Thailand info, answering some requests

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By request

I'd like to tell you a bit about what to expect from Thailand, when travelling it's beautiful parks, noisy cities, friendly people and ..OK transportation system 😊 And add some special requests I've gotten.

First of all, Thailand is a pretty big (but not massive) country. Travelling the whole thing, North to south, by train, would take you about 1.5 days, if you keep moving. Thailand is generally divided in 'The north', which is a bit less touristy, economically developed, cheaper. There's more nature, more jungles, fresh fruit everywhere. Even some semi-indiginous Hill tribe people you may visit.

Then there's the islands (south). Those are where the masses of tourists go. And for good reason: warm seas, tropical beaches, Rocky Islands jutting out from the water... And a very big bar/party scene on most of the islands. It's probably the most lucrative thing one can do in thailand, to have a bar.. Depending on the place, a half liter bottle of beer at a bar will cost you between 70 and 150 baht, which is about 1.75 to 3.75 euros

If you can avoid those, there's still nice places to be seen, adventures to be had and backpackers to meet.


Then, there's infrastructure. Let's start with toilets. Most of them flush. A lot have an ass-shower, to clean up. it's just a small handheld thing besides the toilet, with a hose and a handle, that you press for it to turn on. Some toilets don't have one, and/or come with a bucket of water and a small pan, that you can use for the same purpose. Usually those don't have any toilet paper :/. For the ones that do have it, (or you bring your own), you basically only use it to dry. The sewage system can't handle paper or other objects in the toilet, so you'll have to put the used paper in a bin.

Roads. Those are all over. Some are up to European standards. Most have trouble handling water and are riddled with potholes. On the roads, busses and minivans transport tourists and locals alike. A few cities have Songthaews (hope I spell it right), which is a truck with benches and a cover, that you can enter for 30 or so bath (75ct). The driver will try to find an optimal route to get all his passengers to their destinations. There are also taxi's and tuktuks. Most will have hugely inflated prices for tourists. It may cost you a whopping 150 baht (=a large meal + drink in a lot of places) or ~3.75 euros to get you to the other side of the city. It will be cheaper when you bargain 😊

A problem I experienced with minivans, is that they will divert from their published routes, to pick up more passengers, if the van is not full. :/. There seems to be little you can do about it. Roll with it. It's thailand.. 😊

Trains are a blessing. They won't divert from the path. They might even be on time. It's very nice to sleep in a sleepers train. And it saves you money for a hostel too. Travelling by night is so efficient 😊

Then there's cars and scooters. Most bigger cities are quite congested with these and the other transport services, mentioned earlier. Chiang Mai had a lot of one-way streets. Also: traffic lights, diversions, police funnels.. On the other hand, when you travel then by scooter, I find that traffic is very forgiving. Everyone pays a lot of attention and if someone changes lanes a bit late, the whole system gives way. Sometimes without as much as a honk on the horn.


Nature
Elephants are gray, mostly. And it is possible to ride them. If you want. To make elephants accept humans on their (weak) backs, however, they are made to stand somewhere, in chains, without food and water, maybe receive pain, until their will is broken. The more ethical thing is to go to one of the newer places, where it is possible to wash, play and feed them, as a full day's activity. Haven't done that one myself, but I hear good stories.

Same thing goes for tigers, basically. And some monkeys. They might have teeth removed, be sedated and/or receive bad treatment. There a couple of conservation initiatives, that try to find out how every place treats its animals.


Ladyboys-by popular request
I think it's partly a cultural thing, but also something that is just easier here, because the genders look more alike. The ones I've encountered, were actually quite easy to identify. A bit like girls trying makeup for the first time. They use way to much. Also: there's an air of 'look at me' around them, like a challenge, that makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. I'm usually avoiding the very touristy areas, though, so I might miss more adept crossdressers.


The government
* thinks it's very important for Thailand to have a reputation as a safe and friendly place.
* won't interfere much in your daily lives. Unless you are unlucky with the police. Normal fine for driving without an international driver's license is 200 baht + an exemption for 3 days. I hear most people pay 500. And on the islands, 1000 (~25,-) is not abnormal. If you're really unlucky, they might do the same, 10m later and tell you that your first one is not valid. ..It's all a scam anyway. The drivers license is in English already and the international license is just a translation to a couple of other languages, but not Thai.
* causes lots and lots of enormous portraits of the king, to be on a lot of street corners

The Buddhist belief
* wants you to not point your feet towards anyone/anything, because the feet are the least 'holy' part of your body. (and your head the most).
* causes monks to have an exemption status for a lot of things. People give them a lot of respect. There's sections for them on trains and woman can't talk to a monk without him speaking first.

..that' enough for today 😊 Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your day!

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Photos

Graffiti on tonsai
There's a resort, right in the middle of the area, that had some shady dealings involving a lot of money to be able to build here there's a wall around it. It blocks access to the beach. Locals put ladders against it, with signs saying to just climb it. It's Berlin all over :p