The week that was in Thailand news: Mayday! M'aidez! - Captain Tom to the rescue as we're allowed out again!

[rooster59]

The week that was in Thailand news: Mayday! M'aidez! - Captain Tom to the rescue as we're allowed out again!

 

 

"People keep saying what I have done is remarkable, however it is what you have done for me that is remarkable. Please always remember, tomorrow will be a good day".

 

These were the words of Captain Tom Moore, a Yorkshireman who was a veteran of World War II who celebrated his 100th birthday this week. Captain Tom - who has now been made an honorary colonel - helped to raise more than 30 million pounds (more than a billion baht) for the UK's National Health Service by doing one hundred laps of his garden.

 

The British public warmed to this steadfast yet unlikely hero as they continued to fight one of the most serious crises in their peacetime history. As messages from his queen and prime minister arrived, two iconic planes - a Hurricane and a Spitfire - did a flypast at his Bedfordshire home to mark his centenary and thank him for his efforts.

 

He had hoped to raise 1,000 pounds. Instead he became the oldest person in history to top the music charts after a single was released. Watching Tom salute the flyby and then speak so eloquently brought a tear to Rooster's eye. Here - surrounded by more than 100,000 birthday cards - was a man still full of life who is a shining example to all people, all around the world.

 

It was a fitting moment of hope too. For while no one can predict how we will come out of this extraordinary pandemic, there were signs that lockdowns were being lifted giving us a tantalizing view of how life might, just might, begin to return to normal over the coming months both here in Thailand and throughout the world.

 

To quote another military Tom - this time a major - the euphoria of just being allowed out felt like "stepping through a door". We have been floating in our "tin cans" in a "most peculiar way" but maybe from today the stars could start to look very different.

 

Planet Earth is still blue and unlike the major, Captain Tom proved there was something that he could do.

 

(David Bowie - who was born in the same London suburb as this columnist - may have been referring to his drug addiction but I am sure he won't mind his beautiful "Space Oddity" lyrics being taken out of context!)

 

This lockdown has not been easy on the great majority of us for a whole variety of reasons. Thais and foreigners residing in the kingdom have been waiting with bated breath for some let up in the restrictions and May Day on Friday was a watershed when some of our yearnings were answered.  There is trepidation that we should be cautious in emerging from our burrows but let's enjoy the light at the end of the tunnel.....and hope it is not coming from an approaching train on a single track.

 

From today we may be able to enjoy trips to restaurants, parks and golf courses again albeit with masks and social distancing in place. Domestic flights are starting as some travel restrictions have been lifted. Some desperate people may be able to go back to their jobs. It still seems surreal to be saying such things but such is life in this most unbelievable of years.

 

As a Bangkokian, I thought the floods of 2011 would never be matched in my lifetime. 2020 is something else entirely.

 

Here is my roundup in no particular order of some of the best stories of the week on Thaivisa. They are mostly connected to the pandemic and largely concern Thailand. But like my references to Captain Tom and the land of my birth, they contain links to stories from outside the kingdom for no one could deny that recent months have not just been about our localities but about the whole world.

 

1. In Pattaya it was confirmed that 11 foreigners were among 23 people arrested for flouting the beach ban. But on May Day tens of thousands of Thais were pictured heading for the provinces for the long weekend. Roads in places like Trat were jammed and hundreds were out panning for shellfish on Krating Lai beach. Uncle Too and his cronies may have a job on their hands now the genie is out of the bottle. They may have cancelled Songkran, may have been impressed by the willingness of the Thais to comply with their rules but they should not forget that freedom in Thailand is highly prized.

 

How many times in my near four decades in Thailand have I been regaled by Thais exalting their country as one where you can go anywhere, eat whatever and do as you please! It may not be strictly true but it is fundamental to the national psyche.

 

2. One of those freedoms - to drink alcohol - has been extremely curtailed due to the nationwide sales ban. It appeared that drinkers might have to wait all through May until the ban was lifted from today May 3rd. The Thaivisa forum seemed to ring with a chorus of angels. Wisely, an idea to prolong the ban and allow a two day free for all to stock up was binned.

 

It struck me that there are an awful lot of heavy drinkers on the forum, the same curmudgeons who are frequently slamming the Thais for their lack of forward planning. So why didn't they stock up then? Bars remain off limits for now.

 

3. Domestic flights returned to some of the country's airports though Phuket remained closed. Suwannaphum (my spelling) was largely deserted on the first day of the relaxation but there were only four flights. Meanwhile the authorities hope that mask wearing and social distancing will be possible in the air and on the ground. The chief of Heathrow airport outside London dismissed that possibility. International flight bans in Thailand looked set to remain in place until June.

 

4. The numbers looked increasingly optimistic whether you believe them or not. In Thailand Covid-19 cases came down to single digits for several days running and hardly anyone is dying. In the States the number of dead passed the number of US servicemen killed in the Vietnam War.

 

5. An expert said that Thailand's economy will suffer to the tune of a trillion baht. A tourism leader in Pattaya said that it would take the resort two years to recover. In Chiang Mai another expert said that millions of Chinese were itching to come to Thailand again. Many expats who have enjoyed the lack of visitors in their tourist ghettos took to the forum to say "Oh No!".

 

6. In Phi Phi a group of foreigners praised the Thais for their humanitarian approach. The Krabi governor in turn thanked the foreigners for saying it like it is (or how he'd like to think it is). The curmudgeons dismissed this as a hoax or some kind of conspiracy theory. While, like most Thais, I keep my rose tinted specs for special occasions, I prefer to believe and have often said in this column over the last two months that Thailand has done as well and as poorly as anywhere. Let's face it, this has been a trying time for everyone and while raising questions and apportioning blame is important for any self-respecting journalist, one must also be fair.

 

I subscribed to the "panicdemic" view in the early days. I've dined on humble pie long since.

 

7. Thailand's national airline denied outrageous suggestions that they would not be flying again until October just days after they said they would not be flying again until October. This bloated and baht guzzling monstrosity needs to be reined in and downsized.

 

8. A tragic 19 year old Thai lady drew a sketch of Thai PM Prayut going online to blame him for having no money to buy milk for her child. She then hanged herself. Thailand's obscenely wealthy tycoons continued to be AWOL.

 

9. A 22 year old Russian was discovered living the life of a "dek wat" in Surat Thani after friends said he could find a bed and food at a temple. The local tourism authority rep determined he was fine and gave him a TAT t-shirt (that's T.A.T. not tat, by the way).

 

The tradition of staying in temples is fundamental to Thai culture and is not limited to Thais. In an earlier career at international school I enjoyed educating foreign students about this and have some of them camp out at temples on adventurous residential visits. The trick is to donate to the temple if you can and help out with chores if you can't. Ivan had figured this out, so well done to that young man.

 

10. A Brit was arrested after beating a woman he met in Soi Bua Khao over the head with a pool cue at his house in Pattaya. He apparently finished her off with a machete after doing some "ice". Friends were surprised about their "well-off" neighbor and disappointed there was no reenactment at the scene of the crime. Hardened Rooster - who has a full size pool table at home - was pleased to see that the cover was on preventing the unseemly blood spatter from sullying the baize.

 

The story originally featured the standard "oops" that the man came from Iceland. He was from Ireland, albeit the north. This reminded me of the myriad occasions when Austria and Australia have been confused and a question in the old Oxford Placement test that asked students to differentiate between there being a 'lot of tigers' and a 'lot of Thai girls' in the north of the country.

 

11. Koh Larn remained shut to tourists but Pattaya's lockdown was scheduled to end next Tuesday. This appeared to come too late for Thongjan who ran a "bar beer" within sight of Walking Street. Like many she had packed up her things and wondered if she could start again either there or in her hometown province in Surin. Posters blamed her for not having any savings and being unable to ride out the crisis. I wonder sometimes if any of these keyboard warriors have actually met any Thais.

 

12. In international news, lockdown protesters in Michigan went into the state legislature with weapons. Apparently this is allowed so some of the law makers donned bullet proof vests. Their president went on the attack against China claiming the virus was manufactured in a lab contrary to the opinions of his own security services. Very little coming out of the White House can be taken seriously any more. Though the POTUS was right about his BFF Kim still being alive.

 

British PM Boris Johnson went back to work after his spell in ICU. While I am not his greatest fan I thought his speech to the British people about continuing to maintain their guard was rousing and sincere. Angela Merkel - for the umpteenth time - came in for deserved praise for her statesmanship as did the policies of the Swedish and other Scandinavians.

 

Rooster must admit to an enormous soft spot for the peoples of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland and the general good sense of their leaders. And despite being told again and again as a child not to trust the dastardly "Hun", I'll throw the Germans into that mix too!

13. Perhaps tired of commenting on coronavirus threads, dozens of people unleashed their ire on the gullibility of Thai women in a story about a romance scam. Rooster translated the story in full for a change reminiscing about the days when life seemed simpler and Big Joke was rumbling Nigerians with nary a face mask in sight!

 

Finally, the best video of the week was posted on the "Hear Khap Rot" (water monitors behind the wheel) site on Facebook.

 

It featured a massively overloaded pick-up that was just waved through a checkpoint. A million plus Thais had a field day commenting cheekily on that.

 

Despite the virus and fortunately for this observer...

 

Thailand hasn't changed much.

 

Rooster
 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-05-02

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[Samui Bodoh]

An interesting read as always...

 

... and I very much share the delight of things easing a bit. This is a small, first step in a very long journey, but it is good that it occurred. That said, it'll be a very, very, very long journey indeed.

 

Now that a beginning has (hopefully) started, there are two areas that I think Thailand needs to look at; I think that there will be an attempt to go back to the way things were, but I desperately hope that they don't.

 

The boxing match at Lumpini Stadium in March, occurring AFTER events like that were banned, needs a reckoning. That event was directly responsible for thousands of cases and several deaths (I do not know the precise numbers) and responsibility must be placed on the Army's doorstep and repercussions must be exacted; I think a minimum is the immediate removal of the stadium from the army's control. Why the hell does an Army own a boxing stadium anyway? If Thailand is ever going to break free from the awful corrupting influence of the military, coups, grants of immunity, etc, this is a very good place to start. I would love to see names named, people photographed and publicized, and the responsible parties (NOT one poor scapegoat) tossed into the street like a dog. I know, I am not holding my breath, but...

 

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

A tragic 19 year old Thai lady drew a sketch of Thai PM Prayut going online to blame him for having no money to buy milk for her child. She then hanged herself. Thailand's obscenely wealthy tycoons continued to be AWOL.

Where were the multi-billionaires? Yes, I am sure that some of the Hi-Sos made contributions, and yes many, many, many Thais who had some money helped, but there has been a deafening silence from those who really have/had the means to help. Where are/were the super-rich? I hope that Thais do not forget to both ask the question(s) and demand answers.

 

Yes, I know... I have lived in Thailand long enough that I do not expect anything near a reasonable reckoning, but I desperately hope that Thai voices emerge asking the questions; if it all goes back to the same nonsense as before, then what hope Thailand?

 

PS Happy Birthday Captain Tom. I am at a loss for comment; Wow! Just Wow!

 

 

[OneeyedJohn]

Good stuff Rooster.

You have a very balanced opinion on things generally, it is pleasing to read.

[bluesofa]

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Watching Tom salute the flyby and then speak so eloquently brought a tear to Rooster's eye. Here - surrounded by more than 100,000 birthday cards - was a man still full of life who is a shining example to all people, all around the world.

'brought a tear to Rooster's eye' You and me both. My wife asked why I was crying.

 

Just to be pedantic, apparently it was 125,000 birthdays cards.

[SuwadeeS]

What many Thais forget....

Even if they Chinese tourists come back, how can you sure they not carry the CCP virus.

Many people are still too ignorant against the truth and the whole picture.

China isn't really a blessing to the world. People still not recognize, that China's Communist party only want to gain more influence and power.

Then Thais will also lose their rest of freedom.

 

[Chassa]

20 hours ago, rooster59 said:

I wonder sometimes if any of these keyboard warriors have actually met any Thais.

Me too! Mate.

[AgMech Cowboy]

22 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Suwannaphum

You know, Rooster, I understand 'your spelling', but to really spell the sound out of Suvarnabhumi, it should be 'Suwannapum' or 'Suwannapoom'. I had to transliterate my Son's name to English 17-1/2 yrs ago. At the time I thought my choice was between the proper Thai pronunciation of 'porn' or 'phon'. I chose the later 'phon'.  I heard a farang recently pronounce it 'fon'. If I'd have had all my thinking cap on that day, I would've thought of 'pon'. You and I are accustomed to pronouncing ph correctly in the transliteration. I don't think most TV readers are.

 

I really enjoyed your article today!!

[Artisi]

Your comment about keyboard warriors and meeting (or knowing) any Thais is spot-on, it seems the most verbal have the least exposure to the real Thailand. 

[Artisi]

20 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

An interesting read as always...

 

... and I very much share the delight of things easing a bit. This is a small, first step in a very long journey, but it is good that it occurred. That said, it'll be a very, very, very long journey indeed.

 

Now that a beginning has (hopefully) started, there are two areas that I think Thailand needs to look at; I think that there will be an attempt to go back to the way things were, but I desperately hope that they don't.

 

The boxing match at Lumpini Stadium in March, occurring AFTER events like that were banned, needs a reckoning. That event was directly responsible for thousands of cases and several deaths (I do not know the precise numbers) and responsibility must be placed on the Army's doorstep and repercussions must be exacted; I think a minimum is the immediate removal of the stadium from the army's control. Why the hell does an Army own a boxing stadium anyway? If Thailand is ever going to break free from the awful corrupting influence of the military, coups, grants of immunity, etc, this is a very good place to start. I would love to see names named, people photographed and publicized, and the responsible parties (NOT one poor scapegoat) tossed into the street like a dog. I know, I am not holding my breath, but...

 

Where were the multi-billionaires? Yes, I am sure that some of the Hi-Sos made contributions, and yes many, many, many Thais who had some money helped, but there has been a deafening silence from those who really have/had the means to help. Where are/were the super-rich? I hope that Thais do not forget to both ask the question(s) and demand answers.

 

Yes, I know... I have lived in Thailand long enough that I do not expect anything near a reasonable reckoning, but I desperately hope that Thai voices emerge asking the questions; if it all goes back to the same nonsense as before, then what hope Thailand?

 

PS Happy Birthday Captain Tom. I am at a loss for comment; Wow! Just Wow!

 

 

Seems there is one name missing from the list that isn't really a surprise.... 

[Ricebarnandrooms]

23 hours ago, rooster59 said:

struck me that there are an awful lot of heavy drinkers on the forum, the same curmudgeons who are frequently slamming the Thais for their lack of forward planning. So why didn't they stock up then? Bars remain off limits for now.

Brilliant 555

[overherebc]

52 minutes ago, Artisi said:

Your comment about keyboard warriors and meeting (or knowing) any Thais is spot-on, it seems the most verbal have the least exposure to the real Thailand. 

What is the real Thailand?

Come to that, what is the real UK or USA?

[bluesofa]

11 minutes ago, Ricebarnandrooms said:

23 hours ago, rooster59 said:

struck me that there are an awful lot of heavy drinkers on the forum, the same curmudgeons who are frequently slamming the Thais for their lack of forward planning. So why didn't they stock up then? Bars remain off limits for now.

Brilliant 555

I tried, I really did.

I was scuppered when the bank manager refused me a loan, after in the box headed 'Purpose for loan', I wrote 'Alcoholic'.

I thought it was precise and to the point, he obviously didn't.

[Justgrazing]

19 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Just to be pedantic, apparently it was 125,000 birthdays cards

By all accounts there was £60,000 in cash donations contained within cards to be added to the pot and some letter's were still arriving in the days after his birthday .. a Royal Mail historian is checking it's history to see if this is a record number of letters delivered to one person for a single occasion .. Certainly the local post master of 30 odd years said in a TV interview he had never seen anything like it .. 

[flinc2020]

43 minutes ago, Ricebarnandrooms said:

Brilliant 555

Some of us did stock up, FOR A 10 DAY LOCKDOWN!! Now, where I am they have extended it again until the end of May. So planning ahead can only work if the people whose plans you are planning for actually have a coherent thought that lasts more than 24 hours. And that'll never happen here!

[StevieAus]

Compared with other countries I don’t really believe the restrictions faced by people living in Thailand have been particularly onerous ( apart from the people who have lost their jobs) 
We live in the North and have been practicing social distancing avoiding unnecessary visits from home wearing masks and have become obsessive hand washers and sprayers.

Sure I cannot have a daily coffee in my favorite coffee shop or eat in one of the small eateries but there is a service called takeaway.

I have always bought my wine in bulk so that hasn’t been a problem and I don’t normally go out after 10pm 

Last Friday we should have arrived in Sydney for a two week trip where on our arrival we would have been taken under escort to a hotel room that we couldn’t leave for two weeks

After being confined to a room with my wife and young daughter for that period of time I think I would have been taken elsewhere under a different form of escort for a longer period

It didn’t happen though as as flights were cancelled, always another day.

So I don’t think it has been too bad compared with a couple of very good friends in the U.K. both in their eighties who have been compulsory required to remain in their home for twelve weeks.

[StevieAus]

20 hours ago, bluesofa said:

'brought a tear to Rooster's eye' You and me both. My wife asked why I was crying.

 

Just to be pedantic, apparently it was 125,000 birthdays cards.

I am able to access U.K. TV and watched a number of new items featuring this great gentleman, being born in 1950, unlike my father and grandfather I avoided fighting in any war but watching this great man and his efforts made me feel very humble.

[Golden Triangle]

With regard to the alcohol ban, I actually fore saw that a massive lockdown was coming and stocked up accordingly, I even shared my stash with close friends who had not looked beyond the 10 day mark, it's called the buddy buddy system, an old army term that ensures you & your mates will always look out for each other, so they called it off earlier than people thought, it won't take much to reimpose it if people don't behave & as we all know there are a lot of people out there, both Thai & foreigners that will screw it up.

[SupermarineS6B]

23 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

An interesting read as always...

 

... and I very much share the delight of things easing a bit. This is a small, first step in a very long journey, but it is good that it occurred. That said, it'll be a very, very, very long journey indeed.

 

Now that a beginning has (hopefully) started, there are two areas that I think Thailand needs to look at; I think that there will be an attempt to go back to the way things were, but I desperately hope that they don't.

 

The boxing match at Lumpini Stadium in March, occurring AFTER events like that were banned, needs a reckoning. That event was directly responsible for thousands of cases and several deaths (I do not know the precise numbers) and responsibility must be placed on the Army's doorstep and repercussions must be exacted; I think a minimum is the immediate removal of the stadium from the army's control. Why the hell does an Army own a boxing stadium anyway? If Thailand is ever going to break free from the awful corrupting influence of the military, coups, grants of immunity, etc, this is a very good place to start. I would love to see names named, people photographed and publicized, and the responsible parties (NOT one poor scapegoat) tossed into the street like a dog. I know, I am not holding my breath, but...

 

Where were the multi-billionaires? Yes, I am sure that some of the Hi-Sos made contributions, and yes many, many, many Thais who had some money helped, but there has been a deafening silence from those who really have/had the means to help. Where are/were the super-rich? I hope that Thais do not forget to both ask the question(s) and demand answers.

 

Yes, I know... I have lived in Thailand long enough that I do not expect anything near a reasonable reckoning, but I desperately hope that Thai voices emerge asking the questions; if it all goes back to the same nonsense as before, then what hope Thailand?

 

PS Happy Birthday Captain Tom. I am at a loss for comment; Wow! Just Wow!

 

 

"if it all goes back to the same nonsense as before, then what hope Thailand"?  Indeed, let's hope nobody forgets next time at the elections......... Or should i say the charade they call elections....  Sadly as we all know, power that's taken at gun point has to be taken back at gun point....... 

Edited May 3, 2020 by SupermarineS6B

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, overherebc said:

What is the real Thailand?

Come to that, what is the real UK or USA?

Over an hour and no one can tell me what the 'real Thailand' is.

I really want to know.

[SupermarineS6B]

Can you imagine the phone call that must of come down from the PI*& Barons to uncle Tu, "Hey Toad, drop the ban or you'll be fertilizer by next week"  Capiche ??  The question is now, when they've all had a good drink and sobered up, "what are we gonna do with this bunch of Shysters" ?   ......... Ha ha..... 

Edited May 3, 2020 by SupermarineS6B

[chickenslegs]

 

4 hours ago, StevieAus said:

Compared with other countries I don’t really believe the restrictions faced by people living in Thailand have been particularly onerous ( apart from the people who have lost their jobs) 
We live in the North and have been practicing social distancing avoiding unnecessary visits from home wearing masks and have become obsessive hand washers and sprayers.

Sure I cannot have a daily coffee in my favorite coffee shop or eat in one of the small eateries but there is a service called takeaway.

I have always bought my wine in bulk so that hasn’t been a problem and I don’t normally go out after 10pm 

Last Friday we should have arrived in Sydney for a two week trip where on our arrival we would have been taken under escort to a hotel room that we couldn’t leave for two weeks

After being confined to a room with my wife and young daughter for that period of time I think I would have been taken elsewhere under a different form of escort for a longer period

It didn’t happen though as as flights were cancelled, always another day.

So I don’t think it has been too bad compared with a couple of very good friends in the U.K. both in their eighties who have been compulsory required to remain in their home for twelve weeks.

I liked your post. I especially can relate to the part about confinement with wife and young daughter - but, AFAIK, there is no "compulsory" requirement to remain in their home for twelve weeks, for UK people in their 80's.

My own mother (spritely 85-year-old) is self-isolating, voluntarily.

[sawadee1947]

On 5/2/2020 at 12:11 PM, rooster59 said:

The numbers looked increasingly optimistic whether you believe them or not.

Well, I said it yesterday already:

Thailand's testing number is about 10k a week whereas EU countries are testing up to 500k a week.

It's quite obvious that the number of cases is increasing the more you are testing.

So the real number of cases will be much higher but if you get in mind the Chinese to come back it"s much better to keep the number of corona cases low. Business and money is everything....unfortunately.????

[TPI]

Thanks Rooster, I'm glad you're well!

[473geo]

20 hours ago, overherebc said:

Over an hour and no one can tell me what the 'real Thailand' is.

I really want to know.

For me, to gain the true or 'real' view of a population in any country one must travel broadly in the rural areas, where people display a more natural approach to life and co-existence with others. While the rural attitude can be transferred into the city, cities provide an illusion, where close proximity camouflages the actual disconnected existence for many

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, 473geo said:

For me, to gain the true or 'real' view of a population in any country one must travel broadly in the rural areas, where people display a more natural approach to life and co-existence with others. While the rural attitude can be transferred into the city, cities provide an illusion, where close proximity camouflages the actual disconnected existence for many

That means a four week holiday in pattaya and getting married to a farmers daughter who is half their age isn't the 'real Thailand'?

Your answer may upset a few posters.

[Nobbie49]

It just never seizes to amaze me how you Brits just can't get past the Hun characterization (no I am not German) when, at the same time, you fawn all over your royal family who are as German as sauerkraut (with the odd Greek thrown in for good measure).  Baffling. 

[Samui Bodoh]

1 hour ago, 473geo said:

For me, to gain the true or 'real' view of a population in any country one must travel broadly in the rural areas, where people display a more natural approach to life and co-existence with others. While the rural attitude can be transferred into the city, cities provide an illusion, where close proximity camouflages the actual disconnected existence for many

Respectfully, this is the expressed world-view of Sarah Palin and her followers (for real!). @473geo; I have seen enough of your posts over the years to know that you belong in better company.

 

The idea that a rural community or communities represent the 'Real' part of a nation is as ridiculous as saying that an urban community or communities represent the 'Real' part of a nation; one doesn't really exist without the other.

 

More importantly, I would reject that there is a 'real' view of a nation or a population as that assumes that humankind is static, when it is pretty clear that one universal aspect of human life is constant change (What were you doing 4 months ago? The same as today?). Yes, people do have some standard activities, views, past-times, etc, but they change in a myriad of ways on a daily basis, even if sometimes on a minute level.

 

Humanity is a giant, living, ever-evolving organism that changes every nano-second, and nations are merely part of that organism which are slightly more internally constant than other areas.

 

The only true constant of humanity is that there is no constant.

 

Okay, waaaaaaaay too philosophical for a Monday afternoon.

 

 

 

 

Why yes, I have been suffering from cabin fever; how did you know? 

 

(Er... sorry)  

 

 

 

Edited May 4, 2020 by Samui Bodoh
lack of coffee

[overherebc]

18 minutes ago, Nobbie49 said:

It just never seizes to amaze me how you Brits just can't get past the Hun characterization (no I am not German) when, at the same time, you fawn all over your royal family who are as German as sauerkraut (with the odd Greek thrown in for good measure).  Baffling. 

Don't forget that there is a good chance of a bit of scottish 'rough' in the mix 

( John Brown ).

Who knows, if she had been a big younger there could have been a touch of Indian thrown in as well.

????

[Artisi]

On 5/3/2020 at 4:29 PM, overherebc said:

What is the real Thailand?

Come to that, what is the real UK or USA?

Real Thailand is understanding the full gambit of Thai people, not just what is portrayed in Thaivisa. com - - - same for UK, USA etc. 

 

Edited May 4, 2020 by Artisi

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, Artisi said:

Real Thailand is understanding the full gambit of Thai people, not just what is portrayed in Thaivisa. com - - - same for UK, USA etc. 

 

And isn't 'understanding the full gambit' something that is an individual concept?

One man's meat blah blah.

Some will claim to know the 'real Thailand' as being the idea that if you marry a Thai then you accept the 'extended family' concept. Others will say if you you marry someone from a family who don't want or need your money is the 'real Thailand'.

As far as I'm concerned those who post on the lines of 'you don't know the real Thailand' are just trying to 'up' themselves to appear better than others. None can actually post 'why' they know the real Thailand, and it's no different in any other country.

Do I know the real Thailand? No I don't, same as I don't know the the real UK. 

In short, there is no real anywhere. It's a concept, not a reality.

So people/posters should stop using it as a public put down on other posters just to make themselves feel important on TV.

Edited May 4, 2020 by overherebc