Hard not to notice that no matter where you are in Thailand, you always end up catching a whiff of something you weren’t expecting and probably didn’t want. Could be the stench of the open sewers, trash piled up on the street, the smell of chili sizzling in burning oil, fermented fish, cigarette smoke, or BO from someone who clearly hasn’t seen a bath in a while.

 

Then there’s that unmistakable rank tang of fish sauce, exhaust fumes from tuk-tuks and diesel buses that could strip paint, the occasional hit of incense, the stench of urine lingering in some alley or the bio smells from the farms upcountry.

 

It’s like your nose is on a never-ending rollercoaster. You get a bit of everything for free, whether you like it or not. At least the women still smell quite good.

And ?

Welcome to the developing world.  You're not in Kansas anymore, that's for sure.  Embrace it.  That's the smell of the freedom to travel the world.

Sometimes it isn't pleasant, but I prefer it to the sterile US approach. The streets feel more alive and human. 

20 minutes ago, davb said:

Sometimes it isn't pleasant, but I prefer it to the sterile US approach. The streets feel more alive and human. 

 

Well  they are certainly more alive, with rats and cockroaches etc....😅

25 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

 

Well  they are certainly more alive, with rats and cockroaches etc....😅

Sorta like the streets of San Francisco (as well as many other major cities in the US).

1 hour ago, davb said:

Sometimes it isn't pleasant, but I prefer it to the sterile US approach. The streets feel more alive and human. 

Totally.

Check out India.

The land of open defecation.

No smells like that where I live. Fires outside rural homes as I cycle past on a cold morning are about it.

i found that in Malaysia, open sewers, not Thailand 

Cooking smells near the noodle shops etc that's about it in my area.

 

The other one here is when they are making charcoal!  Now that really catches yr breath and will ruin your laundry for sure 😀

As does crop burning.

2 hours ago, davb said:

Sometimes it isn't pleasant, but I prefer it to the sterile US approach. The streets feel more alive and human. 

 

Yeah, that's true.

 

But those food stalls are dangerous. If you're not paying attention you can bump into a hot vat and seriously burn yourself. 

 

Also, it's not the smell that bothers me so much. It's the toxic fumes from that oil. I sometimes cough when I pass a street food stall. I feel sorry for someone working at these stalls. Not sure how they tolerate those toxic fumes.

 

 

3 hours ago, 123Stodg said:

Hard not to notice that no matter where you are in Thailand, you always end up catching a whiff of something you weren’t expecting and probably didn’t want. Could be the stench of the open sewers, trash piled up on the street, the smell of chili sizzling in burning oil, fermented fish, cigarette smoke, or BO from someone who clearly hasn’t seen a bath in a while.

 

Then there’s that unmistakable rank tang of fish sauce, exhaust fumes from tuk-tuks and diesel buses that could strip paint, the occasional hit of incense, the stench of urine lingering in some alley or the bio smells from the farms upcountry.

 

It’s like your nose is on a never-ending rollercoaster. You get a bit of everything for free, whether you like it or not. At least the women still smell quite good.

and what's you point???, you didn't do your home work before coming

I cant recall that I ever lived or visited a place in the USA that smelled like a sewer. My nose is immune to the smells of SE Asia.

That post really left me wondering if there was a point to any of it. What comes to mind for me is that the smells are certainly part of the adventure. I left America because I found it terribly boring, extremely predictable, and Incredibly dull. Never seems like a dull moment to me here, and I love that I wake up every morning feeling thrilled that I'm here.

 

I go out into the streets and the sights, sounds and smells are exotic and uplifting. OK, there is a lot of noise occasionally but that's just part of the deal here. Perception and perspective are just about everything in this life

The worst smells in Thailand 

1. sewer smell

2. Neighbors burning gargage

3. Neigbour making charcoals 

4. rice and sugar field burning

5. Forrest fire

 

 

2 hours ago, Base32 said:

Sorta like the streets of San Francisco (as well as many other major cities in the US).

 

... A Quinn Martin Production!

 

Fetching my coat.

5 hours ago, 123Stodg said:

Hard not to notice that no matter where you are in Thailand, you always end up catching a whiff of something you weren’t expecting and probably didn’t want. Could be the stench of the open sewers, trash piled up on the street, the smell of chili sizzling in burning oil, fermented fish, cigarette smoke, or BO from someone who clearly hasn’t seen a bath in a while.

 

Then there’s that unmistakable rank tang of fish sauce, exhaust fumes from tuk-tuks and diesel buses that could strip paint, the occasional hit of incense, the stench of urine lingering in some alley or the bio smells from the farms upcountry.

 

It’s like your nose is on a never-ending rollercoaster. You get a bit of everything for free, whether you like it or not. At least the women still smell quite good.

A 'fishy' story.

 

 

More likely to be the smell of weed nowadays.

Somebody always needs something to complain about , it's smelly,

it's too hot, it's cold , don't like the food too spicy , hiking boots

to walk the streets .I am been charged Farang prices, on and on and on.

 

the only thing that peeves me is Thai drivers , but in my old age ,too old

to fight them , and many now carry weapons, so I am more relaxed about it,

but they still try to kill me with their antics.

 

regards worgeordie

10 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Somebody always needs something to complain about , it's smelly,

it's too hot, it's cold , don't like the food too spicy , hiking boots

to walk the streets .I am been charged Farang prices, on and on and on.

 

the only thing that peeves me is Thai drivers , but in my old age ,too old

to fight them , and many now carry weapons, so I am more relaxed about it,

but they still try to kill me with their antics.

 

regards worgeordie

Humans are whingers

4 hours ago, freedomnow said:

5 hours ago, davb said:

Sometimes it isn't pleasant, but I prefer it to the sterile US approach. The streets feel more alive and human. 

Totally.

 

Not all of them...  Here's the SF poop map.  Lots of fragrance there.

 

11 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Humans are whingers

No, only you. 

5 hours ago, davb said:

Sometimes it isn't pleasant, but I prefer it to the sterile US approach. The streets feel more alive and human. 

One morning my son and I were taking a morning walk in San Jose, CA. We happened on a piece of sandwich someone had dropped on the sidewalk that looked like it had been laying there overnight. Not an insect in sight. I'd walk every afternoon past fragrant bushes and there were barely a few bees buzzing around.

 

Sterile is exactly as I described it back then. They've killed most of the insects, disrupting the natural balance for the convenience of fewer intrusions.

2 hours ago, impulse said:

 

Not all of them...  Here's the SF poop map.  Lots of fragrance there.

 

Is that mostly human poop from homeless people ? 

16 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

Is that mostly human poop from homeless people ? 

 

I assume so.  Because if you let your dog poop on the sidewalk, the cops will fine you big time.  Let that one sink in...

Quote

Everywhere You Go in Thailand, You’re Always Getting a Whiff

 

Fascinating.

 

8 hours ago, Base32 said:

Welcome to the developing world.  You're not in Kansas anymore, that's for sure.  Embrace it.  That's the smell of the freedom to travel the world.

 

I go over and hug or embrace my neighbors when they are burning garbage and fields producing toxins.

9 hours ago, 123Stodg said:

you always end up catching a whiff

I like riding down soi Buakhou early evening, following the taxi motorbike with their beautiful pillion passengers, taking the bar girls to work. They smell lovely. 

I'm loving the WHIFF 

10 hours ago, 123Stodg said:

Hard not to notice that no matter where you are in Thailand, you always end up catching a whiff of something

 

In case you would have travelled extensively in the wet tropics, this is what you get: faster turnaround of organic decay, organic life in general. Heat and high humidity concentrates odour more -- then you often have the ocean nearby, its own major source of smells.

 

And then, of course, open markets and food stalls along every roadside, gifting us with a nice smell of their wares on offer.

 

Whenever I leave the airplane and get the first whiff of the "Thailand-smell", I stop for a moment to enjoy the realization of being home once more.