Asking For Directions

[happyaussie]

When driving with my Thai wife it appears that asking people for directions isn't the done thing. I understand if a farang asks it's a language issue etc. But Thai on Thai baffles me.

Firstly she is very reluctant to ask and secondly when we do. 9 times out of ten the directions are crap or the people simply don't know. As we live in a relatively small town (Loei) I find it strange.

If in Australia and you asked someone, chances are you'd get a pretty detailed explanation.

Is it just my wife, people are shy or that Thai people know very little outside their small circle.

This is not a complaint, just a curiosity.

[Artamus]

This is not just Thailand, it's most places in the world where a large percentage of the population do not drive.

Ever tried giving a local a map to read or ask where they are? They can't tell you because of a number of potential reasons. Many of the local people do not travel so far, and not being a driver they do not have first hand experience of getting from A to B. In my experience there's no problem asking (even Thai on Thai), but you should try to ask some one who drives - truck driver, taxi driver etc. Petrol stations are usually a good bet, but ask other drivers, not the staff.

[hkt83100]

My theory about this is as follows:

You are driving and want your Thai companion to ask for the directions.

Problem 1: Your companion has to confess to a stranger, (s)he does not know the way -> loss of face.

Problem 2: Chances are that the asked person does not know the way either. This leads to

Problem 3: To save face the person will tell you something like '1 km ahead, then ask again.' even if this is completely wrong.

Better buy something like a Garmin or other navigator. It will spare you a lot of problems. I prefer to ask my mobile for the way

[JusMe]

This is not just Thailand, it's most places in the world where a large percentage of the population do not drive.

Ever tried giving a local a map to read or ask where they are?

I remember a few years back arriving in a small city in Issan and, not knowing exactly where I was or how to get to the guesthouse I wanted, I figured the police box was a good place to start.

Neither one of the two occupants could find their own police box on a map! Eventually, someone passing on a motorbike gave me a ride about half a kilometre down the road to where I wanted to go.

[PoorSucker]

My theory about this is as follows:

You are driving and want your Thai companion to ask for the directions.

Problem 1: Your companion has to confess to a stranger, (s)he does not know the way -> loss of face.

Problem 2: Chances are that the asked person does not know the way either. This leads to

Problem 3: To save face the person will tell you something like '1 km ahead, then ask again.' even if this is completely wrong.

Better buy something like a Garmin or other navigator. It will spare you a lot of problems. I prefer to ask my mobile for the way

[fredob43]

A couple of year's ago we were in Surin and wanted to find the bus station. After several ask's and being sent in the wrong direction every time, we came across a policeman, the wife got out the car and he kindly drew us a map on where to go. turn left turn right and so on. Off we went wife directing, 200 mt down the road I did a right turn, where you go she asked the policeman told us to go left, maybe he did but there is a sign there that say's bus station 300mt. Turn right. so if you cant ask a copper who can you ask TIT

[gotlost]

My theory about this is as follows:

You are driving and want your Thai companion to ask for the directions.

Problem 1: Your companion has to confess to a stranger, (s)he does not know the way -> loss of face.

Problem 2: Chances are that the asked person does not know the way either. This leads to

Problem 3: To save face the person will tell you something like '1 km ahead, then ask again.' even if this is completely wrong.

Better buy something like a Garmin or other navigator. It will spare you a lot of problems. I prefer to ask my mobile for the way

I guess I'll have to disagree. My wife will stop and get out to ask for directions and if I don't let her she will give me shyt.

[ScubaBuddha]

My theory about this is as follows:

You are driving and want your Thai companion to ask for the directions.

Problem 1: Your companion has to confess to a stranger, (s)he does not know the way -> loss of face.

Problem 2: Chances are that the asked person does not know the way either. This leads to

Problem 3: To save face the person will tell you something like '1 km ahead, then ask again.' even if this is completely wrong.

Better buy something like a Garmin or other navigator. It will spare you a lot of problems. I prefer to ask my mobile for the way

Nail on head.

[dave_boo]

Easiest way to know if the Thai you're speaking with knows their way around....ask the number of the road in front of their house.

My wife failed miserably; rather sad when it's posted every kilometer and she's lived in the same place her whole life...

[Deeral]

interesting posts.

I recently did a couple of long road trips.

One with an Australian buddy on holiday and one with the g/f.

THe Australian kept wanting to ask for directions - he was navigating.

I'm extremely reluctant to do this after several completely hopeless experiences - whatever the reason it proves to be a waste of time.

but he was determined so we stopped and got helping wave - that way about 1 km turn left - ask again"

about 200 meteres on to prove a point I stopped and asked again.

This time we got a similar reply - "that way about one kilo and turn left, then ask"

only thing was "that way" was in the opposite direction...........

the other time my g/f stopped and had a 5 minute conversation with a guy on the roadside - near Suratthani.

On driving on I asked if this was in fact the right road, she replied

"I don't know - he speak Patthani, I speak Issan - I no understand"

Edited May 23, 2010 by Deeral

[robblok]

Easiest way to know if the Thai you're speaking with knows their way around....ask the number of the road in front of their house.

My wife failed miserably; rather sad when it's posted every kilometer and she's lived in the same place her whole life...

Good point.. i fail misserably too and indeed i dont know my way around Thailand.

[fredob43]

To cure all the problem's get a sat/nav. Has any one ever asked the Thai lady to map read??? It's worth having a go if you want to have a good laugh. Last time my wife did it we got on well that's decause I knew where we were going, I just kept on asking question's to keep her happy. Never got one good reply. Then I noticed she had the map upside down. Why you have the map up side down, Reply because we go down Thailand. TIT.

Edited May 23, 2010 by fredob43

[Deeral]

I have navigated all over and in boats I like sat-nav - in the car I'm still content to use maps - although one has to realise that the maps available in Thailand are at best second-rate. I find if I compare two or three I can make a reasonably good decision.

Being an Virgo I also have an incredibly good sense of direction.......I never fail to be amazed by the lack of map-reading abilities of my co-travellers.

One friend of mine is now a permanent danger to other road-users as he is constantly fiddling with his sat-nav!

mind you he couldn't find his way from his living room to the toilet with out directions.

[fredob43]

I have navigated all over and in boats I like sat-nav - in the car I'm still content to use maps - although one has to realise that the maps available in Thailand are at best second-rate. I find if I compare two or three I can make a reasonably good decision.

Being an Virgo I also have an incredibly good sense of direction.......I never fail to be amazed by the lack of map-reading abilities of my co-travellers.

One friend of mine is now a permanent danger to other road-users as he is constantly fiddling with his sat-nav!

mind you he couldn't find his way from his living room to the toilet with out directions.

My wife's a Virgo, she's Thai, Do you want to discus this incredibly good sense of direction thing with her. Dont bother as she would be lost at the first mention of the word direction.

[TheKingfisher]

I get this problem even in a shop, being sent one way to get a tshirt, only to find it was the opposite direction, and it has happened enough times now, I just wander round till I find what I'm looking for, or I just give up.....

[Atmos]

I get this problem even in a shop, being sent one way to get a tshirt, only to find it was the opposite direction, and it has happened enough times now, I just wander round till I find what I'm looking for, or I just give up.....

not just a Thai experience I think this can occur worldwide in department stores. Staff say eg 'aisle 23' and run away.

Re asking for directions - we've had to do it a lot since moving to Sa Kaeo. Two weeks ago a holiday through Chanthaburi and Trat and had to stop and ask so many times to find particular beaches or places of interest. Yes -about half the people we asked had no idea; but all were polite, am not complaining. I found the incorrect distances on road signs more frustrating; one might say "abc" 10km" a few km on we'd see "abc 10km". One that said 2km to a place that was actually 5km away.

For people using gps - how well is rural/provincial Thailand mapped?

[Deeral]

I'm sure it's not just a Thai thing - but this is a Thai web site.

Conversely on a recent trip to UK I was amazed and delighted that no matter who I asked in London especially - I was given good, clear advice and directions - I couldn't believe it, people on the street, cleaners, Tube employees, everyone was able to give directions - I thought I'd died and gone to navigators' heaven.

[fredob43]

I get this problem even in a shop, being sent one way to get a tshirt, only to find it was the opposite direction, and it has happened enough times now, I just wander round till I find what I'm looking for, or I just give up.....

not just a Thai experience I think this can occur worldwide in department stores. Staff say eg 'aisle 23' and run away.

Re asking for directions - we've had to do it a lot since moving to Sa Kaeo. Two weeks ago a holiday through Chanthaburi and Trat and had to stop and ask so many times to find particular beaches or places of interest. Yes -about half the people we asked had no idea; but all were polite, am not complaining. I found the incorrect distances on road signs more frustrating; one might say "abc" 10km" a few km on we'd see "abc 10km". One that said 2km to a place that was actually 5km away.

For people using gps - how well is rural/provincial Thailand mapped?

I find mine very good It's a toyota one, that I belive is a garmon.

[DragonQuest]

I agree with 9 out of 10, baffles me too..... Where back at home peolpe know where they are most of the time..

[garyk]

It's definatly a 3rd world thing. I travel all over Thailand. And i have had to learn to read a map. Because taxi drivers, tuk tuk, etc. All give bad directions. But one guy has it the best, named Artamus. Spot on.

[Deeral]

Whatever you maay think of Thailand, it is NOT "third world"

[ScubaBuddha]

Whatever you maay think of Thailand, it is NOT "third world"

Actually, that depends. There was another thread here that went way off topic discussing this. Third world was originally any country not aligned with either the capitalist west, (first world) nor communism and the Soviet Union (second world) In this context, historians and demographers list Thailand as a "third world," although this usage became obsolete once the Soviet Union fell. It wasn't till later that "the worlds" came to be a term used define a country or people based economic condition, political rights, civil liberties, GNI, etc. Some people in some parts of Thailand still live in third world conditions, but the country as a whole is definitely not, as most peoples basic needs are met. The correct term should be "developing country".

Scholars also sometimes use the term "fourth world" to describe indigenous, nomadic hunter-gatherer peoples living beyond the modern industrial norm.

Edited May 24, 2010 by ScubaBuddha

[garyk]

I like it here. I would not live here if it were not a third world country.

I think third world describes it very nicely...

[ignis]

I have a map, but soon found out that most Thais cannot understand or read a map...

Most appear to know where to go by landmarks..... straight, see glass building then 7/11 turn left., this is fine up to a point, but found on that road 4x 7/11 but not a glass building, turned out the 'glass building' is not what I thought, it was a small building that cut glass.. The name of the Building was something like 'The Glass House' but was written in Thai.

A few times over the years I have asked a Thai friend, they will draw a map, the landmarks are always bridges and named buildings. Often these bridges over canals are not easy to see, and the building on the map is not what I would call a landmark..

About 5 years ago wanted to go somewhere... on main road go to bridge with high wall, [had driven at least 30km and over lots of bridges without high walls] exist, at traffic light turn right, then over 2 canals traffic lights turn left. So I did that and was lost could not find any of the landmarks after that.... The problem was simple, the bridge with the high wall had 2 exits the 2nd one was the correct one. Now the landmark I use to go that way, is OFF when you see the Big C supermarket which is on the traffic light corner you need to turn right at..

[Deeral]

Whatever you maay think of Thailand, it is NOT "third world"

Actually, that depends. There was another thread here that went way off topic discussing this. Third world was originally any country not aligned with either the capitalist west, (first world) nor communism and the Soviet Union (second world) In this context, historians and demographers list Thailand as a "third world," although this usage became obsolete once the Soviet Union fell. It wasn't till later that "the worlds" came to be a term used define a country or people based economic condition, political rights, civil liberties, GNI, etc. Some people in some parts of Thailand still live in third world conditions, but the country as a whole is definitely not, as most peoples basic needs are met. The correct term should be "developing country".

Scholars also sometimes use the term "fourth world" to describe indigenous, nomadic hunter-gatherer peoples living beyond the modern industrial norm.

there are NO circumstances by which thailand could be called a third World country.

for a start the word is obsolete - wake up things have moved on!

If you want to play semantics it doesn't work if you want to play politics it doesn't work if you want to play economics it doesn't work.

Finally anyone using that expression thinking it useful or appropriate is revealing nothing about Thailand only their own ignorance.

Edited May 25, 2010 by Deeral

[Deeral]

I should add that "third World" quite apart from being redundant, is an extraordinarily patronising phrase when still used.

[kevozman1]

Lack of focus + Questionable intelligence = Lost!!!!