Observations, Oddities, and Obstacles

This post is a collaboration of the learning experiences we've had in 2 weeks of being in the foreign city of Bangkok. We have noticed more and more observations about the city and we keep saying to each other, "Look at that!" This is an attempt to capture all of those moments. I will continue to update and improve as time evolves. Also, don't get the wrong impression that these are negatives, rather they are differences in the way things are.

Transport
The first is the TukTuks that are a well known part of Bangkok. They are modified motorcycles or three wheelers that transport you around the city for cheap. They weave in and out of traffic at very high speeds. It is quite an experience and an adventurous way to travel. In addition to tuktuks, there are thousands of motorcycles, scooters and what look like dirt bikes that weave in and out of the city everywhere and they are the fastest way to get around in the city. When you are stuck in traffic and haven't moved for 20 minutes, they are the best option. They don't stay in one lane, but run between cars weaving in and out. There are motorcycle taxis that run up and down the different side streets (Sois) as people sit on the back cruising up and down. The motorbikes aren't only for the streets because as you are walking on a sidewalk, you can see a motorbike go by. Granted, it is not at high speed, but you must be aware of what is around you. We've also seen a taxi pull up on the sidewalk to park like it was no big deal.
As for the sidewalks, some are in good shape but most are traps for falling, an accident waiting to happen. The business women wear high heeled shoes and walk on these sidewalks like it's not a big deal. I am constantly trying to not trip.



Service - Do Not Disturb!
With service, it is either too much or not enough. Everyone is very pleasant and seems to be happy all the time. You don't see the look like you do in the U.S. where people would rather jump off a bridge than be at their job. Instead, at the hotels they want to clean your room everyday. We are talking mopping the floors, making the bed, and organizing maps on the coffee table. Especially at the nicer hotels, the Do Not Disturb sign doesn't apply. They will leave notes and constantly call to see if they can clean your room or even turn down your bed. They want to please so much and they don't like the idea of you doing things for yourself. Another example was at the hospital where we were told to sit down and rest everywhere we went. They come to you and call you when they are ready but even if there is no one else at the counter and your wait will be for 2 minutes, standing for 2 minutes would be burden upon you. The hospital was very efficient as they have people to help in every little area and they are just waiting to help some one. At the airport it was the same experience. We proposed the question, "How many Thais does it take to get 3 Americans into a taxi van?" Around 5 -8. I felt bad because the luggage weighed almost as much as some of the men. The mindset here is to give people a honorable job and good work will be the greater result rather than having one man working harder to replace the other 5 that the company doesn't want to pay. The restaurants have good service but they don't bring the check when you are finished until you ask for it. They don't want to give you the idea that you can't stay as long as you would like. Also, they get your drinks and stand there at the table until you are ready to order even if this takes a long time because you can't read the menu. The last difference about service is how the guards at the hotel salute you when you walk by. I say thank you, but it is weird for me to be saluted for simply staying at the hotel.

Food
In general, the food has been good. There have been some things that I could have done without eating but I have liked almost everything. In general, with Thai food they eat a lot of eggs. An order of Pad Thai usually comes with an omelet. They have eggs in their soups as well as hard boiled eggs. They like to eat a lot of soups. Most meals are shared family style as you pass the food around and share. They eat with a fork and spoon but use the spoon to put the food in their mouth. It is much easier to eat rice this way. We haven't been to the market with all of the strange foods, but we have seen a lot of people eating a whole fish with the full body and skin. I won't be eating fish that way. Some people do put ketchup on their pizza and at KFC there is an ice cream cup with corn in it. I think they view corn as a fruit. There is also a McDonald's samurai pork burger with a rice patty bun. At the grocery store in the freezer section with all the other foods, we found a bag that was labeled dog food and had a picture of a dog on it. The package looked like it was made for people, much like the bags of chicken. After some investigative work, we found that it was food for dogs but it was strange to see it in the freezer. We,ve been told that Thais no longer eat dogs.

Culture

Some of the cultural differences are interesting and I still don't have a great understanding of them. There is very little showing of public affection with male and female. Yet, the females many times hold hands or have their arm holding onto their friend. Men also used to do this, but it is less common today. The head is viewed as the most pure part of the body and the feet are seen as the worst. The TV shows that are in the U.S. like the Super Bowl didn't have any commercials. It either stays at the event or goes to a local commercial. They play a lot of western music and know most of the new songs that are out. Most of these songs are all pop musics or the love songs. They like to play a large amount of Kenny G, Back Street Boys, etc. and you will hear some rap. They don't really like the hard rock or anything that is a little louder or rougher. I been here 2 weeks and it has become quite an annoyance. Another noticeable observation is the lack of resistance from picking your nose in public or private. We see it quite often and no one here seems to mind or even act as if it is inappropriate. Finally, there are many translations and signs that are funny as well.