Thailand
Thailand’s Computer Cops
Something strange has happened recently, and it’s got to do with computers and the internet in Thailand. Generally, the internet here is pretty open and free - if you’re not into distributing or watching hardcore porn, selling illegal items or services or insulting the Monarchy, there’s very little you can’t do (most of the websites [...]
Underrated Things - Thai 50 Baht Note
It never fails - every time I’m in a taxi, the final fare happens to be either 45 baht, or 65 baht (or something very close to these). You can either fumble with a fistful of 20’s - if you have enough - or give the driver 100 baht note, which are plentiful. If you’re [...]
Bangkok Beggars - The Good, The Bad, and The Fake
Now, before I start this off, let me say that I don’t have anything against those less fortunate than us. I’ve spent more than my fair share of time taking HIV-positive kids on field trips, painting orphanage walls with mentally challenged teenagers and volunteer teaching at schools for underprivileged children. But in Thailand - [...]
The Only Law They Enforce in Thailand… Usually
My friend John sums up Thailand’s version of law enforcement beautifully: “There are no laws here until there are laws. Then they’re completely unbreakable.” I remember last year when some City Hall genius decided that Bangkok taxis could only be hailed at designated spots along the streets. Signs were put up, curbs were painted and [...]
Double Pricing: Moral? No. Legal? You Bet!
One of the first things I learned when I was teaching was that many (if not most) Thais automatically think two things about every non-Asian foreigner: 1) We’re rich, and 2) We’re Christian. As my curious students pounded me with questions, I was always amused to see their confused looks when I told them the [...]
How to Mangle the Thai Language
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve left Thailand for a vacation back home, only to have someone ask me, “So how much Taiwanese do you speak?” When I tell them that I don’t speak a single word, the quizzical look I get is almost worth the explanation I have to give. Thais, of [...]
Elephants in the Big Mango
For many visitors, walking around Bangkok will allow them a glimpse of many things they would never see at home, some awful, some amazing. Dudes selling fried bugs, beggars with awful diseases, bike paths that end at brick walls and an alarming cross section of social strata that would make a New York subway [...]
Thailand’s Computer Paradise
Last time I was in Canada, I was - somewhat futilely, I admit - searching for those little keychain license plates with names on them, but with Thai names like Tin, Pik, Nok and so forth. It’s no surprise that I couldn’t find any. The clerk asked me what I was looking for [...]
Getting a Thai Driver’s License the Hard Way - Taking the Test
After living here for over 7 years now, I’m familiar enough with the rules and nuances of Bangkok traffic to know that I never, ever want to drive in it. It’s not so much that it’s bad - traffic in India or Vietnam makes Bangkok traffic look like a driver’s ed training course - but [...]
Thailand’s Version of Workplace Safety
One of the first things many visitors notice about Thailand is that all the construction workers - putting in ten hour days in 38 degree heat - wear long-sleeve shirts, gloves, full-face masks and wide brimmed hats. It often confuses the pasty tourist, already dripping with sweat after strolling a few hundred feet out of [...]
