NoshowJones Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 Sitting in the skytrain with a date the second day I arrived in Thailand ( I had met her the first day I arrived) when I saw a big fat ugly Farang with a beautiful young Thai girl holding hands together, the first thing that entered my mind was he must be very rich. I knew nothing about the barscene back then in 2001, how it worked, and how any fat ugly Farang could just walk into a bar and barfine almost any young girl for almost any length of time. I admit I came to Thailand for the girls, I read about the country and how there were many pretty girls, I just bypassed anything to do with bars as I had no intention of entering the barscene as I am a non drinker. So what surprised you most the first time you came to Thailand? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgrahmm Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 The friendliness of the people...when I first came here I was out in the "boonies" between 3 small villages......the people were curious but very friendly and respectful (something on a downhill trend in the US).......CM was about 40 minutes away with a lot of interesting options to offer but in a small package city-wise.....I was not convinced after the first visit & came back once again - and found it to be as before..... I landed in the CM area by chance - there may be other areas as nice with as much to offer but have not found it yet..... If I had initially been stuck in BKK without venturing out I might not have returned to Thailand - I don't need/want/enjoy/seek the pulse/drum beat of a big city..... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post villagefarang Posted November 9, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted November 9, 2014 I am afraid 1975 is a bit of a blur at this point. What would surprise me, is being able to remember anything that far back. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoshowJones Posted November 9, 2014 Author Share Posted November 9, 2014 The friendliness of the people...when I first came here I was out in the "boonies" between 3 small villages......the people were curious but very friendly and respectful (something on a downhill trend in the US).......CM was about 40 minutes away with a lot of interesting options to offer but in a small package city-wise.....I was not convinced after the first visit & came back once again - and found it to be as before..... I landed in the CM area by chance - there may be other areas as nice with as much to offer but have not found it yet..... If I had initially been stuck in BKK without venturing out I might not have returned to Thailand - I don't need/want/enjoy/seek the pulse/drum beat of a big city..... Nice story, I live in a small village and would not want to live in a city, but I do wish I was a bit closer to a city than what I am. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Seastallion Posted November 9, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted November 9, 2014 The thing that surprises me is that there are not many flies. Sure, there are some, but in a tropical climate, with a lot of pollution and lots of food out in the open, I would have expected swarms of them. Food stalls seem to have more wasps than flies. Open air butchers have almost none. Australia....well you almost can't breathe without swallowing them, and NZ has many in the summer. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoshowJones Posted November 9, 2014 Author Share Posted November 9, 2014 I am afraid 1975 is a bit of a blur at this point. What would surprise me, is being able to remember anything that far back. I don't know how you can forget the first few days when to first came here. I thought that would be the most important time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeonjake Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 how easy it is to get things done, when my wifes grandma let us have our land, all we did was go and see the head man in the village, ask if we could have a pig farm and house, that was it, i started to build the pig pens while we lived with the inlaws, got them finnished, built a 8x5 condo typ thing that we then lived in, it was all so easy, no planning or anything like that,,, great, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoshowJones Posted November 9, 2014 Author Share Posted November 9, 2014 The thing that surprises me is that there are not many flies. Sure, there are some, but in a tropical climate, with a lot of pollution and lots of food out in the open, I would have expected swarms of them. Food stalls seem to have more wasps than flies. Open air butchers have almost none. Australia....well you almost can't breathe without swallowing them, and NZ has many in the summer. I bet you live in a city, I never have problems with flies when I go to Bangkok or Pattaya, but upcountry?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tartempion Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 The Heath, the smells and the small people on my first walk on Sukhumvit after I checked in at the Miami late at night. I booked the Miami at the hotel desk at Don Meuang, what a dump it would be....funny I could look over the heads of the people and I measure only 170 cms. Later I would enjoy the smells on the night train to Chumpon I took directly after landing. Avoiding Bangkok all together, I also got used to the unique smells of Don Meuang airport. In fact each and every airport on the planet has it's own specific smells Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoshowJones Posted November 9, 2014 Author Share Posted November 9, 2014 how easy it is to get things done, when my wifes grandma let us have our land, all we did was go and see the head man in the village, ask if we could have a pig farm and house, that was it, i started to build the pig pens while we lived with the inlaws, got them finnished, built a 8x5 condo typ thing that we then lived in, it was all so easy, no planning or anything like that,,, great, Some of my Farang friends were given land by the wifes family to build a house, I wasn't so lucky, I had to buy the land for our house. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayonarax Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 Mcdonalds didnt have breakfast. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post CharlieH Posted November 9, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted November 9, 2014 How everything seemed so ridiculously cheap ! I no longer needed to base decisions on what things cost, man how things of changed since then. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David48 Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 I was surprised that I couldn't flush the loo paper ... . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David48 Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 The aromas of the open sewer system as I traversed the streets of Lower Suk looking for a decent Temple. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertthebruce Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 How friendly the thai people were, how clean they were... The beautiful weather..., the Markets and just the general buzz. Great restaurants friendly efficient service, just all round nice people. Ok, I know there are some bad ones, but fortunately I habe not met any yet... The Driving standards scared me, that was fearsome... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post chrisinth Posted November 9, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted November 9, 2014 My first time in Thailand was so full of surprises it would be difficult to put them in order. A truly different experience, as in those days as a well travelled 30 yo, I honestly thought I'd seen everything there was to see and done most things that needed to be done. Massive reality check................ That changed on arrival at DM from Tai Tak in Hong Kong. The first taxi ride from the airport to Pattaya (4 - 5 hours on a good day then), the inane giggling from the driver just after nearly having a write-off or almost forcing another driver into the separation klong. The number of trucks that were in the said klong. And then came Pattaya. It may come as a surprise, but jungle elephant rides or visiting tourist spots were not high on our agenda, we came to Thailand to party and that is exactly what we did. At that stage of my life, I had been to the seediest bars and clubs you could ever imagine as well as a of the high end clubs as well on many continents but nothing prepared me for the party atmosphere in Pattaya (at the time). Bars (legally) open 24/7, day & night staff, girls everywhere, a completely different kind of happy and smiling than what I have seen recently. In the 80's they should have had the logo Amazing Thailand, it would have been apt. And since then, on reflection? Everything has changed, and nothing has changed. Over the years I saw the natural smiles turn into fixed smiles, the gentleness harden, the drugs, the gambling becoming widespread. Then it was a safe town, no problem or worries about walking anywhere, with almost zero violence around the barscene. Sometimes I have to ask myself what happened? Note: Sorry for the drift above, we were talking about this very subject last night, still fresh in the mind............................ 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoshowJones Posted November 9, 2014 Author Share Posted November 9, 2014 How everything seemed so ridiculously cheap ! I no longer needed to base decisions on what things cost, man how things of changed since then. True Charlie, but the bus fare from my village to Nakhon Sawan, is much the same as it was when I came here about nine years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoshowJones Posted November 9, 2014 Author Share Posted November 9, 2014 I was surprised that I couldn't flush the loo paper ... . I don't understand that one David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoshowJones Posted November 9, 2014 Author Share Posted November 9, 2014 My first time in Thailand was so full of surprises it would be difficult to put them in order. A truly different experience, as in those days as a well travelled 30 yo, I honestly thought I'd seen everything there was to see and done most things that needed to be done. Massive reality check................ That changed on arrival at DM from Tai Tak in Hong Kong. The first taxi ride from the airport to Pattaya (4 - 5 hours on a good day then), the inane giggling from the driver just after nearly having a write-off or almost forcing another driver into the separation klong. The number of trucks that were in the said klong. And then came Pattaya. It may come as a surprise, but jungle elephant rides or visiting tourist spots were not high on our agenda, we came to Thailand to party and that is exactly what we did. At that stage of my life, I had been to the seediest bars and clubs you could ever imagine as well as a of the high end clubs as well on many continents but nothing prepared me for the party atmosphere in Pattaya (at the time). Bars (legally) open 24/7, day & night staff, girls everywhere, a completely different kind of happy and smiling than what I have seen recently. In the 80's they should have had the logo Amazing Thailand, it would have been apt. And since then, on reflection? Everything has changed, and nothing has changed. Over the years I saw the natural smiles turn into fixed smiles, the gentleness harden, the drugs, the gambling becoming widespread. Then it was a safe town, no problem or worries about walking anywhere, with almost zero violence around the barscene. Sometimes I have to ask myself what happened? Note: Sorry for the drift above, we were talking about this very subject last night, still fresh in the mind............................ Very interesting post Chrisinth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoshowJones Posted November 9, 2014 Author Share Posted November 9, 2014 How friendly the thai people were, how clean they were... The beautiful weather..., the Markets and just the general buzz. Great restaurants friendly efficient service, just all round nice people. Ok, I know there are some bad ones, but fortunately I habe not met any yet... The Driving standards scared me, that was fearsome... Absolutely spot on Robert, though I would question sentence no3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post AYJAYDEE Posted November 9, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted November 9, 2014 How handsome I had become during the flight. 26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post willyumiii Posted November 9, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted November 9, 2014 Penises in panties.... Always a surprise! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arunsakda Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 "Serpico" stickers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisinth Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 (edited) <script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script> Penises in panties.... Always a surprise! Love it...................... Pip is so much easier to spell than krathoy kratoy transgender Edited November 9, 2014 by chrisinth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baa_Mango Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 How amazingly broad faced many people are here. Foreigners especially, but also some Thais. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai at Heart Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 That you can make a language where all the words sound the same. Kao, kao, kao, kao. Yeah right. They all sound different..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldragon Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 That the 18 or 19 year old girl pacing the beaches all day selling snacks and trinkets was also working the bars at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Suradit69 Posted November 9, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted November 9, 2014 What Surprised you most The number of people who deliberately chose to live in Thailand but seem to spend most of their time finding excuses to complain about everything. I loved Thailand my first day here and still do. Not blind to the problems here, but also do not have some romantic fairy tale notion about how wonderful things are back in Farang Land. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incobart Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 I am afraid 1975 is a bit of a blur at this point. What would surprise me, is being able to remember anything that far back. You mean you are now max 40 years old ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villagefarang Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 I am afraid 1975 is a bit of a blur at this point. What would surprise me, is being able to remember anything that far back. I don't know how you can forget the first few days when to first came here. I thought that would be the most important time. There have been so many memorable events over the past 40 years, that some of the early stuff has ended up in a box I can no longer find. Detailed memories from back then are somewhere for sure but I can’t seem to access them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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