All the good Thai stories..

[USAgoodMAN]

Great stories and experiences! Glad to hear them. As a newbie here, I was seriously getting concerned about my upcoming months long visit to Thailand after reading quite a bit of negativity here. I don't have rose tinted glasses on about Thailand at all but more of these type stories are quite helpful to those of us considering moving to Thailand. Thanks to those that posted!

[BlackArtemis]

The best thing I heard last week was this:

At school/work and a Monk was visiting and after the students bowed to him he asked. Do you know why people bow to a monk and not the Buddha statue outside of a temple? And one boys said "because the Buddha isn't real and your are" The monk responded "That's a very interesting philosophical discussion, but it's because as a monk we expose our shoulder when we bow to a Buddha statue but when we leave the temple grounds we have to cover our shoulder.

Had a chuckle and learned something new.

[sirineou]

Work in the US and spend a few months in Thailand every year until I am ready to retire full time in Thailand in a few years with my lovely Thai wife who lives in the US with me.

I remember the first time I came to Thailand, I read as much as I could about the country, ie be careful about the taxi thy will overcharge you, etc .

I came here all paranoid, My first taxi ride was about 200 bht , big deal even if I was overcharged it was probably by 50 cents, was I going to compromise my vacation for 50 cents? SO i relaxed, and every and around relaxed also.

I have being coming to Thailand for about 10 years now and never had a major incident, there is the occasional 200 bht contribution to the BIB at the check points. (big deal) and the occasional farang price, the annoying visa runs, but all of these are par for the coarse .Family here treat me as one of their own, we contribute when we can, they gave us money when the sols a big piece of property they were trying to sell.

The funny thing is that at some point , I dont know exactly when I started considering going Home when I went to Thailand, and going to the US is for me putting in my time until I can live full time in Thailand

Thailand is the best thing that ever happen to me,

PS: A smile is the least expensive, most effective health supplement

1 – Lower Heart Rate – Smiling slows the heart and relaxes the body. This lets the heart work without overworking. People who smile and laugh often are less likely to develop heart disease. Smiling reduces blood pressure temporarily too.

2 – Reduce Stress – Stress is a common problem in the modern world that causes a myriad of health problems. Stress relief may be as simple as smiling a little more throughout the day. Smiling releases endorphins that counteract and diminish the stress hormones.

3 – Better Mood – The endorphins do more than kick stress to the curb. Endorphins lift your mood. Feeling down? Slap a smile on your face, even if it isn’t entirely genuine at first, and turn your entire day around with something simple, easy to do, and free.

4 – Increase Productivity – Smiling has been shown to increase productivity while performing tasks. There’s truth to the “whistle while we work” mentality. This also explains why silly internet memes and pictures of cute animals can actually get people motivated and working harder after a few moments of smiling or laughter.

5 – Encourage Trust – Studies show that we are more trustful of others when they smile and smile genuinely. Trust is an important part of social health when dealing with people, whether they be loved ones or just acquaintances. Seems relationships are truly built on smiles.

6 – Produce Empathy – When we’re embarrassed or caught doing something questionable, often our first response is a smile. This instinct breaks the initial ice of embarrassment, promotes leniency in what others think of us, and engenders a sense of empathy since we’ve all experienced embarrassment and we want to smile along.

7 – Avoid Regret – We smile to avoid feeling bad for not smiling. Sounds weird and circular, but we don’t want to hurt people’s feelings so we smile when someone shares some story about their dog, even if we don’t really care. Studies show that if we don’t smile, we feel regret for failing to do so. This regret brings down our mood and boosts stress hormones.

8 – Kill Pain – Smiling and laughter both have been shown to lessen pain. They release endorphins that lift our moods, but many of these act as natural painkillers too.

9 – Increase Attention – Stress limits our perceptions and narrows our attention. Our body kicks into fight or flight mode where we can focus only on one of those things. Smiling counteracts this and widens our attention again, opening us back up to multitasking and insights that come from the fringes of our perception and our subconscious.

10 – Contagious – Around 50% of people smile back. This spreads the health benefits throughout those around you and it comes back to you several times as well.

11 – Build Attraction – Smiling makes people more attractive. This seems to be especially true for women. Men are more likely to approach a woman who smiles than one who simply makes eye contact while women aren’t necessarily drawn in by a smile alone.

12 – Earn Success – A smile can appear confident, self-assured, and on top of your work. Those who smile are more likely to earn more money through tips and raises. They are more readily approached with business ideas and offered advancements.

13 – Look Younger – Smiles naturally lift the face and in studies have shown to make people look younger, around 3 years younger on average.

14 – Longevity – The effects of a good smile extend past just the exterior good looks. People who smile more often live longer too, around 7 years longer than most according to one study. It releases stress, helps the heart, and much more to keep you healthy longer. - See more at: http://www.sunwarrior.com/news/15-health-benefits-of-smiling/#sthash.c4TSFrMH.dpuf

[ahantu]

wow.. nice stories.

[anfh]

Having visited Thailand many times. With no problems or trouble whatsoever, and having felt totally at ease and at home the minute arrive at any destination, I cannot fault the place. I can't wait to get back each time I leave, often wondering why I am leaving.

Since joining this forum, I am amazed and indeed shocked at the vitriol that is expressed by many members, on any given subject, and some of this from people who appear to be permanent residents. It does beg the question , why stay if you can only complain constantly ?

It's good to read posts from people who do actually like the place.

[krisb]

Some of these stories are truly touching. Lovely!

[thaimlord]

Having visited Thailand many times. With no problems or trouble whatsoever, and having felt totally at ease and at home the minute arrive at any destination, I cannot fault the place. I can't wait to get back each time I leave, often wondering why I am leaving.

Since joining this forum, I am amazed and indeed shocked at the vitriol that is expressed by many members, on any given subject, and some of this from people who appear to be permanent residents. It does beg the question , why stay if you can only complain constantly ?

It's good to read posts from people who do actually like the place.

I have a funny feeling that they would be complaining no matter which country they lived in. Some people just choose to be unhappy.

[riceyummm]

Having visited Thailand many times. With no problems or trouble whatsoever, and having felt totally at ease and at home the minute arrive at any destination, I cannot fault the place. I can't wait to get back each time I leave, often wondering why I am leaving.

Since joining this forum, I am amazed and indeed shocked at the vitriol that is expressed by many members, on any given subject, and some of this from people who appear to be permanent residents. It does beg the question , why stay if you can only complain constantly ?

It's good to read posts from people who do actually like the place.

I have a funny feeling that they would be complaining no matter which country they lived in. Some people just choose to be unhappy.

Exactly! I feel that the chronic malcontents were most likely the same in their home countries and felt that a geographical change would solve their problem. It doesn't work that way. Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so is ugliness.

On the other end of the spectrum are people like me who probably came to Thailand for other purposes, found reasons to stay, and are making the best of it.

I usually read the news forums to see what's going on but when I venture into the discussions I am shocked by the negativity. At that point I scurry back to the farming, food and photography forums for some sanity.

The people there are living interesting, productive and satisfying lives. A number of them have contributed to this thread.

[wwest5829]

Can I add just one more thing to the excellent post that you made above @bigbearjohn? It's something that I feel could assist anyone in having a much better time here in Thailand.

I found this out quite by accident when I first came here, more than 10 years ago. In my eagerness to be polite and to make up for the inevitable series of faux pas that I was bound to make, I started smiling much more than I would at home, in order to try and put them at ease and have them understand that even if I did dumb things, that I had good intentions. Not a timid smile, but a wide toothy smile like I've seen many of the Thais give.

After a very short time I found that I had a lot of new acquaintances, and that every time I saw one of them (or even someone new) they would smile broadly back at me again and again. They took time to chat with me (though my Thai was very limited at the time), or just sit with me, share cigarettes or their fire-water. They seldom smiled first, I'd often see that "odd Thai stare" that we have perhaps all experienced, but they always genuinely returned my smiles when I gave them, and things just built from there.

As time progressed and I kept up the smiling, I found that it just became more and more automatic from me. Now I don't even notice that I'm doing it. I smile and even waive sometimes at total strangers in and around our village. Everyone knows me, at least to smile and waive to, always faces are friendly.

That simple act of smiling, and making a point of doing so and being friendly, has made my life here so filled with value. I can't help but wonder how really friendly to the Thai people a lot of the more "miserable" Thaivisa posters are. It's easy to get the impression from their posts that they some feel somehow superior to the Thais, and I'm sure that attitude would impact on their lives here, and on how welcomed they would feel.

Just my $0.02c but I'd recommend trying "the smile" if you want to be more accepted into your local community. Be genuine about your intentions and I think it will come back to you.

Ha! Many of us Americans smile naturally. Confuses many folks around the world....they want to know what we are up to!!

TL

[bigbearjohn]

Can I add just one more thing to the excellent post that you made above @bigbearjohn? It's something that I feel could assist anyone in having a much better time here in Thailand.

I found this out quite by accident when I first came here, more than 10 years ago. In my eagerness to be polite and to make up for the inevitable series of faux pas that I was bound to make, I started smiling much more than I would at home, in order to try and put them at ease and have them understand that even if I did dumb things, that I had good intentions. Not a timid smile, but a wide toothy smile like I've seen many of the Thais give.

After a very short time I found that I had a lot of new acquaintances, and that every time I saw one of them (or even someone new) they would smile broadly back at me again and again. They took time to chat with me (though my Thai was very limited at the time), or just sit with me, share cigarettes or their fire-water. They seldom smiled first, I'd often see that "odd Thai stare" that we have perhaps all experienced, but they always genuinely returned my smiles when I gave them, and things just built from there.

As time progressed and I kept up the smiling, I found that it just became more and more automatic from me. Now I don't even notice that I'm doing it. I smile and even waive sometimes at total strangers in and around our village. Everyone knows me, at least to smile and waive to, always faces are friendly.

That simple act of smiling, and making a point of doing so and being friendly, has made my life here so filled with value. I can't help but wonder how really friendly to the Thai people a lot of the more "miserable" Thaivisa posters are. It's easy to get the impression from their posts that they some feel somehow superior to the Thais, and I'm sure that attitude would impact on their lives here, and on how welcomed they would feel.

Just my $0.02c but I'd recommend trying "the smile" if you want to be more accepted into your local community. Be genuine about your intentions and I think it will come back to you.

TL

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your viewpoint on smiles makes a lot of sense to me, Thaimlord. It reminded me of a funny story that happened to me during one of my early trips to Thailand. I was so enamored of Thailand that I was walking around everywhere with a HUGE smile on my face, something akin to a smiling baboon I guess, smiling from ear to ear. (I was so thrilled and happy to be in Thailand...) one could say, really joyous. One day I was walking across a very wide, very busy boulevard in Bangkok. As I just about got half way across the street, a frail old Thai lady in her late 70's was hobbling towards me, walking with a cane. As she came close to me, she suddenly reached out and rubbed my stomach, then with a very broad smile, she looked right into my eyes and says, "Happy Buddha!!!" Then she bowed to me and put her hand to her mouth, to giggle just a bit. It was PRECIOUS. I guffawed on the spot, knowing full-well what she was referring to, and I doubled over with laughter, and with a little tease, I gave her a playful grin, quipping, "Oh, really? Is that so??" She smiled, patted me on the shoulder and went on her merry way. I will never forget that moment as long as I live. I am overweight (thus, the nickname, bigbearJohn), and have a huge stomach to rub, sort of like the "Laughing Buddha"... and with me smiling so broadly, I must have hit the old lady's funny bone and she reached out to me with humor and sweetness. It was so cute. I almost kissed her.

[krisb]

Pitty a feel good thread disappears so quickly...

[The Usual Suspect]

Can I add just one more thing to the excellent post that you made above @bigbearjohn? It's something that I feel could assist anyone in having a much better time here in Thailand.

I found this out quite by accident when I first came here, more than 10 years ago. In my eagerness to be polite and to make up for the inevitable series of faux pas that I was bound to make, I started smiling much more than I would at home, in order to try and put them at ease and have them understand that even if I did dumb things, that I had good intentions. Not a timid smile, but a wide toothy smile like I've seen many of the Thais give.

After a very short time I found that I had a lot of new acquaintances, and that every time I saw one of them (or even someone new) they would smile broadly back at me again and again. They took time to chat with me (though my Thai was very limited at the time), or just sit with me, share cigarettes or their fire-water. They seldom smiled first, I'd often see that "odd Thai stare" that we have perhaps all experienced, but they always genuinely returned my smiles when I gave them, and things just built from there.

As time progressed and I kept up the smiling, I found that it just became more and more automatic from me. Now I don't even notice that I'm doing it. I smile and even waive sometimes at total strangers in and around our village. Everyone knows me, at least to smile and waive to, always faces are friendly.

That simple act of smiling, and making a point of doing so and being friendly, has made my life here so filled with value. I can't help but wonder how really friendly to the Thai people a lot of the more "miserable" Thaivisa posters are. It's easy to get the impression from their posts that they some feel somehow superior to the Thais, and I'm sure that attitude would impact on their lives here, and on how welcomed they would feel.

Just my $0.02c but I'd recommend trying "the smile" if you want to be more accepted into your local community. Be genuine about your intentions and I think it will come back to you.

TL

I totally agree with you TL and also Bigbearjohn. I have found that what I project is what I perceive in my surroundings. If I project a smile, positive attitude and friendliness, I almost always get the same in return. I've noticed that expats I know who are having a miserable time and always seem to have problems (everything is sooo difficult), are usually walking around with a frown on their faces and malice in their actions. A perfect example is one fellow I know who, being of the latter persuation, is disliked by everyone in his neighborhood. He goes around with an adversarial attitude, thinks everyone is against him and is constantly in some kind of tiff with his neighbors. It came to a head a while back (no pun intended), when one of the neighbors cold cocked him with a piece of lumber! When I call folks out on it, all they say is stuff like, "Well, aren't you little miss sunshine. Easy for you to say with your perfect little life." The thing is, my life is far from perfect and I have problems too, plenty. The difference is that I approach my problems with a positive attitude and find that, more often than not, the attitude is part of the solution. In the village where I live, my neighbors are part of my solution, not part of my problems.

[Somsrisonphimai]

Interesting to note how thin this thread is ...

Based on my observation, people tend to respond to something more controversial, so if you want to get more responses, your topic of discussion must be something that get their blood pressure up, lol. They are not interested in the feel good stories .

[thaimlord]

I totally agree with you TL and also Bigbearjohn. I have found that what I project is what I perceive in my surroundings. If I project a smile, positive attitude and friendliness, I almost always get the same in return. I've noticed that expats I know who are having a miserable time and always seem to have problems (everything is sooo difficult), are usually walking around with a frown on their faces and malice in their actions. A perfect example is one fellow I know who, being of the latter persuation, is disliked by everyone in his neighborhood. He goes around with an adversarial attitude, thinks everyone is against him and is constantly in some kind of tiff with his neighbors. It came to a head a while back (no pun intended), when one of the neighbors cold cocked him with a piece of lumber! When I call folks out on it, all they say is stuff like, "Well, aren't you little miss sunshine. Easy for you to say with your perfect little life." The thing is, my life is far from perfect and I have problems too, plenty. The difference is that I approach my problems with a positive attitude and find that, more often than not, the attitude is part of the solution. In the village where I live, my neighbors are part of my solution, not part of my problems.

I find the same thing, and I don't mean I'm standing in front of a mirror each morning affirming "I smile at everyone I see, and everyone likes me. I smile at everyone I see, and everyone likes". I don't believe in that stuff. I've just made a point to be friendly, and you're right, it comes back to you in a great many ways.

I find My Thai family and friends actually guide me away from wherever there is likely to be trouble. If we're in a dubious place or something appears to be starting with a trouble-maker close to us, they quickly bundle me up and move me away from it, saying something like "this place not good" or similar. I do it when alone too. I don't get myself into the situations that some of the posters get into, because both I and my family take a look at the situation, and decide whether it's sensible to remain in the vicinity.

Prime example: In a recent post I see someone's child got a (bad) haircut from a teacher at school. The serious solutions of several of the other posters were to:

1. go to the police and make a huge deal about it, or

2. go and cut the hair of the teacher in payback.

Either of these options would have huge repercussions to the family of the child, and perhaps to the child himself from the 'shamed' teacher. If this is really how these posters think, it's no wonder they have problems in Thailand (or anywhere else) and are bitter and inflammatory in their words on these pages.

TL

[devolad]

Made my day reading this topic.

Agree with the smile philosophy 100% - like sirineou, on my first visit to Thailand I had done a bit of prior research - including reading Thai Visa (possibly not the best idea for a 1st timer?). Started off with a pretty wary attitude towards the local people. Was with my 14 year old daughter and was probably being a bit over protective.

My daughter could crack a joke at a funeral and get away with it - the thai people loved her and I quickly got over myself, started chilling out and having fun.

Not all smiles are returned, but most are.

One of the things I have really noticed is that the thai folk are nearly always up for a laugh - love riding past old people especially and seeing them in the middle of a fall down, roll on the ground giggle.

Not too long ago, I was on my way from Udon Thani to Nong Khai in a taxi with my lady. Needed to have a pee so asked the driver to stop at a service station.

Walked up to the loo and noticed a coin meter at the entrance. Thinking this may be a "penny for a pee" type set up, I fed the machine. It was a bloo.dy self weighing machine - it started going off like I had just won the jack pot. The whole forecourt of the service station erupted in laughter - after a moment of feeling a little red faced, so did I. Two old dears were hugging each other and nearly peeing themselves with laughter.

Did my business - when I came out one of the old girls came up to me and patted me gently on the arm - she had tears rolling down her cheeks from laughing. As more folk pulled in to full up they were told by the witnesses and the laughing started all over again. Ok, I was the butt of the joke, but it was probably worth it just to see the giggles it caused.

LOS is certainly a place where it pays not to take yourself to seriously - you risk missing out on the fun.

[benalibina]

I wish i could make a positive personal contribution to this thread, but i cant. Nothwithstanding that indeed many of thailand's people are nice and helpfull. I truly believe though that on a similar topic next year i can contribute a positive comment.

[kurnell]

I took a taxi from Bangkapi to Chaeng Wattana yesterday and the taxi stunk, the driver was rude and argued with his girlfriend all the way in his taxi but he did find a short cut (non expressway) and saved me more than 200 baht. Is this a good Thai story?

[473geo]

A couple of days ago when travelling into town a young lady lost her mobile phone out of the back of the baht bus, there were shouts from all and the bus stopped, reversed back about 200 metres to allow the lady to retrieve the three pieces, then all happily went on our way.

My sons birthday arriving, my wife recalled a stall where he had shown interest in a guitar, when we approached the lady on the stall there was no guitar visible so my wife asked. Wait, says the lady, disappears for a few minutes, and comes back with her mother to take care of the stall, ok, she said I can go home and bring the guitar, will be about half an hour? I thought of her kindness when my son screeched with joy on opening his present.

[thaimlord]

I wish i could make a positive personal contribution to this thread, but i cant. Nothwithstanding that indeed many of thailand's people are nice and helpfull. I truly believe though that on a similar topic next year i can contribute a positive comment.

Sounds like a troll post to me :-)

My friend, if you can't think of anything nice a Thai has ever done for you, then I don't believe another year is going to assist you. However, on the offchance that you are being genuine here, then here's a tip. Try doing some nice things for Thai people without thought of getting anything back. Be friendly, nice and giving (without being stupid about it), and I have no doubt they will do nice things for you too.

TL

[thaimlord]

I took a taxi from Bangkapi to Chaeng Wattana yesterday and the taxi stunk, the driver was rude and argued with his girlfriend all the way in his taxi but he did find a short cut (non expressway) and saved me more than 200 baht. Is this a good Thai story?

It depends where you choose to put your focus. You let the driver and the cab irritate you, but then again, you found a short cut that saves you money each time you go now. You acknowledged both aspects. Now it's just whatever you choose to make of it.

You can't control what other people do, or your surroundings sometimes either. All you can control is yourself and what you choose to make of your experiences. Just walking through many places in Thailand there are poo smells, garbage and other unpleasant "hazards". The end product of the experience is entirely up to you. You either laugh with friends about the stinky cab, etc, and tell them about the great new route to take, or you turn it into a reason to put down other people.

"Up to you" my friend :-)

TL

[Aussieroaming]

Thailand is great .......... the funniest thing I saw last week was an old Pommie guy making an absolute fool of himself outside the British Embassy ranting about the stupid Thai rules when it was the embassy rules that he should have been ranting at. The lovely lass just smiled at him and waited for him to finish his rant and then repeated her advise. Well done to her.

Other than that I gained about 5kgs last week after my wife and I decided to visit the family in Korat and got the royal son in law treatment. Great people, great hospitality and always willing to listen and help us if we need it.

[krisb]

I wish i could make a positive personal contribution to this thread, but i cant. Nothwithstanding that indeed many of thailand's people are nice and helpfull. I truly believe though that on a similar topic next year i can contribute a positive comment.

Sounds like a troll post to me :-)

My friend, if you can't think of anything nice a Thai has ever done for you, then I don't believe another year is going to assist you. However, on the offchance that you are being genuine here, then here's a tip. Try doing some nice things for Thai people without thought of getting anything back. Be friendly, nice and giving (without being stupid about it), and I have no doubt they will do nice things for you too.

TL

No, he's going through a tough time at the moment but there's light at the end of the tunnel I'm certain. I'm saving a space on this thread just for him

[thaimlord]

I wish i could make a positive personal contribution to this thread, but i cant. Nothwithstanding that indeed many of thailand's people are nice and helpfull. I truly believe though that on a similar topic next year i can contribute a positive comment.

Sounds like a troll post to me :-)

My friend, if you can't think of anything nice a Thai has ever done for you, then I don't believe another year is going to assist you. However, on the offchance that you are being genuine here, then here's a tip. Try doing some nice things for Thai people without thought of getting anything back. Be friendly, nice and giving (without being stupid about it), and I have no doubt they will do nice things for you too.

TL

No, he's going through a tough time at the moment but there's light at the end of the tunnel I'm certain. I'm saving a space on this thread just for him

I see. My sincere apologies.

I hope things work out well.

TL