Bangkok Blogger|Tales from Thailand

It wasn’t soon after I first arrived in Thailand that I spotted red number plates on some of the cars driving around Bangkok.  ”What could this mean?” I though.  The cars I noticed the red license plates on all had one thing in common and that seemed to be that they were shiny and expensive looking.  Perhaps the red number plates in Thailand were some kind of status symbol like a private number plate in the UK.

Later on I found at that the red coloured license plates you see on cars in Bangkok and the rest of Thailand are actually trade plates and come on new cars.  Drivers have a grace period in which to get the regular white and yellow plates in.  If they do not they can get a fine from the Boys in Brown.

I have also heard that cars with red number plates are not allowed to drive on the roads after dark.  I’m not sure why this is.  If it was new drivers I could understand but new cars?  Perhaps it is to do with the contrast of the black text on the red plates not being visible at night; but if that is the case why not have a different colour.

Maybe once the current unrest is over we will start seeing yellow number plates in Thailand!

Look out for another exciting post on why some taxis are pink in Bangkok and what the different coloured vest the motorcy taxi guys wear means…

After a few lessons and some attempts at self-teaching I have decided to start taking proper lessons and have enrolled at a Thai language school.  We are having two one hour lessons a week which should help us get more familiar with the language.

After the first two lessons we’ve realised how little we know!

Going to have a go at learning to read the Thai script in my own time too as it would be good to be able to read all the signs and menus.

This Thai alphabet soundboard looks like a good resource for learning the names of the letters.

Due to the tight immigration rules in Thailand teaching English is pretty much the only job a foreigner can get out here without jumping through major hoops.  Thanks to this there are many many people out here working as English teachers at Thai schools, language centres and universities.

I wasn’t too keen to work as a teacher in Thailand but I knew my options were limited so I started a part-time job teaching ICT in English at a Thai secondary (or mathayom as they are known out here) school.  I got the job through an agency and the contract was for one term.   I was relieved to hear from the agency that it was a good Thai school and even had air-con!

I arrived on my first day to find myself in a large classroom in front of 35 14 year olds.  Each student had their own computer and I had one at the front that was connected to a projection screen.  That first lesson lasted for two hours and was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done.  The kids weren’t interested, I had no means of discipline and our lack of a common language didn’t really help much.

After a few more lessons like that the end of the day had arrived and I left a dejected, broken, former shadow of myself vowing to quit and not go back.

Over the weekend with time to think it over I decided to go back the following week and try a different approach.  But I finished my day in the same mood vowing never to return.

But I stuck with it.  It didn’t get any easier overall although some lessons were easier than others but as time went by my expectation of what teaching would be like changed and I no longer had the idealistic thoughts of it being fun or making a difference.  I was just there to try and teach to the few who were interested and keep the naughtiest kids from disturbing the rest of the class too much.   Once I’d become resigned to this it became more easier to get through the day.

Eventually the contract was up and I walked out for the last time (hopefully).  I will look for some more teaching work but will be looking for jobs in language schools where people actually want to learn rather than at schools teaching adolescent teenagers!

To all the full-time permanent English teachers in Thailand earning 35,000 a month, I don’t know how you do it but I salute you!

Since coming to Thailand I’ve been reading lots of books about the land of smiles.  Some have been fiction and some have been non-fiction accounts of peoples’ time in the country.  One that I finished recently was Farang: Thailand Through the Eyes of an Ex-pat by Dr Iain Corness.

It is a collection of short stories written by a guy from Australia and England who moved to Thailand during the latter part of his life.  He doesnt get up to much but I learned a few things from some of his tales and it is very easy to read.  There is also a part 2 if you liked the first one.

I’d probably recommend it to people who are yet to reach Thailand or have only just got here as some of the topics covered you will quickly discover for yourselves!

Its an easy read and you do learn a bit so you can’t really go wrong.

To view the list of other books about Thailand click here today.

The least favourite season, the wet season, has just ended.  The end was marked by the Loy Krathong festival in which a tribute is made to the water by launching wreaths into the river.  The first day of the following cool season was overcast, grey and quite chilly.  We had some friends staying who arrived on that day and it felt like they had brought the English weather with them.  Most of my kids didn’t come into school and some of the ones that did come in were wearing jeans and jackets!  Even though it was cold for the Thais I was still comfortable wearing flip flops, shorts and a t-shirt.  Since then the weather has been back to its old self and the sun has been out and it’s been pretty hot but not as humid as before which makes a nice change.  The cool season lasts until around March and then it is the hot season.  I thought the wet season was hot enough so it should be interesting to see how it gets out here.

Same Same, But Different

I’ve seen the above slogan on quite a few t-shirts worn by the Thai folk and wondered if it might be some joke about Thais trying to speak English.  After a quick Google search I found out that I was right and it refers to Tinglish which is a mutation of English spoken by some Thai people.  Here are some examples that might help you better understand Thais speaking English:

• same same (similar, as usual) and same same but different (seems similar but different in some ways);
• open/close the light (means “To turn on/off the light”);
• no have … (means “there is no …” or “I do not have a …”);
• I send you to the airport (means “I will take you to the airport”);
• I love you too much;
• I’m not pretty sure (means “I don’t know”);
• I have ever been to London;
• I’m interesting in football (means “I am interested in watching/playing football”);
• wash the film (means “develop the film”);
• I very like it (means “I really like it”);
• I’m sad when my mother angries me meaning is angry with me;
• I used to go to Phuket meaning I have been to Phuket before;
• take a bath referring to taking a shower;
• “Do you know how to eat this?” referring to food with taste that may be unfamiliar, or food requiring special eating method (such as wrapping it in lettuce) that may not be known to the listener;
• I play internet (I go on/use the internet);
• “This is suck!” means “This sucks!”;
• omission of pronouns and of the verb be;
• use of present tense + “already” instead of past tense

Stolen from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinglish

Anyone got any photos of signs in Tinglish?

Click to view the Hua Hin photo gallery

Hua Hin is a beach resort about 200km from Bangkok and easily accessible via train.  We took a train down on the Friday afternoon leaving from Bangkok’s main railway station Hua Lamphong.  The timetabled duration of the journey is about 3 hours but it took around 5 hours.  We travelled in second class air conditioned which was comfortable but a bit chilly so bring a cardie!

We got a taxi from Hua Hin train station to our hotel but if we’d have known how near it was we would’ve walked.  The hotel was nice and clean if not a little dated and had two pools which we never got around to using.  Breakfast was served between 7am and 10am and was a mixture of Thai and Western.

Hua Hin is a popular resort with Germans and there were a few bars catering to them with German food, German football and German beer.

Walking around Hua Hin reminded me of being on a Greek island as it was quite built up and Western but also has that seaside feel with scooters nipping around and holiday merchandise on sale.  There are lots of suit shops and tailors here so if you are after a handmade suit for a low price it might be a good place to come.  There is also the obligatory Starbucks, Burger King, Subway and McDonald’s.

There appeared to be about five major hotels along the beach and the two main ones were the Marriott and the Hilton.  The rest of the accommodation was made up of smaller hotels and guest houses.  Unlike Koh Samet there were no beach huts but there were some guest houses very close to the sand.

After Koh Samet which felt like a Thai island resort this felt much more like a European beach resort and the 3,200 or so expats living here went someone towards creating that feeling.

As this is/was a fishing town there are lots of seafood restaurants offering Thai seafood dishes or other seafood meals from around the world.  There were also quite a few Thai places to eat on the beach who had their own sun loungers and seating.

The beach was fairly clean except for the odd bit of manure from the horses which are ridden up and down the shore.  The water was the warmest I had been in so far and was nice for swimming in.  There were also a couple of jet skis for hire and a banana boat but they weren’t too noisy.

There are lots of bars in Hua Hin but we didnt really explore the bar/red light but we saw quite a few overwright Germans with young Thai girls so if you are looking for a bar girl I’m sure you can find one easily enough.

On the Sunday, our last day, we decided to go for a roast at a place we had seen the previous day called Buffalo Bill’s.  It was our first Sunday Roast in Thailand and was very nice and just as good as something you’d get back home.  The roast also  came with a dessert of apple pie and Bird’s custard which was also very nice. The pub was really nice with an English colonial feel and not like the sometimes tacky English style bars you get in Bangok.  They had cider, bitter and Kronenberg on tap and lots of bottled beers.    Buffalo Bill’s also does accommodation so might be worth checking out if you are looking for somewhere to stay.

We were planning to get the train back to Bangkok but the one we wanted to get was all booked up so we got a taxi back which cost 1500THB and took about four hours.

Hua Hin is a really nice resort and is good for a weekend break but if you are looking for a beach near Bangkok I’d recommend Koh Samet as I really liked the island feel and being able to stay right on the beach in a little hut.

Hua Hin links:

• Buffalo Bill’s
• Interactive Google Map of Hua Hin
• The bars and pubs of Hua Hin
• Hua Hin Nightlife Map

Last weekend we made the trip down to Koh Samet which is the closest beach island to Bangkok and is about 200km plus a short boat ride away.  As there was a group of us going we hired a 10 seat minibus to take us on the two and a half hour journey down to the coast.  There are other cheaper ways to get there but as we were in a group this did not work out that much more expensive than getting the bus.  As we were heading down late on a Friday evening we had missed all the ferries that leave from Rayon Banphe so we had to charter a speedboat.  This was easy enough and was quicker than ferry taking about 20 minutes.  The speedboats are a bit more convenient too as they will drop you at the place you are staying at rather than at the main dock like the ferries do.

Most people say you don’t need to book accommodation before you arrive but as we were getting there after dark we decided it would be better to pre-book to save us the hassle of trying to find somewhere at night and as we hadn’t been there before we did not really know where to look.

The island looked amazing as we got closer.  The little beach huts were all subtly lighted and we could just about make out the beach and the sea.

The boat dropped us off on the beach outside the group of bungalow huts we would be staying at and after a short walk up the beach we arrived at the reception to check in.  There are reports that reservations aren’t always honoured if someone turns up before you and wants a room but all the huts we had booked we reserved for us.  We were led to our bungalow which was a modern looking wooden hut on stilts less than a minutes walk from the beach.  Inside the hut was lightly furnished but had a shower and toilet and a nice double bed.  We had opted for an air conditioned room instead of just a fan room.  This was my first time in a beach hut and I was really pleased with the place we had picked.  We weren’t on the beach front like some of the other places to stay on the island but were less than a minute walk to the sand and sea which was fine with me.

In the morning we got to see how beautiful the island really was.  People have told me that Koh Samet isn’t what it used to be and is far too build up but even though we were staying on the east coast which is the busiest part it looked fine to me.  There are hut along the beach but they are back behind the tree line so aren’t too imposing and there are beach bars and restaurants all along the main strip of coast but these are all tastefully done and don’t make a negative impact on the beach.  If you do want a more secluded beach head further south down the east side or head over to the much less populated west side.

The Weather on Koh Samet

Considering it is the rainy season which in Bangkok means it is very hot and humid Koh Samet was a breath of fresh air (literally).  The sun was out the whole time we were there and it wasn’t humid at all.  A few of us got sunburnt so make sure you bring plenty of sun cream. It did rain for about 20 minutes during the night but that was about it.  If you are looking to get away from the heat, humidity and smells of Bangkok Koh Samet is the ideal location.

Eating on Koh Samet

There are loads of places to eat along the eastern stretch of beach.  Most restaurants are attached to some accommodation but you can eat anywhere you chose.  Seafood is big here but there are many other styles available and most places had an extensive western menu if that is your thing.  I recommend the club sandwich from Silver Sands if you are looking for a nice lunch.   There are also people walking up and down the beach selling fruit and some even cook food as they walk on mini barbecues so you could get food without even leaving the beach if you wanted.

Drinking on Koh Samet

All of the places selling food sold alcoholic drinks throughout the day and at night.  We found a really nice, chilled place called the Lamp bar which had put cushions and coffee tables out amongst the rocks so you could sit on the beach at night with a drink looking out to sea.  They have a massive cocktail menu and were playing mellow reggae on the nights we were there.  The liveliest bar on the beach, and to be honest there was only one place playing loud music, was the Silver Sands bar.  The crowd here were mainly Thais from the mainland who had come down for the weekend for a break from Bangkok with their designer mini-dogs.  The bar had a roof but the sides were open air so you could sit on the beach or sit inside and still have a sea view.  There were people on the beach doing amazing fire tricks, spinning around burning sticks and balls of fire.  You can also buy fireworks on the beach which the English people enjoyed shooting at each other.  The bar sold the infamous bucket cocktails but there were smaller than I imagined they would be but were great value costing between 200 baht (£4 ) and 300 baht (£6) depending on what you ordered.  They also had bottled beer on sale.  Although this bar was quite loud there were lots of mellower ones along the beach where you could go for a quiet drink.  Lots of places were showing the football so if you wanted to watch a live Premier League game you could easily do so.

Things to do on Koh Samet

The amazing beach is probably the main attraction on Koh Samet.  It is long, clean and the water is warm and clear.  Where we were staying there was a diving platform out at sea which you could swim out to and sunbathe on or practice your diving from.  There are a couple of other uninhabited islands near by and you can take a boat cruise over to them to explore and go snorkelling.  You can also go diving from Koh Samet with one of the diving centres on the island.    To get around the island you can hire a moped or a quad bike or get in one of the open back pickup truck taxis that travel around the island.  There is a medical centre on the island should your motor biking skills not be up to scratch.  Jet skis can be hired and windsurfing is also available as well as kayaks and banana boats.

I don’t know how Koh Samet compares to the other Thai islands but I really enjoyed it there and will definitely be going back.  Once you are on the beach it is hard to remember you are only a few hours away from Bangkok.  A weekend was a perfect amount of time to spend here but if you are looking for a quiet week then Koh Samet would also be a perfect destination.  If you are looking to full on party it’s probably not the ideal place but for everyone else I highly recommend it.  Although do bring some mosquito repellent as a few of us got bitten when out at night.

Before coming to Thailand we had a few sessions with a Thai tutor to try and pickup some basics before we arrived in Bangkok.  We had about 6 lessons in total and thought we were doing ok but once we got here we realised just how hard the language is to speak and understand.  In my four weeks here I’ve hardly spoken any Thai except ‘hello’, ‘thank you’, ‘how much?’ and telling the taxi driver the address I want to be taken too.

Hopefully we can arrange some lessons soon and get learning Thai.  It really would be a shame to be out here for a few years and not pick any up.   There are lots of Thai language schools out here but I think a few of us will get together and hire a private tutor for one or two sessions a week.

I have a Thai phrase book which comes in handy but as Thai is a tonal language it can be hard to know how to pronounce the words.  I think I will get a few CDs and listen to them in the background from now on and hope some of it sinks in!

Here are some links to some Thai language schools in Bangkok and some Thai language websites if you are interested in learning the language:

• AUA Thai Language School
• Nisa Thai Language School

Here are some Thai language books and CDs that should help you to learn to speak Thai: Thai Language Instructional Books & CDs

My girlfriend had left for Thailand a few days earlier so I made my way to the airport on my own.  I got to Heathrow with plenty of time to spare as although I’d missed planes to Europe before, missing this one was not an option.  Once check in was announced I made my way to the Thai Airways desk and joined the queue.  I looked at the other passengers around me trying to work out why they were heading to the Land of Smiles.  There were the backpackers, the Farang with his Thai wife and kids, a couple of potential sex tourists and the odd Thai family.  I’m not sure which group my fellow travellers would have put me into.  My suitcase just made it under the 20kg baggage allowance and I was handed my boarding pass and made my way to the departures lounge.  I was pretty hungry so went to find a Wetherspoons for a pint and a steak but unfortunately I must have been at an upmarket terminal so had to go to a dinner instead where I had a pint and a burger for £13.  After that I wandered around for a bit, bought a magazine and some water and waited for my flight to be called.

I’d never done a long haul flight before so I was a bit worried about the leg room but even in economy the Thai Airways flight has a good amount of space  and I was able to stretch out.  Unfortunately there were no films on the flight and it was too dark to read so I was left with just my iPod to keep me entertained for the 10 hour journey.

After a couple of meals we eventually arrived.

I was finally in Thailand!