What tourists in Thailand need to know, according to an Aussie expat

[webfact]

What tourists in Thailand need to know, according to an Aussie expat

WHEN it comes to tourist behaviour in one of our favourite holiday spots, an Aussie expat who’s lived there for a decade has seen it all.

Lauren McMah

 

Aussie teacher and dad-of-two Matthew Smith has lived in Thailand since 2007.Source:Supplied

 

TOURISTS don’t always have the best reputation in foreign countries.

 

As anti-tourist sentiment intensifies across Europe, and as travellers are blamed for ruining iconic sites and destinations, tourism is increasingly seen as a double-edged sword: great for the economy, but a lot for locals to put up with.

 

Schoolteacher Matthew Smith, 36, is an Aussie expat in Thailand, who moved there in 2007 after marrying his Thai wife. And over the past decade he’s gained some startling insights into what tourists got wrong in his adopted home, and what Thai people really think of the half a million Australians who visit each year.

 

Full story: https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/travellers-stories/what-tourists-in-thailand-need-to-know-according-to-an-aussie-expat/news-story/e5bc536dd83655672836dae426bc4f74

 

-- © Copyright News.com.au 2018-09-18

[Thaiwrath]

Mr know it all.

Been here 10 years, big <deleted> deal.

Stick to your teaching. 

[HLover]

Nice beard in the tropical heat, genius.

[cornishcarlos]

22 minutes ago, Thaiwrath said:

Mr know it all.

Been here 10 years, big <deleted> deal.

Stick to your teaching. 

 

Did you actually read the linked article ?? He doesn't come across as Mr Know it all...

His observations are just the normal things and probably just a warning to Aussies that have not been to Thailand before.

You should just relax and enjoy your life, no need to bash the guy for no reason !!

[ezzra]

11 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

Did you actually read the linked article ?? He doesn't come across as Mr Know it all...

His observations are just the normal things and probably just a warning to Aussies that have not been to Thailand before.

You should just relax and enjoy your life, no need to bash the guy for no reason !!

I can understand the OP as a natural reaction to someone that is greenhorns and wet behind the ear ' you didn't earned the rights to say what is what's' syndrome someone who seems to  knows it all and thus seems to disrespect the hierarchy and hegemony of senior members, in this case, Thailand's expats...

[Esso49]

Despite the other posts one has to remember this article is from an Aussie perspective and from someone who has only lived here 11 years.   It would also seem obvious that he has been living and working in in or around some of the main tourist areas such as Bangkok, Phuket or Pattaya perhaps.   Some of his observations are quite true but others are totally out of kilter that he would have experienced had he lived and worked in the more rural areas of Thailand for any long period of time.

 

 As for the jet ski scams did it take a 25 year old Aussie to come  to Thailand and after 11 years tell everybody to be wary of them ?  The scams were going on when he was in nappies and everybody was aware of them then . So I am not sure as to whether this article  was printed to advise fellow Australians of this to be careful,  or just perhaps to get some monetary reward for its publication,  the contents of which could easily have been cut and pasted from a google search by someone living anywhere in the world without setting foot in Thailand.

 

Now had he had actually mentioned some of the peculiar and local customs in many places, towns and villages around Thailand to give people a better insight into real Thai lives and hardships  that would probably have been more interesting to potential visitors perhaps.

[Will27]

45 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

Did you actually read the linked article ?? He doesn't come across as Mr Know it all...

His observations are just the normal things and probably just a warning to Aussies that have not been to Thailand before.

You should just relax and enjoy your life, no need to bash the guy for no reason !!

It doesn't take much on TV.

 

A poster even having a go at his facial hair.....<deleted>!

[Ahab]

Seems like a fairly good article. I don't live in a tourist area, but guess what most "tourists" go to tourist areas, and there are issue in these areas. I don't understand the negativity in the comments, except that it is on Thai Visa, and this seems to be the norm on this site.

[Lacessit]

What the guy says is valid for tourists in tourist areas. Expats do get tarred with the same brush as tourists over behaviour issues. I have to laugh when he gets criticized for wearing a beard and only being here for 11 years by people who get most of their Thai experience on a bar stool.

[anon789561]

wasn't a bad article though i suspect most aussies are aware of the jetski scams and respect of religious sites etc. ok you had the 2 gay guys bum pic recently but they were taking the piss and know they were being disrespectful but they got their bit of gay community fame i guess. where i think he does make good points is regards dealing with face and shouting etc and also just enjoying nights out here, that part i thought would be useful to his fellow aussies coming here.

*oh and constant reminders about getting in trouble on bikes is always a good thing IMO

Edited September 18, 2018 by Happy enough
*

[PerkinsCuthbert]

Always fun when the aged TV warriors start the "I've been here here since Methuselah was born" nonsense, as if longevity automatically infuses wisdom. 

[Peterw42]

Generic cut and past Thailand information. Its all good to pass on the information but its already on 127 travel sites and blogs etc. I think most would be aware of the things in the OP before they get on the plane.

If you really want to advise Australian tourists, "TELL THEM NOT TO HIRE MOTORBIKES", warn about licenses, insurance and motorbikes etc.

[connda]

Yeah, I've been here at least the same amount of time and have spent most of that time living in Thai communities.

 

"“Several times my wife or I were put in a situation where we had to remind them, in a very friendly manner of course, but once we asked nicely they would generally stop the action. These small actions don’t really create large-scale negative impressions, though.”

 

This is where he and I differ.  I mind my own business.  About the only exception to that rule is within Buddhist temples.  There I may say something if some moron is clearly doing something that is as offensive Buddhists, such as dancing on the alter at a Christian Church would anger Christians or eating pork satay in a mosque would anger Muslims.  Better a 'friendly' reminder from a fellow foreigner because an offended Thai isn't going to be friendly.  Other than that, I butt out.  Here in Chaing Mai if someone looks clearly lost I'll offer assistance and advice.  If they want it, fine.  If not, I leave them alone.  But 'correcting' people you don't know about all the idiosyncrasies of Thai culture can often be dicey and won't necessarily make you any friends. 

[toofarnorth]

The  Full Story just went round and round and I have to go shopping in the next hour.

So ....did this chap say beware , don't look at a ladyboy when eating a banana ?

[rumak]

5 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

Did you actually read the linked article ?? He doesn't come across as Mr Know it all...

His observations are just the normal things and probably just a warning to Aussies that have not been to Thailand before.

You should just relax and enjoy your life, no need to bash the guy for no reason !!

actually its very helpful to see which TV members rush to bash even the most harmless posts.  i can then easily add

them to the list of people i hope i never meet.  ( hopefully they will wear a name tag with their proud TV moniker on it)

Edited September 18, 2018 by rumak

[natway09]

Hey guys, he is allowed to have his say, just as you are having yours.

How about some info on Oz customs & taboos ?

[shackleton]

Its  information for the Tourist  sound advice to me  

 

 

[CharlieH]

Troll posts removed.

 

9) You will not post inflammatory messages on the forum, or attempt to disrupt discussions to upset its participants, or trolling. Trolling can be defined as the act of purposefully antagonizing other people on the internet by posting controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.
 

[korkenzieher]

Except for the piece about jet-skis, I would think this is little more than an advertising piece, written in the first person by a copy writer who has been well briefed by the Tourist Police. Important as much for what he doesn't mention, as does, and aimed squarely at moderating tourist behaviour - with little to say about life here other than 'trust me, I'm an expat'.

[Borzandy]

6 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

Mr know it all.

Been here 10 years, big <deleted> deal.

Stick to your teaching. 

But you.....the best handsome man..

[Kadilo]

Exactly the same stuff written in every Thai book I’ve ever  read, but useful info nevertheless. 

Edited September 18, 2018 by Kadilo

[cyberfarang]

Not only western tourists, but also many western expats, that fail to adapt to the ways of Thailand and don`t want to. Judging by those that post on TV I  guess the majority of TV members are of the same attitudes. They have re-interpreted the word, Thainess, as a derogatory term for Thais, many describing Thais as Sonchais.

 

Here in Chiang Mai for example, in the centre of the city, I describe it as a Farang ghetto. These people rarely, if at all, interact with Thais. I have seen young western women and men in the middle of town dressed like they`re on a beach. They don`t stray far from their Farang style cafes, coffee shops and malls. I know quite a few that have stayed in Thailand for years and still can`t speak even one word of Thai. They also cannot shake off their western ways and attitudes. They believe the Thais should cross over into their worlds and not vice-versa. 

 

Like the Australian guy, I too have seen Farangs behaving in ways that are very embarrassing.

 

 

[BritManToo]

10 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

I know quite a few that have stayed in Thailand for years and still can`t speak even one word of Thai. 

I too have seen Farangs behaving in ways that are very embarrassing.

 

Seems you all know how to say 'farang'.

Can't get much more embarrassing than that.

Edited September 19, 2018 by BritManToo

[Lacessit]

On 9/18/2018 at 12:26 PM, natway09 said:

Hey guys, he is allowed to have his say, just as you are having yours.

How about some info on Oz customs & taboos ?

Shower every day, and don't pick your nose in public.

[Dick Crank]

On 9/18/2018 at 9:51 AM, cyberfarang said:

Not only western tourists, but also many western expats, that fail to adapt to the ways of Thailand and don`t want to. Judging by those that post on TV I  guess the majority of TV members are of the same attitudes. They have re-interpreted the word, Thainess, as a derogatory term for Thais, many describing Thais as Sonchais.

 

Here in Chiang Mai for example, in the centre of the city, I describe it as a Farang ghetto. These people rarely, if at all, interact with Thais. I have seen young western women and men in the middle of town dressed like they`re on a beach. They don`t stray far from their Farang style cafes, coffee shops and malls. I know quite a few that have stayed in Thailand for years and still can`t speak even one word of Thai. They also cannot shake off their western ways and attitudes. They believe the Thais should cross over into their worlds and not vice-versa. 

 

Like the Australian guy, I too have seen Farangs behaving in ways that are very embarrassing.

 

 

had a farang neighbor in chiang mai...

 

all he did was go to the same farang places day in and day out. the places were run by farang and were decorated in the home country style (uk). then he came home and sat in his bungalow with the air con on all night, often going out for wine of all things. ended up going back to france and the usa. not sure what he saw in thailand to his liking. from our conversations i'm going to assume he was here to take photo's for his collection as the main motivation. never went to the local corner market or walked around the hood, never got water from the water machine on the corner. a man can do what suits him, but it just seemed weird, like he was out of his element. a stranger in a strange land.

 

i also saw him stroking the pud one night through the patio windows when he failed to close them and i was out in the garden in the dark. he liked the ape look and was hairy, did not shave. a hairy dude.

 

facial hair is under appreciated in thailand.
strange that this guy is sporting a rug after being here 10 years.

 

Edited September 21, 2018 by Dick Crank

[theguyfromanotherforum]

Aussieaboutthailand

[anon537687643]

Another opinionated b***** article


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Spidey]

On ‎9‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 4:48 AM, BritManToo said:

Seems you all know how to say 'farang'.

Can't get much more embarrassing than that.

Nothing wrong with using the word Farang, contrary to what a minority of TV old farts constantly post, it's not pejorative. 

 

Personally, I prefer baxi da.

[Vacuum]

On 9/17/2018 at 11:08 PM, HLover said:

Nice beard in the tropical heat, genius.

Guess your hairdo must be perfect in this "tropical heat".

[Vacuum]

On 9/19/2018 at 3:48 AM, BritManToo said:

Seems you all know how to say 'farang'.

Can't get much more embarrassing than that.

Well, that's what they call us.