Galong

The downside to learning Thai is that you'll realize how many of them talk crap about you.

There is a fun side to it however, because after they've insulted you... thinking that they got away with it... you come back with a reply in Thai.

Many Thais here in the South use very coarse language. they use the term Mutha F&%$# (in Thai) all the time.

Could be in line with the celebrations for H.M. 60th anniversary coming up?

Or could be one of Thaksin's methods for declaring he's back...?

A buddy of mine told me that this is a law that first came out in the 60s when the military ran the country. True?

I'm just back from the dentist. I had three crowns put on. I had two root canals recently and I must say that the two different dentists were as professional as any dentist I've ever visited. They both spoke English well enough to understand everything I said and visa versa.

The medical doctors at the Bangkok - Phuket Hospital and at the International Hospital are top notch and all speak English.

Now, government hospitals are a different story.

The thais are testing you . Win the mental battle and u won't have to resort to violence.

Mental battle? In a mental battle they're unarmed. I don't have all the answers, but I feel that they really could give a darn about how anyone else thinks... this applies to other Thais and any foreigner.

As someone pointed out, this is one of the biggest drawbacks to living here.

Report it to cruelty for animals, I believe they will seek and arrest the hawker for mistreatment of animal and endangered species. Thailand is a member of world wildlife fund (WWF).

I wish it was that easy. Thailand doesn't enforce laws related to animal cruelty and they don't seem to care if an animal is on the endangered species list or not. For whatever reason, the cops don't seem to give a darn about things like this. I will send this bad news to every news agency in the hopes that a loss of face will embarass them into enforcing the international laws.

This is also a product of supply and demand. Uneducated tourists who pay to get their photo taken are as much of the problem as the hawkers.

Gibbon problem returns to Patong

Check out http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/index.as...=5011&display=1

Why am I not surprised by hearing that the cops aren’t doing their job in protecting illegally kept Gibbons? I’ll tell you why: it’s because they simply don’t care about anything except money.

Here’s an idea: why don’t the cops plant a couple of marijuana joints on the Gibbon hawkers and shoot them under Thaksin’s anti-drug campaign?

Until the police start doing their job Thailand is destined to remain in the category of Third World. I see no reason to think this will change anytime soon. This country’s treatment of all animals, all animals, is absolutely pathetic.

I'm in the tourism industry and business over the past year (including last low season) was fantastic!

Here's why:

1. I don't cater to Cheap Charlies

2. I do go after the Asian market

3. My clients are educated

4. I don't do day trips

5. My trips are expensive

The number of what I consider "Quality" tourists is up.

I do think that the media is evil. The SARS year was horrible for business. I think that the media is in the "cry wolf" category now. Yea, yea, yea, world pandemic, human to human transfer, zillions will die... riiiiight.

Noise is right at the top of my list of things that are truly screwed up in Thailand. Thais have absolutely no respect for anyone else.

I used to live by a group of Thais who made no noise whatsoever until around 2:00AM. Then, dozens of guys on motorbikes would show up reving their engines right outside of my bedroom window. The music inside was unbelieveably loud.

My wife asked them politely several times to turn it down a bit. they ignored her. We called the police and the guys actually turned the music down, that is, until the cops left.

This went on for a few weeks.

Then one night when my wife asked them politely to turn the music down one of the Thai guys said something extremely rude to her. That was it! I grabbed a bit stick, went over to their front door and put a few holes in it. When the guy came to the door I spit in his face, then kicked his motorbike over.

I invited (not politely) everyone sitting on the floor to come outside. Funny, things got quiet. I kicked a few more motorbikes over. Nothing happened.

A couple days later, they moved.

I am ashamed of what I did, but they pushed and pushed and when they told my wife to go *&^& herself and some other nasties, I cracked.

I don't recommend the "walking tall" approach, but ######, they simply ain't got any manners and I had to do something.

You're all familiar with TRT. But the reality is TYT. Thai Y*t Thai.

Just like most countries, there are loads of rich Thais who will do everything within their power to screw over other Thais. If it gets too serious though, they can always blame whitey.... you know, like when the baht crashed... it was the IMF who got the bad press. All of the bad loans to Thais had nothing to do with it... no way man. There's no such thing as personal responsibility in this country.

My poorer Thai friends are all nice people. My wealthier Thai friends are possessed by $$. Guess who I like to hang out with?

Credit I understand,but in order to obtain credit they must have good ratings from a bank,therefore no credit risk,therefore a good income,surely?

Credit cards are available to those that make US$390 a month.... (15,000 baht)

Yep, my wife makes 20K/month and got two credit cards. I make several times that and get refused every time I apply. I guess they would rather get screwed by a Thai than risk trusting a spooky farang....

I contracted Plasmodium vivax in Trang Province a few years ago. It wasn't all that bad actually. I was very weak throughout the day, then in the early evening I'd get the chills followed by a very high fever.

It took the doctors a lot longer than it should as they kept thinking it was something other than malaria. it isn't supposed to be here in the south.

Very sorry to hear about this guy. Maybe he should have gone to the hospital sooner... I don't know if that would have helped in his case though.

And just remember, if you piss off any Thai, your world will suddenly become a not so fun place to live. If you appear to be taking business from a Thai, your arse is grarse. Get some powerful Thai buddies and make it known that you have these buddies. Nothing seems to beat having powerful friends.

Questions: OK, can a foreigner import condoms that are large enough to actually fit us 'gifted' people??

Hold on a minute, why was this post put in the 'gay people in Thailand' forum? I have no problems with that life choice... just wondering why it's here?

The 'guest - host' door swings both ways. I wouldn't treat my guests the way I've been treated at times.

Now, for the most part I have a wonderful life here. But, there are times when I feel like I have no rights whatsoever.

Besides, I'm sure I pay a hel_l of a lot more taxes than most Thais (over 1,000,000 B per year on average). You'd think that my hosts would appreciate that. Naw, I'm just a rich farang. <grin>

Deforested hills causing flooding... no, it's got to be something supernatural. Let's all pray.

Applying different prices for people based on skin color or nationality is quite simply racist and/or nationalistic. The two are dangerously similar.

It's a black and white issue when it come to the definition. Now, the other crap that goes along with it is debatable.

I know that I personally don't like people who live in Hong Kong but think they know what's going on all over Thailand.

I also don't like it when people say stupid statements like, "...this is a different country". What a load and what a lame excuse for being racist. This has absolutely NOTHING to do with the definition of racism.

1. People who stop their car or truck in the middle of the road, turn on their flashers, and go shopping.

2. People who don't have the common decency to wait in line.

All spiders have venom. They are venomous, not poisonous.

There are no seriously venomous spider here.

On another note, I got stung in the inner thigh by a huge hornet yesterday. Man, it still hurts almost as bad as when it first happened. Too bad it wasn't a spider. ;-)

I suspect a lot of people are going to get angry at what I am about to say, but here it is.

If you wish enlightenment, how would you go about it?

What would you give up to become enlightened?

Or what would you have to gain to become enlightened?

If you can not answer the questions as to what you would give up or attain to become enlightened, then perhaps you need to lose or gain nothing to become enlightened?

Therefore, perhaps you are already enlightened.

Your perception is in error.

Correct your perception, and you may find the enlightenment you already have.

Excellent points! I also think that a person can go in and out of enlightenment. Nirvana is not a place where once you reach it, you stay there in other words.

It's a state of non-attachment which, when recognized, is often lost. Relax and it comes easier. If you have a strong desire to become 'enlightened', you make it harder for yourself. The desire not to desire is one of the strongest desires.

I feel that one could possibly reach it by following various 'paths', but it can also be reached by clearing the mind and realizing that many of man's customs and rituals drive you away from the source of your human-ness. What does it mean to be human? Who am "I" devoid of all socio-cultural influences? Breaking down these barriers (be it via the four Noble Truths or the Eight-Fold Path) is a step in the right direction.

"Also in Narathiwat, some 500 angry villagers burst into a local elementary school and took 11 teachers hostage for three hours."

It seems like every time something happens that the locals down there don't like, they form a MOB. You can read this same thing all over Thailand. In other words, the police arrest someone and the villagers form a mob and storm the police station and/or demand that the criminals be released.

Do the authorities usually bow down to mob rule? Do they go after mob participants later?

This is very barbaric behavior. And, of course, the acts of cowards. Why do we never read about one-on-one fights?

At a more advanced level, there is the abolishment of the concept of a self.... of a personal identity. The self is tied directly to desire. All desire eminates from the perception of a personal identity.

In this light, the four nobel truths and the eight-fold path are like putting legs on a snake.

Enlightenment is achieved by taking away, not by adding.

Sounds like Puppet/Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai is shaking babies and kissing hands.

Aren't there more pressing issues to deal with?

Teaching religion can only lead to trouble. It draws a line on the ground separating them from us.

Why not simply make all of the school better... you know, like having English teachers who can actually speak English. Doh!

Remember when they tried to ban the Life of Brian

Now the D code

really

maybe they need to put pasties on the rude bits and get on with it

Blessed are the cheese makers.

Look. I-- I'd had a lovely supper, and all I said to my wife was, 'That piece of halibut was good enough for Jehovah.'

For that he was stoned... I wish I was stoned.

I am sick of the incessant winging that goes on in this forum. It appears that any opportunity some ppl get to whine about Thais and Thailand they all jump in. Where I come from there is a saying ‘If you don’t like it, there is a boat in the morning’. I presume most of the whiners actually chose to live here, so either shut the f### up or find somewhere else to whine about. I chose to live here and love it for the people, the places, the food and the life style.

Nuff said

If there is something here you don't like, then simply don't read it. Obviously there are many here who find problems within Thai culture, politics, etc. Thailand has problems just like everywhere else in the world.

"Whinning" is often the product of concern. I for one would not whine about anything if I DIDN'T CARE. I for one left the US because of having the religious beliefs of other rammed down my throat. I came from the Bible Belt. I would hate to see Thailand turn into a theocracy. I applaud the censors for NOT cutting the film. I care about freedom of speech both here and abroad.

So, either shut the f### up or stop reading... ######, that's a pretty easy choice isn't it. Get a life.

Isn't it nice that we live in a world where everyone has to bow down to the desires of religion. First a cartoon causes riots and death and now the Christians are trying to tell people what they can watch.

Thanks to organized religion, we're still in the Dark Ages.

This movie is FICTION, just like the Bible. If you don't like it, don't go see it.