Thailand

Underrated Things – Thai 50 Baht Note

It never fails - every time I'm in a taxi, the final fare happens to be either 45 baht, or 65 baht (or something very close to these). You can either fumble with a fistful of 20's - if you have enough - or give the driver 100 baht note, which are plentiful. If you're lucky, you'll get the correct change back (sometimes a fistful of coins), but quite often, you'll get a grinning driver who tells you 'Sorry, no have change.' As you dig in your pocket for more, tuk-tuks and taxis are honking behind you and motorbikes are whizzing by your door - it's just a crap scenario to be in. This is all usually avoidable if you have a 50 baht note (sometimes you need a 20 to bolster the final tally), but they're not as common as you'd think! That's why, in Thailand, the 50 baht note is one of my all-time underrated things.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:57+00:00Thailand, Underrated Things|0 Comments

Bangkok Beggars – The Good, The Bad, and The Fake

Now, before I start this off, let me say that I don't have anything against those less fortunate than us. I've spent more than my fair share of time taking HIV-positive kids on field trips, painting orphanage walls with mentally challenged teenagers and volunteer teaching at schools for underprivileged children. But in Thailand - especially Bangkok - being a just and noble contributor to the plight of the poor is often harder than it seems. Bangkok's streets are full of beggars - women with babies, leper-ridden octogenarians, deformed outcasts and pitiful looking children - all holding up a cup and asking for a spare coin or two. I'm going to sound like a complete ass for saying this, but I never give. Well, I rarely give. You see, it's often hard to spot the real beggars from the fake ones, and even the real ones are often working as part of a syndicate. It's not easy to hear, but the harsh truth is that you may actually be doing them a favour by ignoring them. So how can you spot a person in genuine need vs a person who's just milking his sympathy card for all it's worth? Well, it's not a science, but a bit of education will often go a long way.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:58+00:00Thailand, Tips on Visiting|9 Comments

The Only Law They Enforce in Thailand… Usually

My friend John sums up Thailand's version of law enforcement beautifully: "There are no laws here until there are laws. Then they're completely unbreakable." I remember last year when some City Hall genius decided that Bangkok taxis could only be hailed at designated spots along the streets. Signs were put up, curbs were painted and newspaper stories were printed. That lasted about 45 minutes, and today, the expensive signposts and other accoutrements are gathering dust; there are plenty of similar stories we won't get into. So, when it was declared that from February 11, 2008 all air-conditioned spaces in Bangkok would be smoke-free, I didn't get too giddy. Although, as someone whose lips have never even touched a cigarette (true story, mostly due to a guy who showed us his tracheotomy tube during an anti-smoking demonstration in grade 6, which scared the crap out of the entire class), I was happy to hear they were at least trying to do something.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:58+00:00Current Events, Thailand|0 Comments

Double Pricing: Moral? No. Legal? You Bet!

One of the first things I learned when I was teaching was that many (if not most) Thais automatically think two things about every non-Asian foreigner: 1) We're rich, and 2) We're Christian. As my curious students pounded me with questions, I was always amused to see their confused looks when I told them the truth, shattering the preconceptions that they picked up from their parents, friends, or very, very silly Thai television shows. I proudly told them that I am closer to Buddhism than anything else and am most certainly very, very far away from being rich. However, the stereotype still persists, and is probably a large reason for the existence of double pricing in Thailand, a practice so outrageously illegal in North America that visitors are nearly always shocked/offended/angered/saddened to see it at nearly every tourist destination they visit.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:59+00:00Thailand, Tips on Visiting|0 Comments

How to Mangle the Thai Language

I've lost count of how many times I've left Thailand for a vacation back home, only to have someone ask me, "So how much Taiwanese do you speak?" When I tell them that I don't speak a single word, the quizzical look I get is almost worth the explanation I have to give. Thais, of course, speak Thai, of which the spoken part is a branch of the Tai-Kadai language, which originated in Southern China. The written part of Thai is based on Khmer, which is based on Indic, which is based on ancient Sanskrit. So, as you can see, it's quite confusing - and we haven't even talked about writing or speaking yet.

Greg2016-11-17T15:49:01+00:00Language, Thailand|0 Comments

Elephants in the Big Mango

For many visitors, walking around Bangkok will allow them a glimpse of many things they would never see at home, some awful, some amazing. Dudes selling fried bugs, beggars with awful diseases, bike paths that end at brick walls and an alarming cross section of social strata that would make a New York subway station seem like a Ku Klux Klan rally (I'm not even sure if that makes sense). Anyway, anything that can seem a bit odd is desirable - there are so many tourists walking around that to stand out from the crowd will guarantee you a better chance of attracting a bit more attention. One of the strangest sites that visitors can see in the steamy, crowded streets of the Big Mango (lovingly copied in reverence to the Big Apple, but with a decidedly more Asian flavour) is an elephant. A huge, lumbering, real life elephant. In Thai culture, they're highly revered animals, praised for their strength, loyalty and intelligence - one of Thailand's most popular beers is even named after them (see left) - 'Chang' is 'Elephant' in Thai.

Greg2016-11-17T15:49:01+00:00Bangkok, Thailand, Tips on Visiting|0 Comments

Getting a Thai Driver’s License the Hard Way – Taking the Test

After living here for over 7 years now, I'm familiar enough with the rules and nuances of Bangkok traffic to know that I never, ever want to drive in it. It's not so much that it's bad - traffic in India or Vietnam makes Bangkok traffic look like a driver's ed training course - but rather that my skill sets aren't useful here. I'm Canadian, so if you want me drive at 80km/h on an icy road with well-defined traffic rules that are strictly enforced and adhered to - no problem. But driving through go-kart-style traffic dodging tuk-tuk's, bug vendors, stray dogs, motorcycles and pedestrians - and with the wheel on the wrong (right) side - well, maybe I better take a taxi. Bangkok has several million of them anyway - if I think of them as my own personal limo service, it's not so bad at all. But despite this, I recently had to get a Thai driver's license. This is normally accomplished by showing your license from your own country to the Department of Land Transport, at which point they'll just transfer it over. But due to an unfortunate case of stupidity, I let my Canadian license lapse, which means it's even less useful than the fake ones you can buy on Khao San Road. The only option I had was to go through the rigmarole as if I was a 16-year old Thai teenager.

So - what does it take to be allowed to legally drive on Thai roads?

Greg2016-11-17T15:49:02+00:00Bangkok, Thailand, Tips on Visiting|19 Comments

Which Island Should You Hit First?

This is a question that, without fail, I'm asked every time a friend visits: which island do I recommend? That's a bit like answering which type of soda I prefer - it will usually vary greatly depending on the mood I'm in. Usually it's Coke, but sometimes I dig a Sprite. Sometimes I want a Diet Pepsi, and other times I'll walk to the corner store just to suck down an Orange Fanta. Thailand's islands are much the same - each offers many of the same things, but also differ greatly depending on where you go. Some have parties, some are nearly deserted; some are little more than miles of beach, others have a few rocky shoals but fantastic hiking in the interior. There are a lot of logistical factors to consider too, such as - can you fly there? If you can, do you have the money to spare? Does the train go there? If it does, do you have the time to spare? Despite not being a beach guy (I get bored after a day or two), I've been to quite a few islands in Thailand - Samet, Chang, Samui, Pha Ngan, Lippe, Lao Liang, Kut, Phuket, Taruato, etc, so I have some basis for arguing. Below, I'm going to talk about which island is my favourite and why. There might even be some math involved.

The first thing you have to keep in mind is that to find the 'tropical paradise' that you see on postcards (miles of deserted beaches unspoiled by development or fat Germans in Speedos), you have to work for it. Essentially - the harder your island is to get to, the nicer it will be.

Greg2016-11-17T15:49:02+00:00Thailand, Tips on Visiting, Travel|0 Comments

Thailand’s Version of Workplace Safety

One of the first things many visitors notice about Thailand is that all the construction workers - putting in ten hour days in 38 degree heat - wear long-sleeve shirts, gloves, full-face masks and wide brimmed hats. It often confuses the pasty tourist, already dripping with sweat after strolling a few hundred feet out of their air-conned hotel lobby. The reason: dark skin is considered ugly here in Asia, and therefore, white skin is very desirable, like in this ridiculous ad that sees a girl using light reflecting off her skin to signal a boat at sea. The reasoning behind the parka-clad construction workers is that working in the sun is a sure sign to get uglier - better to sweat than get a tan (this is likely a holdover from days of yore, when the aristocratic class did no menial labour, and therefore were never outside in the sun). But the other thing that many people notice is the apparent disregard for workplace safety on nearly every construction site.

Greg2016-11-17T15:49:03+00:00Fun Stuff, Thailand|0 Comments

An Olympic Scrap at the FCC

That a country like China can claim the international prestige of hosting the Olympics is pretty ridiculous. I won't bother getting into their flagrant human rights abuses, censorship borne of a fear of knowledge and unmitigated arrogance on the world stage; that would be redundant. The question sometimes comes up as to whether someone with the same views as me is anti-China or anti-Chinese government. For me, the answer is most certainly the latter. China's long history and complex culture is one that any country would be proud to have; I have nothing against China or their people. It's their frightened, power-hungry, abusive government that has to go. Last night I had the privilege to attend a talk at the Foreign Correspondent's Club here, with a panel consisting of representative of the Chinese government, a former monk and student of the Dalai Lama, a member of the Free Tibet Network, and a journalist with extensive Chinese/Tibet experience. It was entertaining to say the least.

Greg2016-11-17T15:49:03+00:00Asia, Current Events, Politics, Religion, Thailand|0 Comments