Thailand Land of Smiles» This is Thailand

Thailand VS. Talen Round 2

Talen — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 05:33:54 +0000

I’m not sure if Buddha is watching out for me or I am being punished for a past life but one thing is for sure, I’m not such a big fan of water anymore.

Yesterday the maintenance man showed back up at the condo around 3pm to look into the electric water heater under the sink as it stopped working…again. Now, I don’t know if it was his extensive training or just a whim but he decided it would be a good idea to jam a screwdriver into the offending water heater which fought back by exploding on him and knocking him across the floor. So, now I am left with no hot water, no power, valves still leaking and a dead Thai man on my floor.

The maintenance man came back to life and muttered something about the water heater being broken and he would fix tomorrow. Of course, when he left I half expected him to go to the electrical room and fix the tripped breaker I had mentioned to him but alas that was too far into the realm of common sense. Back to the Maintenance office I go and 5 minutes later the lights come back on and the resurrected maintenance man is back at my door with a brand new water heater. The water heater is installed and for the first time since I moved in there are no leaks and copious amounts of hot water for everyone.

Pookie and I had earlier gone shopping and picked up some essentials like a rice maker and ingredients for her to cook with, so , we settled in and Pookie made a great Issan meal for us and all was right in my world. Unfortunately, I have been fighting a head and chest cold all week and that coupled with some lingering jet lag had me in bed by 11pm. After some much needed prayers to Buddha Pookie and I snuggled up and drifted off to sleep…and then all hell broke loose!

At 1am I am startled out of a sound sleep by massive banging at the front door. I jump out of bed as quickly as I can only to fall flat on my face, that sometimes happens when you have 3 inches of water running across a tile floor! I open the door to find 4 security guards telling me I have a leak, Sherlock Holmes would have been proud.

I open the sink cabinet to turn off the water but to my surprise the water isn’t coming from the valves or lines, it’s coming from under the cabinet because a pipe inside the wall has broken. The security team finds the main shutoff for the unit and then it’s time to play “Who’s on First?”.

Me: Can you call whoever is in charge and get them here?

Security guard #1: Cannot.

Me: Why?

Security Guard #2: Office closed…1 am.

Me: I understand that but don’t you have an emergency contact number?

Security Guard #1: Yes.

Me: Can you call?

Security Guard #3: Cannot.

Me: Why?

Security Guard #1: Office closed…1am.

Me: If the building was burning down you would have to get a hold of someone right?

Security Guard #2: Yes.

Me: Who?

Security Guard #2: Pom.

Me: Okay…call Pom.

Security Guard #1: Cannot.

Me: Office closed…1am.

Security Guard #4: *covers mouth to hide giggles*

2 hours and what seemed like a thousand gallons of water later we had the mess cleaned up and and went back to bed, not looking forward to the morning that was coming fast and the prospect of no water. The security Guards did help us out a lot while they were removing the water from the hallways, stairs and elevator so I am thankful to them for that.

Unbelievably this leak is totally unrelated to the previous ones. I think once they got the first leaks fixed the pressure went back up and since water likes to find the path of least resistance it was easily found in another bad pipe. Luckily the property managers and the condo’s management team have been very gracious and falling over themselves this morning and it seems it might all be okay again for a little bit. This is a brand new condo, we are the very first tenants and this is Thailand ( TiT ). Problems are to be expected.

I’ll leave you today with a small conversation Pookie and I had before going to bed…it showed me I still had my Western mindset and I really need to change my thinking some.

Me: Pookie, I think Buddha mad at me.

Pookie: Teelac Buddha not mad at you, Buddha help you and watch over you. You fall bad when you get out of bed but you not hurt. You stand in deep water but you not die from electricity.

Can’t argue that logic…

A Perfect Thailand Day

Talen — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:41:39 +0000

Last I left off I had moved into the new condo and had a few minor leaking problems and no hot water, but I was satisfied with the efficiency in which it was handled and was just waiting for Tuesday to get the hot water back up and running. Well Tuesday came and the maintenance man didn’t come in to work that day, no biggie the cool water actually felt pretty good. Today I go to the office to report that I still have no hot water and the manger tells me I need to go down one floor to the Juristic office. Juristic office?

juristic [jer-is-stick], juristical

adj

1. (Law) of or relating to jurists

2. (Law) of, relating to, or characteristic of the study of law or the legal profession

Now, maybe I’m a little off my game today but for the life of me I cannot figure out how juristic relates to building maintenance. Anyway, I head down to the juristic office and one of the Thai ladies who works in the office and a maintenance man followed me back to the condo. 5 minutes later I had hot water “kop koon kup” I say and they are on their way. 5 minutes after that a flood of water comes out from under the sink.

So, I turn off the water and head back down to the juristic office and let them know the hot water is great but there is a large leak again under the sink. They assure me a maintenance man will be up in a few minutes. 5 minutes later a new maintenance man shows up with only a caulk gun…FacePalm. I explain to him he needs tools, he smiles and nods in agreement and then we stand there looking at each other for another minute or two until Pookie tells him he needs tools in Thai.

The juristic maintenance man leaves and comes back in 5 minutes with the first maintenance man and the caulk gun. They asses the problem and come to the conclusion they will need tools. Off to the juristic office they go for tools and 5 minutes later they are back and working on the problem. After a half hour they realize the valve is bad and get a new one installed and just to make sure this one doesn’t leak they made sure to caulk it real good after tightening it down…Facepalm.

Pookie heads off to take a shower and just as I was about to go out and look for a bigger table for my balcony office Pookie walks into the kitchen wearing only a towel and laughing…” Teelac, we no have hot water again”. FACEPALM!

I know the deal, it’s not like I haven’t been to Thailand before but at this point I was getting pretty irritated, I just want to go find a nice table. Instead I head back down to the juristic office. The head lady is in and I tell her my problem, she shakes her head and utters something under her breath in Thai which made the cleaning lady in the office bust out laughing, I can only imagine she had some not so nice words to say about hiring the handicapped.

5 minutes latter the head lady is at my door with tools in hand, she shakes her head and says ” I head lady not engineer” as if to say, why the hell am I fixing things when I pay people to fix things. 5 minutes later I have hot water again but head lady tells me valve still leak nit noi. She told me she would have a real plumber out in the morning.

I decided I needed to go for a long walk down to the open air furniture shop behind Big C…I picked up 2 stray dogs, a stray sunglasses salesman who gave me his pitch for 8 blocks and a very manly ladyboy who escorted me, her arm in mine, from soi 6/1 all the way down to Big C, she assured me that she would boom boom me too good.

Maybe tomorrow will be a better day for table hunting…

Epilogue: While wrapping up this post and getting ready to hit the publish button a welder appeared above my balcony showering sparks and molten metal everywhere, I think when things go well from now on I’ll keep it to myself because things have a way of coming back and biting you in the ass if you know what I mean.

Thailand Cracking Down on Alcohol Advertising

Talen — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:45:06 +0000

As early as 2006 Alcohol advertising laws were adopted in Thailand but went largely unnoticed due to the subsequent coup that happened in 2007. In 2008 the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act came into existence which prohibits the advertising of alcoholic beverages anywhere, including inside of a bar. Even though the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act and various other laws have been in place they haven’t been enforced…until now.

This week Pattaya bars found out how serious the Thai government is about this as a joint task force of Pattaya and Bangkok police went throughout the town visiting bars and giving warnings that they must begin to comply with the law immediately. Not only are outside signs advertising alcoholic beverages illegal but any signs inside as well, including beer taps, beer cozy’s and unfortunately those famous Singha girls that occasionally visit bars in their skimpy little Singha uniforms.

Now, at first glance this is the stupidest law I have ever heard of enforced in Thailand. Think about this for a minute…you can walk into any bar in Thailand and order a Heineken that clearly has a a Heineken label affixed to the bottle and you will be fine legally. Now, wrap that cold Heineken bottle in a Heineken labeled beer cozy and the owner of said bar can be fined 500,000 Baht and or jailed! Anyone else see a problem here?

Before I go too far; there are some serious underlying issues behind these laws that warrant looking into but this is not the way to do it.

Obviously there is a drinking problem in Thailand from underage drinking to drinking and driving as well as the rising rate of alcoholism in Thai males and the Thai government is looking for ways to stop it.

Unfortunately this will work as well as the cigarette advertising campaign worked. The advertising of cigarettes is illegal in Thailand as well and each cigarette pack must carry one of several dire warnings related to cigarette usage and health, for those who can’t read they make sure you understand with very graphic pictures.

What about warnings for alcohol bottles you ask? You guessed it, they are coming up shortly.

The following 6 types of pictorial labels and warning statements of disadvantages and dangers of alcoholic beverages shall be labeled in accordance with the templates as appeared in the annex :

Type 1 “Drinking alcohol causes the hypertension liver cirrhosis”

Type 2 “Drunk driving causes disability or death”

Type 3 “Drinking alcohol leads to unconsciousness and even death”

Type 4 “Drinking alcohol leads to sexual impotency”

Type 5 “Drinking alcohol leads to adverse health effect and family problems

Type 6 “Drinking alcohol is a bad role model for children and young people”

The display of pictorial labels and warning statements of disadvantages and dangers of alcoholic beverages shall be made in compliance with the following criteria:
If the packaging is in the square shape, the size of the pictorial labels and warning statement shall not be less than 50 percent of the side that has the maximum space or the sides that are considered as front and back side of the packaging;
If the packaging is in the round or cylindrical shape, the size of the warning statement shall not be less than 30 percent of the total packaging’s surface space;
If the packaging is of the other shapes than as specified in (1) and (2), the size of the warning statement shall not be less than 30 percent of the total packaging’s surface space.

To prepare the pictorial labels and warning statement of disadvantages and dangers of alcoholic beverages, the alcoholic producers or importers shall use the original format that is prepared by the Office of the Alcohol Beverage. However, the size can be adjusted as deemed appropriate, provided that the ratio of vertical and horizontal cannot be changed.
Clause 5: The display of the pictorial labels and warning statement of disadvantages and dangers of alcoholic beverages as mentioned in Clause 4 shall be placed on the packaging or other covered-up materials that permanently sticking on the packaging and shall not be easily peeled off or destroyed.

I don’t see the problem with warning labels on alcohol bottles and I have absolutely no problem with not allowing alcohol advertising in the open such as street signs, liquor store fronts, bars etc. but inside of bars is, well, just plain stupid. Keep it from the eyes of children by all means but keeping alcohol advertising from someone drinking alcohol in a bar makes no sense.

Unfortunately this will do little to curb Thailand’s growing alcohol problem. You may very well point to the cigarette advertising ban and say “yes, but surely this has done some good?” The answer, sadly, would be NO. The number of Thai women smokers is expected to drastically rise from 1,664,000 in 2000 to 12 million in 2025. Yes, the cigarette packs look bad but it stops no one from smoking.

And just in case you don’t think the Thai government is very serious this time then have a talk with the Manager of Insomnia night club in Pattaya. The police conducted a raid of the night club Wednesday night in which they found foam beer bottle covers( beer cozy’s) advertising alcoholic beverages and also found advertising around the bar and in the toilets in contravention of Section 32 of the Alcoholic Beverage Act. The manager of the club, Khun Posapon aged 25 was duly arrested and taken to Pattaya Police Station and charged in relation to the illegal advertising.

The law on the books actually falls under the various health departments who are now enforcing the law with the help of the police. Don’t think this is just the normal yearly crackdown of sorts that happens in Pattaya, this is a nationwide campaign and all bars will be getting a visit from the local Health dept and police.

Just look at these poor girls, whatever will become of them now that they are out of a job? They can’t even afford clothes as it is!

Thailand’s Hidden Gem

Talen — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:29:40 +0000

Going back through some older posts I came across one I had written some time ago entitled And you Thought You Knew About Thailand. It’s always cool to learn new and interesting things about some place or thing that you love. Such as The King of Thailand is an American citizen or the fact that it is illegal in Thailand to go out without wearing underwear.

One entry on the ever growing list of interesting Thailand facts has puzzled me for a while so I thought I would dig a little deeper and see what I could find out. The King of Thailand possesses the largest faceted diamond in the world, the Golden Jubilee. Most people have heard of this diamond but there is very little information out there on the subject and even fewer pictures.

In 1985 a brown diamond was uncovered at the Premier mine in South Africa that weighed in at a whopping 755.5 carats uncut. The Star of Africa, weighing in at 530.20 carats, held the title of the worlds largest cut diamond from 1908 until 1985 when the brown diamond was uncovered and cut to a weight of 545.67 carats, making it the largest cut diamond in the world.

This unnamed brown diamond had a very awkward beginnings. Colorless and blue diamonds are very sought after but the brown diamonds are the ugly ducklings of the family and generally worth much less. The unnamed brown diamond was given to Gabriel Tolkowsky by De Beers for the purpose of testing special tools and cutting methods which had been developed for intended use on the flawless D-colour (“colourless”) Centenary diamond. These tools and techniques had never been tested before, and the large unnamed brown diamond seemed the perfect stone to test them on. After all if the new methods employed to cut the stone went amiss it would be no great loss.

What happened next was a surprise to all. The new methods worked better than expected and the unnamed brown diamond turned out to be a very beautiful yellow brown diamond in a fire rose cushion cut. Once cut the the stone weighed in at 545.67 carats which was 15.37 carats heavier than it’s sister stone the flawless Culinan I which was selected and later renamed to the Centenary to promote herald De Beer’s centennial celebrations.

The still unnamed diamond took a small tour of the world when it was brought to Thailand by the Thai Diamond Manufacturers Association to be exhibited in the Thai Board of Investment Exhibition in Laem Chabang. The exhibition garnered so much attention that there were daily lines of over 1 mile long just to see the yellow-brown stone.

Skipping forward to 1995, a group of Thai businessmen led by one Henry Ho purchased the 545.67 carat diamond from the De Beers group with the intention of presenting it to the King of Thailand in 1997 in recognition of his 50th year on the throne. Before the presentation was made though the diamond still had several trips to make. The first was to the Vatican where the diamond would receive the Papal blessing by Pope John Paul II and then back to Thailand where it would be blessed by the Supreme Buddhist Patriarch and the Supreme Imam in Thailand.

The diamond was then presented to King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the 50th anniversary of his coronation day in 1997 where the King gave the diamond it’s name, The Golden Jubilee. Initial plans were to mount the Golden Jubilee in the Royal Scepter, later discussions centered around mounting the stone in the Royal Seal. Neither has ever happened.

The Golden Jubilee Diamond has been exhibited at Henry Ho’s 59-story Jewelry Trade Center in Bangkok, the Central Department Store in Lad Prao (Bangkok) Thailand, and internationally in Basel (Switzerland), Borsheims in Omaha, USA (owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc.), and Gleims Jewelers in Palo Alto, USA. The Golden Jubilee now resides in the Royal Thai Palace as part of the crown jewels.

An interesting aside to the diamond has to do with the financial collapse of the markets across South East Asia in 1997. Fearing that the people of Thailand would see this gift as too opulent and an arrogant purchase in such economic times, the Thai government decided it would be best to down play the gift and tell the people that the King was gifted a large Topaz.

To this day most Thai’s still believe the Golden Jubilee is a large Topaz and not the worlds largest cut diamond. It’s believed that this reasoning is what kept the diamond from being mounted in the Royal Scepter or the Royal Seal and definitely why there are so few pictures of the diamond after 25 years.

Keeping Score in Thailand

Talen — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:54:10 +0000

It’s not usually easy to tell who is who politically or otherwise in most countries, luckily in Thailand there is an obscure law that demands people show themselves for who they really are. Red shirts, yellow shirts, green shirts and more all signify a different faction that you should familiarize yourself with before traveling to the Kingdom. The below descriptions should give you a head start on figuring out the color coded fashions of Thailand.

The yellow shirt used to be a simple matter because every day of the week has a color associated with it. Yellow is the color for Monday and Monday happens to be the day that the King was born on. You would always see Thai’s wearing yellow on Mondays to honor their beloved King but that was before the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) took over the color as their battle flag against the red shirts, the Thai Rak Thai party who became the PPP, The PPP and anything Thaksin.

Most notable accomplishment: 2006 coup that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin.

Natural Habitat: airports, government buildings and wherever the red shirts are.

Now the Yellow shirt is seen as more as the fashion statement of the Bangkok Elite.

What about the KIng? Please refer to Pink Shirt.

The red shirt is the battle flag of The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD). They are comprised of Thailand’s rural poor who support ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin rose to power by courting the rural Thai’s and promising many changes to make their lives better.

As Prime Minister Thaksin made good on those promises while using his power to line his own pockets through many corrupt business deals. Ousted in the 2006 coup, Thaksin has been gathering his army of red shirts to protest the new government and help him come back to Thailand with immunity from prosecution.

Natural Habitat: government buildings, hotel conference centers and wherever som tam is being served.

The red shirts love the king but can’t wear yellow or they might be thought of as PAD supporters when they are really Thaksin supporters.

Green shirts are the new yellow shirts . The People’s Alliance for Democracy who were once a movement to defeat Thaksin have decided that now they want to be a political party and everyone knows that when you start a new political party you need a new shirt color. So now green is the new yellow but red shirts still won’t wear yellow because the green shirts used to wear yellow and the red shirts don’t want to be seen as supporting the yellow shirts even though now they are the green shirts.

There is also the hope that by changing colors from yellow to green that people might forget that the yellow shirts shut down the airport and generally have been a pain in the ass since the coup.

What about the poor King , can he go back to being yellow shirt again? Please refer to Pink shirts.

The Blue shirts first came on the scene when the Yellow shirts took over the airport in Bangkok. The Yellow shirts blockaded the airport to protest the Peoples Power Party (PPP) who was the old Thai Rak Thai Party that Thaksin Shinawatra was the leader of. It wasn’t enough they ousted the prime minister they then wanted to disband his party even though his party was disbanded by the government only to reform as the PPP that the Yellow shirts wanted disbanded.

The Yellow shirts succeeded in removing the PPP but not before pissing off the Blue Shirts who represented the working man and the nations utilities. By closing down the airports they not only put a hurting on tourism but on the the Blue shirts pocketbooks.

The Blue Shirts have no love for the Red Shirts either after the Red Shirts invaded the ASEAN Summit in Pattaya by breaking down the doors to the conference and generally scaring the shit out of more than a few world leaders. The blue shirts engaged the Red Shirts with all manner of sticks and bats and generally had the approval of Thailand’s military who didn’t stop them because everyone knows the military is on the Yellow Shirts side, probably even more so now that they are green.

The Pink Shirt came into being in 2007 when the King was hospitalized. Royal astrologers came to the conclusion that Pink was a good color for the Kings health. When the King left the hospital in November of 2007 he was indeed wearing a Pink Shirt and a Pink jacket which started a mad rush throughout Thailand for Pink Shirts in honor of the King.

The King who normally wore darker colored suits has since been seen wearing a whole range of colors which led to speculation that there would also be a run on Green and Blue Shirts but unfortunately those colors have been taken. Now Thai’s like to wear Pink Shirts to wish the King good luck and good health. Some still wear yellow shirts but generally they don’t want to be associated with the PAD movement who also doesn’t want to be associated with itself and that’s why they are now Green Shirts.

Long live the King and may no one steal his color again!

The Light Blue – Blue Shirt is the color for Friday in Thailand which is also the Queens day of birth. Wearing a Blue shirt usually signifies respect for the Queen. You will still see many Thai’s wearing Blue on Friday for the Queen and it is usually a light blue. Thankfully no one has stolen the Queens color but I have a feeling that eventually the PAD will take blue because as we all know, by combining yellow and green you wind up with blue so it makes sense that the once yellow shirts that are now green shirts will someday be blue shirts by washing of said yellow shirts and green shirts together.

You’ll have no doubt noticed that I sometimes capitalized the shirt colors and sometimes did not. Being as I intend on returning to Thailand in the near future I wanted to assure I have given due respect or disrespect to the various colors so I can lie my ass off if cornered.

Here are a few more shirts to be on the look out for when in Thailand…while generally harmless they are always good for a laugh.

Newbies first trip to Pattaya. Easily recognizable, you will have no doubt you are dealing with a first timer to Pattaya. If you are said first timer remember this shirt and buy it immediately upon arriving in Pattaya and make sure you wear it your first night in town so everyone knows you are new to the town. When the vacation is over and you go home make sure to wear this shirt every weekend so people will ask you all about Pattaya.

Newbies second trip to Pattaya. Not wanting to be seen as a newb by wearing the newbies first trip to Pattaya t-shirt the newbie will purchase the Same Same shirt to signify his second trip to the Land of Smiles. Some newbies make the newbie mistake of buying this shirt their first trip but this is generally looked down upon by the older newbies and should not be done. Make sure to buy this shirt during your first visit to the market during your second trip to Pattaya. Yes, there are other places besides bars and hotel rooms in Pattaya.

This shirt is pretty self explanatory. Usually bought as a joke referring to how Thai women in the entertainment industry see the foreign men that come to court them. Sadly this is typically worn by a newbie who thinks by making light of being a walking ATM won’t make him look like a walking ATM but all the girls already know he is a walking ATM because there is an invisible tattoo on his forehead that was put there when leaving his brains at the immigration line at the airport which clearly states ” Walking ATM”.

Typically worn by the newbie that went to Bangkok first for a few days but then wears it in Pattaya as to not look like a newbie. Usually buys the ATM shirt soon after. When he gets home he will wear this shirt as often as possible hoping that you will ask him if he has been to Bangkok.

At this point you will be assailed by a man on a mission who is very similar to street corner evangelists. They both will tell you that you are going to hell but the Newbie Bangkok shirt wearer will generally be able to describe it better with visual aids, directions and phone numbers if needed.

This shirt is worn by the jaded expat who can’t be bothered to say Mai ow, krup anymore. He sits in one of the many beer bars in the kingdom and gets hassled every 10 minutes by someone selling, dvd’s, pictures, pictures with snakes, roses, watches, suit sellers, stun gun marketers and generally every Thai working in the tourist industry that saw him wearing the newbie t-shirts in his earlier years of traveling the Kingdom.

The Thai word for foreigner is Farang or Falang. Typically anyone wearing this shirt wants to make sure that there is no confusion on the part of the local Thai’s as to the fact that he isn’t a Thai himself. He is also telling the local Thai’s that he would like to pay even more than the regular Falang price which is already twice the Thai price.

Last, but most definitely not least, is the t-shirt worn by the guy who wants you to know that he is absolutely not gay…he just happens to like other men who look like women but still have their willies attached. Besides it’s not gay if they have big breasts and you don’t touch the twig and berries…well, not too gay anyway.

While this article may have contained some factual evidence for the colors of shirts in Thailand for the most part this was a tongue and cheek look at an incredibly twisted color code that influences daily events in the Kingdom. No offense was meant to anyone, especially the Pattaya newbies considering we were all one once and I happened to be the one wearing the Bangkok shirt

Funny Thai Signs

Talen — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:54:59 +0000

We’ve all seen them, the bad translations to English or the very serious ones that always seem to come out lighter than expected. I have a small collections of funny Thai signs from my travels around Thailand and some I’ve had sent to me but now I’m looking for more. So, if you have run across a funny Thai sign and happen to have your camera handy, take a picture and send it in and I’ll make sure to give you credit and a link back if you happen to have a blog or web site.

Here’s a few funny Thai signs to get you started with a link to more in the gallery. Funny Thai Signs gallery.

Hitler’s Not So Triumphant Return

Talen — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:45:27 +0000

Photo courtesy AP

Not only has the Nazi regime reared it’s ugly head again in Thailand this time their leader is making an appearance as well.

Next month Louis Tussuad’s Waxworks is set to open in Pattaya and among the famous and infamous to be on display will be the likeness of Adolph Hitler. The wax Hitler will be on display in what is termed “the scary section” of the museum. The owners say it’s not meant to celebrate Hitler but to show the important historical figure in a horrible way.

Unfortunately the Thai’s never seem to get it right when it comes to the Nazi’s as can be seen in the above picture of a billboard erected on the main highway leading into Pattaya. The caption underneath the large image of Hitler reads ” Hitler is not dead”. Rightly so, this has upset and angered many German and Israeli tourists as well as their embassies who have asked that the tasteless billboard be taken down.

The museum operators have agreed to do away with the Hitler image and will be replacing the billboard with another historical figure to promote the grand opening in November. One can only wonder what they were thinking when they could have used other historical figures set to be on display such as Gandhi, Michael Jackson or martial arts legend Bruce Lee. Of course they wouldn’t have generated the publicity that Hitler has, and everyone knows that there is no such thing as bad publicity.

While I’m sure that the Hitler billboard was at least partially a stunt to garner interest and get people talking about the upcoming opening, there still remains a very real fascination in Thai culture with the Nazi’s and their symbolism. Just two years ago a Thai school put on a show that had students dressed in Nazi regalia complete with guns and swastika’s. After all was said and done many apologies were made and the teacher in charge of the event was let go. The school has since implemented holocaust lectures into it’s curriculum in a bid to promote understanding of the atrocities committed by the Nazi’s.

Photo’s courtesy AP

And still the fascination with Nazi’s continues. If you go to any market in Bangkok or Pattaya you’re bound to come across t-shirts and other Nazi paraphernalia for sale. I’ve never seen anyone actually buying any of it but just the fact that it is for sale suggests that there is a void being filled.

The Swastika is actually a very ancient and revered Buddhist symbol that Hitler usurped for his own purposes which tainted the symbol forever with it’s negative connotations.

I honestly think it’s more of a fashion statement than any kind of racism or direct affront to any nationality, but you would think that by the 21st century the people of the world would understand and appreciate the atrocities committed behind these symbols even if they weren’t directly impacted by it.

One can only hope that this infatuation with the Nazi’s will fade away into Thai history soon but I have a feeling this won’t be the last we hear from Hitler and his buddies in Thailand.

For a great look into the Asian fascination with the Nazi’s check out Sweet “Nazi Chic”: It Could Only Have Happened In Thailand? over at Absolutely Bangkok

Three of a Perfect Pattaya Pair

Talen — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 01:35:45 +0000

Since my first trip to Thailand I have never ceased to be amazed when I go to Pattaya. A thriving beach town that has everything on offer at every turn. Aside from all the beautiful Thai women and the immense choice when it comes to entertaining oneself , Pattaya is the perfect town to get anything done or do nothing at all.

Once you get past the deer in headlights stage of your initial Pattaya experience and settle in you realize that this town is all about tourism and usually tourism is good. But even in the best of times I just can’t seem to fathom how many of these businesses stay above water. The bars and nightlife venues seem to have a handle on it during the best of times but those that are barely making it close fast when tourism is down. That’s to be expected in any tourist town where the nightlife is the staple of entertainment. What’s closed today will reopen eventually under new name and management.

What I can’t get over is the sheer number of ordinary businesses that are replicated block after block and street after street. After a while it looks like a baker made Pattaya using a good bit of dough and a few cookie cutters. Every block has a minimum of one 7/11, one family mart, 2 dentists, 3 massage parlors, one gold shop, one travel agent, 5 guest houses or hotels, one optician and 1 clinic. If you live in Pattaya proper you really never need to leave the block you live on because everything you need is there including at least two Thai restaurants and two bars.

If you’ve just realized you are running low on cigarettes and have just passed a 7/11 there is no reason to stop because there is one just ahead of you too, not to mention the family mart just across the street. The convenience stores I can almost understand…they’re conveniantly everywhere you might need one and I have never seen one empty.

I wonder though how some of these businesses make it or what they were thinking when they decided to open shop right next door to a competitor. Take, for instance, the three optical shops in the top picture. Having two competing optical shops next to each other is bad enough but to then open yet another one to make it three is absurd, especially when two of the shops are the same exact franchise!

I’ve never seen a town with so many convenient stores, dentists and hotels in my life. Then again that’s part of Pattaya’s charm and in a way that’s the Thai way, to make sure you are comfortable and have everything you need whenever you need it. No need to worry about choices, just take it as it comes and as you need.

I try not to think about how they stay in business any more when I walk into the opticians place. By the time I get to the counter the beautiful optometrist and her two lovely assistants have already greeted me with a cold glass of orange juice and a smile and I start wondering why more places aren’t like this,

The Thai Facination with Golliwog’s

Talen — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:45:55 +0000

A Golliwog is a character from English literature written in the late 19th century by the author Florence Kate Upton. The Golliwog was based on a black faced minstrel doll she had found in an attic as a child. The character in the books was a rag doll and eventually the Golliwog caught on as a children’s toy. The dolls were very popular in Great Britain and also in America up until the 1960′s or so. They were seen as completely appropriate to give to a child, just as appropriate as giving a child a teddy bear.

Of course over time the Golliwog took on negative stereotypes and the word itself became derogatory slang towards black people. Just like the book Little Black Sambo took on new meanings in American culture and changed the way we see racism today. There are still those that argue both sides off the coin as both of these were literary works that really had nothing to do with racism but became racist icons by the use of the words Sambo and Golliwog.

In the politically correct world of the 21st century you would be hard pressed to find Golliwog’s or Little Black Sambo books easily in America or Britain but if you are headed to Thailand you’ll find plenty of Golliwog’s.

The Thai’s seem to have a facination devoid of racial beliefs with these dolls. You’ll see them in miniature form dangling from cell phones or in larger form being dragged around and loved by their miniature owners. Sometimes you can even find them as big as a man so you can have your picture taken with them. And you can almost always find them in A Thai garden if you look long enough.

I’ve heard all manner of reaction to the Golliwogs found in Thailand from absolute disgust to sincere indifference. There is no doubt that these dolls will always raise a reaction from the western tourists as we have all been subjected to political correctness now for well over two decades. What I find odd is the reaction towards Thai’s. The Thai’s don’t see them as racial idols and they certainly don’t use the term Golliwog in a racially derogatory manner. I’m sure the more pure among us may think that it is insensitive of the Thai’s because this is the 21st century and everyone should be sensitive of racism.

Being that there are no black people in Thailand except for the visitors I don’t see how it could be a racial thing but that is just my opinion. There are other examples such as the old Darkie toothpaste which used a caricature of a man in black face in their advertising, or the the Black Man mops. Truthfully I don’t see either as racially motivated either. Darkie did eventually change the name to Darlie and got rid of the black faced advertising though.

Oddly enough there is very real racism that goes on in Thailand which is Thai against Thai. This racism is color based and stems from some Thai’s being very light skinned and some being very dark skinned which borderlines being black. Although that racism exists I have never heard either side utter a bad word against an actual black person as a matter of fact most Thai’s I’ve heard refer to a black person as chocolate and I have yet to meet a Thai that doesn’t love chocolate.

I guess the real question here is do we as politically correct westerners have the right to force our opinions and beliefs on Thai society because of our righteous indignation when the Thai’s themselves have never tied racism to these things. Or is it upsetting to most western tourists not because of the perceived racism but because the perceived guilt that has been programed into us over the last few decades?

What do you think?

Pattaya Declared Virus Free

Talen — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:30:13 +0000

Maybe I should qualify that title…Pattaya is H1N1 free, So says Chonburi Governor Senee Jittakasem. Apparently he and an entourage of health officials have inspected various venues around Pattaya and they are confident the city is completely virus free.

Alright, it’s bad enough that the WHO and CDC have fallen for their own fear mongering about the swine flu that will obviously kill most of the world population by the end of the year, but I think Governor Jittakasem has taken much too lax a stand.

The swine flu, H1N1 for those paranoid pig farmers out there, has taken less lives world wide than those taken in Thailand during Songkran 2008, during which 471 people were killed and 4,332 were injured during the 7 days of festivities. That is in 7 days people.

It’s bad enough that the CDC and WHO are fear mongering people around the world into a state of panic, but to declare a city completely free of the virus is swinging to the opposite extreme.

People around the world should be aware that H1N1 exists and if they think they have come into contact with it they should take all precautions. If you are someplace, like Pattaya, and you are being told it is completely virus free then you should realize that stupid people exist everywhere in the world. Obviously there is no way to declare any city virus free in any situation. Although misguided it’s easy to reason out why this statement has been made.

Pattaya relies heavily on tourist dollars and in the midst of the slow season during the worst economic downturn in recent history when the World Health Organization has declared a new pandemic and the virus has made it to your country and city, it only makes sense to tell people it’s all gone. How’s that for a run on sentence!

Thailand has many more serious issues that the WHO and Thai officials should be dealing with. The death rate on Thai roads is atrocious, the over prescription of antibiotics country wide is alarming and there are some really nasty flesh eating diseases running rampant throughout rural Thailand. H1N1 is certainly something to think about but it hardly rates the media attention it has received. Likewise, the virus shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand either.

My favorite quote from the city fathers:

“There was also a call made to the entertainment industry to properly clean their venues, which are vulnerable to spread of the virus”

I’ve been in a lot of those venue’s and I’m bettin not much can live in some of those places and in others there is probably stuff growing there that could kill Godzilla!

If tourism is down and you need to do something have a festival or an eating contest…better yet have a wet t-shirt contest, it is Pattaya we’re talking about. Whatever you do don’t be a politician and declare your city to be the only virus free city in the world. It tends to make you look like a shmuck.

One thing is for sure…if my girl finds out I posted that picture of her above I won’t have to worry about any nasty virus’s killing me.

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