Thailand Epilogue

It’s been over a month since we’ve arrived in Thailand, so it’s time to move on. But before we take off for India, I thought I’d note a few random thoughts about this amazing country.

Without a doubt, Thailand is very friendly to farangs. All the Thais we met were genuinely welcoming, helpful and honest. Many of those serving the tourists were obviously very poor, but they seemed happy and content with life despite working very long hours for very little profit. With the exception of a few lepers, there were surprisingly few beggars on the streets. Street vendors rarely harassed us. When bartering, once a price was agreed upon, it was firm. No one wanted to cheat us and when the change was returned from a sale, it was always accurate. In fact, at least twice I was called back because I had walked off without getting all my money back. We quickly built up a mutual trust with the Thais. For example, when dropping off laundry, no receipt was given and none was expected. Somehow, they always remember your face and hand back the correct laundry bag every time.

Just about everyone speaks a little English, but whenever I ask where they learned the language, the answer is always “from tourists.” And since English-speakers from around the world have a wide range of accents, I’m sure those English lessons did not happen in ideal circumstances (just imagine trying to learn English from a native German speaker). And since English is not the only foreign tongue spoken by tourists in Thailand, some Thais have picked up a few other languages as well. In one instance, a Thai waitress at an Italian restaurant took my order in English and without blinking, took the order at the next table in Italian.

There were, of course, a few surprises. For one, the Thais don’t eat with chopsticks. Unlike other neighboring Asian countries, they use forks and spoons just like the Europeans do. The exception is when they think you’re Japanese – then they bring out the chopsticks just for you. 

The other big surprise was the Thai’s acceptance of lady-boys in their society. In our culture, if a man wore a dress and make-up to work, there would be hell to pay. But in Thailand, we saw lady-boys working as receptionists and hostesses (if you owned a restaurant, why not put your prettiest lady-boy front and center to welcome customers?). In fact, while we were in Thailand, the big news was a new Thai airline announcing the hiring of the first three lady-boy flight attendants in Thailand’s history.   

All-in-all, Thailand was a fabulous destination. It was a very welcoming country and we’ll definitely consider going back.