Culture & Society

National Temperament

What is the magnet that pulls us back? It has nothing to do with James Bond. First it has to be the people. Thais are friendly and proud of their heritage. Thailand has never been colonized by a foreign power, unlike neighboring countries. Obviously there have to be a few parasites in paradise but as a nation the folk are friendly, and smiles offered to foreigners are genuine. During our travels around the kingdom we have been trying to discover what makes the majority of Thais such a smiling and happy group of people. We came up with several answers. The best answer centers on the old adage that a hungry man is an angry man. Thai people don't go hungry. They are blessed with a fertile country that produces the finest fruit and vegetables, and the waters that surround the nation are teeming with the full gamut of seafood. Nobody goes hungry. Not even the poorest farmer or the large family of the low-paid laborer goes without meals.


Another plus is the fact that the country has no unemployment. The country presently has one million people from adjoining countries doing a lot of jobs that Thais do not want. They are known as the neighbor laborers.


And the final factor has to be their following of Buddhism, which teaches one to be content with what one has. You rarely see a Thai lose his cool. It is considered loss of face, or demeaning, to do so. Envy does not appear to be in the Thai dictionary. Nobody we have met would understand the expression about "keeping up with the Joneses."

Food

Then there is the cuisine. It is pungent and spicy, seasoned with lashings of garlic and chilies complemented with lime juice, lemon grass and fresh coriander. Other items that make those mouth-watering meals include galangal root, basil, ground peanuts, coconut milk and tamarind juice. But Thai cooking is not just a matter of using lemon grass and tiny red bits of fiery pepper; it's a whole attitude of making eating a memorable experience. We originally thought that we would tire of eating Thai food during our extended stays. It never happened. The abundance of fresh seafood and garden-fresh vegetables gave us ample variety. There are wonderful soups and curries that vary in strength and sweetness. We learned two very important phrases early on. Ped means spicy and mai ped means not spicy. In the section on Thai cuisine we will also deal with buying food from the street vendors, a great experience (see Living in Thailand).


We do confess to visiting a couple of KFC outlets and were greatly impressed with the quality and service. Labor is inexpensive in Thailand; as a result there are always ample hands to help. After we had placed our order there was someone to find us a seat, someone to bring the food and someone else to clear up. You don't find that in Wyoming!


We ordered the non-spicy meals and found them quite peppery. We never ventured to the full-spicy for fear that someone in the kitchen may be heavy handed with those fiery little red bits.

Recreation

The range of things to do outdoors is endless, thanks to the varied terrain in Thailand. There is golf - a very popular Thai pastime with over 200 fine courses across the nation; hiking; great deep-sea fishing; scuba diving, and when the weather turns sour there is surfing. For the more adventurous there is bungee-jumping or parasailing, elephant trekking (something we have never found comfortable), or the silent beauty of sea-canoeing inside eerie caves. For the really energetic the locals have improved on volleyball with a game called takraw that allows only feet and head to contact the ball.


We will give you more details of the activities available as you visit the various destination chapters.

Shopping

You will never tire of the vast selection of goodies that are available. You can haggle over prices of local handicrafts from a small boat in a floating market or ogle exotic jewelry in exclusive boutiques in Bangkok. You watch gems being assembled in a giant factory in Phuket or Pattaya. Silk is a must-buy item, be it a simple scarf or tie or a classic designer gown or jacket. Our advice: Come light - leave heavy! And to carry your purchases home you'll find someone selling luggage - be it the real thing or a clever copy - on most streetcorners.


If it is bargains you seek then the endless street markets and stalls that spring up in every part of every town are the places to start. Here the copies of designer clothes, look-alike Rolex watches, CDs and DVDs change hands for little money. Many of the items may not be on display since there is a continuing battle to rid the streets of the fakes. Chances are they are hidden behind shirts and swim suits that don't bear the polo player on horseback or the alligator logo.


These are the places to haggle. The vendors expect it and enjoy it. That hurt expression that you have cut the price too far will quickly vanish once cash changes hands. But don't go overboard. We once watched a woman barter away for a good 20 minutes. Her husband stood at her side with a calculator. When the purchase of some silk squares was completed he announced that his wife had managed to save them 32 US cents. He wondered how much the taxi that was waiting for them had charged for the time spent bartering. Normally you can expect to get between 10 and 40% off the asking price.


Tailor shops flourish in all the tourist areas. In some places it is hard to take 50 steps without being asked, "Where you from?" and being offered a made-to-measure suit for the price of a silk tie. Buyers beware. Once you enter these shop-fronts - many of them are just façades stuffed with mannequins and rolls of fabric that are solely for effect, not sewing - the prices soar and the quality may not be as good as the sample you are shown. Again, you can bargain, but like most things you will get what you pay for. Many of the shops may look different and have wonderful designer names but on closer examination you'll find they are all owned by the same person or a co-op that operates sweat-shops behind the town, where underpaid and overworked Indians sew garments together in a rush to meet absurd deadlines.


If you want quality work, get a recommendation from someone who has found a reputable tailor, or check with your hotel. Many of the larger hotels have tailor shops on the premises, and that normally guarantees good quality and value for money.


In each chapter you will find descriptions of specialty items for the area you are visiting. Just to give you an idea of what is available, here are some of the weird items we carried home on our last visit. First there were two gigantic fans, the kind you wave, not plug in. Will the vibrant hand-painted colors that we saw in the open-air market be as vivid hanging on a wall at home? At a supermarket we bought a Thai broom, a short stick - Thais are short people - with a bushy base of sticks that works wonders here. Will it work as well for us as it does in Thai hands?


Then there are clothes. Among the items we bought are dozens of shirts and shorts, blouses and scarves. It wasn't that we needed them but the prices were just too attractive. Fortunately we did not get stuck with an excess baggage charge, which would have negated the saving. We may well have to buy additional furniture to house this lot or make a generous donation to Goodwill Industries.


There are the two hand-carved tables that I bought on the beach. I have been adamant about not buying from beach vendors. I feel that bargains are better negotiated in the market rather than from the comfort of a beach chair. However, one day a young man appeared with a small table. It came in two parts. The top, circular, was neatly carved from a wood he claimed was teak. The legs were carved from a single piece of wood and splayed out to form a tripod base. He said he had made this and it had taken endless hours of toil and whittling. He showed me injuries to his hand, which I wrongly assumed were from his woodworking. (He probably hurt himself after overdosing on those tiny fiery red bits that Thais insist on putting in their food.) We bargained and I parted with 1,000 Baht, believing that I had a unique Thai table. Three days passed and another vendor appeared bearing an identical table. I was greatly depressed and offered him 350 Baht - he accepted. Thanks to the law of averaging I do not feel totally unhappy about the purchases.


Finally, our cases are crammed with food items. We have spices, strange noodles, bananas soaked in honey, some magical flour that will transform our meals into the exotic, and several packets of highly spiced snacks that should impress our neighbors when we get home. I should point out we were not traveling back to the US. If you are headed in that direction check with Customs and the FDA inspectors about what food items you can import.

Thai Massage

A very special part of Thai life is the massage. To soothe the body there are round-the-clock massages. Most major hotels have fancy spas; on most beaches there will be a tent set up where you can enjoy this most wonderful Thai ritual. There are even parlors at Bangkok Airport where weary travelers can enjoy a foot massage.


Thai massage comes in all kinds of packages, some even venturing to the erotic. Most, however, are simply therapeutic. The best exponents train for years to become qualified and have the ability to ease the effects of stress and tension. Prices vary according to where you are and what level of massage you seek. Special lotions and oils normally cost a little more. You can pay 200 Baht for a 45-minute treatment on the beach or up to 10 times that amount in an exclusive spa, where more exotic oils and aromas add to the pleasure.


We find that a daily massage - be it concentrated on feet and legs or the entire body - a very worthwhile experience. Thai massage is a very ancient form of healing; it came to Thailand from India as part of the Buddhist teachings in the second century BC.

Nightlife

Nightlife is as varied and vibrant as the colors of Thai silk. There are live sex shows in Bangkok to redden your cheeks, or Thai boxing, which brings out an unusual aggressive spirit in the locals. Classic Thai tunes are relaxing but the modern-day noises are much the same as the Western versions, and the words are totally incomprehensible. Discos abound and bar brawls are not unheard of in some of the less attractive neighborhoods. Bangkok has a full range of theatre and things cultural while other areas boast Disney-type theme parks and venues for rock concerts.


Most major hotels provide evening entertainment, which is certain to include traditional Thai dancing with its splendid silk costumes and delicate hand movements. The dancers appear to slide along the floor flexing their hands into the most impossible angles.

Language

English is widely spoken but not everyone understands as much as you may think they do. Thais have a habit of smiling and saying yes to almost anything. That maybe one additional reason why foreign men find the Thai beauties so attractive.


The Thai language continues to be a problem for us. We have devoted some space to the subject later in the book. It is important to learn a few basics - like the Thai greeting, sa-wat-dee, which means good morning, good afternoon, good evening, hello and goodbye.


Spoken Thai is a polite and non-offensive language. If you are a male speaker and just want to say hello, you say "sawatdee" and tack on the word krup to it. If you are female you add the word kaa (sawatdee krup, sawatdee kaa). These are polite after-words.


The word for thank you is kop khun. If you are a man you say kop khun krup and the woman says kop khun kaa. The Thai language is tonal, which means the same word can be pronounced with a rising, falling, high, low or level tone and could have five different meanings.


If you can master the Thai greeting - called a wai, pronounced "why" - by putting your hands in the prayer position and bowing your head, you will be well received. Normally a younger person wais an elder, who returns it. In the return greeting the hands come only to chest height, whereas in the full greeting the hands come to the nose. In the full Thai wai to a monk the hands come close to the forehead.


The written language, with its 44-letter alphabet of strange symbols, is even more complicated. The Thai alphabet looks like it has been ripped from a Paisley pattern and the letters appear to have lots of little irons above them.

Always carry the name of your hotel, or where you are staying, in the Thai alphabet. We had a problem once in Bangkok trying to get back to the Shangri-La Hotel. The driver did not understand us or the business card we showed him. Fortunately the hieroglyphics on the reverse were the name of the hotel in Thai - initially we thought some one had been doodling on the card - and we were whisked back to safety.

Spirit Houses

Most Thai homes have a small spirit house at their entrance. Thai people have been using spirit houses for thousands of years and they predate the spread of Theravada Buddhism to Thailand. It is believed that each dwelling or business will have spirits that inhabit it, and the best way to appease those spirits is to provide them with their own beautiful home in which to live. This will help keep the spirits from being mischievous.

 

 

 

Spirit houses

 

They are often decorated with figures of married couples, furniture or even small figures of elephants - a symbol of good fortune and prosperity. Offerings of flower garlands, candles and incense are left nearby, on the veranda outside the spirit house.


Spirit houses are not only found in homes. They are often found at caves and bodies of water, such as local lakes, that play an important role in the life of villages. They are placed at the foot of trees considered sacred, and can also be seen at the site of accidents to appease the spirits of those who lost their lives. It is a grim reminder as you drive around Thailand of the spots prone to fatal accidents.