Why is there this kind of "impossible communication" between farang and thais ?

[BangkokReady]

22 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

I don't know what goes on in your life and where you're located but I don't have that experience at all with Thai people. They can be shy and repressed is the worst I can say about them. I think they really oppress their kids with ideas of respecting adults and it makes them keep their heads down more than they need to.

 

So, you think that they're simply so shy that they will do something like completely ignore a foreign person who goes in a shop, having just greeted/offered services to a Thai person?  Do they really have no idea that this makes them look racist?

[NorthernRyland]

1 minute ago, BangkokReady said:

So, you think that they're simply so shy that they will do something like completely ignore a foreign person who goes in a shop, having just greeted/offered services to a Thai person?  Do they really have no idea that this makes them look racist?

 

Well yes actually. Many Thai people just turn off when they're around non-Thais. The only way to break through is make sure they know you can speak Thai well enough so they feel comfortable talking. That's not always an option though like in public shop so I'd say you just got unlucky this time. 🤷 It's annoying but I'd try  to not let it get you down too much.

[safarimike11]

18 hours ago, Kinok Farang said:

But it's ok for you.You are really fluent.What about mere mortals?

No, I am not fluent. When I first holidayed in Thailand, I bought a couple of cheap Thai phrase books and I used to write / copy the phrases I wanted into the inside cover. Later on, after relocating to Thailand, one day I was sitting next to an American guy on the bus that used to go from Pattaya Nua to Ekami (back in the day - 3 hours and 88 baht bus fare). He was chatting up everything with a skirt and getting full responses. So, when there was an opportunity, I asked him how he managed to learn Thai, to which he showed me a keyring loaded with his Thai chat-up questions/phrases on small paper tabs. What I started doing was to add the Thai words/questions/phrases I wanted to my phone contacts, which I replace with others once I have them off to pat.

[Harrisfan]

2 minutes ago, safarimike11 said:

No, I am not fluent. When I first holidayed in Thailand, I bought a couple of cheap Thai phrase books and I used to write / copy the phrases I wanted into the inside cover. Later on, after relocating to Thailand, one day I was sitting next to an American guy on the bus that used to go from Pattaya Nua to Ekami (back in the day - 3 hours and 88 baht bus fare). He was chatting up everything with a skirt and getting full responses. So, when there was an opportunity, I asked him how he managed to learn Thai, to which he showed me a keyring loaded with his Thai chat-up questions/phrases on small paper tabs. What I started doing was to add the Thai words/questions/phrases I wanted to my phone contacts, which I replace with others once I have them off to pat.

So what phrases did he use?

[safarimike11]

Just now, Harrisfan said:

So what phrases did he use?

Work it out with a pencil.

[Harrisfan]

1 minute ago, safarimike11 said:

Work it out with a pencil.

I got my own

[BritManToo]

15 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

So what phrases did he use?

I've known 3 English speaking foreigners that could chat in flawless Thai (not central)

All 3 were essentially broke beggars in Thailand.

An American cowboy 60+ who lived off his mother and whomever he could scam.

Kern yow my paw ...... My arm isn't long enough

A British drug dealer also 60+, learned from his year in Bangkok jail.

Men chip hai see wa ....... You make this place smell

And a Nordic guy 50+ who'd been stripped bare when his Thai wife divorced him, and was living with a pretty working Thai hooker he dearly loved, but had no money to give her.

Mare mung see ma see dam .......... Your mother xxxx xxxxx

 

They didn't seen to have much success with local women, despite having perfect (if low class) communication abilities.

[safarimike11]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

I've known 3 English speaking foreigners that could chat in flawless Thai (not central)

All 3 were essentially broke beggars in Thailand.

An American cowboy 60+ who lived off his mother and whomever he could scam.

Kern yow my paw ...... My arm isn't long enough

A British drug dealer also 60+, learned from his year in Bangkok jail.

Men chip hai see wa ....... You make this place smell

And a Nordic guy 50+ who'd been stripped bare when his Thai wife divorced him, and was living with a pretty working Thai hooker he dearly loved, but had no money to give her.

 

They didn't seen to have much success with local women, despite having perfect (if low class) communication abilities.

Give me a mo. and I'll get back to you... then again, mebe not...

[Harrisfan]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I've known 3 English speaking foreigners that could chat in flawless Thai (not central)

All 3 were essentially broke beggars in Thailand.

An American cowboy 60+ who lived off his mother and whomever he could scam.

Kern yow my paw ...... My arm isn't long enough

A British drug dealer also 60+, learned from his year in Bangkok jail.

Men chip hai see wa ....... You make this place smell

And a Nordic guy 50+ who'd been stripped bare when his Thai wife divorced him, and was living with a pretty working Thai hooker he dearly loved, but had no money to give her.

 

They didn't seen to have much success with local women, despite having perfect (if low class) communication abilities.

They sound like winners

[BangkokReady]

4 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

Well yes actually. Many Thai people just turn off when they're around non-Thais.

 

An interesting theory...  🤔

[Furioso]

I just arrived in Da Nang(my 3rd trip) from Bangkok a couple hours ago. I can see a big difference. It's not nearly as crowded nor overwhelming. The roads and side walks are wider and much easier to get around. Weather about six degrees cooler (for now) and it doesn't seem to have as much air pollution but maybe it's a different type, maybe worse.

 

Da Nang is much more laid back, not amped up to 15 on a 10 scale. There are many tourists here but just the right amount so they're not completely overworked and jaded. 

 

In short it looks like moderation wins again. 

 

 

[Harrisfan]

4 minutes ago, Furioso said:

I just arrived in Da Nang(my 3rd trip) from Bangkok a couple hours ago. I can see a big difference. It's not nearly as crowded nor overwhelming. The roads and side walks are wider and much easier to get around. Weather about six degrees cooler (for now) and it doesn't seem to have as much air pollution but maybe it's a different type, maybe worse.

 

Da Nang is much more laid back, not amped up to 15 on a 10 scale. There are many tourists here but just the right amount so they're not completely overworked and jaded. 

 

In short it looks like moderation wins again. 

 

 

Kind of unrelated to topic

[richard_smith237]

6 minutes ago, Furioso said:

Da Nang is much more laid back, not amped up to 15 on a 10 scale. There are many tourists here but just the right amount so they're not completely overworked and jaded. 

 

In short it looks like moderation wins again. 

 

 

I think that can be said of any tourist destination anywhere in the world.. 

 

There's a critical mass beyond which, things are just too busy, locals become jaded, tourists become edgy and what was an enjoyable area in previous trips loses its charm....

 

 

But.. thats tourist destinations........ Cities are lived in, worked in and for the most part, they are all busy, particularly capitals such as London, Bangkok etc..  They have their 'tourist hubs' but outside of that the normal vibe of the city exists...   in Bangkok, thats just normal life and its what I find enjoyable about living here - we're not tourists, we (foreigners) are no different from anyone else here its easier to just blend in a be normal.

 

 

[Furioso]

19 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

 

I think that can be said of any tourist destination anywhere in the world.. 

 

There's a critical mass beyond which, things are just too busy, locals become jaded, tourists become edgy and what was an enjoyable area in previous trips loses its charm....

 

 

But.. thats tourist destinations........ Cities are lived in, worked in and for the most part, they are all busy, particularly capitals such as London, Bangkok etc..  They have their 'tourist hubs' but outside of that the normal vibe of the city exists...   in Bangkok, thats just normal life and its what I find enjoyable about living here - we're not tourists, we (foreigners) are no different from anyone else here its easier to just blend in a be normal.

 

 

Yes I agree with you 100%. I used to visit Pattaya many times between 2007-2010 you could walk many of the main streets at night there would be just a handful of people probably 1/5 or 1/10 the amount of tourists there are now.  no wonder the locals are testy. 

You're also right about Bangkok being much more than just a tourist destination. They at least have a lot of normal people with normal lives there.

[Kinok Farang]

3 hours ago, safarimike11 said:

No, I am not fluent. When I first holidayed in Thailand, I bought a couple of cheap Thai phrase books and I used to write / copy the phrases I wanted into the inside cover. Later on, after relocating to Thailand, one day I was sitting next to an American guy on the bus that used to go from Pattaya Nua to Ekami (back in the day - 3 hours and 88 baht bus fare). He was chatting up everything with a skirt and getting full responses. So, when there was an opportunity, I asked him how he managed to learn Thai, to which he showed me a keyring loaded with his Thai chat-up questions/phrases on small paper tabs. What I started doing was to add the Thai words/questions/phrases I wanted to my phone contacts, which I replace with others once I have them off to pat.

Yes i gathered that.I was taking the Mickey ,which i regret now as you seem a good guy.Sorry.

[safarimike11]

5 minutes ago, Kinok Farang said:

Yes i gathered that.I was taking the Mickey ,which i regret now as you seem a good guy.Sorry.

You're right: I'm not a "good guy"; hope you'll get over it.

[emptypockets]

16 hours ago, Harrisfan said:

We are farang but small city folk are always more friendly to farangs but its the opposite in the west. Small town westerners are more racist.

Depends on the country. Australia is a lot more open to people from other cultures.

My wife has been accepted without issues and we live in a very small town.

[emptypockets]

5 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

 

So, you think that they're simply so shy that they will do something like completely ignore a foreign person who goes in a shop, having just greeted/offered services to a Thai person?  Do they really have no idea that this makes them look racist?

Being racist, as in being a bad thing, is a western brainwashed construct.

 

[NoshowJones]

On 4/28/2025 at 1:42 PM, Denim said:

I have the opposite problem. All the cashiers want my phone number or Line contact.  Sometimes being so incredibly handsome has its dawbacks

"sometimes being so incredibly handsome has its dawbacks"  That's not your photo in your avatar is it?? Didn't think so.