50 interesting things about Thailand...
1.
They absolutely love food here. Thais eat
all day, every day. The day revolves around when you eat - and I love anyone
who appreciates food.
2.
This truly is the land of smiles. Not all
of the smiles may be genuine, but they will always rip you off with a smile on
their face.
3.
The smog and humidity never goes away.
You will always sweat and have a filmy layer of dirt on your skin.
4.
Public restrooms = squatter toilets. You
flush by pouring more water into the bowl. I refuse to use.
5.
Plastic, plastic everywhere. If you buy
anything, no matter what its size, you will be given a plastic bag, spoon, and
straw.
6.
7-11s are on every corner. You may not be
able to flush toilet paper down the toilet, but Thais have embraced the Western
chain stores.
7.
Many things in Thailand are hypocrisies.
You must cover your shoulders and knees; however, the attitude towards sex is
very open: i.e. ping pong shows.
8.
Thais do not walk long distances. It is
more efficient in their mind to get on a motorbike and ride 100 feet than walk
it.
9.
Hording: buried alive. They keep
everything and store it inside, outside, and under their house.
10. Thais
parents are wonderfully involved in their children’s lives.
11.
No helmet? No problem! It is very common
for people on scooters and motorbikes to ride without a helmet, and 4 people
deep.
12. Women
rule! Women are seen as superior to men in Thailand. Most of the women have
jobs while the men stay at home.
13. Thai
spice is extremely different than Mexican spice. It takes time to build up your
tolerance.
14. Everything
is a show. Any event is turned into a huge production – releasing doves,
cutting ribbons, and all.
15.
Thais & Tiaras. Thailand has the
ultimate pageant moms. If their child is in a show or performance, that child
will be up at 5am to have their hair and makeup done and be stuffed into a
dramatic costume. Expect glitter, eye liner, blush, and bouffants.
16. Food
is cheap. Pad Thai = 30 baht = 1 dollar
17.
Beer and whiskey flow freely. But wine
and other hard liquors are harder to come by and much more expensive.
18. Transportation
is relatively cheap; however, it is a PROCESS. Expect double the time you think
it will take you to get somewhere.
19. Soi
cats and dogs rule the streets. They do not believe in spaying or neutering
their pets so there is an overpopulation of cats and dogs roaming the roads.
20. Trash
cans are few and far between. Thus explaining why people keep atrocious amounts
of garbage in and around their homes.
21. Color
Coordinating. Thais love to match outfits; there is even a dress code for the
country! Mondays they wear yellow, Tuesdays pink, Wednesdays Hawaiian…
22. Water
from the tap is not potable; however you can shower and brush your teeth with
it. They are water refilling stations that let you fill up a 1 liter bottle for
1 baht.
23. Thailand
loves their King. He is not just a ruling monarch; he is a father figure and
guardian. He is also extremely old and was born in Boston!
24. The
King’s Anthem plays across the country every day at 8 in the morning and 6 at
night. Everyone stops in the streets and stands in silence to honor their King.
25. Unwanted
pets: Whether you choose to or not, you will have animals and critters in your
house. Lizards will climbs the walls and ceilings, watching you sleep and
playing hide and seek.
26. Bugs.
Mosquitos are everywhere and I have embraced creepy and crawly insects in my
life; however, Thailand’s bugs are another story. They come in waves. We will
go weeks without bug bites or mosquito hunting sprees. Yet every once and a
while a new wind will bring in swarms of mosquitos and moths.
27. Feces
Swamps. Perhaps because indoor plumbing is a few decades behind in this country,
open rivers of putrid slime run behind buildings. The rancid smell can only be
feces cooking in the sun.
28. White
vans. Who would have thought that jumping into a white, unmarked van would be a
common occurrence and “safe.” The best way to travel from city to city in
Thailand is in by a van that does not follow traffic laws, speed limits, or a
schedule.
29. Outdoor
night markets. In every city there is a night market where you go to pick up
produce or dinner. Food stalls and impromptu restaurants (i.e. plastic chairs
and tables) are set up in an open area. Everyone roams the aisles collecting
bags of fried fish, fresh fruit, and meat on a stick.
30. Fruit.
Oranges are green, guava is white, and we eat mango when it’s not ripe. The
fruit is exotic, flavorful, and abundant.
31. Fruit
Smoothies. 15 baht (50 cents) will get you the freshest and tastiest fruit
smoothie of your life. Watch the smoothie lady throw fruit and ice in a blender
and enjoy.
32. No
cooking! Most apartments and houses do not have a kitchen, thus cooking a meal
is quite difficult. Everyone goes out for every meal – and it ends up being
cheaper to buy dinner than it is to make it. You usually pick up bags of
various dishes for dinner and either eat at the market or bring it back home.
33. “Winter.”
Experiencing Thai winter was unbelievable. It would drop to low 70’s at night
and reach the low 80’s during the day. These freezing temperatures required everyone to wear fur parkas,
scarves, and gloves. They could never make it in New England.
34. Thai
Time. A clock or schedule does not matter. Shops will open and close as they
please. Buses and vans will depart once the driver is ready. Arrival times hold
no truth. You are on the country’s clock, not your own.
35. Ice,
Ice, Baby. An iced coffee is 9/10th ice and 1/10th
coffee. Also, a cold beer is served with ice rather than a frosted glass.
36. Living
on the floor. Walking down a Thai street and peeking into a home gives you a
clear view of how people live: on the floor. They eat, sleep, and lounge on it. Even the beds are made hard to resemble the firm floor.
37. No
knives. A place setting involves a soup spoon and fork. Most dishes are rice or
noddle based so there is no need to cut anything. Knives become a distant
memory.
38. The
ever-changing smells. While walking down the road one minute you will be
enjoying fragrant jasmine, the next smell will be a dish being seasoned with
Thai spice, and then all of a sudden a foul smell of urine and rotting garbage
will hit you like a brick wall.
39. Famous
Farangs. Foreigners, or farangs, are celebrities. Walking down the street
people will call out whatever English phrases they know to grab your attention.
Strangers will ask to take pictures with you. You’ll be asked to sing Thailand’s
National Anthem just being you are a farang. That is your identity, not your
name.
40. White
is right? The fairer the skin, the more beautiful you are in Thai eyes.
Thailand is sadly behind in racial equality. They associate dark skin with the
working class and will even bleach their own skin to keep it pale. They walk
under umbrellas and cover their skins with layers of clothes to avoid getting
tan. The worst part is hearing 7 year
olds follow this archaic way of thinking because they are raised in this ignorance.
41. The masks. Whether you are sick or want to
avoid getting sick you wear a doctor’s mask. Also to avoid inhaling the polluted
air on a songtaew ride people cover their mouths with masks, clothing, or even
citrus fruit.
42. The
Wai. Everyone must wai their elder. This bow, along with ending every sentence
with kah or krap (based on your gender), are signs of respect and honor.
43. No
sense of space. I walk on the right, Thai’s walk on the left, thus collisions
are bound to happen on the sidewalks. But factor in Thais walking 5 people
across and having no shame about pushing you out of the way – walking on food
stall and motorbike filled sidewalks is a whole new game.
44. No
shoes indoors. Everyone must take off their shoes when you enter a home or even
business. While indoors you should be barefoot or wear slippers. It is a sign
of respect that is an actually common practice in many countries.
45. Workout
clothes. When running at the park you are surrounded by people working out in
their school uniforms, leather spandex, flip-flops, or sweaters. How or why
they do this? I will never know.
46. Diarrhea
is an accepted excuse. Food in Thailand may not always settle well in your
stomach. It is just an accepted reality that you may be tied to the toilet for
the day. Your boss will have no shame telling you that their bodily functions will
keep them from work.
47. No
toilet paper. There is no TP in the bathrooms. You must bring your own, but don’t
you dare flush it down the toilet. Also there is a hose you can spray yourself
with – a flexible bidet perhaps? – that the locals use.
48. No
car seats. Britney Spears would have never been attacked in Thailand for
holding her child in the front seat. Here, infants are held on motorbikes and toddlers
are piled into the front seat of a car – without a seatbelt of course.
49. The
humidity. It may be 93 degrees outside with 81% humidity, a real-feel of 107
degrees, and cloudy skies – you expect it to rain but it never does. Every day
it feels like the skies are going to open up and waves of water will pour down,
but the humidity never breaks and air pressure is never released.
50. Many
rules, no laws. There are many rules in Thailand – about how to act, what to
wear, how to speak – yet there are very few clear laws. The rules and practices
are not enforced. If you want to ride your motorbike down the sidewalk you can.
If you want to run a restaurant without refrigeration or a bathroom, go for it.
You simply just have to go for the ride in this lawless land.
I don't know HOW you did it.
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