Friday, October 26, 2018

10 Lesser Known Facts About Thailand

1. Rainmaker King:
Some years ago the rice farmers of Thailand experienced a severe drought period. The king, who since many years had been involved in helping the rural population of Thailand invented a method to make rain, for which he also filed an international patent. Airplanes are used to shoot silver iodide chemicals into the clouds in specific ways, so that they are stimulated to rain. This method did proof successful.  
2. Mysterious Fireballs:
At a certain time of the year, a strange phenomenon occurs that hasn't been scientifically explained yet. Well, there were scientific theories, however, scientists  are still baffled by this phenomenon and unable to explain it properly. It's in the north-eastern part of Thailand, and the locals there have their own explanation for the mysterious fireballs that emerge from the Mekong river: they say these are fireballs from the legendary Naga serpent.
One time a TV team tried to uncover "the hoax" and said that the phenomenon was simply Cambodian soldiers shooting into the air. However, they quickly got proven wrong. There are records of this phenomenon occurring for hundreds of years, and It's kind of Thailand's version of the "Loch Ness monster".
3. Thai Bonsai:
Most people are aware of Japanese bonsai trees. But Thailand also has it's own tradition of miniature trees, which is called mai dat. Historic evidence shows that this tradition has been around  since the 13th century. Mai dat has it's own style - it's not as tiny as the Japanese bonsai, but rather often bigger. Also,  with Japanese bonsai the aim is usually to make the small tree look as natural as possible, mai dat is supposed to look particularly well-trimmed. It is the aim of the mai dat artist to create a tree which is made according to human shapes. Thailand is a country which used to be covered almost completely in forest and swampland - it was a tropical wilderness. Only in recent decades have the forests been cleared and turned into farms and cities. Thus, imitating nature is not what Thais consider beautiful.
4. Demigod-King:
It is a traditional Thai believe that the King is a human reincarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. All kings of the present dynasty, since the 18th century, have been called "Rama" - the current King being Rama XI. Rama was the name of a halfgod from the Indian epic Ramayana, which has it's own Thai version, the Ramakien.
5. Can't Touch This (Monk):
It is forbidden for a  woman to touch a Buddhist monk. Some women feel offended by this or think that this is because woman are considered unworthy, but this is not the case. It's simply about avoiding to stir up feelings that wouldn't be appropriate for the monks.
6. Bangkok Tram:
There once was a tram in Bangkok. Nowadays, Bangkok is known for chronic traffic jams, and pretty much the only way to avoid being stuck in traffic is the ultra-modern skytrain (BTS) or the even newer subway (MRT). However, once upon a time, there was a tram running through Bangkok. The Tram network in Bangkok was established in 1894 and was closed  in 1968. Actually, even as early as 1888 there was a guy called Alfred John Loftus (Phraya Nithetcholthee) who operated a tramway line in Bangkok - drawn by horses! However, after a couple of changes of ownership, the horse-drawn wagons where replaced with electric wagons. New routes were opened and built, until in 1968 the last tramway in Bangkok was discontinued.
You can still see some of the railways in the area of Thanon Charoenkrung Soi 39.
7. Thai-Tomboys:
While almost everybody knows about the ladyboys in Thailand (and quiet a few men can tell stories of surprise when they found that the "woman" they were hitting on all night was actually not a woman at all), not so many people know that there are also a lot of tomboys: woman or girls who dress, act and look like men. Whole books have been written on Thai gender roles, and while some ladyboys and tomboys  feel that they are not treated equally, they are treated much more tolerantly than in probably any other country in the world. For example,  the case of a 15 year old boy who decided to be a ladyboy - and indeed dressed, spoke and behaved like a woman. However, his schoolmates never made fun, teased or bullied him about it. This being a remote village and not modern Bangkok, it speaks a lot of the tolerance of Thai people towards people who decide to "be different".

8. Red light: 
You don't have to stop at a red traffic light if you are turning left. 
9. Long Fingernails of Men:
This might be odd: but many (completely straight) men grow long fingernails. Most common is the nail of the small finger. Part of this is because in rural Thailand, long fingernails where indeed a sign of a certain social status: a farmer can't grow long fingernails, because they will simply break during the hard work on the fields. In fact, in Isaan (North-East Thailand) it is even believed that a long nail at the small finger is lucky. Apart from that, many men also say  that it is useful: it's easy to scratch yourself with a long fingernail, and sometimes  useful to open something.
10. White Is Beautiful:
While in the Northern hemisphere, many people would like a stronger tan and use every opportunity to lay in the sun and make their skin darker and more exotic, for Thai's, white and bright skin is beautiful. In fact, Thai's spend about 50 million US-Dollars a year on skin whitening products..
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ramin_Assemi/131033
Edit (Russell Pittock: 27/10/2018)
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Monday, October 22, 2018

King Of Fruits In Thailand

The king of fruits in Thailand is the durian. This magnificent beast grows on trees that can be as high as forty meters. It is very difficult to find outside of South East Asia.   
The succulent prize is protected by a thick, thorny husk. 

The durian fruit of Thailand is famous the world over for two things and these two things could not be more different. On one hand, the flesh inside is soft and tastes like no other fruit you have ever tasted before. The British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace describes the taste as something akin to "a rich custard,highly flavoured with almonds." 
          On the flip side of the fruit's amazing taste is it's strange smell. Let's be honest here. It absolutely stinks! Sulpher, rotting onions, bad eggs, even raw sewage have been likened to the durian's distinctive odour. 

The smell is so bad that durian is not permitted in closed public places and public transport. If you should ever take it home, then under no circumstances should it EVER be placed in the refrigerator. It will taint all the food within and the smell will stay for an eternity. 
          In defence of Thailand's king of fruits, it has some positive properties. It has a high vitamin B content and is also a good source of natural fibre. I'm given to understand that the seeds of the durian can be eaten when they are cooked. 
          Thailand holds an annual festival in Chantaburi in celebration of the durian. Nose pegs free on entrance! 
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Saturday, October 20, 2018

5 Reasons Why I'm Still In Thailand

Maybe the title for this post should be "Why I'm Still In Thailand After 18 Years". Anyway, lets move on.

 1: Food 

                    I have to say that my spice tolerance is not that high so when eating out I always have to add the instruction "Phet nit noi" (spicy a little bit) to my order. To be honest, some establishments just ignore this and I get the same as everyone else. Maybe in the West you might complain and send it back because it's not what you have ordered but in Thailand you just learn to roll with things like that. It can be frustrating when it happens but it's not the end of the world. Thailand offers some really tasty treats with the outlay of very little money. There is something for everyone here. From Thai curries to deep fried insects, the choice is endless.
Nam Tok Moo.
This is one of my favorite dishes. Grilled pork Thai style.

Som Tam or as some people refer to it "Papaya Pok Pok" This is at the outside edge of my spice tolerance. It's one of the dishes I can really only eat at home because my family know how I like it. Eating this outside could be a problem!

2: Weather 

So, I moaned like a drain about the rain in Bangkok in my last post but as I pointed out it's just a small price to pay for living in paradise. I certainly wouldn't swap it for the cold and damp of my native England. I don't miss the snow and ice one little bit. Also, I think that I have kept better general health while living in South East Asia. I can't remember the last time I had a cold or similar ailment. 

 3: Money  

                    I've never been that well off wherever I've been in the world. But I have always been able to get by. In Thailand it's been possible for me to get by and then some. The cost of living here is relatively low. I still have to budget my income from month to month but I have been able to live quite a comfortable lifestyle and most importantly I never have to go into debt or borrow money. I'm not part of the jet-set but I don't have to worry about money the same as I did in the UK. 

                                          4: The People 

          Thailand is known as "The land of smiles" and it's not difficult to see why. Everywhere you go, the people seem to be looking for an excuse to smile. Where I come from it is often the opposite. So it is a breath of fresh air to spend time around people who actually want to be happy and the ready smile of the Thai people is much in evidence. I find that being with this type of people gives my day a lift and the troubles that I think I have don't seem to be such a burden. It's true what they say about laughter being infectious. And so it is with the smiles, warmth and friendliness of these people.


 5: My Family 

          My Thai family are amazing people. They have stood by me for nearly 18 years now. My wife, Laong, is one of the hardest working people I have ever known. The usual set up for a Thai-farang relationship is that the farang takes care of his Thai wife and her family. Sure, I've done that whenever I have been able. But it seems that over the years my Thai family seem to have been taking care of me. They have asked me for nothing and given me everything in return. They support me in everything I do and provide a safety net when things go wrong. And believe me, things have gone wrong a few times.  

          Life is usually a series of peaks and troughs for most people. Living in Thailand, I have learned how to endure the troughs and enjoy the peaks when they come along. 
          So, here's to the next 18 years!
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Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Bangkok Rain

So, we are in the middle of the wet season here in Thailand. Put another way, it's the middle of winter. As most of you will know, there are 2 seasons in Thailand. Namely, hot and very hot. So, the hot season qualifies as winter.
          You may be forgiven for thinking that rain isn't a problem on a hot day. But we are not talking about a light shower here. When it rains, it rains. I'm talking about proper monsoon rain that comes down in a curtain and lashes without stopping for about half an hour. Then it eases off to just a torrential downpour. If you happen to get caught outside then you are done for. An umbrella will make no difference whatsoever. That's because you get wet from the bottom up.
          Let me explain. The drainage system in Bangkok is not the best to start with. Factor in all the rubbish that is littering the streets and it doesn't take much to block the drains up completely. You may be ahead of me by now. So, it's not uncommon for monsoon rain to put the streets under 2 feet of floodwater in no time.
          Now for the real kicker. It usually rains at about the same time every day. Any time between 3 and 4pm. This is exactly the time I'm going home from work. I live just a few minutes from Udom Suk BTS but if it rains the way I have described, then it doesn't matter how short my journey is. I will be a drowned rat inside 10 yards.
        Just a small price I have to pay for living in paradise!
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