A Sweet Chiangmai Story . . .

[Rasseru]

. . . imho, at least. I think we see here a lot of less-than-happy tales about Chiangmai. Anyway, I do. So, I thought I would share with you a tale I told yesterday on Facebook, that is no such thing . . .

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Some of you might remember that six or seven weeks ago we had one of those freak storms with high winds? And it blew my BMW motorcycle over on top of my beautiful (and expensive) Vespa, crunching in the bodywork on one side, and scratching it in different places?

I don't remember if I talked about it before, but through some introductions that I won't go into, I found a guy with a little Vespa repair shop, turned out to be right in my immediate neighbourhood, literally a less than five minute walk away. Very sweet guy, typical sweet Thai guy. And he checked out the damage and said -- through the Thai friend I brought along to translate -- that he could repair it all, for an amount he told me.

Well, I arranged to bring him the Vespa just before we left for our trip to Bali, told him we'd be away and when back and so on. Told him too if I liked the job he did, which involved repainting the entire bike, since his paint would not be a perfect match for the original, I'd pay him more.

Anyway, get back the start of this week, go see him the next morning, confirm the work is done and check out the bike, which looks good, tell him I've got to go the the bank to get the cash and come back, do that and come back a couple of hours later.

Together we put back in the battery that I had taken out and left on a trickle charger at home, and I back the bike out of the shop, nearly onto the street . . . then pull out the cash to pay him.

He kind of freaks out, speaking in Thai so I don't know what's going on. He scoots to the shop next door and calls a woman out who speaks some English.

Turns out, she says, he can't remember what he told me the cost would be. I told her I wrote it down, have it at home, it's this and this, for the paint and for replacing a strip of aluminium around the edge.

He is relieved.

I pay him.

All three of us smile and I get on my Vespa and leave.

I mean, the guy doesn't remember what he told me it would cost, and I tell him and he is relieved and happy?

Not everything about Thailand and its people is sweet, not by any means. But there are times.

[masuk]

When I first bought a motorbike here, I gave it a test run, which included 50 metres or so over some rough cobble stones in the centre of the old city. My front tyre immediately went flat, and as it was a Sunday morning, I couldn't see any place which looked like they could do anything to get me mobile again.

I pushed the bike over to a row of shops, and as I speak about 6 words of Thai, pointed at the tyre. The lady there grabbed my arm, and took me to another store close by, and there was a guy who spoke perfect English.

I explained that I needed a puncture repaired, and he was out the door, down the road, and found a friend who did this sort of work. He suggested I leave it with him and his friend, and to go and have some lunch and come back in an hour.

So an hour later, I was back, the tube which had a number of repairs from the past, was hanging over the bike, and I happily paid up 150 baht for new tube, replacement, Sunday fee if any, and drove off.

Some people can be so charming and helpful.

[LawrenceChee]

I was staying years ago in a condo unit filled to the brim with Thais...

on New Year's eve as I sat at the balcony enjoying the views of the lanterns going up, all the kids came knocking on my door and ask me to play sparklers with them and the parents invited me for a drink of tea and fried chicken as they remembered i love sitting with a cuppa and my love for fried chicken ...I agree there are really nice people in this town...

[Mapguy]

Although it is not always true --- there are some "grasping people" in Chiang Mai envious of "rich" farang who do take advantage ---I have in several years not run into many. Much of the farang tension seems to be based upon farang ignorance, insecurity and impatience regardless of whether it is at a bike repair shop or at CM's immigration department. I see it among seemingly educated as well as not so educated non-immigrants and casual travelers.

Sometimes I wonder if self-absorbed malcontents, so many of whom post on TV, could be happy anywhere, never mind Chiang Mai or Thailand! That is very sad. It is also unfortunately sad that their ill-natured, frightened misanthropic odour affects farangs at large who do have some maturity and common manners, are not nursing hurts from their pasts in other places and are not apparently at peace with themselves and pleased to live in a place where interacting with others is generally a great pleasure.

Edited May 5, 2013 by Mapguy

[rene123]

Nice story, Rasseru. Although I haven't spent as much time in Thailand as you folks it was my experience over 6 months that Thai people outside the obvious "hotspots" are very helpful. I thought it might be because I am a farang woman, but maybe it's just that Thais are basically nice people. Before I bought my own motorbike I had rentals that sometimes had flats. There was always a Thai nearby to help me get it repaired for very little cost.

[xen]

Reading these few stories about the good Thais i thought about that great scene in Gran Torino where Clint Eastwood is sitting in the kitchen of his Hmong neighbours house and he is getting fed and fussed over and his commentary says something like how these people make him feel and treat him better than his own family and people do. I can't remember the exact words but i have often felt the same when i have Thais going out of their way to be some of the most decent people i have ever encountered.

Edited May 6, 2013 by xen

[Saan]

There are many nice stories like yours in Thailand but it seems a lot of people prefer to tell tales that knock Thais. I think I am lucky to live here and often experience little niceties from Thais that reinforce that fact.

[fasteddie]

In my 47yrs visiting/living, on and off, in Thailand, I have met many many decent friendly helpfull Thais and only a handfull of bad ones and those few on the tourist trail having had years of dealing with obnoxious farangs.