My Thailand

[srisatch]

What is Thailand to you?

There are so many threads in which people seem to be trying to ‘pin down’ Thailand.

Of course it cannot be done, any more than with the UK, Oz, USA. Your country is not the same as someone else’s life in that country and there are a multiplicity of experiences

Yet there persists in the threads an inferred inferiority, inadequacy and incompetence about things Thai; and while we laugh at, too, and criticise western countries, there is a tendency to revert to a stance of ‘Thailand is not really a serious country’. There are currently running threads-of-the-moment which make fun of the airport, (have you suffered Heathfrow recently?)question whether the minister for IT made racist remarks, worries about the future, the currency, the south, piss testing in Pai and other v.serious matters......I am not so very virtuous but I do think some effort should be made to promote those things that are attractive about LOS.

In spite of Toxin and Juntas, serial coups, persistent corruption, startling pollution, racism and a third world education system LOS survives and thrives, which must surely reflect the durability of Thai 'culture' whatever that might be--and I am sure it is not flags and uniforms, smiles and wais, elephants and nick nacks for tourists etc.

So what is Thailand to you? Why, actually, are you here rather than somewhere else?

Got to be good things here, na?

C’mon List 3 things!

For me It is:

1. My family and their Thai extension. Though I would have them anywhere, they come from here and are unfailingly loving, understanding and supportive in their own way..which is not a farang way..(even though I know they think I am a farang alien!!) No-one here is proposing to send Granny nor me to an Old People’s Home. They give me space and peace to be me even if they don't fully understand what that entails. And if things get bad there are monks open for business 24 hours!

2. Apart from occasional needs to deal with immigration I live here undisturbed by Utility Bills, Income Tax Demands, Community Charge-(I am a Brit!) Junk Mail and all other Bureaucracy. Compare with the UK where I cannot change the gutters on my house without planning permission, nor buy a tube season ticket without exposing my identity and movements, nor open a bank account without being suspected of being a terrorist or money laundering! Of course fascism and xenophobia might become rampant here..but that is true of anywhere.

3. When I wake there is heat, sunshine, orange juice and fruit, and other exquisite food, sea, and if I cared to go and search them out, most of the consumer goods and services of the western world at prices a third and less of the UK and probably delivered, and if necessary fitted, within an hour or so…

Maybe there are better places.. for you .. Of course Brazil, China, Philippines, etc let alone ‘Back Home’ have their claims and of course there are downsides..but I don’t see the good things of LOS being much forcefully advocated on these pages! Just a lot of carping!!

[jumnien]

I love Thailand!

[qwertz]

I love Thailand!

Me too, but it's boring through the day. I live only for the next sundown when the butterflies take to the air. .

[garro]

I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Some people won't be happy no matter where they live.

[peter991]

Beautifully put, srisatch. Thailand is far from perfect. I have travelled a fair bit and each time there has to be compromise. I guess if the temperature was always 23C, the wind was a gentle 5 knots, the sea was gentle and I had a cold Coke in one hand while I held my partner by the other hand I would be happy. But not for long. Even that would be boring after a while.

There is always something new to discover in Thailand. When you are here it's like being a child again - with new adventures around every corner. But there is also acceptance, peace and tranquility.

I guess the only problem I have is when I run out of reading material.

Peter

[canuckamuck]

That was a great post Srisatch; you are right many people get frustrated with the Thai ways sometimes, usually because we are efficiency junkies or have seen that our own cultures have different answers to troubles like we have here. But there is also the fact that westerners are tinkerers; we always try to improve what gets put before us. It’s not a crime to suggest solutions. It’s just hard, when you have a strong opinion, or you see something that is just plain wrong, to remember how much you love the place you are criticizing.

I doubt that many of the posters here have many genuine hard feelings about LOS, otherwise they wouldn’t bother to make posts.

God bless Thailand

[solent01]

What is Thailand to you?

There are so many threads in which people seem to be trying to ‘pin down’ Thailand.

Of course it cannot be done, any more than with the UK, Oz, USA. Your country is not the same as someone else’s life in that country and there are a multiplicity of experiences

Yet there persists in the threads an inferred inferiority, inadequacy and incompetence about things Thai; and while we laugh at, too, and criticise western countries, there is a tendency to revert to a stance of ‘Thailand is not really a serious country’. There are currently running threads-of-the-moment which make fun of the airport, (have you suffered Heathfrow recently?)question whether the minister for IT made racist remarks, worries about the future, the currency, the south, piss testing in Pai and other v.serious matters......I am not so very virtuous but I do think some effort should be made to promote those things that are attractive about LOS.

In spite of Toxin and Juntas, serial coups, persistent corruption, startling pollution, racism and a third world education system LOS survives and thrives, which must surely reflect the durability of Thai 'culture' whatever that might be--and I am sure it is not flags and uniforms, smiles and wais, elephants and nick nacks for tourists etc.

So what is Thailand to you? Why, actually, are you here rather than somewhere else?

Got to be good things here, na?

C’mon List 3 things!

For me It is:

1. My family and their Thai extension. Though I would have them anywhere, they come from here and are unfailingly loving, understanding and supportive in their own way..which is not a farang way..(even though I know they think I am a farang alien!!) No-one here is proposing to send Granny nor me to an Old People’s Home. They give me space and peace to be me even if they don't fully understand what that entails. And if things get bad there are monks open for business 24 hours!

2. Apart from occasional needs to deal with immigration I live here undisturbed by Utility Bills, Income Tax Demands, Community Charge-(I am a Brit!) Junk Mail and all other Bureaucracy. Compare with the UK where I cannot change the gutters on my house without planning permission, nor buy a tube season ticket without exposing my identity and movements, nor open a bank account without being suspected of being a terrorist or money laundering! Of course fascism and xenophobia might become rampant here..but that is true of anywhere.

3. When I wake there is heat, sunshine, orange juice and fruit, and other exquisite food, sea, and if I cared to go and search them out, most of the consumer goods and services of the western world at prices a third and less of the UK and probably delivered, and if necessary fitted, within an hour or so…

Maybe there are better places.. for you .. Of course Brazil, China, Philippines, etc let alone ‘Back Home’ have their claims and of course there are downsides..but I don’t see the good things of LOS being much forcefully advocated on these pages! Just a lot of carping!!

I couldn't have put it any better myself, well done...

[qwertz]

I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Some people won't be happy no matter where they live.

Well said, sir. I'm easier to please. I'm not happy where I'm living and I won't be happy again until I'm in Thailand.

[GuestHouse]

I spent twelve years of my life, some of my best years, living and working in Thailand.

That experience has left me with some understanding and deep respect for the country and culture.

As for the 'black/white' 'good/bad' views that are often expressed on Thailand and the Thais, you seldom hear these from people who have lived in Thailand for many years.

The ability to see the shades of grey, the good and the bad, in Thailand seems to be a reliable indication of understanding.

[soundman]

I spent twelve years of my life, some of my best years, living and working in Thailand.

That experience has left me with some understanding and deep respect for the country and culture.

As for the 'black/white' 'good/bad' views that are often expressed on Thailand and the Thais, you seldom hear these from people who have lived in Thailand for many years.

The ability to see the shades of grey, the good and the bad, in Thailand seems to be a reliable indication of understanding.

Kind off like the first year in thai you notice that everybody looks thai. After that everybody just seems normal. And after you think everybody is normal, i dont know, maybe its just me, but you have far fewer people yelling out to get your attention. Maybe the slight appearance, attitude adjustment thing. Who knows?

Soundman.

[GuestHouse]

I equate it to learning the Thai language (for those that bother). In the beginning its all superlatives 'Hot/Cold', 'Good/Bad', 'Beautiful/Ugly' with practice and exposure to the subtleties understanding and expression improves.

[soundman]

I equate it to learning the Thai language (for those that bother). In the beginning its all superlatives 'Hot/Cold', 'Good/Bad', 'Beautiful/Ugly' with practice and exposure to the subtleties understanding and expression improves.

Sort of like when you have a basic understanding of the language, you wonder how thai people can express thoughts on a very complicatd subject & have their meaning come accross using only relatively simple words.

All in the feel / inflection / body language / recepient participation?? Ever wonder why thai's think they know what you are talking about before you have actually finished talking?

Soundman.

[Nignoy]

What is Thailand to you?

There are so many threads in which people seem to be trying to ‘pin down’ Thailand.

Of course it cannot be done, any more than with the UK, Oz, USA. Your country is not the same as someone else’s life in that country and there are a multiplicity of experiences

Yet there persists in the threads an inferred inferiority, inadequacy and incompetence about things Thai; and while we laugh at, too, and criticise western countries, there is a tendency to revert to a stance of ‘Thailand is not really a serious country’. There are currently running threads-of-the-moment which make fun of the airport, (have you suffered Heathfrow recently?)question whether the minister for IT made racist remarks, worries about the future, the currency, the south, piss testing in Pai and other v.serious matters......I am not so very virtuous but I do think some effort should be made to promote those things that are attractive about LOS.

In spite of Toxin and Juntas, serial coups, persistent corruption, startling pollution, racism and a third world education system LOS survives and thrives, which must surely reflect the durability of Thai 'culture' whatever that might be--and I am sure it is not flags and uniforms, smiles and wais, elephants and nick nacks for tourists etc.

So what is Thailand to you? Why, actually, are you here rather than somewhere else?

Got to be good things here, na?

C’mon List 3 things!

For me It is:

1. My family and their Thai extension. Though I would have them anywhere, they come from here and are unfailingly loving, understanding and supportive in their own way..which is not a farang way..(even though I know they think I am a farang alien!!) No-one here is proposing to send Granny nor me to an Old People’s Home. They give me space and peace to be me even if they don't fully understand what that entails. And if things get bad there are monks open for business 24 hours!

2. Apart from occasional needs to deal with immigration I live here undisturbed by Utility Bills, Income Tax Demands, Community Charge-(I am a Brit!) Junk Mail and all other Bureaucracy. Compare with the UK where I cannot change the gutters on my house without planning permission, nor buy a tube season ticket without exposing my identity and movements, nor open a bank account without being suspected of being a terrorist or money laundering! Of course fascism and xenophobia might become rampant here..but that is true of anywhere.

3. When I wake there is heat, sunshine, orange juice and fruit, and other exquisite food, sea, and if I cared to go and search them out, most of the consumer goods and services of the western world at prices a third and less of the UK and probably delivered, and if necessary fitted, within an hour or so…

Maybe there are better places.. for you .. Of course Brazil, China, Philippines, etc let alone ‘Back Home’ have their claims and of course there are downsides..but I don’t see the good things of LOS being much forcefully advocated on these pages! Just a lot of carping!!

Nicely Put!!I got infected with thai sanuk on the 26th of august 1962, the village life, the honesty and respect of the thai people, their genuine friendship, the smell of palah and freshly made som tam in the morning!!have been coming back every year since then health permitting, my english wife lives the village life,it is her these days that gets everything ready for our 3month stay in the village, to all you forum readers , I know its not all Pie and Vegemite or Bread and Dripping, but you should count yourself lucky to be part of the wonder that is Thailand!! Nignoy

[qwertz]

Mr. Nignoy, well said, you're still my hero! My left arm is in plaster at the moment and I'd still give my right hand to be spending three months there, you lucky dog! Regards to your wife.

[IvanLaw]

Good & Bad every ware.

For me the Percentage of good is greater in Thailand

(+ The Weather, Food, Extended Family etc etc)

We will move as soon as possible.

[Ajarn_Jonesy]

Good & Bad every ware.

For me the Percentage of good is greater in Thailand

(+ The Weather, Food, Extended Family etc etc)

We will move as soon as possible.

My Wife is Thai; Her Family, and Friend are all in LOS. So thats where we want to be.

Can't Wait To MOVE Back.

Cheers

[Tyree D.]

my first wife is gonna be Thai.

[terry57]

my first wife is gonna be Thai.

well,

i recon the OP is a legend for being positive and having a brilliant out look on the mighty los.

and just to put the record straight, i will say that if i ever decide to marry, my wife will be thai as well.

but im not in any hurry to put that into practise.

[bkkmadness]

my first wife is gonna be Thai.

And the second.....?

[endure]

The people who form my real family in the UK are all Thai and the person who has meant more to me than anyone else in the world for the past 14 years is khon muang.

[BKK90210]

I’m not that fussy and will be happy wherever we happen to be in - as long as we are together, whether here in the US or LOS. But since my thai wife is in no hurry to go back, so the US it is – for now.

[Diablo Bob]

I think that one of the most valuable lessons in my life was a year I spent living in my wife's village with her family.

During this time, I learned some valuable lessons and gained some insight into the life and lifestyle I had led up to that point.

I found out what material possesions I owned were truly needed and which were actually not that important at the end of the day.

And to me, I found out the richness my new family had brought to my life.

Now many years later, I look back and fondly remember those days. My wife and I have moved on to the big city for the education opportunities for our children, but return yearly when the kids are off school, so they can experience the joy of living in rural Thailand.

Unfortunately on TV we have many who won't accept the fact that they aren't in Kansas anymore, they don't understand that what is important to them personally might not be very high on the worry list of many Thai's or other fallangs. The assumption that since it is from the West it must be good or the correct way to do things prevails in many post's or the attitude that this would never happen where I came from!

Thailand is far from perfect, much like my home country. I didn't move here because it was nirvanna, I personally hope that it never get's too Western. At the present time, Thailand gives me a blend of both the East & the West in a proprtion I can accept, but sometimes reading TV, I also reflect on why I left my home country so many years ago and I get the fear that it is catching back up to me...........

Just my opinion.

[kiakaha]

What is Thailand to you?

There are so many threads in which people seem to be trying to ‘pin down’ Thailand.

Of course it cannot be done, any more than with the UK, Oz, USA. Your country is not the same as someone else’s life in that country and there are a multiplicity of experiences

Yet there persists in the threads an inferred inferiority, inadequacy and incompetence about things Thai; and while we laugh at, too, and criticise western countries, there is a tendency to revert to a stance of ‘Thailand is not really a serious country’. There are currently running threads-of-the-moment which make fun of the airport, (have you suffered Heathfrow recently?)question whether the minister for IT made racist remarks, worries about the future, the currency, the south, piss testing in Pai and other v.serious matters......I am not so very virtuous but I do think some effort should be made to promote those things that are attractive about LOS.

In spite of Toxin and Juntas, serial coups, persistent corruption, startling pollution, racism and a third world education system LOS survives and thrives, which must surely reflect the durability of Thai 'culture' whatever that might be--and I am sure it is not flags and uniforms, smiles and wais, elephants and nick nacks for tourists etc.

So what is Thailand to you? Why, actually, are you here rather than somewhere else?

Got to be good things here, na?

C’mon List 3 things!

For me It is:

1. My family and their Thai extension. Though I would have them anywhere, they come from here and are unfailingly loving, understanding and supportive in their own way..which is not a farang way..(even though I know they think I am a farang alien!!) No-one here is proposing to send Granny nor me to an Old People’s Home. They give me space and peace to be me even if they don't fully understand what that entails. And if things get bad there are monks open for business 24 hours!

2. Apart from occasional needs to deal with immigration I live here undisturbed by Utility Bills, Income Tax Demands, Community Charge-(I am a Brit!) Junk Mail and all other Bureaucracy. Compare with the UK where I cannot change the gutters on my house without planning permission, nor buy a tube season ticket without exposing my identity and movements, nor open a bank account without being suspected of being a terrorist or money laundering! Of course fascism and xenophobia might become rampant here..but that is true of anywhere.

3. When I wake there is heat, sunshine, orange juice and fruit, and other exquisite food, sea, and if I cared to go and search them out, most of the consumer goods and services of the western world at prices a third and less of the UK and probably delivered, and if necessary fitted, within an hour or so…

Maybe there are better places.. for you .. Of course Brazil, China, Philippines, etc let alone ‘Back Home’ have their claims and of course there are downsides..but I don’t see the good things of LOS being much forcefully advocated on these pages! Just a lot of carping!!

I'm only here cos I get paid well, and my expenses are covered, and living is cheap, so I can save alot.

Otherwise I'd live back in the west and maybe come here for occasional holidays now and then.

[Bruce1]

Nowhere is perfect but there are a lot of good things to like about Thailand.

[khunandy]

I think that one of the most valuable lessons in my life was a year I spent living in my wife's village with her family.

During this time, I learned some valuable lessons and gained some insight into the life and lifestyle I had led up to that point.

I found out what material possesions I owned were truly needed and which were actually not that important at the end of the day.

And to me, I found out the richness my new family had brought to my life.

My wife and I were spending equal time in Australia and Thailand. Now we are building our house in her home village I suspect we will be spending more than half our time there and I am not complaining.

We both love our times in both countries but when I live with my wife in the village and see her with her family and friends and just going about daily business I fall in love with her again every day.

There is something about the simplicity of the life, the family bonds and of course the sanuk sanuk. I love it when I walk down to the local som tam/gossip hut where the ladies hold court for the day and eat more than they seem to sell. they are always smiling and having a good time.

I love it when I see my wifes stooped and ancient Grandfather's silhouette come down the lane at sunset with his ever present rice farmers straw hat on and his machete in his belt. His face breaks into a broad grin because he knows we will have a sneaky shot of Lao Khao in the shadow of the rice hut and think we are unseen (not).

I love watching and listening to my wife talking softly with her Grandmother as they sit on the daybed watching the hens and chickens and always fixing or stitching something. My wife chides her for having to many chickens at which the old girl breaks into a toothless, red grin and actually cackles in merriment.

I love the fact that after going there for three years they still get a buzz out of it when my hand dives into the sticky rice and used to soak up whatever spicy, smelly, dubious concoction is on offer. We all still look at each other and grin.

I can honestly say that I go to sleep a very happy man in that village and in the company of the family. Then the dogs start....then the roosters start....and another day begins. Simple really.

Khun Andy

[soundman]

I think that one of the most valuable lessons in my life was a year I spent living in my wife's village with her family.

During this time, I learned some valuable lessons and gained some insight into the life and lifestyle I had led up to that point.

I found out what material possesions I owned were truly needed and which were actually not that important at the end of the day.

And to me, I found out the richness my new family had brought to my life.

My wife and I were spending equal time in Australia and Thailand. Now we are building our house in her home village I suspect we will be spending more than half our time there and I am not complaining.

We both love our times in both countries but when I live with my wife in the village and see her with her family and friends and just going about daily business I fall in love with her again every day.

There is something about the simplicity of the life, the family bonds and of course the sanuk sanuk. I love it when I walk down to the local som tam/gossip hut where the ladies hold court for the day and eat more than they seem to sell. they are always smiling and having a good time.

I love it when I see my wifes stooped and ancient Grandfather's silhouette come down the lane at sunset with his ever present rice farmers straw hat on and his machete in his belt. His face breaks into a broad grin because he knows we will have a sneaky shot of Lao Khao in the shadow of the rice hut and think we are unseen (not).

I love watching and listening to my wife talking softly with her Grandmother as they sit on the daybed watching the hens and chickens and always fixing or stitching something. My wife chides her for having to many chickens at which the old girl breaks into a toothless, red grin and actually cackles in merriment.

I love the fact that after going there for three years they still get a buzz out of it when my hand dives into the sticky rice and used to soak up whatever spicy, smelly, dubious concoction is on offer. We all still look at each other and grin.

I can honestly say that I go to sleep a very happy man in that village and in the company of the family. Then the dogs start....then the roosters start....and another day begins. Simple really.

Khun Andy

Although not exactly from my side of the street - Great post.

I have friends that have moved to thailand for these exact life experiences.

Good stuff.

Soundman.

[draggons]

My thai wife

Extended family

village life

The adventure.

[qwertz]

My thai wife

Extended family

village life

The adventure.

And where else can a foreigner plant himself in a village in the sticks and be graciously accepted for what he is; no enmity, no rejection, no religious persecution. This is truly rare in today's world.

Edited March 24, 2007 by qwertz

[meemiathai]

Glad to see I'm not the only one that have had those good experiences in a thai village.

From what I read on TV, every farang had been treated as a walking ATM in thai villages? My guess was I must be really special. Or lucky?

[tonyuk56]

from a brit doing the same as yourself differant stresses affect us all if your here think why.three reasons you quoated are mine too good luck to ya

ch people seem to be trying to 'pin down' Thailand.

Of course it cannot be done, any more than with the UK, Oz, USA. Your country is not the same as someone else's life in that country and there are a multiplicity of experiences

Yet there persists in the threads an inferred inferiority, inadequacy and incompetence about things Thai; and while we laugh at, too, and criticise western countries, there is a tendency to revert to a stance of 'Thailand is not really a serious country'. There are currently running threads-of-the-moment which make fun of the airport, (have you suffered Heathfrow recently?)question whether the minister for IT made racist remarks, worries about the future, the currency, the south, piss testing in Pai and other v.serious matters......I am not so very virtuous but I do think some effort should be made to promote those things that are attractive about LOS.

In spite of Toxin and Juntas, serial coups, persistent corruption, startling pollution, racism and a third world education system LOS survives and thrives, which must surely reflect the durability of Thai 'culture' whatever that might be--and I am sure it is not flags and uniforms, smiles and wais, elephants and nick nacks for tourists etc.

So what is Thailand to you? Why, actually, are you here rather than somewhere else?

Got to be good things here, na?

C'mon List 3 things!

For me It is:

1. My family and their Thai extension. Though I would have them anywhere, they come from here and are unfailingly loving, understanding and supportive in their own way..which is not a farang way..(even though I know they think I am a farang alien!!) No-one here is proposing to send Granny nor me to an Old People's Home. They give me space and peace to be me even if they don't fully understand what that entails. And if things get bad there are monks open for business 24 hours!

2. Apart from occasional needs to deal with immigration I live here undisturbed by Utility Bills, Income Tax Demands, Community Charge-(I am a Brit!) Junk Mail and all other Bureaucracy. Compare with the UK where I cannot change the gutters on my house without planning permission, nor buy a tube season ticket without exposing my identity and movements, nor open a bank account without being suspected of being a terrorist or money laundering! Of course fascism and xenophobia might become rampant here..but that is true of anywhere.

3. When I wake there is heat, sunshine, orange juice and fruit, and other exquisite food, sea, and if I cared to go and search them out, most of the consumer goods and services of the western world at prices a third and less of the UK and probably delivered, and if necessary fitted, within an hour or so…

Maybe there are better places.. for you .. Of course Brazil, China, Philippines, etc let alone 'Back Home' have their claims and of course there are downsides..but I don't see the good things of LOS being much forcefully advocated on these pages! Just a lot of carping!!