What have you learned in Thailand? What is still surprising you?

[Strangebrew]

Hey anyone seen my pigs they keep coming up missing? Oh must not forget pasty white overweight farang with the tiniest thai chick you every seen on one arm can't figure if girlfriend or snack. But hey Thailand what I love being able to feel your young even though your a crusty old fart . Still feels good even if it is a lie.

[NoshowJones]

I have learned that despite all the sh.t, foreigners like to talk about Thais, they are not different or worse by any means. There are cool people here like everywhere else. There are stupid folks here like everywhere else. There are advantages, disadvantages, good things, bad things etc like anywhere else.

and is the driving and motorbike riding mentality here just like anywhere else?

[kinmaew]

After 2.5 years of being out of the place I spent a few weeks in LOS. There is no right way or wrong way, only the "Thai Way" and baby if you don't go with the flow, it will hurt a lot. Thank God for TV so we can all have a good DIRECT whinge at least with each other need to vent the frustration sometimes.

[craigt3365]

A post discussing the monarchy has been removed from view, along with a few associated replies.

[Greg Nixon]

That someone giggling with mirth when you injure yourself isn't rude.

That lying is expected and only fools think honesty has some special virtue.

That my safety or even life is not worth 15 seconds of time to the average Thai male driver.

That Thailand is a drain grate where the most sexist humans on earth gravitate like slimy hairballs and then propagate offspring to this attitude.

Where free speech is a criminal offense.

Now for the bad stuff....

I agree and would like to add to that.

Full out laughing when someone bangs their head or otherwise injures themselves.

Not only is lying common but if you pay the police enough money they will support your lie.

Also the rich foreigner is always wrong unless they bribe the police.

Not only is your safety not worth 15 seconds or 30 seconds of A Thai driver's time but neither is their own lives worth that. It is not just males that drive the wrong way or disobey traffic rules. I have to constantly remind my Thai wife to stop at Stop signs, etc. , but then again who polices that ? Answer - no one. Seat belts and helmets should be way down the list od traffic rules that should be enforced with significant fines.

Agreed on the sexist comment.

My wife often hushes me when I speak of some subjects. I speak out anyway but usually privately.

[GuyL]

How do repair a tyre ? Well take it off and put a new one on , Thai way .

Sorry cannot repair.

Get used to it !

Oh yes... "cannot" and "no have" are the most common English words uttered in Thailand....

I thought that it was "Hello, handsome man", but maybe that's just when speaking with me!

@phanangpete: You obviously have bad eyesight if you haven't yet spotted the numerous tyre repair shops all around Thailand (usually with a big truck tyre placed along the road near the entrance and with "ปะยาง" written on it).

Edited September 7, 2014 by GuyL

[Greg Nixon]

To never use your horn in the traffic, no matter what happens don't do it........

You can honk at motorbikes but not at others. I have to reach across when my wife is driving to " horn " serious offenders but then again they are unaware because most of them are farmers from small villages where you can do anything with a vehicle. Obeying traffic laws in a village ? What traffic laws ? I doubt if the police know what traffic conventions should be followed for safety's sake and which rules should be followed to keep traffic flowing smoothly. The police could start by taking defensive driving courses and then begin with warnings and threats of 1000 baht fines which would be followed up with after a year or two. Unfortunately the police are too busy paying for their guns and motorbikes which they must buy out of their own corrupt fines. It takes a lot of 100 baht fine to pay for a 48000 THB motorbike.

[HeijoshinCool]

I thought Thailand was a third-world country which had great potential to become something much better.

My big surprise has been to learn it is going absolutely nowhere. Corruption and greed destroy anything good before it has chance to take root.

It's this kind of over-generalisation that I find nonsensical. There is plenty of corruption and greed but not so much that it destroys anything good. Plenty good in Thailand. It just gets better and better each year.

.

Sadly, the reality is that no place gets better and better each year.

[Arkady]

After 25 years in Amazing Thailand, I have learned that it can still still surprise me.

[santa1000]

After 10 years. Why do 7/11 have 12 staff, 3 tills yet just one person serving?

That´s because the big bosses at 7/11 know how lazy most thai workers are and they can quit a job just like that.

[Thaiready]

How do repair a tyre ? Well take it off and put a new one on , Thai way .

Sorry cannot repair.

Get used to it !

I was laughed at the" first" time I repaired a tire with a plug kit I brought from US......now on every visit I have requests from all the family for more.

[AYJAYDEE]

After 10 years. Why do 7/11 have 12 staff, 3 tills yet just one person serving?

That´s because the big bosses at 7/11 know how lazy most thai workers are and they can quit a job just like that.

most thai workers are lazy? lol. let me know when youre planting and cutting rice pal, I'm eager to watch how a real farang he-man worker does it!

[sipi]

Where are you from? Imagine life back home without all the rules and regulations. Somethings are good, others bad. You won't get arrested for J-walking, but you might get food poisoning.

[rayongchelsea]

So many old guys that come here stating that Thailand appreciates the older elements of society ( unlike the west) and then they proceed like teenagers!!

[willyumiii]

Sorry, OP, but everything seems normal to me.

No, surprising / striking / silly thing has happened to me since I've been here.

But yes, before coming here I was expecting to make more acquaintances with Thai girls.......but got married.........very silly of me.

Costas, I may be wrong, but I was thinking about this last night in my musings.

Thailand is more like southern European countries, the Latin ones, Italy and Greece included and France in the past.

Family, food, wine , well sorry we can't afford that here, and song and dance. A live for today attitude!

Northern Europe is far from that, sombre, materialistic, cold in climate and in character.

I was born in the wrong country, but soon discovered life elsewhere!

Buhi..

.I think what you are trying to say is that people in warm, southern lands do not need to worry about storing food for the winter or about protection from cold weather in the winter months and never have.

Basically, they have very little need to plan for the future.

They relax more, worry less.

Live for today, tomorrow will be here sometime later.

As Thais like to say " Done tinkto much!"

[slipperylobster]

That someone giggling with mirth when you injure yourself isn't rude.

That lying is expected and only fools think honesty has some special virtue.

That my safety or even life is not worth 15 seconds of time to the average Thai male driver.

That Thailand is a drain grate where the most sexist humans on earth gravitate like slimy hairballs and then propagate offspring to this attitude.

Where free speech is a criminal offense.

Now for the bad stuff....

Have a nice day!

[Banzai99]

That someone giggling with mirth when you injure yourself isn't rude.

That lying is expected and only fools think honesty has some special virtue.

That my safety or even life is not worth 15 seconds of time to the average Thai male driver.

That Thailand is a drain grate where the most sexist humans on earth gravitate like slimy hairballs and then propagate offspring to this attitude.

Where free speech is a criminal offense.

Now for the bad stuff....

I Bet you're happy that you don't live in Thailand.

It wouldn't suit you.

[Benmart]

I thought Thailand was a third-world country which had great potential to become something much better.

My big surprise has been to learn it is going absolutely nowhere. Corruption and greed destroy anything good before it has chance to take root.

It's this kind of over-generalisation that I find nonsensical. There is plenty of corruption and greed but not so much that it destroys anything good. Plenty good in Thailand. It just gets better and better each year.

.

Sadly, the reality is that no place gets better and better each year.

For some, it just gets more bitter and more bitter each year.

When one lets go and try's not to control, life becomes enjoyable and less a game of struggle.

[Benmart]

I learned from reading TV that there are some of the most vile, ill humored, dull, nasty minded, alcoholic, nay-saying Brits typing on the TV comments.

I learned from reading the Yahoo News comments re Thailand that there are some of the most vile, ill humored, dull, nasty minded, alcoholic, nay-saying, ignorant Westerners and Brits typing on those comments, too.

Thailand has taught me that there are real, genuine Buddhist people in the world and thank Buddha for them.

I've learned that my appreciation of people and the world, has gotten better in Thailand.

Some of the appreciation is due to their distance from Thailand and me.

Some of the appreciation is due to self-inventory and acceptance that they are who they are.

Some of the appreciation is that I see the world through eyes much improved by the reduction of my hate and bigotry.

I try not to be vile, ill humored, dull, nasty minded, alcoholic, nay-saying or ignorant. I try to tolerate those that are.

[hotsoup]

Thanks for all these, experienced many of them...

A friend told me something very nice the other day. He said in England (where he's from), people listen to what you say and evaluate it intellectually. In Thailand, he felt it's more important how you say something, and people evaluate you emotionally.

That's what they know how to do! Analysis by epistemological methodology is largely unknown to the greater majority of Thais, therefore when confronted with an unknown, they go by feeling, limited past experiences, superstition, or just plain denial based on a

loss of face for not knowing.

Largely unknown to most human beings!

[catweazle]

OP - I learned a lot on a daily basis here in LOS, it could fill books, and I am surprized and caught off guard anew on an almost daily basis as well...

[Shazdeb]

Yes everything is different here, but that's why we come A lot of things bother me for a min or two but then I breath deep and get over it.. The only thing that I really don't get is the whole " save face " mentality... by that I mean I get the concept what I don't get is how telling a lie because you have to make something up because you don't know the answer is just crazy LOL Just say you don't know that is way better and to me and saves more face than lying .... But what do I know. The rest I just roll with it ... either that or you will go crazy

[Sigurris]

If you embrace the country you will change to accommodate the differences without neccesarily understanding or agreeing with all of them. If you don't then you remain the same as when you arrived. A bigoted moron is a bigoted moron whatever country they live in.

[jacky54]

1 never trust a foreigner

2 never trust a Thai, unless family member and then with caution.

[chrisinth]

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Hmmm..................

Learned:

• Never drink that custom alcohol concoction(Lao Khao or Ya Dong) made and sold in used RedBull bottles at the daily market unless you plan on walking back home.
• Its hard to keep track of your bottle caps when playing checkers at the market
• Always carry baby wipes
• When hiking in the jungle areas be on the look out for Golden Orb Weaver spider webs
• That foreigners spend an exorbitant amount of time trying to get darker where as conversely Thais try and become whiter
• That backing into parking places makes better sense
• Tinting your windshield is not really an advisable thing to do yet they all do it
• If you happen to be in BKK the best time is during Songkran
• If you are traveling around, have your Thai friends set it up, it will save that infamous "Foreigner fee"
• If you are moving to Thailand, bring your own tools

Surprised;

• How many people a Thai family can put on one scooter
• That Thais never seem to ever check tire pressure in their cars or scooters.
• That Thai workers will work 5 stories up welding with shorts and flip flops on
• That foreigners always seem to complain about Thailand

Again above is just a small sample. I think some of us here could fill up a few pages. I find great humor and fun living here.

Bet you've never been hit on the head with a welder's flip flop from 5 stories up.

Brings reality to the fore and makes you question the humour & fun........................

[JLCrab]

I asked the non-English speaking Thai GF what do you call the broth in the Suki at Oishi?

Answer: Nam Soup

[Grindting]

After 8 years living and working around asia (Thailand included), it has just made me appreciate the UK more and more. It is not perfect and can be as frustrating at times, in different ways, but on the whole we've got it good. And I'm thankful to be going back to live in london in my own bought home permenantly before I'm 30, with my Indonesian wife in toe.

Edited September 9, 2014 by Grindting

[thailiketoo]

The mind boggles.

[Pundi6446]

Corruption it is everywhere, no matter who are pulling the strings.

Edited September 9, 2014 by Pundi6446

[Johnniey]

Even after living here for years the average expat doesn't know what month it is(in Thai).

Around year 5, I learned.