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  • Living in Thailand Blog April 2014
 

 

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Living In Thailand Blog

 

Saturday 12th April 2014

It has started.

39 killed, 402 injured in road accidents on first of 'seven dangerous' Songkran holidays

"According to official statistics, road accidents kill about 33 people in Thailand each day on average. The number jumps to 40-50 during long holidays like New Year and Songkran."

As usual, the measures taken are a complete waste of time.

"She (Yingluck) said the efforts addressed the issues of where to splash water, how to drive safely, and when to refrain from alcohol consumption."

Irresponsible Thais, of which there are many, simply ignore this kind of wishy-washy advice. The only way to deal effectively with the problem is by arresting offenders and dealing with them harshly.

Exactly the same thing happens every single year in Thailand during the Songkran festival.

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Friday 11th April 2014

I haven't been looking at Thai news websites recently because I find most of the things that count for news in Thailand to be tedious and boring. I did today and the first item I saw was the following.

Van crashes in Chanthaburi, 8 dead

This is why I find news tedious and boring in Thailand. Once you have followed Thai news for a couple of years you realise that nothing ever gets fixed and that the same problems keep going round and round in circles.

Minivans in Thailand should be avoided, both by passengers and other road users. I would strongly advise tourists never to use them.

With the Songkran festival almost here, the already high injury and fatality rate on Thailand's roads is about to go sky high ... as it always does at this time of year.

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Wednesday 9th April 2014

Like most Brits, I enjoy Indian curries. However, I live in a part of Thailand where it is impossible to get really good Indian food. This is not the case in other parts of the country. I've had excellent curries in Bangkok and Phuket, and if a team of wild horses were ever to drag me to Pattaya I guess there would be decent curries there too.

I now make my own curries at home, but I'm a lousy cook and can't make them from raw spices. I buy Patak's sauces and add my own meat (normally chicken), onions and canned tomatoes.

Just recently, a batch of curry I made tasted much better than usual. Why was this?

I'm a creature of routine and habit and make my curries exactly the same way every time. They are acceptable, but not great.

In the supermarket recently I couldn't find the pulped tomatoes that I usually use and I was quite annoyed. Instead, I had to but a can of whole tomatoes, which I didn't want because it broke my routine. I didn't like this change, but then I discovered that the latest batch of curry tasted better. I now use cans of whole tomatoes. Had this change not been forced upon me, I would never have found out.

It's strange how we all resist change, even if some changes would make our lives better. We justify not making changes with sayings such as, "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't."

This attitude is even stranger these days because in the entire history of the world, change has never occurred at a faster rate than it does now. I'm not particularly old, but the world now is a completely different place compared to when I was born.

People remain in unsatisfactory jobs and relationships because of their natural resistance to change. Even if money can be saved by switching utility providers, people will resist change and continue to pay big bills.

This is a follow-up to yesterday's post and not a post about my culinary preferences in Thailand. I was just trying to think of a simple example to use.

I have resisted change in the past, but each time it was futile. Change is the reason why I am in Thailand, but I could easily have talked myself out of not changing my life and in that case I would still be in the UK now and I would still be unhappy. After all, "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't." That's right, isn't it?

As a kid I loved messing around with push bikes and other mechanical things. This eventually led to a mechanical engineering technical apprenticeship and four years tertiary education in the same subject. I spent a short time working in the oil services industry (exciting, but very unstable and volatile) and then went into computer hardware engineering.

Then the world changed. Big Western corporations decided that there wasn't enough profit in hardware, where something is manufactured and sold once for a one-time profit. Surely it must be better to concentrate on software and services where knowledge and software licenses can be sold again and again.

Hardware manufacturing went to places like China, and also Thailand where a large proportion of the world's hard disk drives are made.

Change was forced upon me and I couldn't do anything about it if I wanted to continue working. I remained employed but ended up doing work that I wasn't cut out for and that I didn't enjoy. I accepted it, but became increasingly unhappy.

However, this didn't mean that I was prevented from making my own changes in order to try to get my life back on track The only thing that was a problem was the natural human resistance to change that many of us have.

I have learnt to ignore, "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't." If you aren't happy with something, change it.

It's also said that people nearing the end of their lives don't regret the things they did in life, but they do regret the things they didn't do. One of the most powerful forces to stop you doing things (and therefore having regrets later) is our natural resistance to change.

The Harvard Business School have an article on this subject and have listed 10 reasons why people resist change.

Ten Reasons (Why) People Resist Change

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Tuesday 8th April 2014

The BBC ran an article about a girl who left her successful corporate career so that she could travel.

How I quit my job to travel: The corporate lawyer

As a young girl she watched a documentary and this instilled in her a great desire to see different parts of the world. She didn't leave her job to escape or to 'find herself'.

I would assume that many people dream of doing this, but not many have the guts to do it. Money is always the most important thing in life and most people wouldn't want to lose their salaries, regardless of how great their desire was to travel.

Their desire to travel is fulfilled once a year when they have a vacation, but the rest of the time they lead lives of quiet desperation. Eventually, they die but their lives were unfulfilled and no matter how much money they may have accumulated at the end there is no turning back the clock.

I always had a desire to see other parts of the world, but I never wanted to travel endlessly. My aim with travelling was to find a place where I felt happy because I was never really happy in the UK. In fact, towards the end I was extremely unhappy. I ended up in Thailand which, despite its many problems, still suits me better than the country of my birth.

Leaving your old life behind is never easy. The most difficult stage of my life was a period after I had quit my job, but when I couldn't let go of my house and possessions. I was in limbo. I couldn't go back and I was finding it impossible to go forward.

I had to force myself, which led to a few mental and physical problems, and I also found someone to help me. She was a Malaysian lady living in the UK who ran a small shop that sold Asian food and handicrafts.

I felt trepidation right up to the time I left, but what was really strange was that when I closed my front door for the final time on 22nd September 2003 all my worries disappeared. It was as if a great weight had been removed from my shoulders and I felt almost euphoric.

I had no idea how long the adventure would last, whether I would return or not, or what lay ahead of me. Of all the possessions I had accumulated over many years, everything I now had was in the bag on my shoulder.

When I started my new life it was simply like an extended vacation with no return date. It was enjoyable, but not very meaningful. After about six months I started doing some teaching work and by that time I had already met quite a few Thai girls.

Nothing in life ever stays the same and certain developments started to affect me. Visa rules changed and as I wasn't yet old enough for a retirement visa it made working more important so that I could get a non-B visa.

The pound to Baht exchange rate continued to tumble. At first I was getting over Bt70 for each of my UK pounds, but there were some big falls, especially one the Global Financial Crisis hit.

I also changed. My love of travelling to new places just for the sake of it diminished, and loneliness also started to affect me.

My plan for retirement had always been to keep a small apartment in Thailand as a base, but to travel all around the region. With just me, money wouldn't have been an object. However, when that time came I no longer wanted this kind of lifestyle.

This is one of the problems with postponing everything in life until you are older. When that time comes you may have changed. If you want to do something, don't wait.

I enjoyed travelling alone when I was younger and I owned a couple of Porsches that gave me a lot of pleasure. I enjoyed these things and got them out of my system. I am now a different person and have different desires.

The problem with loneliness eventually led to marriage and then children. This is something that I hadn't planned, but there is no point in planning life to the nth degree because life is unpredictable.

In many ways my life has gone full circle, although there are differences. When I was working in the UK I didn't have time to do the things that I wanted and I was very unhappy.

I now have no time because of children, and money is also tight these days. My income has gone down, Thailand is getting more expensive and houses, cars, wives and children don't come cheap.

Still, I am generally happy and that is the important thing in life.

As I was collecting my daughter from school yesterday I got speaking to a Korean guy living in Thailand. He was an interesting and well-informed man. We spoke about the Thai education system and he asked me whether I had decided what career my daughter would go into. She is three.

It will be up to her to choose a career that she wants to do and, as yet, we don't know what that will be. I told him that happiness is more important money. His response was that we need money to be happy. That is true ... to an extent.

Most professions in Thailand pay very poorly. Doctors are paid quite well and many parents try to push their children into the medical profession, but doctors in Thailand work all the time and have no balance in life.

A Thai nurse friend knows many Thai doctors and they all say that if they could choose their profession again it would be something different. Money is a necessary evil in life. We need enough to be happy, but the relentless pursuit of money shouldn't affect how we live our lives.

Returning to the subject of making big changes in life, it helps to think about the Buddhist notion of impermanence. Whatever decisions we make only affect us for the rest of our lives, not for the rest of eternity.

My working life had changed immensely by the time I left my job. I started off working for a company that virtually guaranteed a job for life, but then it started laying off people regularly. It was tough deciding to leave, but had I decided to stay I may have been forced out later.

As I said above, we all change in life and become different people as we get older. Don't put everything off until later because you will miss out on doing things that you enjoy and then find out later that you have lost interest.

Worries about money are probably over-exaggerated by many people, but at the same time money shouldn't be overlooked. You need to be realistic.

Places such as Thailand are cheaper than Western countries, but the cost of living rises all the time. With no welfare system, there are no safety nets for Thais, let alone foreigners.

The only employment option for most foreigners is teaching, but you need to be able to teach and these days you will find it difficult getting a work permit without a degree.

It's possible to make money on-line, but this is also getting tougher and big websites are gradually taking over the Internet. Don't be taken in by any get-rich-quick schemes that promise an easy life in the sun just by completing a few on-line surveys each day. Be realistic.

In my old life - with just me and a good salary - money was never really a problem. Nowadays, with a lower income and more mouths to feed it sometimes is a problem. However, in the pursuit of a happier life it was a conscious decision to change my life and I knew that this would result in a lower income. It was my choice and I have no regrets.

Even if I had millions of pounds, hugging that money would never be the same as hugging my daughter. Money is important to a point, but you don't need that much to take care of the basics and after that it isn't important. Those people for whom it is important can never really be happy.

There's also an old saying about being careful what you wish for because you might get it. I would imagine that lots of tourists in their Thai tourist resorts dream of living a permanent life in Thailand.

For some who make the move, their 'dream' ends when they jump from a high rise condo building in Pattaya. The English language newspapers in Thailand had quite a few articles last year about the growing numbers of farangs sleeping on the streets of Thailand.

If I could give just one piece of advice to a foreigner thinking about living in Thailand, it would be that nothing in Thailand is as it seems on the surface.

I went through a very unpleasant stage living in Thailand during which I started to see the reality of the country. I started thinking very seriously about leaving.

It's not all bad, but you have to ignore the 'Land of Smiles' garbage that is presented by the tourist industry. There are lots of major social and political problems, and these shouldn't be underestimated, especially if you have children.

There also comes a time after which it becomes very difficult to return for various reasons. This is the 'Trapped in Thailand' syndrome that many foreigners suffer from. I am now included in this category.

You should also bear in mind that Thailand is not a very welcoming country to those who make a permanent move. There is no immigration process, as such, and the vast majority of resident expats live on back-to-back one year visas that are never guaranteed.

No matter how many commitments you have or how much money you have invested in the country, your right to live in the country is never guaranteed, The rules may suddenly change, or the immigration official you have to see is in a bad mood, and you may find yourself without a visa.

This permanent alien status also means that foreign residents have absolutely no rights in Thailand. You cannot buy land, cannot engage in certain professions, cannot vote, aren't eligible for free healthcare, etc etc.

Thais who go to live in other countries can obtain citizenship fairly easily and can do all of these things. Farangs in Thailand can't.

If I could turn the clock back, would I change anything? This is a pointless question, but sometimes I ask myself.

I was so unhappy with my old life that I have no regrets about leaving the UK. I also doubt that I would have been much happier in another developed country, which leaves the developing countries.

Of these, many are too under-developed for my liking. I need a certain standard of living, decent healthcare, etc.

Thailand is a country that can offer different standards in almost everything. You can stay in some of the finest hotels in the world, but there are also lots of cheap guesthouses.

There are some fabulous private houses as well as cheap housing for the masses, with a lot in between. The best cars in the world are available (at very high prices), but there are millions of cheap motorbikes to get people around.

I like this aspect of Thailand because it allows me to choose. I could not afford to live in Singapore where everything is expensive, and I wouldn't want to live in a country where everything is cheap but the quality is dubious.

One of the big downsides of living in a country where there are such big divides in wealth is that there is still a lot of Third World behaviour, especially with things such as driving.

You can have anything, but you can't have everything. Unless you are extremely wealthy and can isolate yourself from external dangers and annoyances, there are going to be undesirable aspects to living anywhere in addition to the desirable ones.

Today's post was just a bit of a brain dump about starting a new life in Thailand, spurred by the BBC article linked to above. Even though the political problems have reduced tourist numbers, a lot of tourists still visit Thailand and I guess that quite a few would like to move to Thailand permanently.

Starting a new life in a different country is never easy and there are many things that affect you later that you don't think about initially.

I may be wrong (it happens a lot), but my assumption is that people who find this site are often those who have experienced - and enjoyed - Thailand, and are thinking about a permanent move. I don't think that the things I write about really appeal to tourists, and I am quite dismissive about the superficial tourist scene in Thailand.

If you are thinking about making a move and have any questions, let me know.

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Sunday 6th April 2014

Land of Smiles Contradictions and Contrasts

In yet another report about MH370 that I came across, general criticism of air traffic control procedures in the region was contrasted with Thailand. The author praised the way in which Thais control air traffic.

It's easy to forget about things that don't go wrong, and it is human nature to be more expressive when things do go wrong. Internet forums are full of complaints about cars and other items, but the owners of exactly the same things who don't have any problems don't say anything.

If you use the Internet to try to find about user experiences of anything - cars, cameras, electronic goods, hotels, etc, etc - it is likely that you will find lots of negative comments and not many positive ones.

Potential owners of used Porsche cars fitted with flat six boxer engines may be frightened away by horror stories of intermediate shaft (IMS) bearing failures because the 1% of owners with problems are so vocal, but the voices of the 99% who haven't had any problems won't be heard. The Internet has given rise to some very slanted views.

When I read the positive comment about air traffic control in Thailand it struck me that since I have lived in Thailand there been very few incidents related to air safety. A few aircraft have skidded off runways, but generally the skies are controlled very well, aircraft maintenance seems to be good, and pilots and crew are very competent.

There has always been a lot of international air traffic going in and out of Bangkok and, in 2004, shortly after I arrived in Thailand, the budget airline market took off (no pun intended) in a big way.

Previously, most Thais couldn't afford expensive domestic flights on Thai Airways and their only options to get around the country were by bus, train or dangerous minivans.

Nowadays, with budget airline fares not being much more than bus fares, many Thais fly between the provinces and Bangkok. New airlines start services all the time (the latest in my region of Thailand is Thai Lion Air) and the skies become even more crowded. However, this hasn't resulted in any safety issues.

I am terrified every time that I have to undertake a road journey in Thailand, especially if I'm not driving and the vehicle I am in is being driven by a Thai, but travelling by plane doesn't bother me at all.

My American author friend in Songkhla only travels around Thailand by plane because of Thailand's dangerous roads. She also worries about train travel because of the fairly frequent derailments, but this doesn't overly concern me.

As the excellent healthcare system demonstrates, Thais can do things properly if they want to. Air travel is another example. I think the key phrase here is 'if they want to'. For some reason there is no desire to make road travel safer, despite the senseless loss of tens of thousands of lives every year. I still haven't found out why this is.

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Friday 4th April 2014

Welcome to Planet Thailand - Click for larger image Only in Thailand.

Thais are different to the rest of the human race. I don't mean that in a derogatory way, but the way they think and behave is just different.

Westerners who are familiar with Thailand have known this for a long time and have created terms such as 'This is Thailand' and 'Only in Thailand' for when something happens in Thailand that wouldn't happen anywhere else in the world.

For example, what would you do if, in the course of your work, you discovered a large unexploded World War 2 bomb?

Here's what I would (and wouldn't) do. Firstly, I would be extremely careful not to do anything that might cause it to explode. Secondly, I would call the authorities immediately. The police would be the easiest people to contact and I would expect them to then pass on the information to a military Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit so that trained experts could render it safe. Finished.

How would Thais handle such a situation?

The first instinct with many Thais when finding anything that may have value is to sell it. Safety? What's that? Whether it's an unexploded WW2 bomb or some priceless dinosaur fossils, money always has the highest priority over everything else in Thailand.

Once the bomb has been sold to a scrap metal merchant, obviously the next thing is to open it using a gas-powered thermal cutter. Oh dear. This is exactly what happened in Bangkok earlier this week and you can probably guess the outcome.

Seven dead as war bomb explodes in Bangkok scrap yard

World War Two bomb kills seven in Bangkok (video)

If, as I do, you have a slightly warped sense of humour it can be quite amusing to observe how Thais behave and drive, but the reality isn't funny. Actually it is desperately tragic when their unbelievable stupidity results in the loss of so many innocent lives.

The utter stupidity on Thai roads kills lots of children, and the body of a three year-old girl has just been found at the site where the bomb exploded, bringing the total number of victims to eight.

8th victim found at blast site

This is Thailand.


There have been some horrendous crashes (I refuse to call them accidents because they aren't accidental) on Thailand's roads in recent months, but no matter how much carnage there is nothing ever changes. This is what I can't understand about Thailand.

Drivers don't change the way they drive, and the police and government don't take any action to improve things.

My wife has been watching Thai TV news news and told me that there have been a lot of crashes around the country today. She also saw on one report that Thailand is now rated as the second most dangerous country in the world for traffic fatalities.

In other reports, I have seen Thailand rated as sixth and third. Thais obviously feel that they can do better and have now edged up into second place, apparently with an envious eye on that top position in the near future.

I've been doing the school run all week and up to yesterday it wasn't too bad. However, I noticed a big difference in driver behaviour today. Thais seem to get really excited when the weekend comes and drive even crazier and faster than usual on Fridays.

Despite lots of crashes being reported on Thai TV news today, the English language press in Thailand doesn't seem to have any interest in road injuries and fatalities unless at least 30 people are involved. I can only find one crash on the Bangkok Post, and nothing from The Nation.

36 injured in double-deck bus crash

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Tuesday 1st April 2014

So, you can't read Thai, and when you look at the strange Thai script you know that it would be impossible to learn so it's not even worth trying. Right?

Wrong. Let me demonstrate. Take a quick look at the following and then attempt to read a few basic words.

- this is a vowel that makes a long 'aa' sound - the kind of sound that a doctor would ask you to make if he was looking at your throat. In English it can be written as 'aa', 'ar' or 'ah' (as in Baht).

- this is a consonant that makes an 'h' sound.

- this is a consonant that makes an 'm' sound.

Take a few seconds to try to remember these three characters and the sounds they make. Next, using what you have just learnt, try reading a few simple words.

มา

This word says 'maa' and it's the Thai verb 'to come'.

หา

This word says 'haa' and it means 'to seek' or 'to look for'.

What about the next one?

ห้าม

It says 'haam' and it's a word that you see on many signs in Thailand. It means 'do not' do something.

Easy, wasn't it?

That's basic Thai. Hopefully, you read the words without needing any help even though two minutes ago you thought you were incapable of reading any Thai.

This level of Thai is incredibly easy and if you learn just a few more easy vowels and consonants you can start to read quite a lot of words. I have never been able to work out how someone can live in Thailand for 20+ years and not be able to read a word of Thai.

Tourist areas have quite a lot of written English, but outside of these places it is just Thai. Being able to read some basic Thai helps enormously if living in Thailand or visiting the country regularly.

Of course, it's not all easy. However, if you learn a few basics it then gives you the confidence to tackle more difficult aspects of the language.

What happens when you encounter the following word, which is also made up from the characters above?

หมา

In this word the 'h' consonant is only used for tone purposes. It makes no sound. It is a high class consonant and it therefore changes the tone of the word.

The 'maa' meaning 'to come' is pronounced with a mid-tone, but 'maa' with a rising tone means 'dog'.

This is one way in which tones of words are changed. Many Thai consonants make the same sound, but they are different classes. Different class consonants invoke different tone rules and change the tone of words.

Thai script also uses four tone marks which, in conjunction with the class of the initial consonant, dictate which tone should be used. The word above 'haam' uses the second tone mark. The first and second tone marks are used a lot, but the third and fourth tone marks appear very rarely.

The 'haa' above meaning 'to seek' has a rising tone, but when written with the second tone mark it has a falling tone and means 'five'.

ห้า

If you want to understand more about the tone rules, take a look at the tutorial that I wrote about the subject many years ago.

What happens when you see a word that starts with the following characters?

มหา

Another anomaly of Thai is that vowels are sometimes not written. With some Thai words (actually, quite a few) you need to know when to insert unwritten vowels. This is one of the most difficult aspects of written Thai.

ถนน - this is the Thai word for street.

The word consists of just three consonants - TNN. So, how is it pronounced? You need to know that a short 'ah' or 'uh' goes between the first and second consonants, and a short 'o' goes between the second and third consonants. It is pronounced 'tuh-non'.

This brings me on to the the many problems associated with Thai words being transliterated into English.

English makes no distinction in the written language between aspirated and unaspirated sounds. The 't' in 'take' and the 't' in sister make different sounds, but the same letter is used. Thai does differentiate and there are different consonants for aspirated and unaspirated sounds.

Whoever devised the transliteration system decided that an 'h' would indicate aspirated sounds. Therefore, the Thai word for street is transliterated as 'thanon'.

In English 'th' and 'ph' make very different sounds to 't' and 'p' and this causes confusion. This is why the presenter in a Lonely Planet podcast about Bangkok failed to pronounce Thonburi correctly. Had the confusing 'h' not been used, his pronunciation would have been OK.

Transliteration also fails to differentiate between long and short vowel sounds. Vowel length is critical in Thai and if you get it wrong Thais will not understand you.

Transliteration systems use 'ham' for the verb 'to forbid' instead of the long 'haam'. This, of course, is totally wrong. Tramsliteration systems also tell you that the Thai for 'house' is 'ban' instead of 'baan' and Thais just won't understand you.

When you first start to learn to read Thai it all looks strange and unfamiliar. This can force learners out of their comfort zone and in order to feel more comfortable they look for resources where Thai words are written in English. This is a big mistake.

These transliteration systems are so bad that all they do is mislead people. If you want to learn to speak Thai, the best thing is to start learning to read Thai at the same time.

Back to the example I gave above about words beginning with the following characters:

มหา

With this combination of letters, which means 'great', it has an implied vowel and a short 'uh' is needed between the first and second consonants.

The Thai for 'university' is 'muh-haa-wit-tuh-yaa-luy'

If you want to start learning how to read, ignore the difficult aspects at first. Don't try to justify to yourself why it is too difficult to learn. Learn some easy stuff, grow your confidence, and then start to tackle the more difficult stuff.

I'm very grateful to the people who went through my Learning to Read Thai Tutorials and pointed out a number of errors, typos and omissions. I've now made the corrections and hopefully they should be OK now. I plan to expand on these soon.

Please consider using them. If more interest is shown, then I will be more motivated to do more. If no interest is shown, I won't bother.

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Blog entries 13th to 29th April 2014