Thailand – 5 Things you didn’t know

1.  I don’t care that you made me wet, it doesn’t mean that I like you touching me.

During the water play of Songkran celebrations, if a man touches another man’s wife in a manner that she deemed to be offensive, the aggrieved lady can report that man to the Police.  The offender will then be instructed by the Police to pay financial compensation to the lady for her embarrassment.

I would suggest that this is more applicable for village (rural) life where everyone knows everyone.  In this instance, it’s probably much the same as what could happen at an office Christmas party in a Western country.  All year you’ve been secretly admiring (lusting after) a girl in your office and once you’ve had a couple of drinks at the Christmas party, well you make your move.

But seriously, unwelcome sexual advances in Thailand are highly inappropriate and viewed very humorlessly.  The Tourist and Bar areas of Thailand are NOT the real Thailand.  So I’m happy that the poor drunk fool who paws at another man’s wife gets fined for his stupidity.

2.  I just want to use the toilet.

When I go to a public toilet, I just want to stand there, do my business and then leave.  Oh sorry, wash my hands and then leave.

But in the Pubs in Thailand, if you standing at the urinal and well, urinating.  A Thai man, the bathroom attendant, will come up behind you and start massaging your shoulders.  What the……  Yes, it’s true.

I was so shocked the first time it happened to me.  I raised my hand, turned my head and said NO.  He must have understood because he stopped straight away.  Hahaha

For the rest of the night I made sure that I headed for the safety of the cubicle each time I needed to wee.

But Thais can take it very seriously, once you finish, the bathroom attendant assists you in washing / drying your hands and he then waits for a tip.  Normally 20 baht.  But could be more depending on how rich or how drunk you are.

There was even an occasion when two Thai men had been standing alongside each other at the urinals and had received the same service from the attendant.  One guy paid 40 baht, while the other only paid 20 baht.  The guy that only paid 20 baht, in his police report, stated that the man who paid more had embarrassed him and made him feel cheap and that’s why he stabbed him in the neck with a broken bottle.  Truth is stranger than fiction.

3.  You haven’t been to University and you have a tan, so you’re not as good as me

Thailand is an amazingly beautiful country and the people are perceived as being kind and gentle.  But it’s not perfect.  The way in which many Thais view each other based on skin colour or their role in society is neither kind nor gentle.

You can’t walk into a 711, chemist/pharmacy or a supermarket without seeing multiple products for sale that proclaim to “whiten” your skin.  Thais determine a person’s attractiveness by how white their skin is.  Before I married Ta and I was chatting to other Thai girls and I was shocked at the number of girls that actually apologized for not being “white skin”.  Many Thai men actually prefer Japanese or Korean girls because their skin is lighter.

In Australia, I was embarrassed to remove my shirt in public because I’m so white.  It’s seen as not being healthy if your skin doesn’t have some colour.  So I guess Thailand is the country for me.

There is also a vast chasm between the rich and the poor in Thailand.  This applies to the perceived difference between working class and university educated Thais as well.

There was a call at one stage for university educated Thais to have 3 votes during government elections, while everyone else could only place one vote.  There were claims being made that the huge number of uneducated people had very little understanding of what would be good for the country and therefore couldn’t be trusted to vote intelligently.  OMG!!!

4.  Where are the Knives?

Thais never use a knife once they have sat down to eat their meal.  Of course they use knives in the preparation of meals, but that’s where it ends.  In an average Thai restaurant you will generally only be offered a spoon and fork or chopsticks, which they only use when eating noodles.

I actually brought a set of cutlery with me when I moved from Australia.  Strange, but I wanted some things to feel normal for me in case I got home sick.  When I opened the box, my wife said WOW I’ve never owned knives like that.

If a Thai needs to spread something like jam, they will use the back of a spoon.

5.  Are you sure that guy is Thai?

You may think that Thailand is a poor country and yes, when compared to many Western countries it is.  But the countries bordering Thailand are even poorer.

Don’t be surprised to see many of the “labour” jobs being performed by workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.  These workers are paid minimum wages, however many of them are provided group housing by their employers and are also transported to and from their place of work.  You can often see five to ten or sometimes more people in the back of a truck our minibus at the beginning and end of the day around Bangkok.

I hope that you found this information interesting.  I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPT43WW03XSalWXyWY3iuEg

Take care

Brad & Ta

Thai Girlfriend Communication - What you need to Know

Regardless of whether you speak English, German, Italian or even basic Thai, if you’re not a native Thai, you won’t understand the subtle nuisances of Thai communication.

Here are my Top 5 points to keep front of mind when interacting with Thai people.

1.   Laughter

Thailand is famously known as the Land of Smiles, but it’s also the land of laughter.  A Thai person will inexplicably smile and laugh when they don’t understand you, when they’re uncomfortable or when they just don’t know what to say.  In most situations, their first instinct is to laugh and smile.

Even if the Thai person has a good level of English, by nature they will quite often still fall back on using smiles and laughter during conversation.  Really, did you honestly think you were that funny during your date!!!

Not so long ago, I had to fly back to Australia for my Mum’s funeral.  Our neighbour saw that I was waiting outside the house with a bag and my wife explained to her why I was leaving.  The neighbour looked at me, laughed and smiled and then gave me hand respect.  I thought to myself, what the hell, why is she laughing!!!  But I had to remember, that’s just what Thais do.

So, don’t think too much and just look past the smiles and more importantly, look past the laughter.  They’re not laughing at you or your situation, they’re just laughing because that’s what they do.

2.  Honesty

A Thai will not tell you the truth if they believe that the truth will hurt your feelings or cause either of you embarrassment.

When I first started dating Thai girls, both in Australia and in Thailand, our communication could become strained very easily due to my trust issues.  I hold honesty and trust in the highest regard; but Thais have a slightly different moral compass and will quite often tell “white lies” in any given situation.  So I therefore had difficulty in my earlier relationships when I would uncover these “white lies”.

I have since learned at a lot about interacting with Thai people and in so doing, learned a lot about myself.  Unless you are talking about Thai girls that have been hurt and deceived by Western men, most Thais don’t want to cause harm by telling “white lies”, they are simply trying to protect your feelings, not cause embarrassment or to use the lie to help the process of simply going with the flow.  Mai Pen Rai

Your average Thai would never openly criticize a bad meal at a restaurant or even complain that they didn’t receive what they had ordered.  They would just not be honest about the situation to avoid causing a scene or embarrassment.

By the way, thousands of Thai girls come to Australia each year to earn money, sorry I mean to find a husband, no sorry, I mean to study.  Yes, that’s right, to study.  So if an Aussie wants to meet a Thai girl, he doesn’t have to travel all the way to Thailand to do it.  I’m guessing that this is probably the same in many English speaking countries.

Please use the comments section to tell me if this is the same where you live.

3.  Eye contact

I often ask my wife this question – “How can you be listening to me if you’re not looking at me?”

She could be doing any number of things; playing with the dog, looking at her phone or even just staring at a tree, anything but looking at me.  However, she assures me that I have her undivided attention and that she’s hanging on my every word.  Mai pen rai

Sometimes I will ask her to tell me what I’ve said and most times yes, she has been listening.  On the odd occasion when she can’t, she’ll blame her bad English.  Women, you can’t win…..

In most western countries, it’s important to make eye contact with a person during conversation.  In Thai, not so much.  A Thai would be happy having a conversation with you without needing to look at you even once.  Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but often it’s verging on that point.

Thai women often post comments on the Thai webboard / forum, Pantip, complaining about how they keep getting into trouble from their farang boyfriend for not looking at him when he’s talking.

Perhaps we farang men should get over ourselves and not sweat the little things, what we’re saying probably isn’t that earth shattering anyway.

4.  I know what you want, I don’t need to ask you!

Thais have a tendency of thinking that they know what you want or need without having to ask you.  Or is that just women in general…

My experience tells me that most Thai’s are like this, but I’m not 100% sure if it’s cultural or just due to a potential language barrier.  Your average Thai doesn’t tend to worry too much about the small stuff, so if in their mind something is not important, they won’t consult you before making a decision on your behalf.  Conversely, if your girlfriend / wife believes that an important decision is to be made, she will defer entirely to your “good” judgment.  Thai women allow men to be men.

I’ll ask my wife, “why are we doing this” or “what’s this I’m eating” and on most occasions she’ll answer, “it’s good for your health”.

How can I argue with that!

So shut up husband, I know what’s good for you (she would never actually say that, not out loud anyway).

5.  Up to You

Arai Kor Dai (Up to You / Whatever you Want) and Mai Pen Rai (That’s OK / No Problem)

You will often hear these phrases in Thailand, they are not used out of habit, your average Thai is genuinely happy to just go with the flow or to put themselves out for someone that they love.

It’s not that they don’t care, but they don’t like conflict and they certainly don’t like embarrassing themselves and other people.  They will even inconvenience themselves so that they don’t inconvenience others.

I had a situation recently where there was a truck parked outside a shop and the driver was walking to and from the truck with his delivery.  My wife wanted to get off the footpath and walk around the truck so that she didn’t inconvenience the delivery man.

 I said

“So you’re happy to walk in the traffic, where there is the potential for you to be hit by a car, just so you don’t interrupt the delivery man?”

She said

“Yes”

I said

“Mental.  We’re walking this way.  Stay on the footpath.”  Hahaha

By the way, the general rule of “Up to You” is somewhat reversed when you start to talk about the roads in Thailand.  Thai drivers can be extremely selfish and most have formed very bad habits when driving.  My wife is always saying to me “let him go, don’t worry about him”, after I have just been cut off or someone is doing a U-turn from the middle lane.

I guess it’s only the people who are on the receiving end of bad driving who say Arai Kor Dai and Mai Pen Rai.  It can be so dangerous to push an issue on the roads here.  People have been shot and killed for simply using their car horn in Thailand.  But that’s a story for another time.

I hope that you found my little chat interesting.  I would love to hear from you and read your comments.

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/OurLifeThai/

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPT43WW03XSalWXyWY3iuEg

Take care

Brad & Ta

Songkran 2017 1 Farang and 5,000 Thai - Best way to Play Water

I love the area in which I live.  It’s filled with wonderfully kind and generous working class Thais.  Free from the issues that plague the tourist areas of Thailand.  The very few foreigners who live around here are respectful of Thai culture and the Thais are only trying to earn an honest dollar.

In 2 nights of Songkran celebrations, the only white face I saw was the one staring back at me as I was taking a selfie (we were only 30km from the centre of Bangkok).  But I’m happy with that.  I can’t see the point of moving to another country if you’re not going to live like a local.  The food, the culture and the experience of Thailand.  You must embrace it all.

We spent about 3 hours each night playing water on Prakesa Road in the Province of Samut Prakan.  This place goes off.  I’m pleased to say that  we didn't see any accidents or any violence.  Just thousands of very happy and friendly people doing what Thais love to do most, PARTY.

The locals were extremely accepting of me, even to the point where I sometimes felt like a rockstar with the amount of attention I was getting.  Crazy.

Before I moved to Thailand, I never even dreamed that girls (& some men) would line up to have their photo taken with me.  I’m still shocked at how often it happens, even when no alcohol is involved.  Ta, my extremely patient and understanding wife, was happy to be the camera person as girls lined up to have their photo taken with me.  Life can be so tough.  Why would you play Songkran surrounded by all the foreign tourists and Expats when you can celebrate like this!

Also wanting to highlight the fact that the girls aren’t prostitutes either, they don’t want anything from me and they’re respectful of the fact that I have a Thai partner.  All they want to do is celebrate Songkran, share their happiness and have fun with the only farang that had come along to play.

The people here don’t have a lot, but they will generously share what little they do have.  I couldn’t walk 100 metres without someone wanting to share their beer or whiskey.  Plus so many people just offering a simple smile or water for our gun, everyone was just genuinely excited to spend time with a farang.

Could you even imagine offering for a complete stranger to drink from your glass where you live?

Yes, it is a fantasy world, but it’s a wholesome fantasy world.  My life here is free from bars and

everything that can so quickly seduce a man and drain his bank account in Thailand.

You don't need bars to see sexy girls in Thailand, they're everywhere.

Even the local Police were friendly.  I shook hands with one cop and the hand shake lasted so long that it started to feel more like we were holding hands, which I wasn’t comfortable with, but I guess it was nice for him to want to do that.

Being a police officer in any country is a difficult and thankless job, but try being a cop in Thailand during Songkran!!!!  No thank you.  The entire population just wants to play water and have fun.  As a Police Officer, how do you control that?  Well really, you can't.....  Police here just try to ensure that the start of each afternoons water play begins safely and then they come back later and make sure that everyone goes home safely.

Really, if you want to live in Thai or simply thinking of coming for a holiday, please make sure that you come to experience the real Thailand.  Don’t just go to Phuket, Chaing Mai or Pattaya. Those places are so full of foreigners, that it’s not a true reflection of Thai life.   You're doing yourself a serious injustice if you just stick to the well worn tourist paths.

I hope that you found my little chat interesting.  I would love to hear from you by reading your comments.

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/OurLifeThai/

Oh, if you’re thinking to yourself that this guy is full of crap, things like that don’t happen…  Well, I have 4 video’s showing everything, go and check it out for yourself.  Just make sure that you can hide your jealousy well.

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPT43WW03XSalWXyWY3iuEg

Take care

Brad & Ta

BEST Currency Exchange Bangkok Thailand SUPERRICH Exchange Rates WOW!!!

For the BEST exchange rates in Bangkok, you need to travel to SUPERRICH Money Exchange.

SUPERRICH is only a short walk from Central World shopping centre, a walk that could potentially save you thousands of baht.

Particularly if you are bringing over money for your Pension or Marriage Visa.  Or, if you are preparing money to pay Sin Sod.

There are 2 stores, the green SUPERRICH and the orange SUPERRICH and they're located adjacent to each other.

Remember, you must visit the HO outlets near Central World.  The best rates aren't applicable at the satellite stores in Shopping centres / malls or at a BTS.

Please allow yourself a little extra time for the transaction, because these stores are constantly full of Thai's exchanging money prior to heading overseas.

A smart Thai in Bangkok wouldn't exchange money anywhere else.

Make sure that you download the apps prior to finalising your plans.

I hope that you found this information useful.

Please put and questions that you might have in the comments section below.  I will do my best to answer as quickly and as accurately as possible.

We look forward to seeing you back here again very soon.

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/OurLifeThai/

YouTube – video showing you the way to the Superrich stores
https://youtu.be/N7VnVtqz1xg

Take care

Brad & Ta

Aquarium Fish Market WORLD'S LARGEST Bangkok Amazing Thailand

The Chatuchak Market, or JJ Market to help the foreigners that can't pronounce Chatuchak, is situated very close to BTS Mo Chit.  Which by the way, is the most popular and convenient way of getting there.  Make sure that you have your camera ready to capture every amazing sight.

The World's largest weekend market, the sheer numbers and varying sizes of fish is simply staggering.  In my video, I've tried to give you a good cross section of the many different varieties for sale at the market.  You will see Koi, Stingrays, Cichlids, Marine Fish, Tropical Fish, Goldfish, Planted Tanks, Betta Fighting Fish, Flower Horns, Asian Arowanas, Arapaimas.  The list goes on and on.

The sellers clearly love their fish and were proud to have me video in the many different shops within the market.



Not only selling fish, they also have everything for the complete novice to get started.  Including Tanks, Filters, Pumps, Food (live and commercial brands), Heaters, Drift Wood, Underwater Plants, Rocks, Coral, Sand, Stones, etc, etc, etc.

One fish was priced at 480,000 baht (US$13,940), I wonder if anyone can tell me which one they think it is!!!

If you plan on traversing the entire Chatuchak Market, please ensure that you have enough hours to spare and that you have ample amounts of patience.  The place gets pretty crowded with both Thai and foreign shoppers.



Should you need a break, there is a very nice park adjacent to the market, you can even rent mats to sit on for only 20 baht (US$0.60).

I hope that you found this information interesting.

Please put any questions that you might have in the comments section.  I will do my best to answer as quickly and as accurately as possible.

We look forward to seeing you back here again very soon.


Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/OurLifeThai/
YouTube video tour of the Aquarium Market
https://youtu.be/f5Itt64Fc-8

Take care
Brad & Ta


Official Websites:
Chatuchak
http://www.chatuchakmarket.org/
BTS
https://www.bts.co.th/customer/en/main.aspx

Thai Fashion, Food & First Dates Terminal 21 Bangkok Shopping Thailand

Terminal 21 is the closest of the large shopping centre’s / malls to the “entertainment” district in Sukhumvit, Bangkok.  There are also a huge number of high quality hotels in this area, resulting in great numbers of tourists flocking to this district.

Spread over 6 levels, including a cinema at the top, each level is themed from a different city around the world.  There’s a double decker bus on the London level and a pair of Sumo’s on the level of Tokyo.  Even the bathrooms are a joy to visit, as the themes are extended there as well.

I have to admit, that Ta and I are most comfortable visiting and shopping at Terminal 21.  There are very few farang (foreigners) in our local area and so our presence can sometimes provide entertainment for the locals.  People unashamedly stare at us whenever we are out together.
They don’t mean anything by it; they’re just not used to seeing a mixed race couple out buying groceries together.

Shockingly, women stare at me more when I have a backpack with me.  Perhaps they’re thinking that if he’s only here for a holiday, maybe there’s a chance for me on his next visit.
hahaha

But Terminal 21 is different, farang / Thai couples are everywhere.  Some are on first dates; some are obviously married, while others, well let’s just say the relationship would seem to be more of a “financial” arrangement between the two.  ;-)

The centre / mall is well laid out and caters for everything from low to high end shopping.  I love the great quality and cheap prices for many of the t-shirts.

There is also a huge variety of Thai and international food to be had there.  The food court is always full of happy and smiling customers.

http://www.terminal21.co.th/asok/home/en

If you’re staying around Sukhumvit, I’d be surprised if you didn’t spend a certain amount of time there every day.

I hope that you found this information interesting.

Please put any questions that you might have in the comments section.  I will do my best to answer as quickly and as accurately as possible.

We look forward to seeing you back here again very soon.

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/OurLifeThai/
YouTube video tour of the shopping centre
https://youtu.be/KEqZpYUwkPc


Take care
Brad & Ta

Golf in Thailand The Masters and The Servants

Growing up in Australia, golf was fun and relatively affordable for people across all walks of life.
It’s one of the many, many reasons why people call Australia the lucky country.

But golf in Thailand is completely different.

If you’re an international visitor on holidays in Thailand, it’s incredibly fun.  Sunshine, well maintained courses, pretty and professional caddies, what else could you ask for!!!

For a Thai native, the game is seen as “HighSo” and only within reach of the middle to upper class.  Managers, Business Owners, Company Directors and their families, these are the people playing golf regularly in Thailand.

It's not uncommon to see professional drivers either standing beside their car or sleeping inside their car, waiting for the boss to finish their round of golf.  These drivers will be permanent employees of the golfers company, earning as little as 300 baht (US$8.70) per day.

From balls and gloves, to clubs, to membership, in Thailand it’s ALL expensive.

My wife can buy a dress at the local market for 60 baht (yes, she’s great at hunting down a bargain).  A USED golf ball at Thaniya Plaza will cost 40 baht.  If you're a Thai, which one are you going to buy?  (Assuming that you wear dresses or you know someone who does).  Used clubs that are up to 20 years old are still readily available to buy in Bangkok.

https://youtu.be/tRhisK8TBx0

Video tour of a 4 story shopping centre / mall in Bangkok, Thaniya Plaza, which is dedicated to the game of golf.

In Thai, you can buy a new motorbike for the same cost as a new set of Ping irons.

The law of supply and demand.  In a country where only 1,000,000 of the 75,000,000 residents play golf.  Things are going to be expensive.

I’ll break it down a bit further for you.  Let’s say that you’re a Thai golfer that already owns all the equipment.  18 holes at my local course (it’s a middle of the range course) will set you back a minimum of 1,800 baht (not including a golf cart).  Remembering; that caddies are compulsory for all who play.  The average income for an office worker, hotel front of house or even police officer is approximately 12,000 to 15,000 per month.  A single game of golf is therefore going to cost them at least 10-15% of their monthly income.

My local course, to their credit, has built "housing" for their employees and their families.  Ground staff, general maintenance staff, security staff, caddies, etc are living there.  However, the standard of the "housing" is of a very low standard.  Only 1 year after completion, they're already looking like old farm sheds of the side of the road.  A slum in the making.  Scary.....

This is the real reason why your caddie may be flirting with you.  You didn't really think it was because you were sooo irresistible!!!!
She wants a wealthy boyfriend, husband, benefactor.  She wants a better life than living in the shed along the side of the road can provide.  There's been numerous times that I've been out riding my bicycle and seen caddies leaving their home.  Their heads are down and they refuse to make eye contact.  However, if I saw them at golf, they'd be doing everything in their power to gain my attention.  It's sad......

I hope that you found this information interesting.

Please put any questions that you might have in the comments section below.  I will do my best to answer as quickly and as accurately as possible.

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/OurLifeThai/
YouTube video tour around the golf course, including the staff accommodation
https://youtu.be/_2T59P9HKpA

Take care
Brad & Ta