Why I Love Thai People:

[glenbat]

Not really a story but I love thai people too for many reasons

The way they smile back at you if you make eye contact

Only ever been to Thailand 3 times (all in the last year) and have several friends already (not bar girls), ordinary working people, a moped taxi driver who's based outside our hotel, the girl opposite who works in 7/11 and the tattoo guy all spring to mind. Cant say I actually do them favours as such, sure 30baht for a lift to the shops or popping in to buy some water but thats it, yet they'll go out of their way to call out and say hello from across the street or if I'm wasting an hour or 2 outside the hotel they'll wander over and sit for a chat..

I've been going into the same shops in the UK for years and your lucky to get a 'good morning' or 'how are you' from most of the staff

Smiles cost nothing but make the day a little lighter

[endure]

I have a Thai friend in the UK who's just bought some land in Bangkok to build a house on. The seller lives way over the other side of the city and will never see my friend once the sale has gone through. When the seller decided to sell he visited the guy who lived next door to his piece of land and told him that, as he (the guy) was going to be the neighbour of the eventual buyer he (the guy) ought to decide who the eventual buyer ought to be.

[Galong]

doing good deeds for strangers or friends doesn't make Thailand unique. You'll find people in plenty of other countries who are just as friendly, just as giving and not looking for anything in return. Thailand doesn't deserve the sole title of Land of Smiles... you can get that almost anywhere in SE Asia and elsewhere.

[qwertz]

Not really a story but I love thai people too for many reasons

The way they smile back at you if you make eye contact

Only ever been to Thailand 3 times (all in the last year) and have several friends already (not bar girls), ordinary working people, a moped taxi driver who's based outside our hotel, the girl opposite who works in 7/11 and the tattoo guy all spring to mind. Cant say I actually do them favours as such, sure 30baht for a lift to the shops or popping in to buy some water but thats it, yet they'll go out of their way to call out and say hello from across the street or if I'm wasting an hour or 2 outside the hotel they'll wander over and sit for a chat..

I've been going into the same shops in the UK for years and your lucky to get a 'good morning' or 'how are you' from most of the staff

Smiles cost nothing but make the day a little lighter

So you find this too. If I listened to all the beer bar whingers I'd be walking about watching my back day and night. I love the laissez faire attitude there and I've rarely come across bad people. I can only assume that the established tourist spots soak up most of the iffy types.

[Loz]

Its really good to come back to a thread like this and see that it dug out the right people. I am always happy to hear something happy about this place. Funnily, I never felt the same about England. I never felt I had to defend britishness. But coming here feels very special more often than not. Maybe I am just too sentimental...