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Published: February 24th 2006
Well, are 3 months in Thailand is almost up and I cant believe how quickly it has gone!
We set out to Australia (Perth) on 25th Feb. Im looking forward to going to a new place, facing new challenges but I also dont want to leave here! I think we can both safely say these have been the best 3 months of our lives (so far!) It really has been great and an excellent experience.
When we first arrived in Thailand it took a few days for us to adapt to the culture and different way of life but we soon got the hang of it and now it is just the norm to us. In the first few days I remember thinking - 'I cant wait to get back to an English speaking Country' and now I'm thinking 'I dont want to go back to an English speaking Country'! Its too easy!
I would love to see and travel more of Asia. Not only is it beautiful but it is so cheap and I see it as more of a challenge when it comes to traveling!
There are so many cultural changes we are going to have
Chaweng beach - Fruit seller
This guy walks up and down the beach all day and sells Pineapple, Mango, coconuts and BBQ corn (which is yum!)to adapt to when going to Australia. It going to be so strange at first. I have listed the cultural changes below (there are quite a few of them so you might get a bit bored reading them! - they are more for our reference for when we get back so we dont forget anything! Also it is probably hard to imagine
what Im talking about unless you have been here!)
*Bartering
You have to haggle prices on clothes, taxi's, buses, food, guesthouses, jewellery (pretty much everything!) the Thai's are excellent sales people and many times we've ended up paying too much for things but now we have the hang of it - finally!
*Tuk Tuks
A Tuk Tuk is another kind of taxi in Thailand. Always make sure you agree a price before you go anywhere, otherwise they will rip you off (thats a general rule with everything). These drivers are crazy!
*Toilets
The Thai toilets are horrible - basically a hole in the floor. They are so unhygienic. At first I refused to use them but like anything you get used to it. They dont even have flushes, you have to flush it yourself
by pooring water down the hole. Its gross!
*Lady boys
Some are obviously guys and are so manly in the way they look but some are so convincing, you really wouldnt be able to tell if they were a lady boy or not - I feel sorry for all the straight men that fall for it!
* Postitution
Im not sure if they would class it as postitution but Im not sure of what else to call it. It becomes quite disturbing when you see an old Westener with a barely 16 year old Thai girl. I really feel for them! But at the end of the day they need the money and they dont have many options when it comes to jobs do they? We've been told that most of the girls earn the money and send 90% of it back to their poor families. Becoming involved with a Westener can also give them a whole new life - the westener pays for everything and may even look after their family too. It cant be nice for them but it is just the norm here. (You dont see much of it in Koh Samui - mainly in
Phil playing pool (making a silly face!)
We've played so many free games of pool it's unreal. I'm quite good at it now (not as good as Phil though - he always wins as usual!) Patong in Phuket)
*Food Carts
Yummy! There are food carts pretty much everywhere. Its a cart stuck to a motor bike that is full of meet they will BBQ for you - sausages, chicken, beef, pork, pork balls on a stick and they're only about 14p each! Ideal for after a few beers! Much better than eating a 'dirtburger' from union street!
* Motorbikes/Roads
There are motorbikes everywhere - this is probably the easiest for of transport here although its also probably the most dangerous, especially for us Westeners. Everywhere you go you see Westeners bandaged up coz they have fallen off a bike - some people look really bad. We have avoided hiring out a bike mainly due to the fact it would completely spoil our travels if anything happened to one of us, its not really worth the risk.
The roads are so, so busy and there are pot holes everywhere - theres definitely no City Council here! Bangkok is by far the worst, I could even try to describe how busy and hectic the roads are there, you wouldnt understand unless you have been there! They even ride with their whole family on the bike
Me with Ronald McDonald
We thought this was quite funny - the Thai's put there hands together like this to say Hello and Goodbye and now even Ronald is doing it!! - we've seen up to 5 people on a bike, 2 adults and 3 little kids! Its nuts!
* Sales people on the beach
These can be so annoying. The worst place we thought for this was Patong. The Thai's try and sell you anything from sarongs to a great big wooden elephants! umbrellas, jewellery, ice creams, shorts, table clothes, hammocks - oh yeah and even drugs! (even dad got asked!) They walk a long the beach all day! some will even wake you up when you are sleeping to ask if you want to buy something. It can get quite annoying saying 'no thank you' all the time (this only happens in the Tourist areas like Chaweng Beach, Patong, Lamai and Karon beach) They will do anything for money, this Thai guy we are quite friendly with on the beach who sells Ice Creams gave Phil necklace yesterday (he could hardly say no thanks after the lovely jesture) and came back an hour or so later saying 'you can give me whatever money you want tomorrow' cheeky git! We have to give him some money now for a necklace we dont even want!! Clever arent they!?
They also
Phil wih his blond hair!
Its gone so blond! and its quite long now too walk around with animals like cute little monkeys, lizards, snakes and one has a great big eagle. They put the animals on you and take a photo which you have to give them money for. Poor animals, it makes you wonder how they are looked after, probably not very well.
*'Thai Time'
As Ive said before, everything in Thai land is done so slow - theres no need to rush. Little is done properly or is very organised at all. They will tell you a journey will take 2 hours when in fact it will take 4 and will tell you you will be picked up at 7.30 when infact they dont turn up until 8.30! Its what us backpackers call 'Thai Time' Its annoying at first coz us Brits are so used to routine and everything we do is so organised, we get annoyed if a taxi is 5 mins late! you learn that you really dont need to be so organised and have so many rules and regulations as we do. No wonder we're all stressed out all the the time! They dont have a worry in the world here and just get on with things. Maybe
we should take a leaf out of their book?
* Taylors
How many times have we been asked if we want a suit made?! Its so annoying!! They are everywhere and have an answer to everything! We cant have a suit made coz we are backpacking but they can send it to our home in England. We dont have money - but we can make a suit for about 30 pounds! They go on and on and dont let you go until you have to be rude and turn your back on them. We dont want a bloody suit!
(I have to say though you can get a suit for so cheap its unreal! If you need one you should definitely get one here!)
* Violence/Trouble/crime
In our 3 months here I have not seen any trouble or violece here (actually, we saw one fight and that was outside a nightclub. A Westener punched a Thai guy - what a mistake that was. Even if the Thai's dont know each other they all stick together like one big family. The Westener soon ran away!! It was his fault it all started in he first place) I know people
Phil on the main street
You can see in the background there are markets after markets selling all fake clothes, souveniers, jewellery etc Cheap too! have been concerned about violence and crime here especially when the Brit girl was killed. But I can honestly say I feel a lot safer in Thailand than what I do in England. Ive seen a lot worse down Union Street on one Saturday night that what I have in the whole 3 months here.
* Thai People
The Thai people are so friendly and so helpful. They call Thailand 'The Land Of Smiles' and its true. The thing is though, without Tourism this country would be so poor. A very, very high percentage of their money and jobs comes from tourism.
They are good to have a laugh with and we have made some good friends with Thai guys - playing pool and having a few beers.
Although we have to remember we havent been in the poorer parts of Thailand where I should imagine life is a lot more difficult for them and maybe they're not so easy going? It is a very poor Country afterall.
* Money - how cheap is it!
It is so, so cheap here! I cant believe how far the pound goes. If we were on a 2 week holiday you
Chaweng Lake View
Behind the lake are more pubs and clubs! could really spoil yourself and still not have spent that much! Everything is so cheap - beer, food, clothes, transport - everything!
Well I think thats nearly everything (my fingers hurt from typing so much!!)
As you can tell we have thouroughly enjoyed our stay in Thailand. Its going to be hard going back to normality now! No drinking, going out everynight, we'll have really budget ourselfs when we get to Australia, everthing will be more expensive, the weather wont be as hot but its not all bad coz Australia is still an amazing place and we cant wait to see it! This has been a 3 month holiday with lots of drinking, partying, meeting different people and also a big learning curve for us both.
Traveling really does change you and already we can see differences in us both - we are so much more confident now and are not nervous or worried about going anywhere. You just learn to adapt and deal with it, you have to.
Onto the next place - I wonder what other great experiences we will have and what other interesting people we will meet. How exciting!
PS - I wasnt going to attach any photos coz I think you've seen all the good ones but I thought I would attach some misc photos we have taken over the past couple of days. They're not that great but hey, at least it gives you something else to look at!
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Mum and Dad
non-member comment
Leaving Thailand
We have really enjoyed watching you both on your travels and sharing the good and bad times, and the laughs! It was also great sharing the experience with you on our 2 week holiday,we realy enjoyed spending time with you both. Good luck in Australia,keep up the blog as we cant wait to hear about you next adventure!!!!! take care of each other. Love to you both xxxxxxxxx