On my recent trip to Thailand
I found myself with a few hours to spare and as a curious soul thought I would wander
around Bangkok
with my video camera looking for interesting things in my eye to film and to
record for all time on my You Tube channel beautifulthailnd99. At this time
February 2014 Khun Suthep - the rabble rousing Thai politician and his PDRC yellow shirt movement had taken
to organising protest rally sites at some of the major intersections of downtown
central Bangkok.
One such protest stage which was host to any numbers of what
to my trained ear where rubbish pop groups and croaking 2nd rate karaoke
singers was at the Asok intersection normally host to any numbers of hot and
sticky traffic jams. On approaching from the Sky Train station or the
underground Sukhumvit station you could her the raucous din as soon as you had left
the train and I stayed for a few minutes observing the crowd and
speakers on the stage.
At the comer I also spotted the now infamous Soi Cowboy an
infamous street full of go go bars popular with thrill seeking males both
expatriate and visitors from abroad. I strolled down the Soi until at the far
end I came across a bustling scene where there was a lot of commotion going on.
It would appear they were filming a major western motion
picture and had a camera crew, actors and crew milling around. This was too god
a chance to miss so I seat at and adjacent bar ordered a cold Singha beer and
watched the lights,camera and action unfold. They had turned a real life bar
location into one called 'Bar Bang Bang' for the movie and a number of scantily
clad beautiful young Thai ladies came and went including what I think was most
probably a Thai lady boy given her striking angular beauty and tallness.
Also amongst the cast extras was a most striking and beautiful young Thai lady who sat immediately near to me and was part of the extras playing a sophisticated streetwalker who was at the edge of the action. Not wishing to miss a moment of this event I took the opportunity to film her several times and on returning to my home in Rangsit knocked up a quick music video homage to the lady. Hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did making it. Enjoy !
On my last visit to Thailand I was there for just over two
months staying in places as diverse as Phattalung, Hua Hin, the beautiful tropical island of Ko Chang and the inevitable
Bangkok - namely Rangsit a mostly Thai place in the northern suburbs currently
untouched by underground or sky train,. I used my tine to get to know my Thai
family better and to explore the neighbourhood.
Some of my first thoughts are that
Thailand starts to get very hot from the beginning of March , that there are dogs
everywhere - some good and some wild and feral and they inhabit some of the desolate
and deserted places my curiously wanted to visit.I was attacked by some vicious looking wild dogs and I mean wild as I ventured into some waste ground down the end of a quiet soi and ran almost screaming back to 'civilization' - much to the amusement of locals watching the mad farang wander where he should not.
Also fly tipping or just dumping waste by the side of the
road is common and widespread and that Rangsit sadly had suffered from the devastating
floods of 2011. Whilst most of the houses and buildings have been repaired and
repainted - you see a number of abandoned and unsellable houses and a dirt tide
line on streets especially on lamp posts and the like.
Here's a few of the videos that I took that show some of
these things. And finally a video I really love of my young 5 year old niece
giving my wife a foot massage in the bedroom. She has suffered with a problem
with her back and really appreciated the efforts that she made.
Howling feral dogs and the mum of the puppies defends her territory on waste ground in Rangsit.
Broken spirit houses and other Thai religious artefacts abandoned on waste ground in Rangsit, Bangkok - along with other flytipping.
Exactly what do local Thais see once they help you as an
overseas tourist or visitor ?
They say information is power - so knowing this gives a good beginning point for comprehending
the most common methods for having good relations with Thai people that you may meet on your travels
in the so called Land of Smiles.
It is said that Thais like to categorize people into 1 of 3 'circles' of influence with the
closer they are to the person, the greater demands that will be made of that person and the more they will give back. The 3 circles are broadly:
Close relations - family people, buddies, co-workers -
anybody that you simply have dealings with on the personal and everyday basis.
Close environs - neighbors, clients inside a shop,
business partners. These could all pose some risk so you will need to act nicely and friendly
towards them. Most importantly smile a great deal when
you meet them and make them feel relaxed and happy in your company.
'Unknown folk' who they haven't met before who they may be considered to unreliable
until they know them better. Thailand is a hard , sometimes unforgiving developing country where every Baht is fought over so they are culturally right to be wary of what they don't know.
Of course this analysis of Thai behavior is excessively
simplified but still holds lots of truth. And keeping these points in mind can
help you realize why things sometimes happen in a different way in Thailand than they might in your own country.
Did
the friendly taxi driver overcharge? You might believe that this will make him
a poor person - "a cheat". But no - not really , he's just proficient at his job with regards to earning his money and thus his living. Did the smiling shop
proprietor "swindle you with that Buddha figurine? Depends on how you look at it - may be worth
whatever he is able to get the customer to pay ...which if they see you as a foreigner may be a lot ! It's your job to bargain hard and be wary - not his !
When hailing taxis, you should hold your hands
horizontal, with fingers facing palm down. Holding your hands with fingers up is
recognized as rude. Exactly the same is true when beckoning servers, or
anybody else, do this with your palm lower and fingers straight by having an up and
lower movement. Never clap, snap your fingers, or whistle. To some Thai this is
one way you demand the interest of the dog, not really a human.
When going to temples, dress cautiously (ideally in white
clothing ) - women particularly should put on lengthy skirts or pants, get
their shoulders covered, and not wear sandals.Many temples have as a condition that photography isn't
permitted.Even when there's no sign, be
sincere and think about whether it's appropriate to be taking too many photos.Also speak softly much more whilst visiting a
temple. Even much more if monks can be found worshiping!
Always remove your footwear and hat when entering temples,
and don't sit together with your feet facing the Buddha statue or image - sit either
mix-legged, or together with your feet hidden behind you.In Thai culture the feet are seen as the basest, filthiest area of the body, and also the mind and the brain is the greatest.Hence don't indicate things together with
your feet, hold doorways open together with your feet, point your feet towards Buddha
images, point at or touch peoples' heads,or under any circumstance, touch monks triply so if you are a woman.
The King and also the Royal family are EXTREMELY highly
regarded as in Thai society, as evidenced through the pictures and shows of His
Majesty and the Royal family everywhere.Don't say or act disrespectful in anyway for the King or any member the
Royal family and this respect applies to the currency bearing his images don't
stamp on it or throw it around carelessly.
Possibly probably the most fundamental of Thai etiquette,
that's frequently overlooked by budget vacationers is individual hygiene. Thai
individuals are fastidious and meticulous within their personal hygiene
practices. As Thailand
is tropical hot and often wet tropical
country also it appears that lots of synthetic materials at home often promote odor
building bacteria taking a shower frequently is important and not simply every
few days! So there is really no reason wearing to be wearing yesterdays
T-shirt. So show respect and consideration, as no Thai will dare mention your
insufficient hygiene to you it's just not their way.
Tossing things before another person is recognized as very
rude.One once put some paper bills in a
desk-- to find the best of reasons - to prevent them being amazed through the
draft in the open door as the clerk finished his work. He immediately frowned
and stated: "Don't throw things, mister, you're a gentleman ...".
Don't expect Thais to stick to the guidelines of your
culture. - Thais fight to decline a request. Rather than simply saying
"no", they will explain "Yes, but ...". "Have you got
mustard?", "Yes, but ketchup" comes the waiter's answer, having
a somewhat insecure smile. What this means is, "No mister, we don't have
mustard, but we all do have tomato ketchup". Don't take that it is a
manifestation of foolishness or mess. It is only a way of being polite.In general, Thais consider saying
"no" to some request a really uncomfortable factor to complete and
therefore avoid doing this.
For similar reasons, Thais will ‘lie’ about things e.g. if
requested direction to some place and they don't know. They'll give false
directions to prevent showing up ignorant. If requested if your temple is open
or closed, they're not going to say it normally won't know ... rather they'll
lie! Thus, I discovered I possibly could rarely believe the things they stated!
Again, Thais dislike showing the absence of understanding, so could give you a
solution-- any answer-- to prevent being seen as ignorant.
The Royal Thai Police (broadly viewed as corrupt by Western
standards) if attending an incident involving a foreigner may be expected to
cover the costs of their presence. Speak it softly but paying Thai police a
small 'fee' may help top expedite any problem you may have.
Finally enough words for the time being much better to watch
this wonderfully fine young Thai lady with excellent English tell you the ins
and and out of Thai culture.
