Whats The Strangest Thing You'Ve Ever Seen Here?

[IMA_FARANG]

This may not be as strange as somethings posted here but once on a bus to Pattaya I saw two Spanish men trying to talk to two Thai bar girls. The girls spoke no Spanish, and the Spanish men had very little English. On the bus next to them was a German couple. It developed that the German man spoke reasonable Spanish, and his wife spoke reasonable English. So the conversation went like this. One of the Spanish men asked a question in Spanish to the German man. He translated that to his wife in German, and then she would ask the question in English to the Thai bargirl who spoke English, That Thai bargirl would then tell her Thai friend in Thai what the Spaniard had said. If she wanted to ask one of the Spanish men a question the flow went the other way. One Thai girl asking her friend a question in Thai, who then repeated it in English to the German woman, who then said it to her husband in German, who then translated it into Spanish for one of the Spaniards to answer. It was quite confusing trying to follow what was being said...as my Spanish is poor and my German worse,and my Thai nil.... so I had to make the conversation out mostly from the English, but at least I understood the basic idea of their conversation.

And then there's the true story of my first day in Thaikand in 1977. I agrived in Bangkok after a almost 10 hour delay on Air France plane that broke down in Bombay. After I got through customs I found a hotel on Silom Road from the Hotel reservations desk in Don Muang. As I went to get a taxi, there were two aussies who hapened to be going to the same hotel. So we decided to share a taxi. When we got to the hotel and checked in these aussies said,"Mate let's have a couple of cold ones at the hotel bar", So we did. About 4 hours later it was past midnight, and I had been awake for more tha 24 hours (starting from Athens, Greece) and I said it was time for bed. While we were drinking my two aussie friends had attracted the attention of two Thai "professional" girls who were hanging around the hotel bar. I was too tired and jst wanted sleep so i begged off and headed for my room. About 2 in the morning someone was banging on my door. I assumed it was one of the aussie types...so I just yelled, "Go away, I'm sleeping, don't blankety-blank bother me". Whoever it was went away, and I went back to sleep. The next morning I was trying to shake off a hangover, and drinking a pot of coffee to sober up when a Thai girl came over to my table; called me an aussie m------ker, and threw a cup of coffee into my face. I vaguely recognised her as one of the pros my aussie friends had been chatting up the night before. After a bit of conversation she remebered that I wasn't one of the aussies, I was the american guy that was drinking with them. Apparently, one of the aussies had taken her friend to his room, but apparently he didn't like the price she was asking. So he tossed her out. This girls friend was the one that had been banging on my door at 2 in the morning. Since I didn't let her in, she tried to go home. There was a 1 o'clock curfew then and her friend got caught out after curfew. The girl that threw the coffee in my face had just come back from bailing her friend out of jail for beaking curfew, paying the fine...and that's why she was p-ssed at me...she thought I was the aussie who threw her friend out of his room.

And that was my first 24 hours or so in Bangkok.

Edited October 12, 2010 by IMA_FARANG

[IanForbes]

Great stories, Ima-farang. Thanks. I can just picture it happening. I've been on the receiving end of more than a few of those 3 way conversations. Truly is good for a laugh.

And, don't forget that every interpretation changes a little each time it is repeated. It's like that old game where a bunch of people sit around in a circle and one person quietyl tells a short story to the person on their left. Then, the story is passed on to the next person on the left, until the whole room has heard the original story. Then the original story is compared to the last story told. It ALWAYS has changed from the original.

[nocturn]

This may not be as strange as somethings posted here but once on a bus to Pattaya I saw two Spanish men trying to talk to two Thai bar girls. The girls spoke no Spanish, and the Spanish men had very little English. On the bus next to them was a German couple. It developed that the German man spoke reasonable Spanish, and his wife spoke reasonable English. So the conversation went like this. One of the Spanish men asked a question in Spanish to the German man. He translated that to his wife in German, and then she would ask the question in English to the Thai bargirl who spoke English, That Thai bargirl would then tell her Thai friend in Thai what the Spaniard had said. If she wanted to ask one of the Spanish men a question the flow went the other way. One Thai girl asking her friend a question in Thai, who then repeated it in English to the German woman, who then said it to her husband in German, who then translated it into Spanish for one of the Spaniards to answer. It was quite confusing trying to follow what was being said...as my Spanish is poor and my German worse,and my Thai nil.... so I had to make the conversation out mostly from the English, but at least I understood the basic idea of their conversation.

And then there's the true story of my first day in Thaikand in 1977. I agrived in Bangkok after a almost 10 hour delay on Air France plane that broke down in Bombay. After I got through customs I found a hotel on Silom Road from the Hotel reservations desk in Don Muang. As I went to get a taxi, there were two aussies who hapened to be going to the same hotel. So we decided to share a taxi. When we got to the hotel and checked in these aussies said,"Mate let's have a couple of cold ones at the hotel bar", So we did. About 4 hours later it was past midnight, and I had been awake for more tha 24 hours (starting from Athens, Greece) and I said it was time for bed. While we were drinking my two aussie friends had attracted the attention of two Thai "professional" girls who were hanging around the hotel bar. I was too tired and jst wanted sleep so i begged off and headed for my room. About 2 in the morning someone was banging on my door. I assumed it was one of the aussie types...so I just yelled, "Go away, I'm sleeping, don't blankety-blank bother me". Whoever it was went away, and I went back to sleep. The next morning I was trying to shake off a hangover, and drinking a pot of coffee to sober up when a Thai girl came over to my table; called me an aussie m------ker, and threw a cup of coffee into my face. I vaguely recognised her as one of the pros my aussie friends had been chatting up the night before. After a bit of conversation she remebered that I wasn't one of the aussies, I was the american guy that was drinking with them. Apparently, one of the aussies had taken her friend to his room, but apparently he didn't like the price she was asking. So he tossed her out. This girls friend was the one that had been banging on my door at 2 in the morning. Since I didn't let her in, she tried to go home. There was a 1 o'clock curfew then and her friend got caught out after curfew. The girl that threw the coffee in my face had just come back from bailing her friend out of jail for beaking curfew, paying the fine...and that's why she was p-ssed at me...she thought I was the aussie who threw her friend out of his room.

And that was my first 24 hours or so in Bangkok.

and you have the burn scars to this day...,

[thailandbluegrass]

Onnut and Thunderbird can you please keep your arguments in a personal message way as none of us really need to read it here. When I started this post I asked that there be no "flaming" etc and it's disturbing so please stop. To all the other posters with funny stories etc this is just what I enjoy seeing and yep every day we live here brings a new and exciting reason we stay here, because of these "STRANGE THINGS WE SEE IN THAILAND".

[Familyonthemove]

Walking down Sukhumvit one morning I saw a large Amercan clambering off the back of a motorcycle taxi outside the Landmark Hotel. He asked the rider 'how much' but the motorsai rider seemed to have no English and so he just put his hand out - presumably expecting the usual 20 Baht.

The American started handing out a mixture of 100 and 20 Baht notes while watching the riders facing, waiting for him to indicate that he had received enough cash to cover the trip. The rider just sat there with an impassive look on his face as a wad of notes built up in his hand. After receiving what looked to be about 400 Baht he finally smiled and put the cash in his waist bag.

The American seemed to walk away happy - I guess it's still less than a US taxi fare - but the motorsai rider sped off with a huge grin on his face .... must have made his day.

[onnut]

Onnut and Thunderbird can you please keep your arguments in a personal message way as none of us really need to read it here. When I started this post I asked that there be no "flaming" etc and it's disturbing so please stop. To all the other posters with funny stories etc this is just what I enjoy seeing and yep every day we live here brings a new and exciting reason we stay here, because of these "STRANGE THINGS WE SEE IN THAILAND".

He started it!

[CarlBkk]

Walking down Sukhumvit one morning I saw a large Amercan clambering off the back of a motorcycle taxi outside the Landmark Hotel. He asked the rider 'how much' but the motorsai rider seemed to have no English and so he just put his hand out - presumably expecting the usual 20 Baht.

The American started handing out a mixture of 100 and 20 Baht notes while watching the riders facing, waiting for him to indicate that he had received enough cash to cover the trip. The rider just sat there with an impassive look on his face as a wad of notes built up in his hand. After receiving what looked to be about 400 Baht he finally smiled and put the cash in his waist bag.

The American seemed to walk away happy - I guess it's still less than a US taxi fare - but the motorsai rider sped off with a huge grin on his face .... must have made his day.

For every honest one out there there are 30 like this. Karma only works when you want it to

Edited October 13, 2010 by CarlBkk

[IanForbes]

Walking down Sukhumvit one morning I saw a large Amercan clambering off the back of a motorcycle taxi outside the Landmark Hotel. He asked the rider 'how much' but the motorsai rider seemed to have no English and so he just put his hand out - presumably expecting the usual 20 Baht.

The American started handing out a mixture of 100 and 20 Baht notes while watching the riders facing, waiting for him to indicate that he had received enough cash to cover the trip. The rider just sat there with an impassive look on his face as a wad of notes built up in his hand. After receiving what looked to be about 400 Baht he finally smiled and put the cash in his waist bag.

The American seemed to walk away happy - I guess it's still less than a US taxi fare - but the motorsai rider sped off with a huge grin on his face .... must have made his day.

:lol:

True! One happy motorsai rider.

Even I would have been happy.

[slapout]

onnut post 188, did give me a chuckle , It took me back to my child hood as well as the children I have observed as a father, grandfather and sometimes adult.

[slapout]

onnut post 188, did give me a chuckle , It took me back to my child hood as well as the children I have observed as a father, grandfather and sometimes adult.

[simon43]

Ima_farang, sounds like you could have helped out with the multiple translations by going direct from Spanish to English

But I'm sure watching this spectacle in front of you was more fun

Simon

[andyww]

It would probably take hours to describe every strange sight here. So I will just pick one at random.

Many years ago I wanted to send a parcel back to the UK, at the Post Office near the Indra Hotel (which I dont think is there any more?)

I went to the counter and placed the parcel down. The assistant behind the counter said "No, you need to go to the parcel counter over there".

So, I went over to the parcel counter, and handed over the parcel through a hatch. Then I noticed the assistant was the same one from the other counter who had walked over to behind the hatch!

Then the same assistant carried the parcel back over to the counter where I had started out and continued the transaction...

[andyww]

Strangest motorbike load: A complete double-sink kitchen unit. (Chang Mai)

Strangest Pickup load: A welded steel framework which was almost the width of the entire road which caused oncoming traffic to need to mount the pavement to get past (Hua Hin).

Strangest business name; "Poo Story Restaurant and Bar" (Jomtien)

Strangest government department: "Department of Public Danger" (sign in Pranburi)

Strangest object: a contraption on wheels which looks like something out of Wallace and Gromit which chugs and emits smoke through a large chimney which a vendor sells something from in our soi. I have never dared get close enough to find out what he sells. I think the Department of Public Danger might be interested in this one...

Edited October 13, 2010 by andyww

[Pacificperson]

On my first trip to Thailand, I stopped by Puket on my way to KL While I was there, I decided to do some snorkeling off of the beach. I was maybe 50 to 100 meters out when I caught something moving out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look and it was a baby elephant using its trunk as a snorkel and out for its afternoon swim. The two of us were the only things swimming out there. It was one of the events that helped bring me back a second time.

Edited October 13, 2010 by Pacificperson

[SamboVilla]

A Thai female once offered to buy me a drink about seven years ago in Bangkok.

Now that's strange!!

Nah it's not mate, you're just in the wrong place.

People buy me drinks all the time, Men and women AND they don't expect anything in return, apart from friendly conversation.

[dave2]

bugs.

these two are out and about for the next few months

the bug on the stick pic was taken two days ago

enjoy .... dave2

[Bangkokhatter]

I have just nipped outside for a smoke and watched the security guard next door dragging 1 of the stray dogs around by his balls , had a big smile on his face .

[Kilgore Trout]

I have just nipped outside for a smoke and watched the security guard next door dragging 1 of the stray dogs around by his balls , had a big smile on his face .

Who, the man or the dog?

[T_Dog]

There's a joke in this somewhere.....

[BruceBanner]

Having a few beers late one night with a mate outside our hotel when suddenly there was a massive bang. We looked behind us only to see some bloke laying on the ground just meters from us. He'd just jumped from the 12th floor. We later learned that he jumped because his wife had left him.

[AmeriThai]

I saw a monk picking his nose (no offense). He was really digging for gold

I know it is a "cultural thing," but it seemed strange.

Same goes for seeing some lovely young thing stolling by who then proceeds to search for choice nose nuggets. I've never gawked long enough to see how those treasures are disposed of. Not sure I'd want to know.

[Crushdepth]

Having a small elephant walk up and join us while we were drinking beer at Cheap Charlies.

[dmax]

I am sure that everyone on TV has seen something out of the ordinary. The one that sticks in my mind was a a fat, very fat with a large beer belly German walking around Bug C with just a pair of tiny underpants at 11 am. Everyone was staring. He was speaking German to those looking at him so I couldn't understand what he was saying.

yukkkk i still see them walking around pattaya like that

Edited October 18, 2010 by dmax

[dmax]

the strangest thing was a church sign just outside our villiage in isaan, the sign said some kind of pentecostal church or something, i wondered why on gods earth anyone would think of opening a non buddist church in the middle of no where like tha kanto villiage, needles to say the sign was blowing about in the wind and all signs of a church were long since gone

[onnut]

the strangest thing was a church sign just outside our villiage in isaan, the sign said some kind of pentecostal church or something, i wondered why on gods earth anyone would think of opening a non buddist church in the middle of no where like tha kanto villiage, needles to say the sign was blowing about in the wind and all signs of a church were long since gone

That may well have been built for the US troops stationed over here a few years back! where was it located?

[elkangorito]

The strangest thing I've seen here is a plethora of foreigners who are dumber than a post.

[AlexLah]

A few years ago around herroween I ended up having to drive back through NR but the road was flooded so we were redirected through the paddy fields small dirt roads all wet and slippery and full with huge potholes. A long line of pick up trucks were slowly driving zig zagging. Now at least these cars are a bit higher and have big wheels. My car a lowered 3 series (old one) and with those wide low height tires. You an imagine I was sweating like hel_l as there would be a good chance that I would get stuck in some blubbery pothole. Going into the wilderness the number of cars I could see was huge, must have been more than 2-300 all following each other all zig zagging. It looked like a big expedition or someting. Anyway after two hours finally made it back to the main road and then......uuuuuhhh. Or was it....wait...

Sorry I forget the end of the story.....