Midweek rant: Thailand - what is there to rant about?

[webfact]

Midweek rant: Thailand - what is there to rant about?

 

 

I had just got back from my summer holiday in the UK.

 

Mindful that I hadn’t ranted about anything in Thailand for a couple of weeks and feeling, albeit at a distance, that my news editor was breathing down my neck for a story moaning about something in Thailand…….

I wondered what to do.

 

Lacking inspiration at my keyboard, I decided to go out for a walk with my one year old daughter.

 

It was hot and I was in a bit of a gruff mood.

 

Surely it would be easy to find something to rant about on the way. I’d probably have a dozen things to get off my farang chest before I even got to Villa.

 

Pavements, traffic, danger, noise, violence, mayhem, knife crime, road rage – surely it was not a question of if but how many gripes I would come back with.

 

And if all else failed I could whinge about the prices in the supermarket – that’ll stir up the readership.

 

So off we set. The local school was turning out. There was no sidewalk and the soi was jammed with cars.

 

But all the passing vehicles stopped to let me through with the buggy – many waiting for as long as a minute.

 

The drivers even smiled as I took my time.

 

Damn – why is everyone so bloody polite? Don’t you people know how to hoot or drive me headlong into the gutter?

 

Nobody seemed to have the slightest inclination to do so.

 

So the main road was reached. Surely I’d be nearly mown down by a motorcyclist on the sidewalk and I could justifiably rant about that.

 

Aha one was on the pavement – but damn and double damn – he let us pass and smiled amicably before he proceeded slowly on his way to a delivery.

 

Not just that, the way was free of vendors – completely unimpeded.

 

I was beginning to fear the worst – at least for the outward leg – as close on a dozen young ladies, old ladies, young men and old men – all smiled appreciatively at me and my daughter.

 

OK they probably thought I was her granddad but it would be churlish to rant about that.

 

Further disappointment awaited at the shopping center of Major Ratchayothin. Two teens in school uniform held the main door open for me to pass, one even uttering “Good Morning” to me.

 

It was afternoon, but ranting about English standards was clutching at straws.

 

At the back door the guard held open the door then had the temerity to stop the traffic in the side soi so we could pass without danger.

 

He saluted and said “khrapom” to my almost grudging “khop khun” – after all I had been cruelly robbed of ranting material again.

 

In Villa they had completely reorganized the orientation of the shelves while I’d been away and I didn’t know where anything was anymore.

 

Once again my thunder and indignation was stolen by the charming sales girl who understood my Thai, showed me around and offered to carry my shopping basket as “granddad” was clearly struggling with both that

and the buggy.

 

Damn these people’s consideration.

 

Tragically Weetbix was still on offer and though Branston was exorbitantly priced it had also been before I left for the UK. If I ranted about that I’d be a laughing stock and told to go home back to my country and not bother wiping my feet on the way out.

 

I trudged out dejected…..even the electric doors worked perfectly.

 

Desperate I went into the bank – surely there I could muster up some cock-up. No….if anything they were about ten times as efficient and 100 times as pretty as those people I’d dealt with at Barclays.

 

On the way back it was just more smiling faces, more cheery greetings from total strangers – even a look of love and respect from the motorcycle taxi boys as well as another salute from the old cop sweltering in his tight uniform on his paak soi traffic duties.

 

A bag lady out feeding the soi cats, smiled and stroked my little one’s hair and said “naa rak”.

 

No, I’d be more two faced than the worst Thai politician if I was to pretend I was concerned by that.

 

I got home, the security guard waved at my daughter, the lift worked as usual, I entered my quiet and peaceful condo, kissed my beautiful and still young looking and smiling Thai wife and put my gorgeously cute Thai/British daughter to bed for her afternoon nap.

 

I made myself a cup of PG Tips and relaxed in front of the keyboard ready to write.

 

Why the hell was there a need to rant?

 

I was back in Thailand and all was well.

 

No wonder I love it so much.

 

Rooster

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-09-06

[The manic]

Good common sense.

[Thaiwrath]

25 minutes ago, webfact said:

And if all else failed I could whinge about the prices in the supermarket

Should have gone to the 10 items or less queue ! 

[JLCrab]

50 minutes ago, webfact said:

I had just got back from my summer holiday in the UK.

 

Mindful that I hadn’t ranted about anything in Thailand for a couple of weeks <snip>

That so? Seems no problem on here for some to rant about Thailand while they are still in the UK.

[Thian]

If one has nothing to rant about he should keep quiet. I want my 10 minutes back from reading this...

[Get Real]

Really good reading. Sometimes there just isn´t anything wrong.

 

29 minutes ago, Thian said:

If one has nothing to rant about he should keep quiet. I want my 10 minutes back from reading this...

I do not think you got what you just read. It is a rant, but it´s pointed at all the people that rant all the time for no good reasons. Just like you over the loss of 10 minutes.

[Thian]

5 hours ago, Get Real said:

Really good reading. Sometimes there just isn´t anything wrong.

 

I do not think you got what you just read. It is a rant, but it´s pointed at all the people that rant all the time for no good reasons. Just like you over the loss of 10 minutes.

I sure did have a good reason, the guy was wasting my time with his nonsense.

 

Write something nice or funny, or just rant...but this article is about nothing at all...

[Get Real]

1 minute ago, Thian said:

I sure did have a good reason, the guy was wasting my time with his nonsense.

 

Write something nice or funny, or just rant...but this article is about nothing at all...

You still don´t get it. The underlying meaning points at all the people that rants for nothing. It is a rant that simply says that you shouldn´t be a person complaining about everything. Some things are good too.

[Thian]

5 hours ago, Get Real said:

You still don´t get it. The underlying meaning points at all the people that rants for nothing. It is a rant that simply says that you shouldn´t be a person complaining about everything. Some things are good too.

 

I know that some things are good too, just like the other midweek rants written here on tv-forum. But this is not even a rant so shouldn't be in the midweek rant topic.

 

There's plenty to rant about, if he doesn't want to rant in the midweek rant than let another writer rant....

[BuaBS]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

A bag lady out feeding the soi cats, smiled and stroked my little one’s hair

You let a bag "lady" stroke your kid's head ?

[Get Real]

2 minutes ago, Thian said:

 

I know that some things are good too, just like the other midweek rants written here on tv-forum. But this is not even a rant so shouldn't be in the midweek rant topic.

 

There's plenty to rant about, if he doesn't want to rant in the midweek rant than let another writer rant....

I give up! It´s hopeless to make you understand. Cheers!

[Stargeezr]

Great non rant article Rooster,glad that you are glad to be back in Thailand after

your trip to the UK.  I did enjoy reading it and it certainly was not a waste of my time.

Thanks again

Geezer

 

[AlQaholic]

Spending one full hour or more in the immigration line at DMK is worth ranting about.....

[Ridge]

I want 15 minutes back. I read the comments too.

[rosst]

Nicely said sir, nicely said. 

[maeab101]

The worst article of the day. Congrats.