Mindless Rant About Bangkok

[craigt3365]

Not happy with American's, but a frequent visitor to Disneyland? What is your age? And it is obvious you have not traveled much. Thailand is great compared to many other countries in the world. Enjoy it for what it is, not for what you want it to be...or, go home...

And for sure, get out of Bangkok. There are so many other places to see...with completely different people...well, somewhat different!

[Kilgore Trout]

Hahaha TV cracks me up..

Ok, number 1, yep they may well be locals ( or maybe not ) but that doesn't mean they have been wherevery you were, lots of times & may be, just like you were or other Foreigners, a bit unsure of where they were going..

However, i have never bumped into so many people, or had so many people cross my part " wrongly " as i do here, it's not coincidental either as it's been happening for 7 Years now..

& by wrongly i mean, in the West, there seems to be a simple thing in the majority where you dont' cross people's path's & are aware of what route they're taking in walking & attenot to avoid walking in " their space ", kind of like a code of conduct i guess..

I think it's a basic lack of awareness here, you see it in the Driving too, well i see it in the Driving daily..

It seems that the awareness factor isn't the same in these people as other people, that's just an observation & probably what it really is as it happens quite simply too much ( instances with a lack of awareness ) for it to be coincidental..

Number 2 is accross the whole Country, 99% of Employee's, in the bigger Stroes anyway, are bordering on useless even to Thai people..

Number 3 ) I disagree big time, i'm from London & have used the Underground system there since i was young, also used teh L in Chicago for a couple of Years & i give the BTS a big thumbs up to be honest..

I think you are unaware of the unwritten rule of the road in Thailand; this goes for walking as well as driving:

You are responsible for what is in front of you not behind you, full stop

[UberBraun]

Have to completely disagree with you on the BTS. It's great.

As for the rest, mai pen rai.

Best advice: Get a nice Thai girlfriend and start enjoying the best Thailand has to offer.

[flemmie]

Huh...???

Guess you have never been to Moscow, try it and then come back to Bangkok, you will be elated!

[somo]

I agree fully with your first point and glad you made it as thought perhaps I was imagining it.

I have found the solution and that is to just keep your head down and ignore them. They seem to get out of the way at the last minute as they can see you are not looking where you are going and a collison is imminent. The same when driving. If you use your indicators you are telling people you are aware of them and what you are about to do so they will close up and try to stop you. Just pull out in front of them and they stay clear. It is why Thais don't use their indicators until at least halfway through a manouvre if at all.

[FarangBuddha]

I agree...completely mindless and uninformed "rant." Why not visit a few more times or live here a couple years and then try posting again. By then, you may have something interesting or relevant to say.

[capKnuckle]

i think the BTS is ok, but wish they would get on and open the stations past on-nut , as for the Thais spacial awareness, what about the times they just stop in front of doorways and travelators and answer their phones

bts is great!

[MSingh]

Hahaha TV cracks me up..

Ok, number 1, yep they may well be locals ( or maybe not ) but that doesn't mean they have been wherevery you were, lots of times & may be, just like you were or other Foreigners, a bit unsure of where they were going..

However, i have never bumped into so many people, or had so many people cross my part " wrongly " as i do here, it's not coincidental either as it's been happening for 7 Years now..

& by wrongly i mean, in the West, there seems to be a simple thing in the majority where you dont' cross people's path's & are aware of what route they're taking in walking & attenot to avoid walking in " their space ", kind of like a code of conduct i guess..

I think it's a basic lack of awareness here, you see it in the Driving too, well i see it in the Driving daily..

It seems that the awareness factor isn't the same in these people as other people, that's just an observation & probably what it really is as it happens quite simply too much ( instances with a lack of awareness ) for it to be coincidental..

Number 2 is accross the whole Country, 99% of Employee's, in the bigger Stroes anyway, are bordering on useless even to Thai people..

Number 3 ) I disagree big time, i'm from London & have used the Underground system there since i was young, also used teh L in Chicago for a couple of Years & i give the BTS a big thumbs up to be honest..

I think you are unaware of the unwritten rule of the road in Thailand; this goes for walking as well as driving:

You are responsible for what is in front of you not behind you, full stop

I couldn't give a monkey's about any unwritten Thai rules, that are quite simply " wrong "..

[Englander]

Best advice: Get a nice Thai girlfriend and start enjoying the best Thailand has to offer.

And even better advice would be never get a Thai girlfriend, stay single and fill your boots if its your first time here.

[Kilgore Trout]

Hahaha TV cracks me up..

Ok, number 1, yep they may well be locals ( or maybe not ) but that doesn't mean they have been wherevery you were, lots of times & may be, just like you were or other Foreigners, a bit unsure of where they were going..

However, i have never bumped into so many people, or had so many people cross my part " wrongly " as i do here, it's not coincidental either as it's been happening for 7 Years now..

& by wrongly i mean, in the West, there seems to be a simple thing in the majority where you dont' cross people's path's & are aware of what route they're taking in walking & attenot to avoid walking in " their space ", kind of like a code of conduct i guess..

I think it's a basic lack of awareness here, you see it in the Driving too, well i see it in the Driving daily..

It seems that the awareness factor isn't the same in these people as other people, that's just an observation & probably what it really is as it happens quite simply too much ( instances with a lack of awareness ) for it to be coincidental..

Number 2 is accross the whole Country, 99% of Employee's, in the bigger Stroes anyway, are bordering on useless even to Thai people..

Number 3 ) I disagree big time, i'm from London & have used the Underground system there since i was young, also used teh L in Chicago for a couple of Years & i give the BTS a big thumbs up to be honest..

I think you are unaware of the unwritten rule of the road in Thailand; this goes for walking as well as driving:

You are responsible for what is in front of you not behind you, full stop

I couldn't give a monkey's about any unwritten Thai rules, that are quite simply " wrong "..

You will when you don't follow this rule and die or are mangled for life, you should know this; as if you lived in Chicago you certainly know in certain areas with certain peoples you never make eye contact; this is another "unwritten rule," follow or don't follow at your own peril

[sabaijai]

Take a long, long look in the mirror and ask yourself who has the right perspective, you or several thousand Thai people.

Sincerely, I know from my experience of living in different countries, if you don't relax and allow this (simple) stuff to wash over you without it upsetting you, it won't be long before you start going completely mad. Learn to genuinely smile at these situations and your ex-pat life will be much more relaxed and enjoyable...... trust me on this one.

[random]

When people get off the escalator and then just stop so everyone behind piles into them, also the ones where you have a shopping trolley and you end up with a mass pile up because some tard decides to just get off at the end and not move out of the way.

Also getting on the escalator, all those steps are the same so why are you waiting for a particular one with your foot poised, just get on the dam_n thing.

[MSingh]

Hahaha TV cracks me up..

Ok, number 1, yep they may well be locals ( or maybe not ) but that doesn't mean they have been wherevery you were, lots of times & may be, just like you were or other Foreigners, a bit unsure of where they were going..

However, i have never bumped into so many people, or had so many people cross my part " wrongly " as i do here, it's not coincidental either as it's been happening for 7 Years now..

& by wrongly i mean, in the West, there seems to be a simple thing in the majority where you dont' cross people's path's & are aware of what route they're taking in walking & attenot to avoid walking in " their space ", kind of like a code of conduct i guess..

I think it's a basic lack of awareness here, you see it in the Driving too, well i see it in the Driving daily..

It seems that the awareness factor isn't the same in these people as other people, that's just an observation & probably what it really is as it happens quite simply too much ( instances with a lack of awareness ) for it to be coincidental..

Number 2 is accross the whole Country, 99% of Employee's, in the bigger Stroes anyway, are bordering on useless even to Thai people..

Number 3 ) I disagree big time, i'm from London & have used the Underground system there since i was young, also used teh L in Chicago for a couple of Years & i give the BTS a big thumbs up to be honest..

I think you are unaware of the unwritten rule of the road in Thailand; this goes for walking as well as driving:

You are responsible for what is in front of you not behind you, full stop

I couldn't give a monkey's about any unwritten Thai rules, that are quite simply " wrong "..

You will when you don't follow this rule and die or are mangled for life, you should know this; as if you lived in Chicago you certainly know in certain areas with certain peoples you never make eye contact; this is another "unwritten rule," follow or don't follow at your own peril

Really ?? Is that what you think it is ?? Follow unwritten rules in Thailand or you'll die or are mangled for life, yeah good one..

In some parts of the Country here, it is an unwritten rule that you send your Daughter off to be a ^&%# it seems & accept the money that she earns with it, so let's not go there shall we & you can stick your " unwritten rules in Thailand " where the sun dont' shine cos invariably, they're wrong in a whole host of ways ??

& PS : With regards to Chicago & any other big bad City on the Planet, a complete lack of eye contact & a negative demeanour & posture shows fear & you know what prey's on fear don't you ?? Scavengers & Scumbags & bad things happen when Scavengers are allowed to scavenge, but when they're not life is much easier, as it was for me in Chicago, London, New York & every other City i've lived in &/or visited & that's not being a tough Guy, that's just telling it how it is.......

PS : Go Bears/Go Cubs ..

Edited October 13, 2010 by MSingh

[Kilgore Trout]

The unwritten rule I am referring to is just the way people drive; it is what it is. If you don't adapt to it you will have problems whether on the road or in a mall (just ask the op).

What that has to do with this other "unwritten" rule you are talking about is clearly coming from outer space, just shows what is on your mind and the people you associate with. No one I know including my wife and in laws would ever think about doing that.

I am also not saying you should look meek when in a bad neighborhood, but anyone knows that eye contact longer than a split second can be construed as confrontational, at least where I am from.

btw screw the cubs, go White Sox

[RaoulDuke]

Well, first of all, thanks for all the replies. And you can't really spend your time reading a post with 'mindless rant' in the title, and take it so seriously that you would get offended or angry at me, that is just silly...but it makes me laugh to feel that important. Like I said, I had just come home from a very long day, and I was in excruciating pain, which just pissed me off more.

But I should clarify my BTS complaint. I mainly ride the Silom line, from Siam to Sathorn. I actually timed it tonite, to see if I was over-reacting. We spent 5 minutes at Surasap, a station almost no one gets on or off at. Then, 1/2 way between Surasap and Sathorn, we came to a stop for 3 minutes. The route between Sala Daeng and Sathorn is where it goes painfully slow. The Sukhumvit line is not so bad, but I don't take it very often. I just happen to take the worst part of the BTS at least twice a day, everyday.

And I do not live or work here, I am only here visiting for a few months. I really do love the city and culture as a whole, and I will be sad to leave. I just needed to vent to feel better, and I was curious if anyone else noticed these things. Sometimes you need a reality check to make sure you are not going crazy. And from the replies, I feel validated, so i feel better.

[MSingh]

The unwritten rule I am referring to is just the way people drive; it is what it is. If you don't adapt to it you will have problems whether on the road or in a mall (just ask the op).

What that has to do with this other "unwritten" rule you are talking about is clearly coming from outer space, just shows what is on your mind and the people you associate with. No one I know including my wife and in laws would ever think about doing that.

I am also not saying you should look meek when in a bad neighborhood, but anyone knows that eye contact longer than a split second can be construed as confrontational, at least where I am from.

btw screw the cubs, go White Sox

Ahhh got ya, you're one of those that aren't aware of the problems the Country has in that department, both culturally & in it's society & probably even denies them, i see...

Where are you from then, just out of curiosity ??

South Side of Chicago ??

I lived on teh Northside, Lincoln Park actually, hence teh Cubs thing..

[kblaze]

I like your name OP ...big HST fan myself.. and I lived in LB before bkk ...

I agree about the staff,..but not about the bts ..it's awesome..