Living In Thailand Blog
Thursday 5th February 2009
When I had eye problems a few years ago, Thai doctors using Western medicine techniques took a long time to diagnose the cause of the infection and it got quite nasty. They first guessed it was bacterial but antibiotics had no effect.
Their next guess was a viral infection but the anti-viral medicine they gave me didn't help either. Finally, a different doctor did some tests and decided it was a fungal infection. The drops to treat the infection were painful, expensive and only had a shelf-life of about one week.
This happened before I had taken out any health insurance and cost me a small fortune.
While all this was going on I visited a traditional Chinese doctor and it was quite an experience. His practice was filthy and he sat chain-smoking at a large desk, occasionally turning to use the spittoon on the floor next to his chair.
His desk was completely covered with papers, pens, books, tea-drinking paraphernalia, and overflowing ashtrays. It was a little different to visiting my old doctor in the UK.
His diagnosis for all patients involved two things, regardless of their problem. He didn't even ask what problem they had. He would look at people's tongues using a flashlight and check their pulse on both wrists.
That's all he did. He didn't say a word and once he had finished his diagnosis he wrote out the prescription on a piece of plain paper in fancy Chinese letters using an old-fashioned quill pen that he needed to dip in ink.
With my prescription in hand I went along to a Chinese pharmacy where they mixed up the herbs he had prescribed and put them in gauze bags. I had to boil each bag and drink the resulting 'tea'. Each bag was good for two boilings - morning and night - and once I had drunk the fluid I had to eat the ginseng that was included in the herbs.
To be honest, I'm not sure if this had any effect but I was so desperate at the time I was willing to try anything.
The BBC has just reported: Pulse rate clue to heart attacks
US researchers have just discovered that measuring a woman's resting pulse rate can predict how likely she is to suffer a heart attack. The Chinese have been measuring pulse rates to diagnose problems of the body for thousands of years and Western medicine has only just caught up.
I am not an advocate of either branch of medicine but I think practitioners of one can learn a lot from the other. I like the holistic approach of Eastern medicine and the importance of maintaining balance in the body.
Western medicine seems to focus too much on the part of the body with the problem instead of looking at the whole body. Also, the drugs used in Western medicine to kill off the problem seem to do equally as much damage elsewhere.
Also, I think there is much more of a link between mental and physical problems than Western medicine allows for. Stress-related problems can manifest themselves in all kinds of weird physical problems but most Western doctors only concentrate on the physical symptoms.
The Thais have not lost sight of this. Most medical facilities practice Western medicine but a lot of faith is still placed in traditional Thai practices and the use of Thai herbs. The Prince of Songkla university even has a Faculty of Traditional Medicine.
Wednesday 4th February 2009
The street vendor I regularly buy kanom krok from was complaining about the 'cold' last night. She had wrapped her arms around her body and was pretending to shiver. She asked if I was cold.
After walking back to my apartment, I checked my thermometer. It read 27°C. Outside there was a refreshing, cool breeze - well, it was cool and refreshing to me but a source of discomfort to her apparently. I wasn't quite sure how to answer the question she had asked me earlier so just told her that our blood was different.
If only I could have transported her to England or Canada for a taste of some real cold weather. It really is a different world here.
I read a comment recently that said staying in on a Friday night is the new going out. Perhaps having vacations in the UK is the new going abroad for Brits? One UK holiday operator seems to think so anyway: Pontin's to create 2,000 new jobs
How has this economic downturn affected foreigners planning to make a trip to Thailand? Everyone's case is different, of course, but here are a few thoughts. This is biased towards Brits but may be similar for other nationalities.
Tourists: A vacation in Thailand is not exactly a necessity and in difficult times people cut out luxury items. For those who are still set on making the trip, probably the biggest change in recent months has been the exchange rate.
At one point a Bt10,000 ATM transaction was costing around £135 but with the pound hovering around the 50 Baht mark it now costs around £200. Even so, despite an unfavourable exchange rate things still probably seem cheap in Thailand compared to the UK - and the weather is far better, and the girls are far prettier.
It is possible to survive very cheaply in Thailand but living cheap is the last thing you want to do if you are on a short vacation. If you want to stay at a decent place, eat decent meals, go on some organised day trips, do a spot of diving, shop, and maybe get some companionship in the evenings, it all adds up.
The good news is that in times of crisis local businesses are very grateful to tourists. One of the best vacations I ever had was in Egypt shortly after the Luxor massacre. That incident destroyed Egypt's tourism industry for a while and the few tourists that continued to visit were given very special treatment.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was in Davos trying to drum up support for Thailand's tourism industry so we know there is a problem.
The economic downturn may mean some good bargains and promotions so this could actually be a very good time to visit Thailand.
Potential retirees: Presumably most people looking to retire to Thailand will be receiving their main source of income from their home country and either transferring money to a Thai bank account or withdrawing cash from ATMs.
Again, the lower exchange rate will have an effect on this. The Bt800,000 requirement you need in a Thai bank account in order to obtain a retirement visa will also cost more than it did a short time ago.
Not so long ago, liquidating all of your assets and living on the interest was a viable strategy and even a person of fairly modest means could live very well in Thailand by doing this. However, plunging interest rates have changed everything.
It is better now to have an income rather than to rely on the interest from capital. With the UK base rate at an all-time low of just 1.5% (and rumours that it will fall to 1%) the interest isn't much even if you have a lot of capital.
Using your capital to generate an income might be a better financial strategy. Diversifying and not keeping all your eggs in one basket might also be a good idea.
I'm not a financial expert but I was glad I didn't carry out all my plans from a few years ago as that would have affected me badly now.
Potential English teachers: Life goes on in Thailand, and English is still a very important skill to be learned. There is still enormous demand in schools and language institutes everywhere.
The general problem with farangs is that they want to teach in the same places where they spend vacations, that is, within a stone's throw of a beautiful beach and swaying palm trees.
If you are prepared to work in an ugly provincial town, it's very easy to find work and you will get a much more authentic Thai experience. You may even start to understand that beauty is only skin deep and that there is beauty among the stray dogs and broken pavements.
The real beauty of Thailand is the people and Thai people can be found everywhere in Thailand!
Foreigners don't teach in Thailand for the money. A few earn a big salary but the majority earn just about enough to live on. It's a good lifestyle though and that's why people do it.
As I wrote recently, if you want to teach in Thailand don't try to organise everything over the Internet before you arrive. Employers receive thousands of e-mails for every job advertised and most of them come from dreamers so they are a waste of time.
I tried this approach before I moved to Thailand and was told by a farang in Thailand that I would never find work because I was underqualified. What rubbish. I wish I still had his e-mail address.
I've taught students ranging from young kids to PhDs and have never had much of a problem finding work. If you are actually here and available to start working straight away, that is 99% of getting a teaching job in Thailand.
Tuesday 3rd February 2009
My stomach has started to reject Western food. After eating Western food recently I have felt nauseous and very bloated. It's quite an uncomfortable feeling.
I still can't eat Thai food for breakfast. The Thais tuck into rice and curries first thing in the morning but at that time of the day I can only eat toast, eggs, and maybe a chicken sausage or two.
Once lunchtime arrives it's a different story. I am going through a craze of eating chicken with holy basil at the moment - put guh-prao gai. I've been eating it almost every day for several weeks now!
ผัดกะเพราไก่
Holy (or Sacred) Basil is not to be confused with Sweet Basil - hor-ruh-paa.
โหระพา
put guh-prao gai is a stock Thai dish that is available absolutely everywhere and it is normally eaten with a fried egg sitting on top - kai daaw. The holy basil has a very distinctive flavour but the way the dish is made by different people can vary quite a lot.
It is always made fresh to order and a Thai cook can make this in just a few minutes.
What I can't quite figure out is how meals like this can be sold so cheaply. Thais have a fixed price list in their heads for standard Thai food. If you ask them what the price of a certain meal should be they will be able to tell you straight away.
The standard price for this meal is Bt25 or Bt30 and a fried egg is Bt5. How can they pay for all the utilities in the restaurant, pay the staff, buy all the ingredients, maybe rent the restaurant if they don't own it, and still only charge Bt30?
Oh I almost forgot, you normally also get a bowl of clear soup with your meal included in the price. This is normally very tasty.
I don't know how they do it but it certainly helps keep my spending down. If a restaurant tried to raise its prices, Thai customers would just stop eating there so the owners can't raise prices.
The only way Thais can get away with charging Bt150 for a meal that would normally cost Bt30 is to open a restaurant in a tourist resort with lots of foreign customers who don't understand Thai prices and can't speak or read Thai.
Western food is relatively expensive in Thailand, especially if imported meat is used. An imported steak meal will normally cost upwards of Bt300: even in the non-tourist areas.
Local food is dirt cheap and very healthy. The rice contains carbohydrates, there is protein in the meat, and normally a good helping of fresh vegetables with lots of vitamins. Another benefit is that the food isn't very fattening.
You see quite a few fat Thai kids nowadays but only because they have started eating Western junk food. When you look at the older generation there is very little obesity.
We generally think that beer is the cause of the huge guts that hang over Speedo swimming shorts as farang tourists stroll along Patong beach but I suspect it has more to do with food than beer.
I haven't drunk beer for a long time but there have been times when I have consumed a lot of bread. I bought a toasted sandwich maker a few years ago and started eating a lot of toasted sandwiches. This caused my gut to balloon but Thai food doesn't have the same effect and my stomach has since receded.
Will I ever understand how Thais think?
In the past week I have walked past the scene of four road accidents just after they have happened. There was no major damage and no one was hurt; just dented bodywork and some expense and hassle for someone getting the repairs done - either the individuals involved or their insurance companies.
The vehicles had been left in the same position while the drivers exchanged details and waited for the police to arrive.
What I couldn't understand was why the drivers looked upset.
Whenever I go out in the evening I witness the most idiotic displays of driving I have ever seen as public roads are turned into race tracks. When people drive that way it is obvious that there will be lots of accidents.
As far as I can make out, there are two choices.
Thais either driver 'Thai-style' with the understanding that accidents are inevitable and therefore when one occurs they just accept it and don't get upset.
Or if they don't want to be involved in accidents they change the way they drive.
What they don't do is drive Thai-style and then get upset when their beloved vehicles are involved in an accident.
I have added another learning to read Thai tutorial: Learn to read Thai - Tutorial 20.
I find myself hurrying through these now and the reason for that is lack of reader interest. I am planning to finish everything by the end of this month so that I can concentrate my efforts on something that has absolutely nothing to do with Thailand.
Monday 2nd February 2009
I saw an Internet-forum posting recently that said people are getting more intelligent these days. It surprised me because my conclusion is the exact opposite.
I've read a number of accounts of foreigners in Thailand from hundreds of years ago and their observations and use of language give the impression they were far more intelligent than the average person today.
We have seen some amazing technological advances in recent years and it is obvious that the people behind that technology are exceptionally clever. But many of the users of that technology just seem to get dumbed down as the technology advances.
If I go into a shop and buy something for Bt79 and give the girl a Bt100 note, she will normally need to use a calculator to work out how much change to give me.
As a teacher, I have noticed that many students have very short attention spans and this is typical of many people around the world today. In this (the so-called MTV age), many people only seem to have enough of an attention span to watch an amusing 15-second video clip before moving on to the next amusing 15-second video clip.
If any learning material needs serious thought and concentration it's almost impossible for many people to learn now.
There was an interesting theory put forward a few years ago that humanity would eventually split into two separate sub-species.
According to Oliver Curry who developed this theory, the people creating all the fantastic technology will form into a genetic upper class while those surfing around on Youtube looking at videos of people surfing down escalators will emerge as a dim-witted underclass.
The physical appearance of the two sub-species will be quite different.
"The descendants of the genetic upper class would be tall, slim, healthy, attractive, intelligent, and creative and a far cry from the "underclass" humans who would have evolved into dim-witted, ugly, squat goblin-like creatures."
A few years ago I tried to teach some Thai adults who had been learning English for over 30 years but still couldn't put together a coherent sentence.
I was teaching what I thought was really easy material but they just couldn't understand it. One day I must have looked really exasperated because one of my students told me a Thai proverb.
I have never seen this particular proverb in any of the books I have of Thai proverbs but it was rather good.
He told me, "You can't teach crocodiles how to climb trees."
It's good advice.
I have added another learning to read Thai tutorial: Learn to read Thai - Tutorial 19.
This economic crisis is getting quite scary. The first blip I saw personally came halfway through 2007 but short-term corrections in the stock markets are quite normal so I didn't pay too much attention.
Instead of being a blip, the problems continued until the end of the year. I was hoping for the beginning of a recovery at the start of 2008, but January 2008 was a disaster. Things started to improve slightly after that but when Lehman Brothers fell in September it looked as if the whole banking system might collapse.
Somehow the banking system survived - after massive government intervention - but the economy was left in tatters and the problems have continued into 2009 with no end in sight.
I was given some Woolwich Building Society shares many years ago when UK building societies started to float on the London stock exchange. When Barclays Bank bought the Woolwich the shares became Barclays shares. At one point not so long ago they were worth about £8 but last week they went down to around 50p.
One of my visitors (whose e-mail I can't reply to because my replies get bounced) sent me a report last week written by an ex-investment banker who has made lots of accurate predictions. As I read through the gloom and doom in the report, I was waiting for the good news. There wasn't any.
On a cheery note, the author of the report concluded by suggesting that people increase their personal security because crime is going to rise. As the economy gets worse, more people will turn to crime.
In any crisis people act in a predictable fashion. There is shock and disbelief at first but this soon turns to anger. Angry people in Russia and France have been protesting against their governments' handling of the crisis.
Warnings have been issued about more social unrest and the threat of cybercrime is said to be rising sharply.
Not only are we suffering financially but the world is becoming a more dangerous place. One of the most important things we need for a recovery is confidence but there is no confidence.
History has a nasty habit of repeating itself and in previous times of extreme social unrest we have seen protectionism, xenophobia, radical politics, dictators, and wars.
At the moment we are also seeing extreme temperatures. While the UK is suffering its coldest winter for many years on one side of the globe, Australia is having its hottest summer for 100 years on the other.
Israel has already flattened the Gaza Strip this year killing and leaving homeless thousands of innocent people. With extreme weather, the next thing countries will be going to war over is fresh water and that hasn't even started yet.
The future really doesn't bode well at the moment.
I am in the process of rewriting all the plans I have been making for the last 15 years, or so. My current life is satisfactory but not what I really want. What has been keeping me going is the thought of a full retirement at the end of 2010 to do the things I really want to do.
However, as this economic nightmare has unfolded I no longer think I will be able to do that. I think I will have to delay my plans for at least three years. I can continue doing what I am doing now for another two years but I'm not sure that I can continue for another five or more years.
For many years I have had a plan, and I have been able to follow that plan, but now - suddenly - everything has changed and I am having to rethink everything.
The only consolation is being in Thailand. It wouldn't be much fun going through this while still living in the UK. Another consolation is not having any kids because at the moment I really wouldn't want children of mine to be experiencing any of this.
It seems I'm not the only one to feel the way I do about the UK as record numbers of Brits head to live in Australia. It's not my cup of tea (I've been three times) but I can understand why so many Brits are attracted.
My country of birth, once the greatest nation on earth, has been ruined.
I received the following in an e-mail a few days ago. It purports to have been printed in The Times obituary section but that is probably an urban myth. Nonetheless, I thought it was quite accurate.
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain.
- Why the early bird gets the worm.
- Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers:
- I Know My Rights
- I Want It Now
- Someone Else Is To Blame
- I'm A Victim
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.
I saw Gandhi's famous quote again recently and it seems particularly relevant at this time.
"There is enough on the planet for everyone's need but not enough for one man's greed."
Sunday 1st February 2009
In the past, some men have written to me about problems with Thai girls. When they explain what they think the girl should want and how they think she should behave, they explain what a farang girl should want and how a farang girl should behave. This is a very big mistake.
On the outside Thais seem remarkably similar to Westerners. In towns and cities they dress similar to Westerners nowadays, they go to work, go to school, drive cars, shop in supermarkets, etc., etc., just like Westerners.
However, this is all fairly superficial.
For example, the Thai belief system is very different. This was highlighted during the Jatukham Ramathep craze a couple of years ago when people were being trampled to death under foot in the fight to get new amulets.
Outside most buildings is a little house where food and gifts are provided for the local spirits, and if you look closely elsewhere you will see daubs of paint on buildings and cars from where the monks have been to give a blessing.
Fortune-telling is big business in Thailand and even Thaksin was alleged to have consulted with a Cambodian witchdoctor before making decisions when he was in power.
The value system is also very different. It doesn't take long in Thailand to realise that what is important and unimportant to Thais is quite different to what is important and unimportant to most foreigners.
What about doing business? In the West every business will have a web site by now, and therefore an Internet presence. I have researched the local accommodation scene here quite a bit and guess how many apartment buildings have a web site? None. If you try to find apartment buildings here on-line, you won't find any because there aren't any.
Word of mouth and personal reference are very big in Thailand. Every job I have ever had, I have first heard about from someone else. When Thais want to advertise something they normally do so by attaching a piece of card to the nearest lamppost.
Apartment buildings in Thailand with web sites create their web sites in English because they want foreign customers, not Thais. They do this because foreigners will pay higher prices than locals.
Many Thais have followed a business model of just going after foreign customers because profits are much higher but they will probably be suffering now as a result of the global economic problems.
Foreigners send me e-mails for different reasons but what is clear is that they want every last detail planned before they arrive in Thailand, and they want to use the Internet to do this. It won't work.
If you try to find somewhere to stay on-line before you arrive it will probably be somewhere expensive. Just get here, stay in a hotel for a few days and hit the streets wearing your most comfortable walking shoes. There are apartment buildings everywhere but very few have a web site and therefore you ain't gonna find them on-line.
It's exactly the same when wanting to teach in Thailand. Forward thinking isn't a Thai strength and when a Thai employer advertises for a teacher it's probably because they need one right now.
They don't want to enter into a lengthy correspondence regarding every minute detail of the job and the location, especially when so many farangs just dream about working in Thailand and have no actual intention of making the trip.
80% of success is just about turning up but for teaching jobs in Thailand you are about 99% there if you turn up and can start working straight away.
Thais use the verb 'play' (len) for computer and Internet usage, and that just about sums up the situation as it is at the moment. Computers and the Internet are toys for playing Hi5 and World of Warcraft.
Bangkok may be a little different but out in the provinces it still works the old-fashioned way. There may come a time in the future when the Internet becomes a serious business tool in Thailand and every small business has an on-line presence, but that time hasn't arrived yet.