Why do people keep calling it LOS?

[Braddockrd]

Isn't it easier to just write TH????

[andre47]

Yes, I also was thinking this already. Thailand is not the LOS (land of smile) any longer. It seems to me like a marketing trick. People are smiling only when they want to get your money but not because they are so friendly. Especially in the main tourism areas like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket this can be observed. If they detect that you are not a stupid buffalo than they stop smiling.

[wym]

usually sarcastic

land o' scams

[uptheos]

usually sarcastic

land o' scams

Land of Sex

[seajae]

LOS is easier to make up things that suit your situation, land of smiles, land of sex, land of sh*t, land of shonks, lack of service, loss of savings etc, etc......

[Berkshire]

Geez, not this topic again. Places have nicknames. The Big Apple. The City of Angels. The Land of the Rising Sun. The Motor City. Etc.

[hanno]

Yes, I also was thinking this already. Thailand is not the LOS (land of smile) any longer. It seems to me like a marketing trick. People are smiling only when they want to get your money but not because they are so friendly. Especially in the main tourism areas like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket this can be observed. If they detect that you are not a stupid buffalo than they stop smiling.

It isn't? Funny that, I find that once you get away from the girlie bars and the ghettos full of moaning retirees, Thailand is actually a very friendly country. But then I do tend to actually meet and greet Thais, not just sit in a bar and bitch about how much better things were 20 years ago,

[andre47]

Yes, I also was thinking this already. Thailand is not the LOS (land of smile) any longer. It seems to me like a marketing trick. People are smiling only when they want to get your money but not because they are so friendly. Especially in the main tourism areas like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket this can be observed. If they detect that you are not a stupid buffalo than they stop smiling.

It isn't? Funny that, I find that once you get away from the girlie bars and the ghettos full of moaning retirees, Thailand is actually a very friendly country. But then I do tend to actually meet and greet Thais, not just sit in a bar and bitch about how much better things were 20 years ago,

Of cause it is much better outside the tourism areas, but it has nothing to do with ghettos full of moaning retirees... and not everything was better 20 years ago, but this point for sure...

The last 10 years I personally recognized a steadily worsening of the manners. The commercial thinking is getting more important. This is happening in many countries not only in Thailand. 10-20 years ago it was different here in Thailand and it was the reason that Thailand was called LOS (land of smile).

[hanno]

Yes, I also was thinking this already. Thailand is not the LOS (land of smile) any longer. It seems to me like a marketing trick. People are smiling only when they want to get your money but not because they are so friendly. Especially in the main tourism areas like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket this can be observed. If they detect that you are not a stupid buffalo than they stop smiling.

It isn't? Funny that, I find that once you get away from the girlie bars and the ghettos full of moaning retirees, Thailand is actually a very friendly country. But then I do tend to actually meet and greet Thais, not just sit in a bar and bitch about how much better things were 20 years ago,

Of cause it is much better outside the tourism areas, but it has nothing to do with ghettos full of moaning retirees... and not everything was better 20 years ago, but this point for sure...

The last 10 years I personally recognized a steadily worsening of the manners. The commercial thinking is getting more important. This is happening in many countries not only in Thailand. 10-20 years ago it was different here in Thailand and it was the reason that Thailand was called LOS (land of smile).

I'll grant you that and I think it is just a sign of the times, not just in Thailand but everywhere. Having said that, I do know lots of down-to-earth Thais that are gracious hosts, friendly, helpful, and much better to be around with then some of the miserable foreigners that have made Thailand their home.

[Braddockrd]

Yes, I also was thinking this already. Thailand is not the LOS (land of smile) any longer. It seems to me like a marketing trick. People are smiling only when they want to get your money but not because they are so friendly. Especially in the main tourism areas like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket this can be observed. If they detect that you are not a stupid buffalo than they stop smiling.

It isn't? Funny that, I find that once you get away from the girlie bars and the ghettos full of moaning retirees, Thailand is actually a very friendly country. But then I do tend to actually meet and greet Thais, not just sit in a bar and bitch about how much better things were 20 years ago,

You seemed to have spent too much time at a bar doing all those things you say others do..... I bet you can't even read Thai. Stay on the topic or just keep your opinion to yourself

[HooHaa]

Yes, I also was thinking this already. Thailand is not the LOS (land of smile) any longer. It seems to me like a marketing trick. People are smiling only when they want to get your money but not because they are so friendly. Especially in the main tourism areas like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket this can be observed. If they detect that you are not a stupid buffalo than they stop smiling.

yes, big mango is much more apt.

i get a kick the transients "romance travelers" out there whose limited experience of thailand leads them to believe that all of the locals are out to get them.

in my experience they stop smiling once they have confirmed what a buffalo most of you really are

[Braddockrd]

I think Andre actually got it right and HooHaa got it wrong, 555

[arminbkk]

I can't see why anyone can think of 'LOS' (Land of Smiles) while walking into and dealing with staff in any 7-Eleven on lower Sukhumvit, for example.

I know it is not like that everywhere, and there are places where you will find real friendly smiles....but there are not

enough of those places that would make Thailand deserve the monniker 'Land of Smiles'.

And of course, it was a tourism marketing slogan once.

[swissie]

Yes, I also was thinking this already. Thailand is not the LOS (land of smile) any longer. It seems to me like a marketing trick. People are smiling only when they want to get your money but not because they are so friendly. Especially in the main tourism areas like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket this can be observed. If they detect that you are not a stupid buffalo than they stop smiling.

"If they detect that you are not a stupid buffalo than they stop smiling." Mainly in Tourist-Hubs, no doubt.

But there are many other reasons to smile in Thailand, can mean:

- A form of overall politeness (in the "west" we mumble things like" "Nice to meet you" etc.)

- I am sorry, excuse me.

- I don't know the answer to your question, can we skip the subject.

- Can be applied as a general remedy to avoid "loosing face" in public (ever been a witness to a car accident and wondered why the folks involved smiled at each other?)

The smiling-ritual helps to defuse all kinds of potentially "explosive" situations. This serves the country well, because Thai's are not as docile, peaceful and easy going as it appears on the surface. Far from it.

Cheers.

[speedtripler]

land of suckers

planeloads of them arriving every 20 minutes with fat wallets to be emptied ..........ASAP

[sustento]

Is it Friday already?

[Munger]

Yes, I also was thinking this already. Thailand is not the LOS (land of smile) any longer. It seems to me like a marketing trick. People are smiling only when they want to get your money but not because they are so friendly. Especially in the main tourism areas like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket this can be observed. If they detect that you are not a stupid buffalo than they stop smiling.

It isn't? Funny that, I find that once you get away from the girlie bars and the ghettos full of moaning retirees, Thailand is actually a very friendly country. But then I do tend to actually meet and greet Thais, not just sit in a bar and bitch about how much better things were 20 years ago,

But reading post this week (Pattaya thread), why go to Pattaya and suck up to the old moaners?

[watcharacters]

Yes, I also was thinking this already. Thailand is not the LOS (land of smile) any longer. It seems to me like a marketing trick. People are smiling only when they want to get your money but not because they are so friendly. Especially in the main tourism areas like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket this can be observed. If they detect that you are not a stupid buffalo than they stop smiling.

It isn't? Funny that, I find that once you get away from the girlie bars and the ghettos full of moaning retirees, Thailand is actually a very friendly country. But then I do tend to actually meet and greet Thais, not just sit in a bar and bitch about how much better things were 20 years ago,

.

" I find that once you get away from the girlie bars and the ghettos full of moaning retirees,"…

Not all retirees have a reason to moan.

[sdanielmcev]

I asked the gf. She said, "no, we call it Thailand>"

[sustento]

Yes, I also was thinking this already. Thailand is not the LOS (land of smile) any longer. It seems to me like a marketing trick. People are smiling only when they want to get your money but not because they are so friendly. Especially in the main tourism areas like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket this can be observed. If they detect that you are not a stupid buffalo than they stop smiling.

It isn't? Funny that, I find that once you get away from the girlie bars and the ghettos full of moaning retirees, Thailand is actually a very friendly country. But then I do tend to actually meet and greet Thais, not just sit in a bar and bitch about how much better things were 20 years ago,

.

" I find that once you get away from the girlie bars and the ghettos full of moaning retirees,"…

Not all retirees have a reason to moan.

Apparently the retirees that hang around the girlie bars moan on a regular basis...

[LaraC]

usually sarcastic

land o' scams

Land of Sex

-pats

[Munger]

Yes, I also was thinking this already. Thailand is not the LOS (land of smile) any longer. It seems to me like a marketing trick. People are smiling only when they want to get your money but not because they are so friendly. Especially in the main tourism areas like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket this can be observed. If they detect that you are not a stupid buffalo than they stop smiling.

It isn't? Funny that, I find that once you get away from the girlie bars and the ghettos full of moaning retirees, Thailand is actually a very friendly country. But then I do tend to actually meet and greet Thais, not just sit in a bar and bitch about how much better things were 20 years ago,

You seemed to have spent too much time at a bar doing all those things you say others do..... I bet you can't even read Thai. Stay on the topic or just keep your opinion to yourself

YUP, "hanno", was in Pattaya at the weekend, with all those moaning retirees. Funny that he was not with all his wonderful Thais far away from the farangs.

[Ulysses G.]

Yes, I also was thinking this already. Thailand is not the LOS (land of smile) any longer.

It is to me. Thais still smile a heck of a lot more than people do where I come from.

[Ulysses G.]

Not all retirees have a reason to moan.

But a lot of them do anyway.

[Braddockrd]

Ok, as expected most of you missed the forest for the trees. It is childish, or teenagerish at best to refer to a country constantly by its nickname, even more so using acronyms. What is generally termed as a literary license has become mainstream. From now on, all of you, just write Thailand. And if you are too lazy to spell it out just write TH. It's shorter

[Ulysses G.]

Nonsense. People call it Thailand. People call it Siam. People call it LOS. People call it The Kingdom. You don't have to use the same word every time. It is called variety.

[hanno]

Yes, I also was thinking this already. Thailand is not the LOS (land of smile) any longer. It seems to me like a marketing trick. People are smiling only when they want to get your money but not because they are so friendly. Especially in the main tourism areas like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket this can be observed. If they detect that you are not a stupid buffalo than they stop smiling.

It isn't? Funny that, I find that once you get away from the girlie bars and the ghettos full of moaning retirees, Thailand is actually a very friendly country. But then I do tend to actually meet and greet Thais, not just sit in a bar and bitch about how much better things were 20 years ago,

You seemed to have spent too much time at a bar doing all those things you say others do..... I bet you can't even read Thai. Stay on the topic or just keep your opinion to yourself

YUP, "hanno", was in Pattaya at the weekend, with all those moaning retirees. Funny that he was not with all his wonderful Thais far away from the farangs.

Yupp, I was in Pattaya. No, I was not on Walking Street, I was there because if business. And no, I did not talk to any sexpat the whole week. Happy?

[benalibina]

Nonsense. People call it Thailand. People call it Siam. People call it LOS. People call it The Kingdom. You don't have to use the same word every time. It is called variety.

Woowww.

[atpeace]

Lived here since 1998 and find the Thais extremely social and happy. They seem even happier today than 10 years ago. I think posters may be confusing how foreigners are treated today compared to years ago. Drive over to Laos or Cambodia if you need the locals to smile and wave.

[wym]

Well the whole point of "Land of Smiles" is that they're supposed to be smiling AT US!

Few ever cared about whether they're truly content deep inside, nor how they treat each other. . .