extra services....

Anyway, I'd like to get your take on it, if you have one,

Don't resort to pharmaceuticals or bs caffeine drinks, unless you can overcome your dislike of coffee -- and I would recommend trying. Exposure to sunlight is the best thing. Don't sleep in a curtained room in the daytime. Good luck and sleep well...