What is with Thais and directions and time

[CharlieH]

In my experience you will be told absolutely anything, rather than "I dont know".

[ehs818]

I gave up asking for directions or believing any reply I received from any Thais. What can you expect from any culture that has as a default setting, showing maps without north being on the top. They turn things sideways and upside down and backwards. That must say something about this culture.

[villagefarang]

If you speak English or try to use Thai words and completely butcher the pronunciation, it is not their fault for being unable to understand what you said. One could also ask why you are so bad at asking for or getting directions. If you ask the wrong question or ask the wrong person, that is your fault.

Edited March 22, 2016 by villagefarang

[scorecard]

Re time...

My uni has strict rules about attendance and punctual arrival into the class room. I tell my students first up on day one:

- You arrive late and I will listen to your reason in the next break (other professors won't let late students enter the room until the next break).

I also tell them clearly and repeated several times on day one - you tell me 'traffic', 'bad traffic', 'traffic jam' etc, and I stop listening immediately and you are marked absent for the whole day, no further discussion (whole day is often 6 hours which is a chunk out of the attendance requirement to be allowed to sit for mid / final exams).

Does it work? To a limited extent. Still get the students who come to the room 20 minutes after start time with the excuse 'but this is unfair, I was on the campus at the start time, I had to go to the canteen to have breakfast'.

Edited March 22, 2016 by scorecard

[andrew55]

My Thai wife says;-

"Always ask at least two or three Thais when needing directions".

That'll take at least two or three hours.

[Mr Wonderful]

compass directions are known by few Thais.

Usually, when trying to get someplace, you get directions from one person, then go a few blocks, get directions from someone else, then go a few blocks, .....and so on.

It's going to take decades for Thais to segue from hocus pocus thinking (ghosts, talismans, assuming people know what others are thinking, etc) ....to scientific thinking.

It doesn't help that their words for near and far are nearly identical. I tell the joke about a Thai army guy in a front trench during warfare. He's a spotter for a grenade launcher further back. a bomb drops. the spotter shouts 'glai!' (farther), but the bomb launcher hears 'glaie' (closer!) A few seconds later .....ka-boom!. Spotter goes on to next lifetime.

Boomer is correct. You can not expect the directions you get to be 100% accurate. It's like a murder mystery and you have to collect all the clues. So follow the first set of directions for several minutes and then ask someone else. Even if you don't get the right answers, eventually you can triangulate the position.

I have come to believe that Thai people rarely understand each other more than 50% it really comes down to the inability of the language to be precise (except with food).

Even with food it can get weird. "Kao Soi" (literally; 'food pretty' or 'rice road') is supposed to mean white noodles, but it could mean other things.

Tell a waitress you want 'glua' (salt) and she might think you're afraid of something

Ask a waitress for 'pet' (duck) and you might get a kick in the shin, because pet also means sex. (or you might get a phone number!).

If the bill ends in sip-et (11) it could be heard as sip-paet (18), or vice versa.

If you ask for a fried egg 'over-easy' - at some places (like guest houses) they'll understand. Yet, if you demonstrate with hand motions you want the egg just a half second (krung wee-natee) turned over, they'll act like they understand, but they are genetically incapable of doing it that quickly. The egg will inevitably be turned over for at least several seconds, until the yellow is as hard as a pencil eraser.

If you tell them you don't want MSG (mai aow pom charot) they'll nod 'yes' with a smile. However, you're trusting they'll tell the cook, and trusting the cook will honor your request. Even if the waitress conveys your message, the cook may think, "it's farang, what do they know? They're not going to tell me how to cook." Either way, the cook will still use some of the 22 bottles of store-bought sauce by the grill, all of which have MSG.

Bartered for a painting at JJ and offered 18k from 25. He says "sip et ok!" I took the deal.

And ever since then I have been buying many more pieces from this artist. We are both happy. Thai language works for me...

[Minnehaha]

The cause?

Lack of critical thinking in their education

- specifically: experience looking at a map and extrapolating that to their environment and vice versa; just look at almost any map drawn by a Thai company for their business location and it is often devoid of a compass or sense of distance. Foreigners take it for granted that we have a lifetime of working with maps, drawing them, explaining them, and a sense of location. This is not the experience of our Thai friends.

The reverse is true. I cannot distinguish certain kinds of kluan nam waa from others and am not very good at appreciating the various aspects of flavor in a Tom Yam. I can get to "it is good" or "I like it" but beyond that, my Thai friends can go on for hours. Literally hours. I am at a loss in this universe.

The solution - do it yourself. Google maps are useful as are other maps.

- When looking for a location locally, go to the motorcycle taxis and ask. They are the best source of information. If they cannot give a good explanation, then simply ask them to lead you there (if you are driving) and pay the 20 or 30 Baht. I find this works extremely well in almost any situation

[andrew55]

If you speak English or try to use Thai words and completely butcher the pronunciation, it is not their fault for being unable to understand what you said. One could also ask why you are so bad at asking for or getting directions. If you ask the wrong question or ask the wrong person, that is your fault.

True. However, I've been with Thais having the same regional accent and they've still been given polite and confident (albeit lengthy) directions to nowhere near where we wanted to go. Good side is I get to see a lot of unplanned sights.

[TKDfella]

Sometimes it can be funny and sometimes not. Years ago I went looking for a specific shop in a long street. I drove up and down but couldn't see it. I parked the car and walked up and down and still couldn't find it. So I went into another shop and asked politely 'Do you know this shop?' 'Yes' came the reply. 'Can you tell me where it is?' 'Yes' was the second reply. 'This shop, where?' I asked again. 'Next shop' came the answer. I thanked them and low and behold I there it was...name was in very small and some letters missing but it had shut down and front securely locked. On the shutters was a soiled note saying that they had moved to another location and I knew that street well and thought 'Funny, I don't remember such a shop there.' It wasn't there! It was about three blocks away and around the 'back doubles'.

[villagefarang]

If you speak English or try to use Thai words and completely butcher the pronunciation, it is not their fault for being unable to understand what you said. One could also ask why you are so bad at asking for or getting directions. If you ask the wrong question or ask the wrong person, that is your fault.

True. However, I've been with Thais having the same regional accent and they've still been given polite and confident (albeit lengthy) directions to nowhere near where we wanted to go. Good side is I get to see a lot of unplanned sights.

I am just trying to point out the fact that some people blame the Thais for everything and accept no blame for their own shortcomings. Granted Thais orient themselves differently but if we know that it is not that hard to adapt.

As one poster mentioned, if you ask people who drive a lot like motorcycle taxi guys in that area then you will get a better answer than if you ask a kid at the petrol station who probably doesn’t even know how to drive and has never been anywhere. Learn to read their reaction to know if they actually know or not. If we are not sure or don’t understand the directions, ask someone else instead of saying Thais are stupid because we asked the wrong person.

[andrew55]

If you speak English or try to use Thai words and completely butcher the pronunciation, it is not their fault for being unable to understand what you said. One could also ask why you are so bad at asking for or getting directions. If you ask the wrong question or ask the wrong person, that is your fault.

True. However, I've been with Thais having the same regional accent and they've still been given polite and confident (albeit lengthy) directions to nowhere near where we wanted to go. Good side is I get to see a lot of unplanned sights.

I am just trying to point out the fact that some people blame the Thais for everything and accept no blame for their own shortcomings. Granted Thais orient themselves differently but if we know that it is not that hard to adapt.

As one poster mentioned, if you ask people who drive a lot like motorcycle taxi guys in that area then you will get a better answer than if you ask a kid at the petrol station who probably doesn’t even know how to drive and has never been anywhere. Learn to read their reaction to know if they actually know or not. If we are not sure or don’t understand the directions, ask someone else instead of saying Thais are stupid because we asked the wrong person.

I hope that I didn't sound as though I was saying Thais are stupid. That was not my intention nor is it my belief.

I do reckon a lot of Thais suck at directions.

[villagefarang]

If you speak English or try to use Thai words and completely butcher the pronunciation, it is not their fault for being unable to understand what you said. One could also ask why you are so bad at asking for or getting directions. If you ask the wrong question or ask the wrong person, that is your fault.

True. However, I've been with Thais having the same regional accent and they've still been given polite and confident (albeit lengthy) directions to nowhere near where we wanted to go. Good side is I get to see a lot of unplanned sights.

I am just trying to point out the fact that some people blame the Thais for everything and accept no blame for their own shortcomings. Granted Thais orient themselves differently but if we know that it is not that hard to adapt.

As one poster mentioned, if you ask people who drive a lot like motorcycle taxi guys in that area then you will get a better answer than if you ask a kid at the petrol station who probably doesn’t even know how to drive and has never been anywhere. Learn to read their reaction to know if they actually know or not. If we are not sure or don’t understand the directions, ask someone else instead of saying Thais are stupid because we asked the wrong person.

I hope that I didn't sound as though I was saying Thais are stupid. That was not my intention nor is it my belief.

I do reckon a lot of Thais suck at directions.

Though I was quoting your post, I was trying to expand my original thoughts, so was not accusing you of anything.

[LukKrueng]

compass directions are known by few Thais.

Usually, when trying to get someplace, you get directions from one person, then go a few blocks, get directions from someone else, then go a few blocks, .....and so on.

It's going to take decades for Thais to segue from hocus pocus thinking (ghosts, talismans, assuming people know what others are thinking, etc) ....to scientific thinking.

It doesn't help that their words for near and far are nearly identical. I tell the joke about a Thai army guy in a front trench during warfare. He's a spotter for a grenade launcher further back. a bomb drops. the spotter shouts 'glai!' (farther), but the bomb launcher hears 'glaie' (closer!) A few seconds later .....ka-boom!. Spotter goes on to next lifetime.

The word for "near" sounds nothing like the word for "far" to a Thai person. 2 distinct words with different spelling and sounds. Most westerners can't get a grasp of the tones and their importance in the Thai language and thus tend to wrongly say that near/far, dog/horse, white/enter/rice/he and many other groups of words "sound" the same

[Radar501]

......My missus has the attention span of a card board box......

Not just a Thai problem, chaps

[DrTuner]

I never bother. The maps on my phone works.

[user82374298374]

What can you expect from any culture that has as a default setting, showing maps without north being on the top. They turn things sideways and upside down and backwards. That must say something about this culture.

It's that way all over Asia, not just in Thailand. If you're in a big shopping mall anywhere in Asia, when you look at the maps of the stores on a given floor, the map isn't oriented to the actual layout of the building, but rather to your orientation as you look at the map.

Same thing with directions or other questions everywhere in Asia - if they don't know, they'll just make up some nonsense to save 'face'.

This sort of thing is why when an Asian with a plan eventually comes along - like, say, Mao - he dominates. Because no matter how stupid/unworkable the plan, at least he has one.

[Kenny202]

If you speak English or try to use Thai words and completely butcher the pronunciation, it is not their fault for being unable to understand what you said. One could also ask why you are so bad at asking for or getting directions. If you ask the wrong question or ask the wrong person, that is your fault.

True. However, I've been with Thais having the same regional accent and they've still been given polite and confident (albeit lengthy) directions to nowhere near where we wanted to go. Good side is I get to see a lot of unplanned sights.

I am just trying to point out the fact that some people blame the Thais for everything and accept no blame for their own shortcomings. Granted Thais orient themselves differently but if we know that it is not that hard to adapt.

As one poster mentioned, if you ask people who drive a lot like motorcycle taxi guys in that area then you will get a better answer than if you ask a kid at the petrol station who probably doesn’t even know how to drive and has never been anywhere. Learn to read their reaction to know if they actually know or not. If we are not sure or don’t understand the directions, ask someone else instead of saying Thais are stupid because we asked the wrong person.

I hope that I didn't sound as though I was saying Thais are stupid. That was not my intention nor is it my belief.

I do reckon a lot of Thais suck at directions.

I heard someone say once, "Thais aren't stupid but they do stupid things". About as logical as "same same but different" But by God it's true!

[JohnDodd]

compass directions are known by few Thais.

Usually, when trying to get someplace, you get directions from one person, then go a few blocks, get directions from someone else, then go a few blocks, .....and so on.

It's going to take decades for Thais to segue from hocus pocus thinking (ghosts, talismans, assuming people know what others are thinking, etc) ....to scientific thinking.

It doesn't help that their words for near and far are nearly identical. I tell the joke about a Thai army guy in a front trench during warfare. He's a spotter for a grenade launcher further back. a bomb drops. the spotter shouts 'glai!' (farther), but the bomb launcher hears 'glaie' (closer!) A few seconds later .....ka-boom!. Spotter goes on to next lifetime.

The first 3 paragraphs are accurate enough, but the "joke" is just that. As all Thais know the difference between the tones of these two words, also the "spotter" would add gwa to the first word.(ไกลก่วา) so the launcher would not hear (ใกล้) close. Thais are not the sharpest tool in the box, but they know their own language very well, and are all efficient at punning and wordplay.

[dazzz]

When i came to thai i met my wife at the airport and went to ekamai to get a bus to koh chang. At the station at 1pm bus at 4pm . Sat on the grass and even though i kept telling my wife time to go and find the bus she kept telling no its ok . Missed the bus .
Worst one was with the ignorant git that runs JSAT TV . Phoned him about sat tv in udon he said best come and see me in bkk . Got the night train down . His instructions get to ekamai head south about 100 metres passed the wat and 7/11 turn left ,go down the street until soi 6.Got to ekamai not sure which way south Wat and 7/11 both sides of the station ?
Headed what i thought was south , passed the 7/11 no left turn just an eye clinic.Went the other way no joy. Phoned his wife about 5 times and got the same instructions , she got fed up and called me some abusive names . Finally just kept walking south and after about 450 metres came upon a second 7/11 and behold the correct left turn . Passed soi 5 but then no soi 6 but lots of small roads running everywhere. Asked at a house they did not know so they got the people in the small store and the noodle shop opposite to help . Nobody knew this farang with lots of dishes on his roof. Then a youg boy came and said the junction i was standing on was soi 6 and the farang just lived around the corner . Walked 30 metres and behold there was this house with a lot of sat stuff on the roof . He lived in a cul de sac for 17 years and had to drive passed these shops and houses but they did not know he lived there.
Went to the house asked him about sat tv in udon , his reply sorry no signal that far north , can`t help you bye bye . 5 mins and i am on way way back to catch the night train back to udon .
A few weeks ago stayed in the star hotel near udon airport for and early morning flight . Hotel was in the middle of nowhere . Asked the girl if the was somwhere to get some food she said no . Asked her what the big building nmext to the hotel was , don`t know . She worked there for 5 years . The big building was udon airport hotel 30 metres the other way was a thai restaurent with excellent cheap food. Must be genetic .

[Kenny202]

compass directions are known by few Thais.

Usually, when trying to get someplace, you get directions from one person, then go a few blocks, get directions from someone else, then go a few blocks, .....and so on.

It's going to take decades for Thais to segue from hocus pocus thinking (ghosts, talismans, assuming people know what others are thinking, etc) ....to scientific thinking.

It doesn't help that their words for near and far are nearly identical. I tell the joke about a Thai army guy in a front trench during warfare. He's a spotter for a grenade launcher further back. a bomb drops. the spotter shouts 'glai!' (farther), but the bomb launcher hears 'glaie' (closer!) A few seconds later .....ka-boom!. Spotter goes on to next lifetime.

Boomer is correct. You can not expect the directions you get to be 100% accurate. It's like a murder mystery and you have to collect all the clues. So follow the first set of directions for several minutes and then ask someone else. Even if you don't get the right answers, eventually you can triangulate the position.

I have come to believe that Thai people rarely understand each other more than 50% it really comes down to the inability of the language to be precise (except with food).

Even with food it can get weird. "Kao Soi" (literally; 'food pretty' or 'rice road') is supposed to mean white noodles, but it could mean other things.

Tell a waitress you want 'glua' (salt) and she might think you're afraid of something

Ask a waitress for 'pet' (duck) and you might get a kick in the shin, because pet also means sex. (or you might get a phone number!).

If the bill ends in sip-et (11) it could be heard as sip-paet (18), or vice versa.

If you ask for a fried egg 'over-easy' - at some places (like guest houses) they'll understand. Yet, if you demonstrate with hand motions you want the egg just a half second (krung wee-natee) turned over, they'll act like they understand, but they are genetically incapable of doing it that quickly. The egg will inevitably be turned over for at least several seconds, until the yellow is as hard as a pencil eraser.

If you tell them you don't want MSG (mai aow pom charot) they'll nod 'yes' with a smile. However, you're trusting they'll tell the cook, and trusting the cook will honor your request. Even if the waitress conveys your message, the cook may think, "it's farang, what do they know? They're not going to tell me how to cook." Either way, the cook will still use some of the 22 bottles of store-bought sauce by the grill, all of which have MSG.

I don't speak a lot of Thai but If you ask a waitress for "pet" you will get extra hot. Duck is pronounced "ped"....actually it sounds nearly like a cross between PED / BED. Pet or anything like that as far as I know isn't a word used for SEX in Thai or a kick in the shins? I hear you on the rest of it though. Thais do love to be recalcitrant :-)

[kwak250]

I find its a mixture of things. For one, the Thai language doesn't seem to be one of clarity. My missus has the attention span of a card board box. For a start she would usually rather cut her hand off than ask for directions. Some silly loss of face thing no doubt. Then, if she does...there will be a lengthy conversation back and forth....can go on for 10 minutes then she'll turn around and say "he doesn't know". if the person did give her directions she won't have absorbed a word of it...even though she's nodding and appearing to comprehend. We'll drive 200m and she can't tell me the first turn. Other thing is.....Thai people can't say "I don't know". Again a face thing. I've learnt now...if u ask a Thai something....and they hesitate for more than a couple of seconds...they don't have a clue and are about to tell you an absolute fairy story so they don't look stupid...even though u will soon learn they did not infact have a clue and bullshted you and are infact stupid. Like a big game of let's pretend. Took me prodding my missus 3 days for her to work up the courage to go and ask the neighbour's if they would be able to give us the number for their water delivery man. Must be awful being so encumbered with that crap

Exactly.

You've travelled Thailand a bit.

It's the way it is and it's not going to change. I sort of like the game and I certainly get to see a lot of things that I wouldn't have if I'd gone the 'right' way.

Unfortunately I own a GPS with a wicked sense of humour.

I thought i was alone with this 5555

I have stopped asking directions as my wife nods and seems like she is taking all of these directions in then after 5 minutes says he dosent really know..

Still remember asking directions from 3 people working cleaning the roads ,they all looked at each other with no idea then one pointed out over fields somewhere?

They had about 5 teegh between them and now my wife always jokes to ask someone with teeth if i want to stop and ask.

I now have Sygic gps and its excellent but not as much fun

[HooHaa]

compass directions are known by few Thais.

Usually, when trying to get someplace, you get directions from one person, then go a few blocks, get directions from someone else, then go a few blocks, .....and so on.

It's going to take decades for Thais to segue from hocus pocus thinking (ghosts, talismans, assuming people know what others are thinking, etc) ....to scientific thinking.

It doesn't help that their words for near and far are nearly identical. I tell the joke about a Thai army guy in a front trench during warfare. He's a spotter for a grenade launcher further back. a bomb drops. the spotter shouts 'glai!' (farther), but the bomb launcher hears 'glaie' (closer!) A few seconds later .....ka-boom!. Spotter goes on to next lifetime.

ill bet world war 2 anecdotes really resonate with the locals

[laolover88]

T'was the Irish started all this. If you want to go to Cork I would not start from here!

I think it really boils down to: "They don't SEE anything" This is quite common in China SE Asia. Totally wrapped up in personal bubbles. We live 2 kilos from Big C. There are at least 5 different routes to get there. My wife asks me " How do you know the way?" She gets lost every day in a small town she has lived in all her life.Many Thais go to BKK to work and never leave the small Soi where they landed up because there was a friend or family there. The bus takes them to the factory and brings them back. When I lived in Woodstock in the UK 10 miles from Oxford there were old ladies who had never been to Oxford. "Where do you go every day?"" I go to London to work". Astonishment. There are plenty of Thais who have barely left their A. Muang ever.Time. Well 11.05 is mid-day already; but no-one much misses the trough at 12.00. There are complaints here that the bus company, which is wildly efficient has buses that leave on time."I have ticket" "Why you not wait me?"

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

Why not just use Google Maps?

And drive off an abyss somewhere? The maps are only as good as the update and it doesn't happen in Thailand.

I use google maps in Thailand and find them far better than the GPS maps you get in units from the likes of Garmin, so believe your confused, Thailand doesnt update google maps, Google updates google maps...but nice try anyway

Google maps are beter than Garmin as long as you have 3g or 4g, if not Google maps are useless.

[gawaterman]

My wife has lived in the same house here in Australia for the last 27yrs now. Our 3 kids all went to the same Primary School which is due south over our backyard.

Whenever she talks about the school she always points due north, over the front yard.

She has been using google maps on her phone lately and does seem to be able to find places though

Edited March 22, 2016 by gawaterman

[scorecard]

The cause?

Lack of critical thinking in their education

- specifically: experience looking at a map and extrapolating that to their environment and vice versa; just look at almost any map drawn by a Thai company for their business location and it is often devoid of a compass or sense of distance. Foreigners take it for granted that we have a lifetime of working with maps, drawing them, explaining them, and a sense of location. This is not the experience of our Thai friends.

The reverse is true. I cannot distinguish certain kinds of kluan nam waa from others and am not very good at appreciating the various aspects of flavor in a Tom Yam. I can get to "it is good" or "I like it" but beyond that, my Thai friends can go on for hours. Literally hours. I am at a loss in this universe.

The solution - do it yourself. Google maps are useful as are other maps.

- When looking for a location locally, go to the motorcycle taxis and ask. They are the best source of information. If they cannot give a good explanation, then simply ask them to lead you there (if you are driving) and pay the 20 or 30 Baht. I find this works extremely well in almost any situation

One of the worst I've seen - we got company admin. manager gives moto cycle taxi messenger (from outside) an envelope.

On the envelope is the name of the company only.

Messenger asks 'where is this company?'

Admin. manager says 'Silom' and walks away.

Messenger puts the envelope on the counter and walks out.

Admin. manager is angry - can't understand what's wrong.

I take her aside - give her a document with very little detail and tell her 'you, personally, deliver this to Asoke'.

She quickly says 'where in Asoke?'

My response: 'Up to you - just deliver it', and I walked out.

Ten minutes later she came back full of apologies.

I had already quietly asked several of her direct reports if they have clarity on their work tasks / outputs.

Answer from all 'No.'

I ask 'Can you ask her questions to get more details?

They all giggle and say 'they are too frightened to ask questions.'

(I didn't hire her she was employed by another director.)

During next 30 days several bright and focused young staff walk out, plus 4 new maids and 3 new drivers, all just walked out.

The problem is obvious - the approach / the attitude / the lack of communication skills of the admin. manager.

Bottom line - she is quickly sacked before the compulsory probation period had expired.

Edited March 22, 2016 by scorecard

[LukKrueng]

compass directions are known by few Thais.

Usually, when trying to get someplace, you get directions from one person, then go a few blocks, get directions from someone else, then go a few blocks, .....and so on.

It's going to take decades for Thais to segue from hocus pocus thinking (ghosts, talismans, assuming people know what others are thinking, etc) ....to scientific thinking.

It doesn't help that their words for near and far are nearly identical. I tell the joke about a Thai army guy in a front trench during warfare. He's a spotter for a grenade launcher further back. a bomb drops. the spotter shouts 'glai!' (farther), but the bomb launcher hears 'glaie' (closer!) A few seconds later .....ka-boom!. Spotter goes on to next lifetime.

Boomer is correct. You can not expect the directions you get to be 100% accurate. It's like a murder mystery and you have to collect all the clues. So follow the first set of directions for several minutes and then ask someone else. Even if you don't get the right answers, eventually you can triangulate the position.

I have come to believe that Thai people rarely understand each other more than 50% it really comes down to the inability of the language to be precise (except with food).

Even with food it can get weird. "Kao Soi" (literally; 'food pretty' or 'rice road') is supposed to mean white noodles, but it could mean other things.

Tell a waitress you want 'glua' (salt) and she might think you're afraid of something

Ask a waitress for 'pet' (duck) and you might get a kick in the shin, because pet also means sex. (or you might get a phone number!).

If the bill ends in sip-et (11) it could be heard as sip-paet (18), or vice versa.

If you ask for a fried egg 'over-easy' - at some places (like guest houses) they'll understand. Yet, if you demonstrate with hand motions you want the egg just a half second (krung wee-natee) turned over, they'll act like they understand, but they are genetically incapable of doing it that quickly. The egg will inevitably be turned over for at least several seconds, until the yellow is as hard as a pencil eraser.

If you tell them you don't want MSG (mai aow pom charot) they'll nod 'yes' with a smile. However, you're trusting they'll tell the cook, and trusting the cook will honor your request. Even if the waitress conveys your message, the cook may think, "it's farang, what do they know? They're not going to tell me how to cook." Either way, the cook will still use some of the 22 bottles of store-bought sauce by the grill, all of which have MSG.

I don't speak a lot of Thai but If you ask a waitress for "pet" you will get extra hot. Duck is pronounced "ped"....actually it sounds nearly like a cross between PED / BED. Pet or anything like that as far as I know isn't a word used for SEX in Thai or a kick in the shins? I hear you on the rest of it though. Thais do love to be recalcitrant :-)

it all comes down to the fact that none of you guys really speak thai. For a thai person, be a child or am adult 11 never sounds like 18, a duck never sounds like spicy and salt never mistaken for afraid.

The universities are not full of people who don't understand each other any more than your own countries.

it's always easier to blame others for your own short comings

[jomcondo]

I find a lot of hotel owners on agoda can't mark their property on a map in an accurate manner.

when I ask locals in the immediate vicinity most of the time nobody has a clue ( I've even had them point in the sky.)

but if I pull out my telephone with a pic of the hotel.......I usually hear the "aaaaah" sound of acknowledgement

[chingching]

I've found I cannot ask directions of anyone indoors, without them going outside first.

[Bobotie]

Why not just use Google Maps?

And drive off an abyss somewhere? The maps are only as good as the update and it doesn't happen in Thailand.

I use google maps in Thailand and find them far better than the GPS maps you get in units from the likes of Garmin, so believe your confused, Thailand doesnt update google maps, Google updates google maps...but nice try anyway

I agree with geriatrickid, you cannot trust google maps or Garmin, there have been cases of drivers getting lost by hundreds of kms, coz they were reliant only on the technology

Nothing wrong with the technology, run of the mill GPS units, even the ones on your phone can get you within 10 meters of location...the problem in almost all cases it is the user BS in BS out and all

As stated i have used google maps extensively in Thailand and find it better the the Garmin, and the times i have got it wrong, it was because i gave the unit or google maps the wrong location

Edited March 22, 2016 by Bobotie