I enjoy flying around the world; wherever it may be… I enjoy seeing different parts of the world and having the ability to immerse myself within the culture! My entire trip in Thailand was such a shock for me. In this blog, I will tell you why.
Firstly, health and safety isn’t much of big deal as it is in other parts of the world. Fish prepared on the ground with a thin sheet between the fish and pavement, telephone wires left exposed near to where you would walk and sone taxis (which are called a tuk tuk) didn’t have doors! I’m so used to living in the U.K. and having a particular way of life that you don’t consider that not everyone has the same upbringing.
The way Thai people communicate is rather unusually, in the sense that you address men and women differently. The way you say hello is different! It’s all based around respect. One time that stood out for me and I thought it was very shocking was when I went out for dinner in this one restaurant (they serve the best food!) and the waitress stood around 2 metres away from our table and watched us eat. Perhaps it’s a way of showing that they’re attentive, but I have never come across this before!
In Phuket, it’s fairly poor and they rely heavily on tourism. You will get a LOT of people coming up to you trying to advertise taxis and restaurants etc to you. It can be quite overwhelming in the beginning, I would look down and leave my sunglasses on because someone would approach you every 10 seconds and it’s a lot. But I did eventually get conditioned to it and it was fine. This was an occurrence particularly in Patong Beach – it’s so busy there! As long as you say a blunt no or shake your head, they will leave you alone. Or even ignoring, although I didn’t like to ignore. Some of the people whose job is to advertise and promote will be very forceful compared to others and will try and stop you or touch you to come in. As long as you make it clear what you want, you will be fine.
Lastly, I’m not sure if it’s just because the way I dress, behave and my appearance is different, but people in Thailand like to stare. But truthfully, many countries I have countries have people staring, so I’m fairly used to it.
I loved every second of my trip to this amazing country. It is beautiful in many ways and I will return in the near future! Thanks Thailand for your kindness and general hospitality!
Massimo Peluso 