What really buggers you in LOS?

[jasmine]

Hi,

 

[color:"red"] Fortunately, I was became guarded at this point thinking that this guy was liable to do anything and I could end up with a knife in my stomache. Eventually, we went our separate ways. [/color]

 

Friend, there is more resentment on many "farangs" in certain type of Thai population. I have seen incidents that Thais become very angry being corrected by the so-called "farangs". One incident I was by myself and it happened to a "female farangs" in a public bathroom in Bangkok. As usual, we lined up, 2 Thai women barged in so the "farang" grabbed one of them, both of them turned against her saying "This is my country, I will use the bathrooms way before any one else (in Thai). I had to interfere to calm both sides down (at the risk of my neck). I actually had to lie to the Thais that this "farang" really needed to go bad for she did not feel well in her stomach.

 

It is the thinking of as the Thais, Thailand is the Thais' country and visitors are just that visitors, not even guests at times.

 

Just be careful, but don't be so self concious, some situation is worth the correcting, sometimes it is not. Once, at an open restuarant with my husband, a guy came in from no-where and started mumbling loud enough for me to hear that I must have been a whore (an old whore at that), to be with a foreigner. We just paid and walked out, how would you correct a drunk, want-to-pick-a-fight kind? Didn't even tell my husband what he said even though he sensed that I was upset. Some things are not worth it.

 

On commuting, I ride MARC tain most of the times but my husband has to drive to our Reston, VA officea lot. My office is also in Reston but I spend more time with my clients in MD where I can just get there by MARC train. 5 hrs./day commuting has aged me rapidly.

 

Cheers and take care!

[Guest]

I read an article somewhere that they way the Thais are not very courteous because it is the "mai pen rai" attitude. I disagree, but I cannot put my thumb on exactly why.

---

 

I think the reasoning behind this has to do with the idea that Thai society (similarly to other Asian cultures) is based on a complex hierarchy of relationships; implicitly sensing one's place in the hierarchy is part of the art of being Thai. In this kind of environment, there really isn't a need for courteousness in the western sense, because one's place in the pecking order -- rapidly sized up based largely on appearances -- dicates appropriate behavior.

 

Now having said that, in general I don't find Thais to be discourteous. Some are, some aren't, just like anywhere else. Even those that haven't had exposure to western ways are usually friendly, which is a perfectly well-meaning and acceptable substitute for western-style courtesy.

 

The people behaviing boorishly as described in this thread are no different than scumbags the world over -- it has little to do with courtesy.

[june11]

When people in thailand cut in front of me, I cut right back

in front of them(sometimes resulting in them having verry

little room to stand), but then give them a big smile that i

hope says: "hey!, how ya doing? Sorry, but that'll show ya

for being a jerk".

 

Moreover, just to show the thai people how silly they are to

block the exit doors on skytrain when we're trying to get

off, i tend to walk right into people and let them move out

of MY way.....again, with a BIG SMILE. It's amazing that

anything goes, as long as you have a BIG SMILE. (land

of big smiles). I always do these things with the ulterior

motive of "educating" the Thai people....

[chilli13]

too cold aircon buggers me big time as I goto LOS to escape the friggin cold :onfire:

obvious venues are most new gogo's & I'd really hate to be the poor girls who have to cope more or less naked with the low temperatures...

runners up are cinemaes & upmarket bars/clubs. fortunately I usually survive a 2 week visit without major colds, but still it's a major noicense to me as well as waste of power

[limbo]

The bright neon lights in all public places but especially in restaurants. Very cosy.

 

Also the motorbikes with a sidecar mounted onto them, mostly in the form of small mobile restaurants, great if you're hungry but a nightmare and outright dangerous if you meet them whilst they're driving on the road.

 

Limbo

[thalenoi]

Strange no one mentionned all the rubbish left behind by Thai people. Seems they have not been educated in using dirtbins.

Plastic of all kinds everywhere. They just throw packaging out of the window of cars, trucks, buses, trains.

 

East winds are blowing here since a few days and every morning tons of rubish end up on the beach. We had a cleaning action amids the inhabitants here, but all for nothing since "fresh" rubbish hit the beach since.

 

Chinese New Year brought a lot of people on the beach and they just leave all their pick-nick dirth in the grass and sand.

 

Can the education system take care of this please? :onfire:

[Oldtimer]

There are a lot of interesting posts here, one or two of which ring a bell with me. But, what if we had a contest for Thai tourists and temporary residents of America or Europe: e.g. "What really buggers you in the USA?"

[Zaad]

They just throw packaging out of the window of cars, trucks, buses, trains.

---

I agree.

I live near a high school were there are lots of students throwing rubbish on the street. Motorcycles packed with 3 to 4 students, one drives while the others eat. They don't bother to bring their rubbish (sticks, plastic bags etc) with them, they don't even bother to throw it to the sidewalk, no, they simply let it fall right next to them as if unintended.

 

 

[limbo]

Totally agree Thalenoi,

 

I try to have my wife tell her niece, who's six years old. She just copies everybody else, but with her I see a possibility, with the older folks I think it's too late, they've been doing that all their life.

 

Too bad.

 

Cheers,

Limbo

[JJsushi]

Songkran in Pattaya with inebriated or malicious farang who are violent in their celebration with the water guns and PVC pipes to the point they don't care if they harm someone. What bothers me even more is the Thais who mimc this viscious type of celebration when they know that it doesn't embody the spirit of Songkran.