- Noone speaks English. Randomly met person in the street or a cab driver cannot even recognize words as train, city center, downtown, shop.
- They unpack as less as possible.
- At one meal they mix everything – pork, chicken, fish, seafood, sweet, salty and chilly. Similar to Middle East, usually they eat in the floor from communal dishes. The Arabic bread is replaced here by a bowl of boiled rice or so-called sticky rice, which one takes it into his hand, presses it into one-bite ball with fingers and uses it as a “sponge” into the other dishes.
- They would eat even the fruit with a mixture of chili and sugar.
- No pubs, no bars, no coffee shops out of the big cities. Actually nothing like a place to sit inside, to look at a menu and order. Food carts along the streets. Fruit carts along the street. Coffee carts along the streets. Ice-cream carts along the streets.
- No fresh salad, vegetables are fried or just a several leaves of something green is served as addition to the dishes.
- Apples are expensive and tasteless. Mango, pineapple and banana are the cheapest and most common fruits.
- They would have for breakfast grilled chicken, rice, fish meal at 6.30 AM. No difference with lunch or dinner meals.
- A lot of street dogs everywhere - not friendly at all. No cat seen till now.
- There is no hot water. One tap, through which it is running cool water. You don’t need it warmer throughout the year.
- The traffic is right-directed.
- Students wear uniforms and those up to 15 years old have unique hair cut. School day starts with a flag ceremony and a half an hour lecture by a teacher what good behavior is. The same teacher will give a close-up speech at the end of the school day as well. Pupils give salute to the teacher for good morning and goodbye in the classroom.
- In the sentence “Where did you spend your holiday?” the new words are: where, spend and holiday. Students at the age of 15 find great difficulties to introduce themselves with My name is….., I am 15 years old, I am from Thailand. Students at the age of 18 cannot understand the question How old are you. Generally, sad but true, no matter how polite and discipline they are the education level is terribly low. They lack general knowledge the most. Unaware of the major religions in the world or which countries include the Arab world (they failed to name even 2 without my help). I threw out of the window everything I have prepared and start with the numbers, the colours, the clock, the question words and basic pieces of information about the world in general.
- Shoes off inside – no matter temple, home, classroom. I am barefoot almost everywhere except in the streets.
- Motorcycle world.
- You will find karaoke cabins in the bigger trade centers.
- TV movies are duplicated and naked scenes are censored, as well as the action of drinking and smoking.
- Everyone is sweeping.
- Children are undemanding, quiet and independent in their activities.
- There are a lot of ladyboys everywhere. Not only in the big cities, but in small, remoted villages as well. What is even more curious, there is usually one lady boy in each class at school, who will keep his nails long, put a lip gloss and move with the girls around. And noone seems to take this derisively.
- Everyone uses talc. Usually their face and neck is richly powdered.
- Any facial cosmetic product contains whitening agent. Girls want to be white and like curly hair.
- The colours are different – golden-coloured temples, pink and red dressed people, exceedingly green landscape. Pupils will colour the lemon in green. Because they have lime :)
- There is an evening market in every village starting at 5 PM full of food, second-hand clothes and cheerful din.
- Thai people are extremely polite, quiet and attentive. They will try their best to make you feel good and provide you whatever you may need.
