Thailand along with any other place on the planet has its good and not so good sides. That’s just how life works. We have have to look at the overall balance. For me, there are more good sides to Thailand than problematic sides. That’s why I live here.
It can be quite interesting to look at how one characteristic can be both good and not so good, depending on the context. The Thai people are generally quite patient. This can be very refreshing, especially if, like in my case, you came from the US where patience is not high on the agenda. Read the rest of this entry
Some places in the world attract holistic, alternative or ‘new age’ communities. This includes practitioners of yoga, massage, various healing arts, meditation, Qigong and many others. Some of those places are in beautiful surroundings like Sedona, Arizona or Bali, Indonesia.
Others are in places with a long history of spirituality like Rishikesh, India. Some of them develop in beautiful beach areas like on the Big Island of Hawaii.
And some are in big cities that offer facilities for a large clientele of practitioners, healing arts students and health and wellness seekers in all kinds of holistic branches. Such a place is Chiang Mai, Thailand. The city has over a million inhabitants, but at it’s core is the historic old town, surrounded by a moat and old city gates. In that part of town you feel like time slowed down compared to the hustle and bustle outside of the old city.
There are many pleasures to be had in Thailand without having to spend a lot of money. I don’t mean to say that everything is cheap in Thailand because that’s not true. But if you go ‘local’, you can enjoy a good life for a fraction of what it would cost you in the west.
I usually go for an evening walk to one of the main streets nearby where lots of vendors set up their stalls every evening. Street markets and road side vendors are very typical scenes in Thailand. Especially when I don’t feel like cooking at home, and I don’t want to go to a restaurant, the street vendors are the saving grace.
I picked up a bag of steamed sweet potatos, a noodle dish, mashed potatos with vegetables, three ripe mangos and a tasty dessert, and the total cost was about US $2. I took it home, and it was so much that I could not even finish it for dinner. Read the rest of this entry
Did you ever daydream about being in a place where everything is perfect, where you feel totally at ease and happy? I have not found such a perfect place on planet earth, and to my best knowledge it does not exist. But some places come much closer than others, and Thailand is in this category. No country is perfect, and neither is Thailand. But there is a good reason why tens of thousands of expatriates have decided on settling here. Actually there are 9 good reasons I can think of. Read the rest of this entry
Most people assume that culture shock is something you experience when you come from one cultural environment into a totally different one. Mostly this is happening when visitors from first world developed nations visit a developing nation or a third world country where everything is more chaotic, unorganized and unpredictable.
I have been living in Thailand for many years, and nothing seems unusual or strange to me. Thailand is a developing nation, but is surrounded on three sides by third world countries, namely Myanmar (formerly Burma), Laos and Cambodia. In the USA, a lot of the labor force comes from the poorer countries of Central and South America. They do the jobs that Americans don’t like to do, like agricultural, construction and cleaning work. Read the rest of this entry
People ask me all the time: "How did you end up in Thailand?" The truth is that it was nothing planned at all. It just happened. I have to admit that moving to another country was not such a big deal for me since I had lived in eight countries previously during my lifetime. But the big deal is that I never stayed in those countries for long, but I have been in Thailand for over a decade now.
Recently I visited a town in Thailand (Hua Hin), and I noticed that there was a festival going on. Whatever the Thai festivals are about, the most important thing is always eating. No food, no festival. There is always a party atmosphere, announcers are talking non-stop over loudspeakers tuned to top volume, and often there are traditional Thai dances performed on a stage.
At this festival most of the dance performances were from the southern provinces of Thailand which have a large Muslim population and influence from Malaysia. The music was really upbeat, the dancers pretty and talented, and the food great. Some of the vendors put on shows of their own. You got to see how they make drinks – it’s quite a performance.
Luckily I had my camera handy and I turned the highlights into a short movie that shows you what kind of free entertainment you are likely to find in Thai towns.
Recently I heard that there is a "Thai Yogi" who meditates in boiling oil. Of course I had to go there and check it out. The event took place in a temple called "Wat Tanak" near Chiang Mai, Thailand on February 6, 2011. I caught the entire event on film just like it happened. Everything was in plain view the entire time. The abbot of the temple was there watching, and there were hundreds of spectators.
I referred to a "Thai Yogi", but they are actually called "Luesii" in Thailand. This Luesii’s name is Sombet, and he has been putting on his amazing performance in several temples in Thailand. It is obvious from the video that he prepared the vat in such a way that the heat of the boiling oil is somewhat reduced where he is sitting – and who can blame him for that! Read the rest of this entry
Every year the city of Chiang Mai, Thailand, hosts several huge festivals. Visitors come by the tens of thousands from Thailand and abroad. The performances are truly spectacular. While wandering around the festival site I came across a group of students who were showcasing martial arts, dancing and drumming.
Every evening I go for a walk near the university of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Most of the students don’t cook much, first because almost none of the apartments here have kitchens. And second, you can buy food very easily and cheaply right on the street.
There is a wonderful little juice place where I get my daily fix of fresh squeezed orange juice and carrot juice. Every day when I show up, they start pouring the juice for me. I don’t even have to ask. Then they give me a little stool to sit on and I watch the students getting their food and drinks. Read the rest of this entry
Most people assume that culture shock is something you experience when you come from one cultural environment into a totally different one. Mostly this is happening when visitors from first world developed nations visit a developing nation or a third world country where everything is more chaotic, unorganized and unpredictable.
People ask me all the time: "How did you end up in Thailand?" The truth is that it was nothing planned at all. It just happened. I have to admit that moving to another country was not such a big deal for me since I had lived in eight countries previously during my lifetime. But the big deal is that I never stayed in those countries for long, but I have been in 
Every evening I go for a walk near the university of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Most of the students don’t cook much, first because almost none of the apartments here have kitchens. And second, you can buy food very easily and cheaply right on the street.