Thailand's Bad Rap

I get this question a lot from people who haven't been to Thailand:  "I hear that there is a thriving sex trade in Thailand.  What about it?"

  

The sex trade is there, but it's overblown by western media. Most Thais are embarrassed by this reputation which is geographically centered around two cities-- about 5% of Bangkok and 20% of Pattaya, a seaside resort city. It continues because of the power of the mafia over law-enforcement, not unlike parts of Italy (Sicily) or modern-day Russia. In fact, it's the infusion of the Russian mafia into Pattaya which has given a recent boost to this social problem. 

Despite the problem, it's important to realize it's geographical size and activity are limited to real estate smaller Las Vegas, Reno, or seedy areas of New York City or Chicago.  In fact, it's considerably eclipsed by those USA venues of sleaze. 

Yes, it's there, it's wrong and it is a blight on the Thai reputation. But, just as we wouldn't judge all Americans by what goes on at the street corners of Times Square or at the legal brothels of Nevada, we shouldn't similarly judge the Thais. 

In a sense, the reputation of Thailand is being held hostage by western "news-tainment." I've seen some of the documentaries, which are quite "hyped" around a core of truth. However, for every sensational documentary on Thailand's sex trade, you could produce 100 documentaries on family-centered village life, with 1950's American morality--which is the real Thai scene. On the other hand, the latter type of documentary just doesn't pump up the viewer numbers for those Nielsen ratings in the west, of course. 

Hope that helps balance the picture!  Better yet, please come to Thailand and see for yourself. For most places outside of the venues mentioned above, it will be like you've been transported back to 1950's or 1960's Anytown, USA in terms of morality, human relations, and social interaction. 

Dogs & Culture

PLEASE HELP ME EXPLAIN TO MY THAI STUDENTS . . .

...the American idiom "Work like a dog." Crossing this cultural divide seems like a hopeless task.

After gardening, laundry and cleaning the house all day in 90-degree heat, my Thai friend called up and asked me what I'd been doing.

"Ajarn J, today your day off? Oh, that's right, it's Saturday. The easy life of teachers! What have you been doing today?"

"Working like a dog, of course!" I exclaimed in my most exhausted-sounding tone.

Silence.

Other times I'm met with a mock "Oh, you poor thing..." response from the shallowest recesses of the Thai heart.

Why this lack of sympathy?

The Thai dog is the epitome of laziness. He lies around all day and sleeps, sometimes even in the right-of-way of a busy road, too lazy to move even a foot out of harm's way (yes, and many suffer the logical consequences).

At night he only wakes for a few moments to bark at passing Thai ghosts (according to my Thai friends) and then just as quickly falls back into his blissful dream state.

There's not a single Thai dog I know who works for a living where 90% of Thais live (the boondocks). Most Thai dogs "adopt" a business, an apartment building, a city hall--and live on the handouts of kind strangers; something I have not yet learned how to do myself.

What are the responsibilities of the dog who adopts a human or establishment? Sleep and eat. Oh yes, and bark a couple times a day when someone steps on their territory. Oh, yes, and go after the foreigner in fang-baring packs just to remind him he's not a native. That's it.

Work like a dog? No sympathy here.

And the adventure goes on,

JD

East Influences West

I've come across a number of interesting ways in which the East, particularly Thailand, is influencing my country of origin, the USA. I will keep adding more examples to this article as I come across them. Meanwhile, here are a few starters.

• The USA is saturated with Muay Thai (Thai boxing) schools; one being less than a mile from my former home in Tacoma, Washington.
  
  
• Human interest story (from a podcast): Thailand's "Sriracha" sauce takes the U.S. by storm. Love those spicy buffalo wings sold at baseball games and popular restaurant chains? Thank Thailand for a hot chili sauce that I thought only I was enjoying in Thailand. Named after a town near Bangkok, where the sauce originates the condiment can now be found on most store shelves in the USA.
  
  Recently this sauce has beat out tomato ketchup as America's preferred condiment--now THAT is momentous!
  
  
• And in a deeper vein, religious/philosophical influence is reaching significantly into the lives of Americans. Read on . . .

Thai Buddhist Temple at Five Mile Lake, Sumner Washington.

This temple's property adjacent to the former

Glendawn Baptist Bible Camp.

The Baptist Bible camp was disbanded and sold,

but the newly-built Buddhist temple is apparently thriving.

The above photo was taken three years ago and the temple was a total surprise when I visited the site of a summer camp I attended as a child. Here are a few more items of interest on the same topic...

• News item (from a recent podcast): Alabama's highest-security men's prison institutes two-week Buddhist Thai-style meditation courses for hundreds of inmates. The prison (a Baptist) chaplain comments that it seems to work, so he can't knock it.
  
  
• From an ad in the Seattle Times (below). The type of meditation classes are from a Thai-branch of Buddhism called Theravada.
  
  Kadampa Meditation Center Washington
  "Everyone welcome! Meditation classes are offered at the Temple in Ballard on Sunday mornings and Monday evenings. We also offer a Learning to Meditate lunchtime class on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. These classes are suitable for all individuals whatever their level of interest, from those who seek simple relaxation to those who wish to find lasting inner peace and contentment through following the Buddhist path.
  
  Classes in Buddhism and meditation are also offered at over a dozen locations in the greater Seattle area, such as Bellevue, Capitol Hill, Burien, and West Seattle.

60-Year Floods Hit Thailand

Above is a picture circulating in emails today, alleging to picture an escaped crocodile at the entrance of a Thai house in the flood waters. Today's Bangkok Post reported 100 crocodiles escaping from a flooded wildlife farm. The headlines cooed "100 Escaped Crocodiles 'not fierce.' " Tell that to the guy who lost his arm this year to a croc at Pattaya's Crocodile Farm.

The worst floods since 1949 are wreaking havoc in Thaland with hundreds dead, scores of flooded factories, and thousands of square miles of farms and cities under water.

Our village (photos below) sits on Thailand's longest river, The Chi. It runs 765 kilometers (480 miles) through five provinces and its waters finally empty into the mighty Mekong downriver.

Below are photos taken this afternoon, upon learning that our river has overrun its banks.

Looking upriver, the metal fence marks the

normal river bank boundary.

Flooded village road closest to the river. Recently-filled sandbags on the left.

Another impassable village road beginning to flood.

Precaution #1: Sand ready for more sand bag filling.

Precaution #2: Longboats ready for quick rescues.

Americana in Isaan

Our little university town sports a surprising variety of foreign restaurants and eateries including Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean and American* cuisines (*if you'd call KFC and Mister Donut a "cuisine").

My absolute favorite "foreign" restaurant, however, opened up a couple years ago about two miles from my house. It's called "The Living Room," and does a perfect job at creating a nice American-style living room atmosphere; complete with sofas, coffee tables, American movies on the big LCD screen (satellite Star Movies), and soft jazz playing in the background.

Half of The Living Room restaurant is furnished with living room settings where you can sip a nice beverage and snack on appetizers (tempura, buffalo wings, etc.), and then later move to the large dining tables for the feast.

The menu is eclectic (Thai, Isaan, Japanese, Italian and American) with only the best of ingredients used by a very well-trained Thai chef.

My favorites are:

• BBQ Ribs (the Texas BBQ sauce is a dead ringer for anything you could get in San Antonio!). The rack of ribs is huge and very meaty.
• Giant New Zealand mussels (I mean they are BIG, with just a touch of mozzarella cheese on each one before they are put under the broiler),
  
• The huge "Deluxe Ceasar Salad" with deep-fried shrimp buried among the grated Parmesan cheese, croutons, and zesty blue cheese dressing
• The Japanese tempura (delicately batter-dipped onions, carrots, shrimp, potatoes, broccoli, and asparagus)
• And, the Italian Calzone (like a pizza made into a turnover). Full of ham, cheese, onions and peppers.
  

Price? About a half or third of the cost in a western restaurant back home in the USA.

Background: The owner also runs a successful British Pub in downtown Bangkok, and has really duplicated an authentic English atmosphere there. Last month on a trip to the Big Mango, stopped by for fish & chips and watched the British soccer matches on the seven or eight huge LCD screens surrounding the dining area. Just like lolly-gaggin' in Brighton, Old Chap!

Of course, after visiting this successful restaurateur's Living Room here in Isaan, I have to double my exercise routine and live on water for a couple of days to counteract the calories and cholesterol, but that's the price of a real treat. Yep, living in a remote location in a foreign country is especially nice when you know the comforts of home may be only five minutes away!

Photographer's apologies: it was a phone cam in dim light.
Thai Proverb: The poor dancer always blames the dummer.

Ethical Dilemma

OK, you've just finished a six-hour bus trip and your bladder is about to burst. Yes, the whites of your eyes have already turned yellow. The moment the bus pulls into the station, you make a mad dash to the restrooms, and this scene greets you:

The charge for using the restroom is two baht (six cents).

You only have a 100-baht note ($3.50) in your pocket, and certainly need change, because the taxi is going to cost you 85 baht.

The only one in sight who can give you change is the attendant who is fast asleep. She's probably a working mom with three kids and two jobs and has just pulled an all-night shift somewhere cleaning someone's office.

Remember, your bladder is bursting. You are mere milliseconds from wet underwear.

OK, you Ethical Giants out there, what do you do?