Standout memories of Bangkok.
A bloke on the pavement with and ancient treadle sewing machine measured me for a suit in the morning and it was ready in the afternoon. Cost the equivalent of a shirt back home.
These memories are fantastic and I really love the photos, especially the one of the woman holding your arm. Did she eventually let go?
There are still a lot of suit shops, but now run mostly by Indians who have a lot more hustle in them. It's all about the art of negotiation with them but can still get a good quality suit and all the trimmings for a very reasonable price. I think a lot of people blindly just say yes because it's cheap relative to where they are from but there's a lot of scope to negotiate them down to what they might charge a local.
A bullock cart and a Ferrari side by side at the traffic lights.
I think I read somewhere recently that the wealth gap in Thailand was the biggest in the world and it's summed up by what you just said. It feels like 99% of the population live month by month, week by week and day by day, but the top 1% control everything and are so rich. It's something I want to avoid really talking about on the forum but we can have a good chat about this in person as I have been so lucky to get to meet and play poker with many of this 1%.
Seeing a ferrari or sports car of that type here is even more impressive because there's a 200% luxury tax on luxury vehicles.
Street dogs.
With Thailand being around 70% Buddhist and even higher in the areas that most foreigners might find themselves (as a lot of the Muslim areas are in in more troubled Southern regions) that life is sacred and thus, as well as struggling with resources, most vets will not Euthanise dogs. There are now some organisations like the Soi Dog Foundation but there are just so many street dogs to tackle the problem.
Thailand in general is a dog loving country though, with the former King who I would say was the most loved Monarch in the world always pictured with many different dogs.
A procession of burly marines taking turns to try their luck in the ring with a tiny Thai boxer, getting their ass whipped and their mates howling with laughter.
When me and Amatay first arrived in Phuket, our landlord was an English guy with a Thai wife. I remember him saying, if you get in an argument with a Thai guy, walk away. Don't think you're bigger or stronger and be brave. While you were at school playing football and hockey, he was probably learning how to fight. Fortunately, I have never had any sort of problem here. People have always been friendly and welcoming and it also takes much much more to push a Thai person to their limit before they resort to violence in general. In nightlife areas I have seen a few foreigners deservedly get smacked by a little dude though. Your average security/doorman is about half the size of what you'd see in Europe.
A scantily clad waitress seeing me looking at her caesarean scar and explaining politely, "Baby come through, my hole too small".
I really love how matter of fact Thais are with all things related to physical appearance, explained perfectly in your little story. In other places, many of these things need to be dealt with so delicately. You may have felt rude or awkward that she noticed what you were looking at but she wouldn't have minded at all.
I remember being at a bar with some friends a few months in to my Thailand trip and talking with a few thai girls. One of them said, 'This is my friend, we call her 'PumPui', it's mean Fat'. I didnt know what to say at all. I immediately felt terrible for the girl. She looked and me and said 'I like eat too much' in such a proud happy way, with a huge smile on her face. Her friends weren't calling her it in a negative way, they just talk so frankly about things related to physical appearance which is such a healthy way to approach it. I gained a lot of weight after I first started to go to Macau and when I came back to Phuket I used to really laugh when Thais that I knew, not even friends but like local barber, or the staff at restaurants I would frequent would say things like 'Oh Cos what happen, you so fat now!?'. I actually love it and it creates an environment where things like Anorexia and eating disorders are far less than elsewhere. That said, there is also an incredible obsession with cosmetic beauty and plastic surgery and such proceedures.
The uproar I caused by trapping some baht under my shoe and thereby insulting the King by putting my foot on a picture of his head.
The King and Monarchy must be respected at all times. I remember being told off by my girlfriend for putting some cash in my shoes while I changed boots to play football. I didn't realise but it's why you never really see Thai's sitting showing the soles of their feet as it is seen as disrespectul. No woman will ever touch the top of a man's head either. Something also considered incredibly rude.
Lese Majeste laws are incredibly serious and saying anything negative about the royal family can land you with a lifetime jail sentence.
There is a National anthem played at 6am and 6pm on tv stations and bus terminals/shopping centres/skytrain stations and people will stand still and silent whilst it is played. Before movies too, the King's anthem is played and everyone within the theatre will stand.
When the last King sadly passed away, there was a whole year of mourning. I remember a few people that I know wearing only black clothing for the entire year.
Even amongst Thai friends where they would welcome my opinion, I prefer not to talk about anything political etc here. I think it's just a bad idea for a foreigner.
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