Memorable incidents during your time in Thailand

[dtaai-maai]

I've lived in a few places round the world and have had many experiences I'll never forget, most really positive, but a few bad ones.

I'd be interested to know some of your experiences in Thailand, something out of the ordinary, good or bad.

Here's one of mine to get the ball rolling.

Dec 30th 2006. Living at Chutikran, just round the corner from Avalon. At around 7 p.m. I heard a couple of loud bangs. Although there were a lot of fireworks going off around that time, I've lived long enough in places like Pakistan to know gunshots when I hear them. Someone had shot the security guard in the neck, and when I got there, half a dozen people were about to shove the poor bloke, who was unconscious and bleeding copiously, on the back of a motorcy...

I told them to wait one minute while I got my pick-up, bundled him and a dozen or so assorted panicking friends and relatives into the back and high-tailed it into town.

7 in the evening on Dec 30th is not the quietest time to drive into Hua Hin, and it was pretty (bloody) obvious that time was of the essence. I had more help than I wanted with directions I didn't need and constant cries urging me to hurry up. We were heading for San Paulo, but there was a long line of traffic queued from the traffic lights back to the train station, so I pulled over onto the wrong side of the road and headed into the Red Cross place, thinking that at least they could patch him up long enough to keep him alive until he could get proper treatment. Not remotely interested.

We eventually made it round to Sao Paulo, and he was hauled out amidst much weeping and wailing, shoved unceremoniously onto a gurney and wheeled off.

I didn't hang around.

When I got back to Chutikran, there was a policeman there talking to 'witnesses'. I told him where the victim was and where I lived if he needed to speak to me, went back to the house and spent 10 minutes hosing down the back of the truck.

Nobody ever came to the house, the security guard lived and was back to work 6 months later. Apparently it had been a personal matter.

[johnnyk]

On the bus midway between Chumpon and HH a 25-ish woman got on and sat next to me. Nicely dressed, quite middle class with a bit of attitude. First thing she reached over and turned off the air con thingy, no please or thank you or excuse me do you mind?
I waited a few minutes then turned it back on, directed at myself.
A few more minutes and she asked where I was going. I told her HH. She said, "Seafood".
A few more minutes and she said, "HH, seafood".
Half an hour later we reached Market Village and she got off with me......
No bonus points for guessing the rest.

[MrPlum]

No bonus points for guessing the rest.

Did you enjoy the seafood lunch together?

[richard]

Three incidents that occurred during my first day in Thailand

1) I was staying at the Imperial Queens Park hotel in soi 22 off Sukhamvit in Bangkok and decided to take an early morning stroll round the block which to me meant take a right and then a right and then another right and so on until I was back where I started. No way. Somewhere along the trail there was no right so I was lost. OK that should be OK it's a multi storey hotel and should be easy to pinpoint. No such luck as all buildings are all tall in that part of town and not knowing BK I had to retrace my steps. So a Thai block is not necessarily a block.

2) Another walk in the afternoon but this time down soi 22 to Sukhamvit and up to visit the Emporium. Simple and long enough bearing in mind the temperature and humidity experienced for a first timer in BK. On the way back I was smoking a ciggy and dumped the butt into a grilled drain cover in the road. 20 yards on I was apprehended by two young (school age) policemen with a cigarette butt in their hands asking for 2000 baht. Was marched off to a ramshacked booth to sign a form. I smelt a rat as these guys were way too young but not wanting to cause trouble on the first day of my visit to a new country played along. When asked for money I explained that my money was in the hotel. When asked how much I had got on me I said "let me see" and rummaged through my pocket. I had 10K so I had hoping I could fish out some low denomination notes. Luck was on my side. Handed over 250 baht and learnt a very quick lesson.

3) The Imperial queens hotel has a raised coffee lounge and one afternoon we were all asked to vacate the raised area and stand around the perimeter of the raised lounge. A dignatory and her entourage arrived escorted through the hotel by armed guards. We then all returned to our seats on the raised coffee lounge. When I enquired who was that I was informed that it was a Thai princess and no one was allowed to sit or stand on higher ground during her entrance.

So quite a few impressions and lessons on one's first day and certainly ones to remember

[johnnyk]

No bonus points for guessing the rest.

Did you enjoy the seafood lunch together?

Dinner and dessert, too. Aroi mak mak.

[angustum]

I have visited Hua Hin on many occassions and have a house there at present for holidays and eventual retirement.
I had my honeymoon there back in 2005 but unfortunately
lost my right eye in a freak golf accident at Lake view
Golf club on December 11 ,2011 (on 10 not 11 hole)
Memorable for the wrong reasons!!, I will however be back again this Christmas, cant wait.

[Calvin]

First night ever in Thailand I had just flown in and checked in to the Sheraton in Bangkok and decided to walk around. I came across a massage shop, the lady invited me in. Had my first Thai massage, got a bit excited and started to remove her bottoms. To my surprise I met no resistance and completed the act. No charge, no talk. Walked out of there thinking "Wow. Did that just happen?"

[Vital Spark]

After living for 18 months in Bangkok and then 4 years in Nakhon Pathom, we moved down to the university campus near Hua Hin. We found a rather 'tired' house which had been unoccupied for a few years in a village called Ban Thung Kham. The house had a huge walled garden, and a wonderful half open-air kitchen/dining area - just perfect for us. It needed a lick of paint inside, so, bearing that in mind, we decided that about 4-5,000 baht a month would be an appropriate rental. Having got used to the bartering system we offered the owner 3,000 baht a month - expecting her to go up to 6,000 and then the game would commence. When we suggested 3,000 she looked quite shocked, and we thought that we'd insulted her by offering too little. "No, no," she protested, "2,500 baht is enough!" We obviously moved in, painted the interior ourselves, and had 6 happy years living out in the sticks.

VS

[Stargeezer]

A year ago in January I went to Hua Hin and stayed with my cousin for a couple of weeks. It was a great experience as him and his girlfriend had spent many years in Thailand so we seen a lot of the sites around the area.
During my stay we all travelled by car to Ko Pha-Ngan and stayed 3 nights. The island was great to visit and we had a lot of good food and drinks. We stayed at the Bayview Inn ,a nice resort on the beach for about 1000 baht per night. We visited the beach area where the Full Moon party is held, thankfully it was quiet at the time. On the 4rd day it started to rain and we almost never got off the island on the ferry back to the mainland as a storm was coming in. Although it was good to visit that Island and Ko Samui, island as well, I could never live on either place. Prices were higher for food and other staples, and having to rely on the Ferry system is not a good feeling. If I do retire somewhere in Thailand it will be at Cha Am or Hua Hin.

[KhunJohn]

O.k this was a good moment but yet a bad moment. I was in Patts Oct 28th 2000 6:30 P.M..I was going bowling and on the Songtao from Jomtien and I was practicing my Thai on this little kid and this Thai beauty got on hair mussed up and looking stunning from a day on the beach. I was`nt going to say a word to her but then she said to me. If you do not have a girl friend I will make you dinner. I was shocked but said o.k and she gave me her cell number. I called her later that night to set up a dinner date. But before we could got for a bite I got called back to Canada due to an issue. In march 2001 my brother said he got a post card from the same lady who had gone to the hotel I had stayed at and got my address. She wrote I hope you come back soon for dinner and to call her. So I called her and in the back ground I hear all this loud music and such and was thinking she was a bar girl. Anyways I did go in may 2001 and we met and we went for dinner. That was a very good moment. Best of times worst of times. Oh by the way turned out she was a credit officer at the Carrefour and all that noise was from the t.v/stereo department right beside her cubicle. Anyways those were the good days and I married her 2004 July 30th in Canada. Where did that time and emotion go. Getting old. Chok Dee.

[johnnyk]

Back about 2004 I was heading home from the old Don Muang airport and the 500 baht cash departure tax was still i effect. I had about 20 baht in my pocket and got turned away at the entry to the gates. The lady would not budge and suggested I talk with the airline. I went to the EVA Air counter and started to whinge when a very pretty EVA staffer came over and asked for my passport which I gave to her.
She came back with it and handed me 500 baht saying it was her own money but she understood I was in a spot.
I took her personal name and address and when I got home I sent her a card with US$20 (about 750 baht at the time). A few weeks later I got a note in the mail from her husband thanking me and I replied saying it was me who was truly thankful.
That left me with a great memory of Thai people at their warm and generous best.

[migrant]

At the sake of retyping, and some of you re-reading, this really struck me

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