Chan, Kun, Rao, Kao - Me, you, us them

When in Thailand, do as the Thai’s do!

1. 'Wai' to people you know - see, even this McDonald has the right idea!
2. When in a public area, at 8am and 6pm everyday, the National Anthem plays on speakers. My friend, Mike, and I first experienced this when we happened to be walking around Lumphini Park at 6pm. I had heard of this strange custom from my sister, but hadn’t encountered it, yet, since I was always commuting/at university, and apparently they don’t really play it everywhere.

Anyhow!

While we were walking around Lumphini Park, the anthem started playing, and everybody…. I mean, EVERYBODY, just stopped right in their tracks, whatever they were doing, and stood completely still! Even if they were sitting down, they stood up! If you’re walking, freeze! And, those butch muscle-y guys that were lifting weights, all sweaty and probably preparing for muay thai practice? You betcha! They stood their ground, as well!

Funny thing was seeing everybody after the anthem as well, since once it’s over, everyone just resumes normal activity, as if nothing happened!

2. Toilets in Asia are just… a whole subject to talk about, and Thailand is certainly no exception! 95% of the time, I have to bring my own toilet paper or tissue paper into the stall with me, and like several countries I’ve encountered, you have to throw the TP into the small trash bin next to the toilet! Actually, I don’t really do this in the hotel/residence that I’m staying in… but… it’s making me slowly realize that perhaps more countries (*cough cough, the US?*) maybe should do this, too, since perhaps toilet paper is the main clogger of pipes in toilets? But then again, maybe plumbers would have less work to do if that were to happen, and I certainly don’t want plumbers to go out of business….

Another thing with Thai toilets, though, that we encountered on our weekend trip, were toilets that can only drain if you add more water to it! I forgot what this is called, but my friend Seham (from San Jose) said that she’s seen it in San Francisco, as well (of course! Since, Bay Area people are just SO eco-friendly/conscious, right? Hehe~!)! But, anyways, basically there were several toilets (both squatting and Western) that had buckets or sinks of water next to them, as well as a little water bucket/scooper. So, after you did you thing, you have to add water to the toilet (perhaps 2-3 scoops?), and everything pretty much drains down! What a good way to save water, eh?

3. Eat spicy and often! Pretty much, that sentence says it all. Everything is just varying levels of spicyness, here (yumm!). And everybody eats several snacks (kanom!) a day! Never have I taken so many snack breaks during lab J
4. SMILE all the time and don’t raise your voice!! This is VERY important. Everybody here just has such a jolly attitude, and even if your day is not going well, you don’t show it, or else, just say what’s on your mind, but with a smile on it. I find that I identify with this custom, already, since I’ve been trained with it so much since I was little, with my Japanese mother and grandmother. Sometimes I find it unfortunate that it feels like you have to conceal your true emotions/feelings sometimes (and bottle it up inside…), but… although it has this con, it does have a bright side. And, to me, this bright side is that, so far, it’s put me in a better mood, since everyone else seems to be in a good mood too. Like, things might be bothering everyone, but it kind of shows that there’s more to life to look forward to and live for, and you show that positive mentality with a smile.
5. Just some other taboo’s:
1. Don’t use your feet to point to anything
2. Don’t point your feet at images of Buddha
3. Wear proper attire in temples and in Palaces – collared shirts and long pants for men, sleeved shirts and long skirts for women. Closed toed shoes for both sexes. This is actually the reason that, when I went to the Grand Palace, 2 weeks ago, that you can see in my picture that I’m wearing a pretty long skirt!
4. No PDA – This is completely opposite of my experience in Shanghai! My wifee would definitely appreciate this, since she is often annoyed by couples overly-smoochy in public!
5. Never talk badly about the royal family
6. Don’t touch people on the head!! When I went to get my first Thai massage, last week, the masseuses actually asked me if I would like a head-massage or not, probably because some people are sensitive to this! Of course I accepted, and was VERY happy with my decision! :P