K1′s Walking in their lines from their homeroom to my classroom

Now that I’ve been teaching for 2 months, it’s about time to weigh in on the pros and cons of the job.

I feel like I haven’t really had time to think about what I’m doing, let alone reflect on whether or not I’m actually enjoying myself. I’m kept busy, that’s for sure, with sometimes up to six classes in a day and as little as three on others. Some days I come home so exhausted that I can’t even be bothered to go out for dinner and literally scrounge for food in my apartment.

Some of the pros include the adorable, adoring children who behave and participate and genuinely seem to want to learn.

Then there are those kids who come to class, talk, fight, and generally misbehave with their friends. Even they have their cute moments, despite sudden and short urges to wrap my hands around their throats.

I enjoy the lessons, which are simple question and answer patterns taught through games that are sometimes a giant hit (dodgeball… God help me) and sometimes fizzle out before they’ve even begun. Learning how to deliver the lessons has been a hit and miss experiment that I’m still working out.

While I feel like I have a favourite in every class, there are certain levels that I just despise teaching. Kindergarten 1 (aged 3-4) when we first started was usually just a giant gong show of kids crying, peeing and puking. While they still want to cry, sometimes simply rubbing their back or getting them involved in the game or song is enough to make them forget their tears. However, I’ve gotten used to them and now find them too adorable to be angry at. My P1’s have stopped being scared of me, and are warming up to being the babies in the school again, while my P6’s are all on the ball. They know the format of the lesson, they understand what I want to teach them, and they know that if they’re not quiet, they really won’t get to play a game, so threatening (sometimes) actually works with them.

My P5’s, however, all seem to be at an age where they couldn’t give a bigger hoot if I did jumping jacks or ran laps around the room instead of actually taught them a lesson. Also, they don’t seem to actually care about playing games, so short of threatening to kill them and wanting to follow through on it, I haven’t quite figured out how to make them stop fighting / talking / screaming / running wild. Instead they’ll just shout “not fair” as if it’s some kind of joke that I’m actually angry with all of them. It’s almost as much of a gong show as the first month of K1 lessons, without all the bodily fluids. (Unless you count my tears)

There are definitely days when I want to strangle half the children I come across, but the majority of days I just want to sweep them all into my arms in a giant bear hug and never let them go.

I think as time goes on, the kids will be more receptive or I’ll just figure out a way to force it into them, whether or not they realize it. Then again, in every level, I have always had at least one “ah ha” moment when I’ve been trying to explain something and then they just GET it. I forget all about the ones that I wanted to strangle, and I just feel overwhelmingly proud of how smart they are, and that I’ve actually taught them something.

It’s an indescribable feeling that makes all the sweat and tears worth it.

Many foreigners have chosen and are still choosing Thailand to be their permanent homes. Something happens to many people the day they set foot in the land of smiles and the place seems to take some shifting from the system. If it can be shifted at all. Some people wander back and forth whenever they can for a system top up before returning to their homeland some just remain lock, stock and barrel.

Today I would like to introduce you to a cracking lady from Fulham, London called Valerie Wond. Val arrived in Thailand via Japan and has taught English in many places all over Asia let alone Thailand. However it was Thailand that she missed when away and always returned to.

Valerie Wond

On top of this she is madly in love with the famous Thai pop singer ” Sek Loso”  which she will tell us more about in the future. Val has had a ride in a tuk tuk with the pop star Seal, (not with a seal) and met Boy George. She even used to  hang out at the club my footballing hero George Best used to frequent next to Chelsea FC and often used to see him drunk! Finally Val has a massive love for animals especially dogs which she will tell you about now.

Trevor: So Val, how did you come to live in Thailand 

Val: My name’s Val and I’m from London, England. I used to be a graphic designer there but quit my job and went travelling in Asia and just fell in love with the place.

I thought about what kind of work I could do here in order to stay, and that’s when I decided to become an English teacher.

Tokyo, Japan

My first full-time job was in Tokyo, Japan. The initial contract was for 1 year, but I loved it so much that I ended up staying for 7 years.

I would always take a break and go on holiday to Thailand and that’s how I met my husband. It was Black Moon on Koh Samui at Rocky Bay. He was Thai and had long, black hair. He thought I was younger, I thought he was older. It was a very dark night you see, no moon! By then it was too late…

Trevor: That’s a romantic picture you paint Val. I am sure that could be a book title ”Black Moon on Koh Samui”

Moved To Koh Samui

Anyway, I quit my job again and moved to Koh Samui. I was lucky enough to get lots of private work teaching the children of the big resort owners and their staff on the island. That’s how I met Khun Ying, owner and founder of Samui Dog Rescue, and also owner of Montienne House in Chaweng. She inspired me to love and care for dogs.

A Love Of Dogs Is Born

In London I had always been a ‘cat person’. My family had always kept cats as we had a small garden in Fulham. Once in Thailand, the possibility of having a dog occurred to me and what do you know if one day there was this little brown puppy knocking down my door with a ‘please adopt me” look in his eye. We called her Coco!

Kookie was the next addition to the family. A neighbour gave her to us as she had to go away on business. Nice trips to the beach in my jeep, picnics under the palm trees but all was not well with my marriage. He being 25 years younger than me was not helping things.

The Move To Singapore

I left and went to Singapore. I taught at a school called Berlitz for 1 year. Singapore was great but I missed Thailand so much. I would go to a place called ‘Little Thailand’ (Golden Mile) every Sunday and hang out and eat Tom Yum Khung.

Missing Thailand

Trevor: I know this place in Singapore Val and have eaten here also, it brings back fond memories.

Val: Anyway, returned to Thailand and my husband and this time lived in Krabi Town. I managed to get work at various government schools and private schools. But had things improved in my marriage? No!

Moved To Seoul, South Korea

To cut a long story short, I returned again to Singapore, worked at Inlingua, then went on to Seoul, Korea for I year. Hated Korea as every morning I had to go through the market on the way to school where they would keep dogs in cages ready to be made into dog soup that day. And bloody freezing! Minus 12 degrees Celcius in the winter time and snow up to my knees!

Teaching In Kanchanaburi

Back in Bangkok and met up with my husband again but he hadn’t changed sad to say. Landed a nice teaching job in Kanchanaburi teaching kindergarten. One of the most beautiful places in Thailand and some of the most lovely people you would ever hope to meet!

Kanchanaburi

Trevor: I agree Val, I love Kanchanaburi.

Val: It was here that I fell in love with the most beautiful dog in the world. Little Leo!. A yellow lab retriever, given to me by my mate, Barry, another fellow teacher. I took him everywhere with me on my motorbike. Some of my best days ever in Thailand!

Sadly, he was hit by a car and is no more. I miss him so much. There will never be another like you, Leo.

At present in Bang Phli, Samut Prakan

Now, I’m in Bang Phli, Samut Prakan. My lovely mate Bill Perepelicia, from Oz, put a good word in for me and I landed my best ever paid teaching job at Nantawan International School.

Did that for about a year but quit again. It’s not easy teaching 4 and 5 year olds I can tell you!.

Now, happy to still be in Bang Phli but teaching much older kids ( Matayom 3, 4, 5, and 6) at Bangaew Prachasan High School just up the road.

As for my dogs now…I’ve been adopted by 5 dogs here in my Kar Park. I don’t know why but very young Thai men and Thai dogs seem to be attracted to me. Strange that!

Trevor: The best way to make the choice out of the Thai men, men in general or Thai dogs, is to weigh up which is the most troublesome to you. I think I might be able to guess this one.

Val: I’m a keen follower of Soi Dog Foundation and Lanta Animal Rescue, the latter of which, Junie Kovaks, my friend, is the founder and am always keen to promote their causes as they always do such good work for both dogs and cats here in Thailand. I like to do my bit by spreading the word in the hope that someone somewhere can help a little!

I have also sucessfully treated my Kar Park Dogs for mange and fleas and they cannot have anymore unwanted puppies now due to me giving them a birth control jab every 5 months.

Trevor: Thanks Val, you have been all over the place and I have complete admiration for the way you have chased down job after job and kept everything going. A lot don’t make it and have to return home, but this is a success story. Full credit also for your constant good work towards the causes of dogs and cats in Thailand.

Trevor: Final question for now Val. Would you ever return to live in England again.

Val: No, I’d never go back to live in England. Thailand is my home now forever, glad to say.

NEXT TIME

Valerie gives us an insight in to her favourite food and travel destinations in Thailand.

IMPORTANT LINKS

1) Sponsor A Dog Today

To find out more information

https://www.soidog.org/Default.aspx

2) Lanta Animal Welfare

To find out more information

http://www.lantaanimalwelfare.com/

Relieve the suffering and pain of the animals on the island through sterilisation and care.

Website

For more information on Thailand

http://www.engagingthailand.com/

I have yet to find a place that makes me as happy as Koh Samet.

a group of eight Lopburi teachers hired a bus and headed to another spot equidistant to Koh Samet but on the other side of the Gulf, Hua Hin.

The difference in destination between Hua Hin and Koh Samet is almost like night and day. Hua Hin a bustling beach town that caters to the Thai upper class for a weekend away from Bangkok, while Koh Samet is a quiet and secluded little peaceful island, complete with unpaved roads and plenty of off-road exploring options. While Koh Samet is a party town for the young High Society crowd, Hue Hin is basically the business man’s escape. Girly bars lined every street, and girls were cat calling out to the guys in our group, making it hard to find a good place to head out to. Luckily, we were able to shrug that off and hung out as a group at our hotel where we shared four rooms, three of them with an attached balcony.

During the nights, Sangsom was drunk, laughs were had and fights even broke out. (Nothing serious, a girly punch for a grope is fair in my books!) But we wasted the days floating in the water being attacked by water spiders and laying on the beach despite considerably cloudy skies and drizzling rain.

Hua Hin Beach

To be honest, everything about Hua Hin was kind of anti-climactic and very unlike the idea of the beauty of Thailand’s beaches. The sand was beautiful, and the horse riding on the beach was a nice draw for little children (and Eiyra), but the only thing that really stands out in my mind about the entire town is the food. After being in Lopburi for so long, my memories of Western food had diminished. I forgot how good butter chicken was, and eggs and bacon and actual sausage. Just thinking about the amount of amazing Indian food we consumed that night still makes my mouth water.

It was the first weekend that I was actually given a chance to get to know some of the teachers in Lop Buri, and I’m quite excited for more long weekends to come.

I could come up with a bunch of excuses like I’ve been really busy taking on a full course load, I’ve been adjusting to the ex-pat life, I don’t have any inspiration, my camera’s broken, or I’ve simply been partying too much on the weekends to devote serious time to my blog.

Take whichever excuse you will, but to be honest the real reason that I’ve been slacking is that I’ve gotten so used to the lifestyle here that it’s no longer new and exciting. This is one of the reasons that I couldn’t keep up a blog at home; things don’t seem interesting enough to write about. Who wants to hear that I ate kapow moo for dinner, again? It’s finding inspiration in the things that become normal that becomes more of a struggle.

I don’t know if this is the best excuse, it is certainly the saddest, but the reality is that once I get into a groove and live day in and day out teaching and sleeping and eating and repeat, the days start to blend into each other.

Until I realize it’s been two months since I’ve even thought about writing.

In those two months, I’ve been back to Koh Samet, been to Hua Hin, played paintball in Bangkok, learned to ride a motorcycle and could be moving already.

So the basic point I’m trying to make is that I’ll be better from here on out.

Starting now. I’ve obviously got a few topics to get me started.

The other night a few of us wanted to walk down to the night market in Old Town (Lop Buri) for dinner. About halfway there it started pouring. We took some shelter while we decided whether to plod on, or head back. Up for the adventure, and because there didn’t appear to be many other dinner options along our walk into town, we kept going.

At one point, while we were hiding under an awning, there were a couple Thai’s laughing at us crazy farang (foreigners) out in the rain, so they pulled out benches and had us sit and wait it out for a bit in their shop.

After it let up a slightly, we resumed our walk into town. Dinner was uneventful, and the market was basically shut down because of the torrential downpour.

On our way back we once again took shelter under the awning of a closed golf equipment store. By then we were all thoroughly soaked, cold, with toes chaffing against sandals and wanting nothing more than a hot shower and warm tea.

Low and behold, out walks the shop owner carrying chairs for us to sit on while we wait for the current round of buckets of rainwater to cease.

We were all amazed, happy to rest our chaffed feet, and lamented that something like that would never happen at home. It would be more likely that the shop owner would come out and either shoo us for loitering or talk about how bad the rain is before heading right back inside – making sure to lock the door behind them.

Ready to head out again, we made it about 15 feet when a couple on scooters stop us to ask where we’re going, offering all 3 of us a ride home.

Once again, when would a stranger stop on the street and offer another stranger a ride on the back of their bike? (A splash from an oncoming vehicle is more like it!)

I’m sure that we’re getting the special treatment because we are farang, but because Thai’s really do hate walking anywhere, let alone in the rain, it’s possible that this courtesy extends to anyone they see walking along a dark street at night.

This is just a one night example of Thai hospitality, but I will truly remember the small things like this when I return home. And I vow to be that person that shocks a stranger with their friendliness and helpfulness.  Pay it forward!

Muang (City) Lop Buri:

The sun setting over the road into old town.

Lop Buri is about 2 hours North of Bangkok, just North of Ayutthaya, and is home to most of Thailand’s military bases and operations. (My mom will be happy to hear that this is probably the safest place to be in all of Thailand.)

A family of monkeys in old town.

My guidebook mentions little more about Lop Buri than what’s concentrated in the old town; ancient ruins and monkeys. As far as traveling  goes, it suggests making it a day trip and catching the night train out of here. Precisely what enticed me to accept the job offer here and live in a truly Thai town that is barely touched by tourism.

I keep calling it a town, but really it’s quite large. There is everything here that you could ever need, it’s just a matter of finding it. There are 3 large department stores, a night market for every night of the week, countless food stalls (including the night food stall street not far from us – literally an entire street packed with food stalls cooking anything you could ever want for under 40 baht.), as well as numerous restaurants and a handful of pubs.

A traffic circle, complete with the King’s picture

I’ve met farang (foreigners) from as many as 5 different schools in town, but outside of the foreign teachers, it’s rare to see a foreign face. (When we’re out walking in a group, it’s not uncommon for Thai people to seem astounded by the sheer number of us “whoa! 6!”)

My first impression of Lopburi wasn’t the most positive. Coming from the tiny little town of Ban Phe, I was worried that I wouldn’t like the bigger city atmosphere, or the fact that it feels ridiculously hotter here than anywhere else in Thailand, or the fact that I will have to get a motorbike or scooter to navigate my way through town comfortably.

However, after almost a month and learning how to ride a scooter, I’m quite happy with the laid back pace and while I still have a lot of exploring to do, I’ve learned the basics and can get around the city without too much confusion. Also, what I thought would be a bigger city atmosphere is actually non-existent, the people here are so laid back and by nightfall the city almost comes to a halt. I have yet to actually experience anything negative about this quiet city, and am quite happy settling into a routine and can’t wait to start teaching.

The School:

Banjongrat main entrance

Banjongrat School has two locations; the main elementary (Prathom) school as well as the kindergarten. The kindergarten is about a 15 minute walk from my apartment,

The mini jungle outside our school

(literally a 1 minute ride on the bike) although I’ll only be there once a week. The grounds of both schools are beautifully manicured, complete with updated playgrounds and miniature jungles with waterfalls and paths and signs explaining what the plant types are (I assume, although the signs are all in Thai).

Despite working directly at the school on a regular basis, all the foreign teachers are hired by an outside company, Fun Language, that has a main office in Bangkok, but the Lopburi and new school in Ratchaburi are franchises run by Westerners. This is another reason that I decided to come to work for Fun Language; the organized and friendly manner of the directors all helped to immediately make me feel comfortable in my decision.

There are 4 classrooms at the Prathom school and 3 at the Kindergarten, all are large, clean and air conditioned. Every day I’ll be working with a different Thai Teacher (TT) who acts as an interpreter when needed, mediates between me and the parents, organizes resources needed for every class and helps with classroom management. All of the TT’s are incredibly knowledgeable, fun and friendly. I look forward to developing friendships with them as well as the other foreign teachers and students.

The lessons are meant to be as interactive as possible, with no desks for students to zone out at and numerous games and songs to make learning English fun (not to mention teaching it!)

My Apartment:

We’ve dubbed it the mansion, because it’s literally called Saiva Mansion. (In Thai: Say-wa mansion) All the foreign teachers at our school, plus a handful of others,  live here and instead of saying “see you at home,” it’s, “see you at the mansion.”

My room with my funky (polyester) sheets. I’ve since upgraded to cotton..

It’s a basic blue room with a bed, wardrobe, tv, fridge, air con and bathroom with hot water. It also has the typical Thai style hard-as-rock mattress.  But it’s relatively comfortable, clean, and has wifi (sometimes). I would prefer a share house with some of the other teachers, and if we can find a nice, furnished house in the next few months, we’ll likely move in together. I think we all desperately want a place to hang out that’s not on someone’s bed, and a place to cook a communal western meal. One of the teachers who was here last year, but left to manage the school in Ratchaburi, used to have barbeques at his house on the weekends. That would be beautiful, but for now, it’s nice to have my own space while being relatively close to all the other teachers.

So far it’s been great and now that school is officially starting on Monday I can start what I came here to do: Teach. I can’t wait to get started!

We’ve had a good two months. From the moment I stepped off the bus, smelled your fishy smell and saw the sad excuse for a public garbage dump on your main road I thought that we might have a problem. However, I quickly got used to the smell of drying fish and learned how to avoid breathing from my nose when I passed the dump.

Fish laid out on the roof of sidecar moto’s to dry out in the sun

The first month brought a lot of fun. Meeting new people and making fast friends, going to class every day and spending a couple weekends on the beautiful shores of Koh Samet. It was a good month spent exploring back streets full of wonderful little shop front restaurants and enjoying the westerner bar, Christie’s.

Lazy days on the beach at Koh Samet

Strings of seashells lining the walkway to the pier

The second month hasn’t been as good as the first, as I watched all my new friends leave, headed home or elsewhere, but it gave me a lot of time to self reflect and enjoy lazy, sun-soaked days. This month saw me get a job, lose a job,** and get offered too many to choose from. I’m happy to say that I’ve now figured out my life and will also be leaving your tourist piers and seashell shops, but not before I buy some of your beautiful seashell jewelry and decorations, my new apartment will bear memories of you.

Throughout these two months I’ve been amazed at how accepting and wonderful your citizens are. They are always willing to help and are genuinely curious about you and your life. I will be sad to say goodbye to all the friends I’ve made here that I’ve only ever been slightly able to communicate with. But to those who have helped me learn the little Thai I know, thank you. I could not have done it without you. Despite you wanting to practice your English, I am grateful for the conversations we had in Thai, ordering and paying for food. It’s a start!

To the staff at Christie’s; you were always a pleasure. I don’t know how you girls make every single customer feel welcome not only in the bar, but in the town. I thank you for taking us newbies under your wing and showing us Beach Bar and for constantly running to 7-11 when Sam requested more Spy Coolers.

As I pack my bags to leave this humid “non-touristy” beach town, with it’s abundance of tourist bars and restaurants. I’m sad to say that I can’t help but think of the negatives: I was just not meant to see the Rayong Aquarium, the only tourist destination aside from Koh Samet, your clinic could use a better doctor, and your beaches could use a full sweep from all the rubbish that has washed up on shore.

I will miss the quiet streets and my even quieter guesthouse, with only the random weekend wedding preventing me from sleeping until the god-awful hour of 11 PM. (How dare they? Don’t they know that some people don’t have lives and that Thai pop makes their ears bleed?) I’ll miss watching sunsets over the main strip. 

Sunset over the main strip leading into town

I will miss the friendly smiles as I walk down the street, from the guy who lives in a shack in the field and takes care of all the puppies, to the staff at Christies and the old woman at Bedrock who is a seriously amazing cook and last but not least, to the staff that work here at Koh Kaew resort. Quiet little Boo and her German boyfriend, Yergan, the new cook, Lot, and the old man who seems to spend his days and nights on the couch viewable from my patio have always been nothing but accommodating and friendly. Welcoming smiles from those that recognize you and are truly happy to see you will be something that I remember fondly about Ban Phe. (And, of course, the smell of squid)

Yours truly,
Nicole

** I don’t want to focus too much on it, but on getting and (rather quickly) losin) a job here in Ban Phe:

I was ready to settle in, as is evidenced by a previous post deleted in anger. The job itself would have been mediocre, but the staff I worked with would have made it alright and the pay for the work was more than acceptable. However, in true Thailand fashion, things sometimes just don’t work out as well as planned. It’s best to shake my head, say “mai ben rai” and move on without (too many) expletives. Lesson learned: approach pilot projects with utmost caution.

I’m glad for it now, as I’m ready to move on and explore a new town and gain a different experience of life here in Thailand.

In Thai, this translates quite literally to “no problem.” Thai’s use it for everything; it can be one of those simple phrases that identifies what it means to be Thai. I’ve realized why it is that I can appreciate these people and this culture so well, and I think it’s mostly because the way that they deal with everything is to shrug it off and move on. Another Thai way of life is ‘kreang jai’ meaning for the most part that your own personal gratification is second only to that of the group. Not creating a big deal out of anything, shying away from confrontation, making sure that those around you are happy and therefore ensuring the peace.

This is not a new concept for me, ask my ex. There were things that I would simply shrug off and move on from. I try not to take anything to heart, I don’t over analyze, and I don’t over think. We used to fight about this a lot, mainly because I would shrug something off until I couldn’t bare it anymore and I would explode.

It’s okay.

At some point in my life, I learned that it wasn’t worth it to fight over every little thing, that one would be happier if they picked their battles and ignored those little things that can make a bad day even worse. It’s this personality trait that I feel is not necessarily uniquely me, but that makes me so easy to interact with. To an extent I’ll follow your plans to the ends of the earth.

As a Canadian, I realize, I apologize a lot. People tell me to stop apologizing and I apologize. I’m sorry!! Even if I’m not even really sorry for bumping into that stranger who actually walked right into me, I’ll apologize for interrupting their tear through the mall. Thai is very similar. It’s because here, their biggest concern is to not lose face in front of anyone, to make sure that those around them are satisfied with them and their surroundings, so confrontation only results after the nicest possible methods of interaction have failed.

No worries

Thai people will say “mai ben rai” as part of a longer sentence about how something isn’t a big deal, or to stop you from apologizing, or from serving yourself or even from cleaning up a mess that you made. Of course, I’ve been on the receiving end of this phrase whenever I apologize for some mess that I’ve made, or anything really that I feel the need to apologize for. But I’m quickly informed that it’s no big deal and to carry on with my day.

It’s refreshing to not have the stress of self-centred, angry people or to worry about dissatisfaction from those around you, which is a constant in Western culture – that one is always doing something wrong or simply needs to do better, our “me, me, me” way of life. While there is, of course, preconceived notions about farang, Thai people are generally quite quick to ignore your cultural faux pas and can move on with no hard feelings. As long as the harmony of the group and the possible forging of new relationships is not disrupted, “mai ben rai.”

Sometimes though, they use it if there is nothing they can do about the situation immediately, and it’s usually these times when it’s just not appropriate to shrug something off. “I really do need water for my shower, I have a job interview!” Or “It’s freaking hot, I need electricity for the air conditioning!”

Oi, “Mai ben rai.”

Napkins vs. toilet paper rolls

There was a time a couple weeks ago that the group of us from the course were eating dinner at a Western restaurant for the first time in what felt like forever. They actually brought us a fork and knife(!!?!?!) wrapped in a napkin. This is unusual for two reasons: napkins in the customary folded in four, thick cottony soft facial tissue are hard to come by in Thailand. Everywhere has a roll of toilet paper in either a plastic or rattan container. Completely useless for anyone who either makes a serious mess when eating (uhhhh, ME) or is used to paper that doesn’t crumble when anything wet touches it, leaving streaks of paper all over your face and hands. Considering I had been complaining for weeks about the lack of real napkins, I used that napkin until the last drop of ketchup was gone from my face and my hands were insanely clean of all sticky cheese mess. (Yeah, I had a cheeseburger in Thailand and it was like eating chocolate for the first time, I missed them so much)

The second reason it’s weird is that I hadn’t seen a real knife in about the same amount of time. Thai style is to use your fork to scoop everything onto your spoon, only barbarians stab things with forks. The only time you’ll see these items in a restaurant in Thailand is if they cater directly to farang, and even then I’d only ever seen it at one of my few breakfasts when I would use it to smear jam on my toast.

Cooking

On the topic of food, I miss cooking my own food. I miss grocery shopping in the sense that I could make a list (<3) and plan out all my meals for the week, including leftovers and lunches. Trying to cook here is a pain, considering that I don’t even have a kitchen, but it really is more expensive than eating out every night. The difference ends up being hundreds of baht. Considering that a Thai meal could cost 35 – 60 baht at any of the restaurants or street vendors in town, cooking just doesn’t add up when some ingredients cost that much or more. Eating out every night at home would be absurd, but I miss being able to make random snacks. I’ll have to satisfy myself with peanut butter and jam sandwiches and instant noodles.

Easily accessible wifi

It’s not in my room. Enough said. I’m being a princess, but this I cannot get used to.

Chill in the air

Vietnam was a weird cold– I don’t know how to explain it, but there’s just something about the smell in the air during a Canadian winter that makes me heart melt. It smells like home. I predict that the thing I’m going to miss most about home is the changing of seasons, as opposed to varying levels of heat.

Doing my own laundry

I used to hate doing laundry at home. But there’s something about going through my own clothes that is oddly comforting… I still don’t feel too good handing over a bag of my unmentionables and seriously sweaty clothes to some poor old lady. Luckily, all she has to do is throw it in the washing machine, but seeing my underwear neatly folded together and my socks paired makes me oddly miss my separated laundry hampers of clean and  dirty clothes that I keep at home. (Yeah, folding only happens when I feel like it – so I should be welcoming this as the luxury that it is!)

Randomly calling  or texting people with news

I don’t want to continuously talk about how much I miss my family and friends, – because I seriously do! – but when something exciting or newsworthy happens, it takes everything out of me to not pick up my phone and call people. First of all, the time difference makes it that much harder as when I would generally want to call people (my afternoon) would be the middle of the night at home. Second of all, it costs almost a million baht to do so, and I need to be saving pennies (satang) until I can land a steady job. I can see myself gradually giving in to this more in my near future.

I fell in love with Laos. Looking at photos of Melisa’s return to build a school outside of Luang Prabang made me realize just how much we both fell in love with it. There are so many parts of it that are seriously untouched, hill tribes living with the bare minimum to survive, electricity being a relatively new concept, and the pace of life being so quiet that the entire country shuts down almost as soon as the sun sets. I love the pace of life here in Thailand, but the pace in Laos is turned down about 5 notches. But I don’t know if I could live there for that very reason. I’m a city girl, through and through, and I need streetlights and late nights. But I will be back. Maybe even for the chance to ride down the river on an inner tube and the view of the mountains in Vang Vieng.

I hated Vietnam at the time, but know that if I go back when everything is actually open and the country is its vibrant self I might feel differently. I hated Bangkok, but what I’ve realized is that I really hated the drunken, partying foreigners on Khao San. I might also feel differently seeing other parts of the city, although I think that once I’ve experienced the small town life here, it’s doubtful that I would fall in love with it.

The other thing I realized while at the Luang Prabang night market was that the trinkets sold at the markets are the same all over the place, and finding something specific to that culture takes a little more searching and knowing about the culture instead of just searching for something that “looks cool;” those can be found anywhere.

Setting up for the daily Luang Prabang night market

That reason alone made me not want to buy anything until I was sure that it accurately reflected the culture and wasn’t some cheap little trinket that was mass produced in China or some sweat shop. If I wanted stuff like that, I could head down to Chinatown and buy them by the armload.

It was another reason that I loved the Chiang Mai Sunday market, those were all local artisans selling their own handmade goods. It was like the Thai version of a one-of-a-kind show, but on the street, and with lots of amazing food. If I end up working anywhere near Chiang Mai, I can guarantee that I will be there every Sunday evening doing a weekly splurge.

While here in Ban Phe, on Monday and Thursday they have night markets and on those nights it’s routine to go and wander and buy market dinner. The first real local market that I’ve come across, it’s aimed not at tourists, but for the locals in Ban Phe to stock up on vegetables, snacks and used (or sometimes new) clothes.

In Toronto, I never even considered riding or driving a motorcycle. They scare the crap out of me, and the people that drive them are generally the craziest drivers there are. Here in town, there are still crazy drivers, but it’s the easiest and most common way to get around.

There is the Songthaew, that I’ve ridden to work for 10 Baht, but there are an abundance of taxi motorcycles. Here there are also motorcycle sidecars, which are pretty common, but mostly rented by foreigners or used for deliveries (or to set up a random food stall on the side of the road).

While I haven’t yet driven one because I’m a little scared to try, I have been the passenger many times, since every other teacher here has their own scooter or motorbike. There is just something about not having to worry about the traffic, or other bikes, cars or people, and just enjoying the wind in my hair and tears stinging my eyes.

I was pretty excited to learn how to ride side saddle so that I didn’t have to hike my skirt up to God knows where to climb onto the back of a motor-taxi, but have to remember not to move around too much or risk messing with the centre of balance.

Almost more than riding itself, I love watching Thai people pile their entire families onto a scooter: baby sitting in the baby seat attached to the front behind the handlebars, or squished between mom while dad drives and junior holds onto mom’s back. Or the 6 school kids I’ve seen squished together on one bike.

While it’s nothing like it was in Vietnam, with crazy amounts of everything strapped to the back of the bike, you will often see people strapping down boxes, or more likely stacking them between their legs on a scooter.

It makes me anxious to get out there and learn how to drive one. Just the freedom to drive wherever I want at any time would be beautiful. I wouldn’t have to worry about the street dogs attacking me when I want to head home after dark, and I wouldn’t reconsider going somewhere because it’s such a long, hot walk.

Hmmm… Maybe it’s time to get over my fear?

Since coming to Thailand, I’ve wondered who came up with the concept that roosters crow only in the morning at the crack of dawn. Living here at Koh Kaew Resort in Ban Phe for the last month and a bit, I’ve heard them throughout the day.

It could be 3 PM, 11 PM, or 3AM; they don’t discriminate. There are so many of them running around here, I think there are more roosters than there are hens. If only human women were outnumbered like that, I’d have my pick of the biggest and baddest rooster.

Some of the others that I took the course with were also living here and we would have lengthy discussions about how much we hated them. One morning of hysterics led us to unanimously agree that we wanted to kill them all, and we came up with as many ideas as possible that would satisfy our blood thirst.

That makes us all sound a bit morbid, and we’re supposed to be teachers? But really, you try waking up at 3 AM because the rooster outside your bedroom window decides that it’s time to mate, or claim his territory. Of course, as soon as one starts, they all start going crazy trying to prove who the better rooster is.

There are more than just roosters here though. As I type this, I can here a cacophony of cicadas singing their song. Then there are also frogs, I’m not sure exactly what type, but you can hear their throaty calls all through the day and night. Sometimes, I mistake it for swearing and would like to believe it’s the frogs telling off the damn roosters. Then there are the birds, but all of those are the beautiful noises that I can live with.

Despite all my complaining, the sunsets, the stars, the view and the sea breeze all make up for the sleep disturbance that I’ve been experiencing.

http://engagingthailandtips.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/my-thai-food-dinner-party-interview-with-kasinee-silapee-part-1/

http://engagingthailandtips.wordpress.com/2012/01/17/thailand-itinerary-samet-island-ayutthaya-mae-hong-son-pai-and-bangkok/

Guest Introduction

Trevor: Sawat dii krap Khun Kasinee and great to have you here. I know I am fortunate to catch up with you as you are such a busy lady. I know you have a few names people call you by so could you tell us what you prefer to be called and tell us a little bit about yourself please.

Kasinee Silapee (Nickname Kade)

About Kade

Kade: Usually, my foreign friends will call me “Ke-si” as it is easy for them but for my Thai friends, they usually call me “Kade”.

My name is Kasinee Silapee, Thai single female. I was born in Bangkok 47 years ago. You can tell that I am a real Bangkokian, and I have seen a lot of changes and developments in Bangkok. I graduated my 2^nd Master Degree in Communication Arts from Chulalongkorn University since 1997. I love traveling, music, arts and movies as well as books.

My hobbies, besides watching movies and playing sports are taking photographs. I love to do handicraft works as well and my favorite ones are knitting and costume jewelry designs.

Currently I am working as Creative Group Head for Net Genius Co., ltd., this company does website development, marketing on-line, SEO strategy and also event organizing.

I can speak Thai and all native Thai, English, fair French and Japanese, Khmer and Bahasa Maly.

I love singing and playing guitar. If I could turn back the clock,  I would learn how to be a good chef, as I absolutely love cooking food for people  as well as love to invent new recipes.

Trevor: I hope you don’t mind and although I am not Thai I still like the Kade variation of the name, so I hope you don’t mind if I call you Kade. Congratulations also on all your achievements and I am massively impressed with your language ability, excellent.

• Incidentally all the fantastic photos on this blog post have been kindly provided by Kade.

Living In Thailand/Bangkok

Trevor: Can you offer any money-saving tips with regards to living in Thailand that perhaps you use, which may help others?

Kade: For any visitors who come to Thailand, the best way to save your money and ensure survival is to split up your money. For instance  your transportation fees in one part; accommodation in another part; food in another part and spare money for any extra expenditure or emergency cases. The emergency funds should be kept safely with you and should not be used until necessary.  Try to study how to use the public transportation system more than taking a taxi, this will save your cost. Eat at the food court or side-walk restaurant. Food in Thailand is very cheap compared with other countries and is all perfectly edible. We all eat the same as you do. Don’t worry about the hygiene as I never heard any visitors die because of eating Thai food, I guarantee. Try to learn how to bargain whenever you buy things, it’s quite a fun game in Thailand, and you will feel proud with yourself when you make it and count your change every time.

Food In Thailand Cheap And Delicious

Trevor: I think it must be my Englishness Kade, but I have never been any good at bargaining. I have however watched some tremendous bouts between buyers and sellers before. Sometimes the sessions seem to go on forever before reaching a conclusion, but I must admit it is all carried out in a light-hearted manner and does look fun. I will have to get over my hang – up that I am always offending somebody by bartering. Some good money-saving tips here.

 Trevor: If you were to split life in Thailand by living 4 days a week in one place and 3 days a week in another where would it be and why? Of course one of those places might well still be Bangkok?

Kade: If I have to split life in Thailand I would live for 4 days a week in Bangkok and the other 3 days my decision would depend on the climate and the season at the time that I am in Thailand. For example, if I arrive Thailand during the summer time, going to stay in the South like Phuket, Krabi, Phang – Nga or Koh Samui might be the best choice to relax on the beach before flying back home. If I arrive in Thailand in winter time, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son will be my alternative choice for me to stay another 3 days whilst living here. But there are a few provinces in the North eastern part that I would like to recommend for anyone who loves to sample Isaan life and those are  Khon kaen, Udon Thani and Ubon Ratchthani. These provinces are very convenient and have everything that you could want  including natural places for visiting, historical sites and long stay homes.

Beautiful Pang Ung Lake: Mae Hong Son

Trevor: Good points Kade, follow the climate. I am very interested to spend longer periods of time in the North East. I have sampled shorter spells in Nakhon Ratichima and Buriram, but not much more, but the North East is certainly an area I intend to explore.

 Trevor: What would you say as a Thai national were the three most important tips for new arrivals with regards to adjusting to life in Thailand?

Kade: As I am a Thai national; there are three important tips that the visitors should know to adjust yourself for spending your life here; those are Thai culture, Thai language and Thai food. For Thai culture, you should learn the Do’s and Don’ts for being here to avoid creating any conflict with the local people. With regards to the language if you try to learn some Thai words, it is very useful for you in communicating with Thai people in their own language and you will notice that they will welcome this and they can be a good teacher and advise you whenever you make any mistakes. Thai people are very kind and generous, they always love to teach if you are willing to learn and will never offend you when you make mistakes. The last thing is Thai food, many visitors know about the reputation of Thai foods before they come to Thailand. Most of Thai foods have a lot of herbs and spices, so you should inform the chef  if you cannot eat the spicy food. Try to learn the names of the foods and their ingredients; it will make your life easier when you are living here.

Gaining Knowledge Of Thai Culture And Traditions

Trevor: What would you say the crime rate was like in Bangkok, is it quite a safe place to live?

Kade: In my opinion, the crime rate in Bangkok is not really high and it is quite a safe place to live, as I have to work and get home very late many nights per week. I use public transportation to go to the office and back home. Most of the time, I can trust the public transportation in Bangkok. Only when I am on the congested MRT or BTS am I much more aware with my bag. I am not saying that it doesn’t happen but shootings and bank robberies are rare in Bangkok.  You can access the policeman and the tourist police very easy. So I still think, Bangkok is a safe place to live. I have been living here since I was born.

Times that you have to be more careful when there was the incident like the protest or mob. I just avoid  those areas.

Trevor: I must admit I have always felt safe walking around Bangkok and in fact far safer than walking around in the UK, especially at nights.  I know things do change, but aside from as you say mobs and political movements I still consider Bangkok a relatively safe place to live in the world. However where ever you live in the world these days there is always some mad man with an axe to grind.

 Trevor: What about the cost of living in Bangkok, have you found things more expensive in the last couple of years. On the other hand what is still great value?

Kade: Basically, the cost of living in the big cities  not just in Bangkok is rather higher.  Truly though in the last couple of years, the prices of consumer products have risen, because of the prices of  fuel and the production budgets are higher. But the government tries to help the lower-income people by providing the free buses and trains for them. Reduce the electricity fee and water fee to help them economise their budget.

Obviously, people in Bangkok spend money carefully and they will spend their money on necessary things only. Many of them try to save their money in the bank for the unpredictable phenomenon or as contingency plans for the  future.  The luxury items are hardly  sold.

The real estate such as Condominiums and houses are still  great value for sales in Bangkok, you will notice the new constructions of condominiums around Bangkok, particularly, Sukhumvit and Lad Phrao areas.

For me, I am still happy with the fees of public transportations such as MRT and BTS. Both services remain the same price and they are worth paying for and save travel time.

Thank You Kade

Trevor: Thank you once again Kade, good solid tips here to help anyone thinking of spending time in Thailand. I hope to catch up with you soon for one final light – hearted chat about Thai lifestyle and find out a few of your favourite Thai songs, books and Thai proverbs. Kade I thank you and it has been a pleasure reading your tips and advice.

Please Note:

Postings might be a bit irregular for the next month as they will be coming from Thailand. I will try to keep you all up to date with the travels and intend to embark on some of Khun Kade’s great travel tips.

Engaging Thailand Website

For more information, articles and stories about Living in Thailand

http://www.engagingthailand.com/LIVINGINANDLIFEDESIGNTIPS2.html

For all information on travel, food and all things Thai related, please visit the website

http://www.engagingthailand.com/

For 8 years now Mark Stephens has lived in Hua Hin, Thailand, finally making this his home after extensive world-wide travel. It must seem a long time ago now having also spent the best part of 10 years living in Australia, but Mark was  originally from Ipswich, Suffolk in England.

Mark Stephens

For anyone who needs any writing done Mark is a Freelance Writer and Editor specialising in 5 star copywriting, articles and blogs. Whether short on time yourself or more importantly requiring quality written work assignments carried out then please follow the link below in order to learn more about the service he provides and be able to get in touch with Mark.

http://th.linkedin.com/pub/mark-stephens/6/64/a27

Mark’s wife Kwang is the owner of the amazingly popular MK internet cafe, which has been a life saver to me on many of my previous visits to Hua Hin .

Whether keeping in touch with loved ones back home whilst away, keeping up with the business or you just have some research work to do online, then the MK INTERNET Cafe is the place to go. Well equipped, very private, clean and tidy, considerate and courteous staff and at only 30 baht an hour it is a must visit…. highly recommended. The MK internet cafe is based opposite the Tanawit condos in the centre of town. Quite simply the best in town and that’s me saying that and not Mark’s wife Kwang.

Mk Internet Cafe

Life Design

• Trevor: Can you give us two of your favourite Thai songs?

Mark: Now you’re talking! This is much more my forte than rabbiting on about Thai cross-cultural relationships, mate.

Unfortunately most of my favourite Thai songs are sung by one very talented singer/songwriter who is, for me, way ahead of everyone else.  My favourite Thai song ever is “Jai Sang Maa” (“My Heart Ordered It”) by Sek Loso – viewable here!

If I were to list my Top 10 Thai songs they would all be by Sek Loso. So In the interests of making this a little bit more interesting I’ll list my Number 11 song as the Number 2 song, OK!

Number two is by Taxi called “Grot Ter Mai Long” (“I Just Can’t Be Angry With You”) – viewable here

Okay – now I’m getting into this – Number three is by Parn called “Huang” (“Jealous”) – viewable here.

• Trevor: Can you give us two of your favourite Thai related books?

Mark: I’m afraid you’ve got me stumped here. I don’t really read books on Thailand specifically.

Thai Life

• Trevor: Can You Give Us Any Tips Or Advice On Learning Thai Language

• Trevor: You are probably perfectly happy with the way things are now, but if you were to design the perfect day from morning to-night for Mark Stephens how would it look and would it still be in Thailand.

Mark: Yes, I have the feeling I’m right where I need to be at the moment. I would like to travel a bit more I guess, like the old days

• Trevor: You say you miss the travelling. What to you is the greatest way to travel, by that I don’t mean transport wise I mean your travel philosophy, what you travelled for and got from it.

Mark: Well mate, like you I always remember the back-packing days rather than the company trips away to plush hotels. I’ve done both in my life but the moments that stick with me are not the cocktails in the swanky hotel bar with a bunch of suits.

It’s the standing on the train for a 10-hour journey northwards in Mexico or meeting wild Orang utan in Sumatra… the days you and me always reminisce about when you’re over here; the arriving in Australia with $5oo to my name and having to get down from Darwin to Sydney overland to find work; the first time you set eyes on the Reclining Buddha in Wat Pho in Bangkok or discovering the white sands of Koh Samui 20 years ago in the days before they cut all the coconut palms down and you slept in bungalows for 50 baht a night… memorable moments, memorable days forever etched in the memory, mate.

It was all about discovering places of beauty, meeting people from all nations around the world (in the early 1990′s that was still a novelty), learning about local culture, living cheaply and simply from day-to-day, not worrying too much about what the next day would bring. living in the moment, enjoyment, writing the journal, playing music…. it just feels like living…. while all the suckers back at home worked in their 9-5  for…. money, car, house, things. Which didn’t matter at all. Travelling, you didn’t even know what day it was, let alone what time it was (9 or 5)

That was pretty much my philosophy. I do have hankerings to do that again but I knew at the time it’s the sort of thing that’s best done when you’re young, adaptable and you’re strong and don’t mind the odd dirty floor or cockroach or two!

Discovering New cultures And traditions

Trevor: Great stuff mate and I agree with that philosophy whole-heartedly .  The best travel for me was travel to get lost just pure exploration, I must add in a precautionary measure, that firstly you make sure you’re not wandering in to some where you might not come out of again, so do enough research to know any bad places, but otherwise explore. The kind of travel  nowadays  is  carried out usually according to a schedule, knowing the precise timings you will spend in say Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. It all starts off with a detailed schedule that you stick to religiously. It is then known as being run by the clock and run by the Calender whilst at home and abroad….. That’s not travel….No travel to get lost, that is real travel and I do miss that.

I worked in the opposite direction as the saying was travel to find oneself, whilst I used to travel to lose myself. I expect like yourself I have no souvenirs from my travels, no plaque  from Jakarta, no statue of the CN Tower in Toronto and not even a Pungi a type of folk clarinet that I charmed a python snake with in Singapore, well I assume I charmed it….no, all that remains is a box full of photos and journals. You can tell how old the photos are as people were  wearing tank tops and sporting mullets and that was just me and my mate. The journals are still hanging in there with year upon year of tea stains on them having been mused over often. Bringing out the old journals keeps the memories fresh and the laughs plentiful and that’s priceless in my book or journal.

View looking over Khao Wang Mountain, Phethaburi, Near Hua Hin

• Trevor: Do you have a dream or an end goal you are aiming for, the one thing you really want to achieve or perhaps you have already achieved it?

Mark: I’d like to think that my writing will take me somewhere eventually and allow me to open people’s eyes to what’s going on in the world so they make better decisions for their lives.

I’ve always written things down. I used to do that from the age of 13 or 14 when I started writing poems, songs etc then a journal when I was travelling – most of which I’ve still got tucked away.
Recently, as you know I’ve started making a living from my writing – but it’s more the “water carrying” of the writing world at the moment rather than anything too creative – it’s the Didier Deschamps rather than the Platini I’m afraid – apologies if you don’t like football and don’t understand this, but Trevor will get the reference!
At the moment I’m writing mainly for web sites and much of it about online marketing. I ghost-write blogs for a few people, re-write web sites to make the copy better – things like that. Some of it more challenging but most of it fairly routine stuff. But I’m pretty pleased to be where I am after such a short time of putting myself out there and “available.”
Eventually as my reputation (hopefully) grows I would like to do less slog and more creative and meaningful writing about subjects that interest me – the precarious modern condition, history and what we can learn from it, interpretations of current events, alternatives to globalisation – things like that – but at the moment it’s a bit limited to what actually “sells”, so it’s more about Steve Jobs than Gandhi, unfortunately!

Trevor: If I remember correctly Didier was classed as not much more than a water carrier on the football field, but mind you if I also remember correctly a pretty darn good water carrier in football terms. If you are at the water carrier stage with regards to your writing then I am probably a level below that, possibly at the filling the water drums up for you to carry stage  with my scribe.  No seriously mate you’re going great guns and well in demand.

I have no doubt that all of your objectives will soon be realised and you can then give Steve back his jobs.  Keep up the good work.

He’s Reading The Printed Out Version Of The Mark Stephens Interview

• Trevor: As you know I am a bit of a fan of proverbs, can you give me two of your favourite quotes, sayings or proverbs that have meant something to you and these don’t have to be from Thailand?

Mark: ” An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it” – Gandhi

“In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act” – George Orwell

Finally

• Trevor: What with world-wide recession and recent political unrest in Thailand, has it caused harder, (and with regards to business) quieter times?

Mark: Yes no question that a number of factors have conspired to reduce tourist numbers (and hence business) in Hua Hin over the past few years. Most businesses have to make ends meet for the 4 months from November to March when things are busy…..especially January and February. The rest of the year they just tick over. There’s probably not a bar or restaurant in Hua Hin that wouldn’t sell given half a chance, to be honest.

The “high” season is a short 4 months (it used to be closer to 5 or 6) and other months that used to be busy like July and August (when European holiday-makers would head over for a couple of weeks during school holidays) are less busy too. That makes things tough for most people.

The political unrest in Thailand really only affected things briefly I think. It’s more that people’s investments and assets suffered during the credit crunch, economies are still generally depressed in Europe despite what we’re told, exchange rates are poor, there’s not so much money to go round, everything’s gone up in price just about everywhere and with austerity measures being imposed left right and center, it’s no surprise that fewer people are travelling overseas.

It’s A Dog’s Life ( No Recession For Him A New Jacket)

• Trevor: If you had to give one piece of advice (not already given here) to any newly arriving Westerner planning on a life in Thailand. What would it be?

Mark: Don’t leave your brain with Immigration when you enter the country.

• Trevor: Great stuff and with that final piece of superb advice I can now tell you that Mark Stephens has left the building. See below…. they liked it mate.
•  http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3byp3_encore-crowd-applause-la-cigale_music

Missed Interview Part One then read it here

Click here for Part 1 of the Life Design, Hua Hin Thailand update 2011 (Mark Stephens interview )

http://engagingthailandtips.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/life-design-hua-hin-thailand-update-2011mark-stephens-interview-part-1of-3/

Missed Interview Part two then read it here

Click here for Part 2 of the Life Design, Hua Hin Thailand update 2011 (Mark Stephens interview )

http://engagingthailandtips.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/life-design-hua-hin-thailand-update-2011-mark-stephens-interview-part-2-of-3/

Superb Bar In Hua Hin

Click here for a superb bar in Hua Hin, where you can drink the coldest beer on the hottest day watching the sport of your choice, surrounded by great company at  Billy’s Bar.

http://www.frangipani.com/huahin/billy1.htm

Engaging Thailand Website

For more information on Thailand in the form of articles, tips, relevant links constant updating and new guest interviews ,please visit   http://www.engagingthailand.com/  the site where work will always be in progress.

Brilliant Thai Forum

Entertaining, friendly and very informative on subjects Thai. Come along and meet a welcoming crowd of Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, Americans, Brits, Thais and others and be in the know and inform.

http://www.thai-dreaming.com/forums/forum.php

What More Mark Stephens, yes, the man writes volumes

For 8 years now Mark Stephens has lived in Hua Hin, Thailand, finally making this his home after extensive world-wide travel. It must seem a long time ago now having also spent the best part of 10 years living in Australia, but Mark was  originally from Ipswich, Suffolk in England.

Mark Stephens

This is the second time that I have been able to twist Mark’s arm to come on and give us these valuable insights in to living in Thailand and Thai life in general. I will give links to the last interview he gave us a year ago at the bottom of the first part of this interview. In my experience there are those expats that you run a mile from and there are those you sit up, listen and take notice of, Mark is of the latter group.

For anyone who needs any writing done Mark is a Freelance Writer and Editor specialising in 5 star copywriting, articles and blogs. Whether short on time yourself or more importantly requiring quality written work assignments carried out then please follow the link below in order to learn more about the service he provides and be able to get in touch with Mark.

http://th.linkedin.com/pub/mark-stephens/6/64/a27

Mark’s wife Kwang is the owner of the amazingly popular MK internet cafe, which has been a life saver to me on many of my previous visits to Hua Hin .

Whether keeping in touch with loved ones back home whilst away, keeping up with the business or you just have some research work to do online, then the MK INTERNET Cafe is the place to go. Well equipped, very private, clean and tidy, considerate and courteous staff and at only 30 baht an hour it is a must visit…. highly recommended. The MK internet cafe is based opposite the Tanawit condos in the centre of town. Quite simply the best in town and that’s me saying that and not Mark’s wife Kwang.

MK Internet Cafe, Hua Hin

The Interview With Mark Stephens Part One

On Thai Food

• Trevor: Having lived in Thailand for quite a few years now, you have obviously grown accustomed to Thai food. What are your three favourite Thai dishes?

Mark: Pretty tough opening question, Trevor.

I think I was born to eat Thai food. Even during my later years of living in Australia (until 2003) much of my diet was Asian food based … a lot of it Thai.

Since living here I’ve been introduced to the delights of Southern Thai food, which is now my favourite. My wife cooks excellent southern Thai food. I’d have to say:

1. Geng Graduk Moo ( แกงกระดูกหมู )– A peppery and salty “dry” southern curry with pork spare ribs. It’s usually too hot for anyone who finds a vindaloo hot. Eaten with raw veggies (tua pluu) (ถั่ว พลู) and boiled rice, it would certainly be one of the dishes I would include at my “Last Supper”!
2. Geng Kua Neuea (แงงดั่วเนื้อ)– Another peppery and salty dry southern curry made with beef! Again it’s firey and not to be under-estimated!
3. Pla Pat Kunchai ( ปลาผัดคลี่นช้าย  ) – this is a fish dish (Chinese based rather than Southern Thai) using fish fillet stir fried with Chinese celery, with a strong ginger taste to it.

The top two have stayed the same for a while. The third one could be substituted at various times with Larb Moo (ลาบหมู) (spicy north-eastern pork mince salad eaten with sticky rice) or pad kraprow gai ( ผัดกระเพาไก่ )(chicken stir-fried with basil) which is a Thai staple and great for lunch!

Trevor: This is good stuff, because they are not the usual Thai dishes a Westerner will list as his or her favourites, in fact many would probably not be aware of them. I have to admit to having a preference for the southern based dishes myself.

• Trevor: If you were hosting a Thai dinner party for friends what dishes would you conjure up if you were putting it together in a Western format of appetizers, main courses and desserts.

Mark: I’ll try to answer, though I’m a main course guy to be honest. I don’t go much for appetizers or desserts. I keep it fairly simple! My favourite western food is roast lamb with roast potatoes and veg! By the way if you use any of my ideas in your catering business, which I doubt, I’ll be billing you for commission .

Appetizers:

Tod Man Goong (ทอดมันกุ้ง)(Delicious Thai prawn cakes served with a sweet plum sauce)

Main Courses

Geng Neua  ( แกงเนื้อ ) – Southern coconut-milk based beef curry that has a strong basil flavour to it. Not too spicy.

Pork and Pumpkin Curry- Geng Moo Fak tong  ( แกงหมูฝักทอง  )– Delicious thick-sauce curry that has a slightly sweeter taste to it than other curries mentioned before. Not too hot and palatable for most foreigners.

Pad Pak Ruam  ( ผัดผักรวม )– Mixed stir-fried vegetables

Boiled Rice

Desserts

Khou Niao Ma-Muang  ( ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง)(Sticky Rice with Fresh Mango and coconut cream)

Sticky Rice And Mango Slices

Trevor: Very good Mark I have made a note of the dishes and will be turning out a new menu for the catering business shortly and the cheque is in the post. You hit on one of my favourites,I love the pumpkin curry. I do find however I have to be careful when naming it in Thai to westerners, it’s the fak bit in geng fak tong. We actually use this one already in one of our menus in the UK , in the beginning the Brits are not too sure about pumpkin as curry, but when they taste it they’re pleasantly surprised and re-order next time.

• Trevor:  Could you give us three of your very favourite eating places in Hua Hin?

Mark: I’m going to give you 5!

My kitchen (my wife’s cooking) – I know this doesn’t help you much, but home-made cannot be beaten!

Baan Itsara – a must for every visitor. A Hua Hin institution that has a superb signature dish of mussels cooked in Thai pesto. Seafood lovers will be in heaven.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baan-ITSARA/170002563036933

I-Rice – a little Hua Hin secret tucked away. It’s home-style cooking served up by a very talented cook who is also very accommodating to guests.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Rice/150244288384562?ref=notif&notif_t=fbpage_fan_invite&sk=wall

Cool Relax – they do a great blend of Thai and western food, the owners are friendly and I like to sit outside on the terrace and watch life go by. Shame it’s very busy in high season now – sometimes you can’t get a table. I go there a lot in low season.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cool-Relax-Huahin/180648371954216?sk=wall

Cool Relax

The Indian Restaurant on Soi 102 – great value Indian (which I can’t remember the name of) – just started going to. Great vindaloo and masala there!

Trevor: I recently did a post called The best Thai food is cooked in the home after reading that statement as a comment back along from the Australian, but Thailand trained Thai chef expert David Thompson and from my own experiences of visiting Thai restaurants in the UK. To be honest and with regards to Thailand it is fairly rare that I have come across many bad meals. I have visited most of the places you list with the exception of the Indian restaurant (although I do like Indian) and have found them all excellent. I also love the market food in Hua Hin, just sit down and receive an array of delicious dishes, but without the massive Western bill. Superb.

On Travel

• Trevor: I know your home is the royal beach resort of Hua Hin, but what are your three favourite places to visit in Thailand outside of Hua Hin?

Mark: Krabi – stunning scenery in southern Thailand

Khao Yai – a national park a few hours north of Bangkok

Kanchanaburi – in western Thailand

• Trevor: For visitors to Hua Hin, what would you consider were the three must visit spots in and around the area?

Mark: I guess everyone needs to go Khao Takiab to see the monkeys and for spectacular views over the bay of Hua Hin.

I would advise everyone to do a short elephant trek of half and hour or one hour up at the elephant village just out-of-town. If you don’t know it yet – elephants are fascinating creatures!

The beach is the other place to visit. Though I live here and don’t get down there as much as I should, considering it’s a 10 minute walk away (possibly because my favourite bar is between my house and the beach!) it is a great place to spend a day or two – you can sunbathe in the guaranteed great weather, relax with a book in the shade, ride a donkey if you must, have a quiet beer in the afternoon sunshine or catch a spot of lunch right on the beach. It’s a very long beach so even in high season a short walk away from the Hilton, Marriott and Sofitel areas will get you a more private spot.

Trevor: It’s a hard life mate not being able to get to the beach 10 minutes away from home, because your favourite bar is in between. That part where you mention it’s a great place to spend a day or two is that the beach or the bar. The most envious part is the guaranteed great weather.

The Beach of pranbury near Hua Hin

On Living In Thailand – Living In Hua Hin

• Trevor: Can you offer any money-saving tips with regards to living in Thailand that perhaps you use,that may have held you in good stead over the years?

Mark: Well, someone once said to me don’t bring any money into Thailand that you’re not prepared to lose…and looking around sometimes I feel that’s good advice! I’ve lost count of the number of people who seem to have lost their fortunes over here and often it’s through their own naivety (if I’m being kind) or stupidity (if I’m not). But that may be a theme for another day…not sure it really applies to your question.

Money saving techniques? Well I live modestly as it is, to be honest. I eat mainly Thai food – and while that’s certainly gone up it’s still incredible value.

Take today for instance. My expenditure was :

Breakfast – Bananas and Green Tea  – cost is negligible…pennies

Lunch – I ate Kanaa moo sot raad khao pii – set (a large portion of fried pork with Chinese kale on rice) – 50B (about 1 GBP)

Afternoon Snack – Double helping of pineapple from the street vendor – 20B (40p)

Dinner – I ate gai pat pet ma-muang (large portion of chicken fried with cashew nuts with rice) – 70B

So that’s about 140B on food (less than 3 GBP). Healthy and filling too. Not all days are like this of course, but breakfast and lunch are always cheap.

Sometimes I’ll eat western food for dinner – that’s maybe 200-250 Bt.

To be honest my idea of “splashing out” these days is to order a double helping of pineapple from the street vendor, so I may not be the best person to speak to!

Double Helping Of Pineapple Please (Delicious)

After paying the bills (electricity is the big one – we use a lot of air conditioning – and it’s expensive) beer is the biggest cost nowadays…I like my nights out and if I go to the western style bar a small beer is 90B (almost 2 GBP). I’m a glutton for watching the football, playing the odd game of pool or sitting back sipping ice cool beers listening to some great music in Billy’s bar so that does get expensive, but I figure I don’t really spend money on much else for myself, and that little luxury keeps me sane, so while it can get a bit expensive, it’s a good investment!

Certainly for most people looking to live out here I’d advise keeping nights out to a minimum or choosing Thai places rather than western places, if they want to keep expenditure down.

When you live here you just scale things back generally, which I’m very happy to do. There really is nothing from the world of the “consumer” that I pine after. When I go to a shopping center in Bangkok, on a rare visit, I’m left wondering what all these people are actually buying…if I have to buy supplies for my wife’s Internet café I’m straight in and straight out!

http://www.frangipani.com/huahin/billy1.htm         (Link to Billy’s Bar, a great bar in Hua Hin. Ice cold beer and football)

Trevor: Great advice Mark and a very healthy daily eating plan. I like you am also a massive fan of consuming lashings of Green tea. I one hundred percent agree with the consumerisation bug, I can never really understand what people buy either. I have taken years to polish up my ” living a life of daily diminishing” and ”getting rid of your surplus”. It used to work in the way that my wife brought and bought stuff in to the house and I waited a while and then threw it out, when she wasn’t looking of course. It is a dangerous game and you have to be in complete denial that you have even seen the missing object(s) if asked. Only 200 hand bags to go now. However she now seems to be coming around to my mind set or she is in the middle of a very cunning plan…. Time will tell.

In Part Two

Mark gives more tips and advice on living in Hua Hin/Living in Thailand, the cost of living, cross cultural relationships and not to mention his views on Thai soaps…. not to be missed.

Engaging Thailand Website

For more information on Thailand in the form of articles, tips, relevant links constant updating and new guest interviews ,please visit   http://www.engagingthailand.com/  the site where work will always be in progress.

Brilliant Thai Forum

Entertaining, friendly and very informative on subjects Thai. Come along and meet a welcoming crowd of Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, Americans, Brits, Thais and others and be in the know and inform.

http://www.thai-dreaming.com/forums/forum.php

Previous Mark Stephens Interview Posts

http://engagingthailandtips.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/living-in-thailand-the-mark-stephens-interview-part-1/   Part 1 (2010)

http://engagingthailandtips.wordpress.com/2010/05/08/living-in-thailand-the-mark-stephens-interview-part-2/   Part 2 (2010)

http://engagingthailandtips.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/living-in-thailandthe-mark-stephens-interview-part-3/      Part 3 (2010)

http://engagingthailandtips.wordpress.com/2010/05/16/living-in-hua-hin-thailand/                                                               Part 4 (2010)

Khun Keown

On Food

Trevor: Thailand has a reputation for delicious food, please tell us your 3 favourite Thai foods or dishes that you just love and can you cook these yourself?

Keown: My preference is towards Isaan food (food from the north – east)  more than what you would call Thai food. My first dish would be (laab bpet) ลาบเป็ด Spicy duck salad, second dish would be (Gang Liang prawn)  แกงเลียงกุ้ง a Thai soup with prawns, mixed vegetables and lemon basil leaves. My third and final favourite dish is (pla yaang gap som tam)  ปลาย่างกับส้มตำ grilled fish and papaya salad. Now are you asking a former Thai chef if I can cook these?  My answer is of course I can. Laab bpet and grilled fish with papaya salad are two things I miss so much from back home, yes they get my mouth-watering.

Not quite grilled fish but Pla rad prik (ปลาราดพริก) fried fish in a rich chilli sauce

Trevor: Thailand these days has food from all over the world to choose from and considering the fact that you have lived in the UK for almost 30 years, please give me your 3 favourite foreign foods or dishes that you just love?

Keown: My first dish would be an English roast with my choice meat being lamb. My second dish is the fantastic English cooked breakfast and finally I have a real soft spot for Cheese and Apple.

Som Tam (Papaya Salad) Thai style

Trevor: It’s dinner party time Keown and you are cooking Thai food for your friends and family, please let us know the mouth-watering dishes you will be making. It will be completely Thai style all sat round with a selection of dishes to choose from and don’t forget dessert?

Keown: I would get the party started  with crispy duck and  pancakes then to follow that a small bowl of Tom-yum goong soup (ต้มยำกุ้ง). The main event of the evening will be Gang Masaman Nua beef curry and sweet potatoes,Steamed sea bass with lemon sauce, mixed vegetables ,spicy mixed seafood, crispy chicken salad and Phat Thay Goong (phat thay noodles with prawns.)  The dessert will be fresh mangos and ice cream.

Delicious Gang Massaman Beef Curry and sweet potatoes

Trevor: Lay me up a place when you have this dinner party, the menu sounds fantastic.

On Thai Travel

Trevor:  Where are your favourite places to visit in Thailand, but  outside of  your beloved Isaan to start with  and what are 3 great things to see and do?

Keown: My favourite place outside of the north-east would have to be the Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai area. Firstly I like visiting the hill tribe people to work as a volunteer , helping with any tasks that need doing , that I have the skills to perform.Secondly I just love elephants and the elephant conservation in Chiang Mai and again I enjoy to help as a volunteer with the daily routine. Finally, I like visiting the surrounding villages of Chiang Mai that make fantastic hand-made products.

I enjoy learning how to make things like baskets, hats and other products used around the house hold. I could spend days just learning that. I also love oil paintings from Chiang Mai and would love to spend some time learning to paint. I am not bad at drawing with charcoal, but would love to turn my hand at oil painting. Those are my ideal places.

Hill Tribe In The North Of Thailand

Trevor:  Where are your favourite places to visit inside Isaan (north-east) and what are 3 great things to see or do?

Keown: For an interesting city I would choose Nakhon Ratchasima , but would then after a visit divert straight to the surrounding area, but still in Nakhon Ratchasima province to ” Khao Yai ” national park. This is a great place to spend a few days with fantastic water falls, rafting and you can watch the animals by night. The healthy life of lots of walks around the park, more viewing of local village hand-made products and great fun camping at night.

Secondly would be my home of Kohn Kaen the home of the famous Khon Kaen sausage, the best in the north-east…. I’m telling you. In Kohn Kaen you can go house boat rafting . Do your own cooking with loads of fresh water fish to cook, have a sing-song together and even jump in and swim if you want… great fun.

There is so much to see and do in Kohn Kaen also famous for its hand-made Thai silk with a Thai silk festival annually.Finally would be  Nakorn Panom and this is the home of a very famous Temple called Wat Prathat Phanom (วัดพระธาตุพระนม). The temple has millions of visitors every year all coming to honour the great building.

Khun Keown Would like To work With Elephants

On Living In Thailand

Trevor: If you lived back in Thailand, where would you live and could you live cheaply without spending lots of money. Give us 3 money-saving tips for living in Thailand?

Keown: I actually quite fancy Chiang Rai, but not before Kohn Kaen. I would just give Kohn Kaen the edge because of having family close by and being that it would be easier to see them. .I would move out-of-town and in to the villages as the cost of living is far cheaper. When I fancy doing some socialising I  will pop into Khon Kaen. Perhaps I would have a small  town house in Khon kaen City for a laugh with friends and then build a proper house in the village with enough land for my fish pond, Chicken & duck houses,dogs,cats,a few lambs,garden vegetables, and fruit.

If you grow all of your own produce and make all home-made food that lasts, you will certainly be saving a lot of money. Secondly don’t go to the big super Markets, source other people who  produce local products, you will certainly purchase far cheaper than in the super markets, especially dried and fresh meats. Thirdly would be have your own water system from a well. I grew up  having our own water supply from the well and by using the water pump.

So what do you spend money on?I can live quite comfortably on  £100 a month by living the way I did and the way I have outlined here. Another method is hunting, I use to hunt for wild boar with my dad, this is very popular hunting. Along with wild boar we would find wild vegetables and wild mushrooms also.

If you live in a small village you will find folk are very generous with their home-grown produce. They will not ask for any money from you, but are delighted to let you have whatever they grow on their plot of land. However another useful tip is don’t ever refuse their kind offer, even if you have some in your own garden, just accept it and say thank you.

Simple Life, Living Off The Land

Trevor:  If you could get up in Thailand and have the perfect day, what would that be. What things would you be, see or do  in your everyday ideal day. Give us an insight in to a great day for Khun Keown?

Keown: To wake up every morning is a gift. Then to wake up with the smell of fresh air and go down to my chicken houses for some fresh eggs. Breakfast would be โจ้กใส่ไข่ (chook sai kai)(rice soup with egg), before then  attending to my vegetable garden and feeding the animals.Late morning I would prepare food for my trip to the temple. It is lunch time for the monks and me, but not mine until after the monks have eaten.

After the temple trip I would return to my house and in the garden again until late afternoon.In the evening I like entertaining guests, a few friends from the village or from the city to join me. I would make  my home-made food and I am very good at  making the delicious Isaan sausages (เนื้อแดดเดียวหมูแดดเดียว).

Its time for food, severe socialising with the locals and a few whisky and coke’s. A fantastic and contented ending to a basic and  simple life. You can give me that everyday for the rest of my life and I will be perfectly happy.

Perhaps Later vegetables From Khun Keown’s Garden

On Thai Lifestyle

Trevor: What Are Two Of Your Favourite Thai Songs

Keown: A favourite song of mine would be my cousins song she is called Patchara Wangwan (พัชรา แวงวรรณ).I was living with her for a while , she is my uncle’s daughter.It was her first album and this  song was so famous. I went to see her first television show and the song is called รักและคิดถึง (rak laa khit thung).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLw6xZY24Jc

Secondly is the work of country singer and a very famous lady called ศิริพร อำไพพงษ์( Siriporn Umpaipong). I just love her music, she is my favourite. There is plenty of her music at You Tube.

Trevor: What Is Your Favourite Book In Thai, In English Or Both.

Keown: My Favourite book is a book called Wild Swans: Three Daughters Of China by Jung Chang. It is the sensitive yet startling story of three generations of women in one Chinese family from 1909 – 1991. The book won awards and was translated in to 30 different languages, fantastic book.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0743246985/?tag=www.engagingthailandtips.wordpress.com-20

At the time of writing this post ” Wild Swans” has 409 customer reviews on Amazon.

Trevor: What Are The Three Things You Miss Most About Thailand?

Keown: That is easy, my family, my Isaan food (food specifically from the northeast of Thailand) and my home in general.

Trevor: If you could split time between two places whilst living in Thailand, which places would they be and why?

Keown: Can I have three places please. It would be Khon Kaen of course, Chiang Rai in the north as it is where my mother’s side of the family are from and Hua Hin as a holiday home.

Beach Just Outside Hua Hin in Pranbury, Prachuap Khirikhan

On Culture And Relationships

Trevor:  Can you give us foreigners three tips for having better working relationships with the Thais, something that would benefit the foreigner and the Thai.

Keown:  Building up trust, which comes from caring and showing consideration for each others culture.

Trevor: As a foreign man you awake to find your  Thai wife or girlfriend is in a very bad mood, but when you ask what is the matter you receive the deaf and dumb silent treatment or that word ”nothing”. If not intercepted early on this could go on for a few days. What is the best way for a foreigner (who has no idea what the problem is, but obviously something he has done) find out and put her back in a good mood again, before possible thunderous eruptions arrive and the situation is far more irretrievable.

Keown: I like this one and yes guys you’ve obviously done something or not, whichever the case may be. The answer lies in gift buying.

If the problem or disagreement appears not that big, then buy her a small gift. If the disagreement was more on the larger side then buy her something that she really likes and see the smile return to her face. If you try talking to her whilst she is upset and angry it will only make matters worse. It is best to leave her alone for a while , but not too long or otherwise she will continue not talking to you for days, whether its your fault or not.

The answer is a gift. Remember to a Thai, actions speak louder than words. Thai men will spoil the Thai woman with gifts.

Don’t Upset Her

Trevor: On the other hand, what are the main differences between a Thai husband/boyfriend being in a bad mood or a foreign husband/boyfriend being in a bad mood. Would you approach both situations differently for getting them out of an unpleasant mood.I know of course it depends on anyone’s personality, but as a light-hearted question are there any tips that you can give here and what are a few of the differences.

Keown:  Yes, there are a few differences. A Thai man can be very moody, aggressive and even violent, especially if he has been drinking. Most Thai women are scared to approach them at that point, the best thing is to stay well away and don’t say anything at all. In fact if he is aggressive I suggest the woman go straight to her parents or family members.

It was bad enough when my father became loud and angry, we would go to my aunt’s house, if he had been drinking as well it was worse, just escape as fast as you can.

For the Thai man who is not aggressive you can approach him with his favourite sweet and you may even get a smile followed by a bit of laughter. It all depends on the man’s behaviour and if he is generally good-natured.

It is different with a westerner/farang and I have never met one that was aggressive to me. I find it easier to approach him and talk through the problem

However if he is grumpy from work or something else outside of our relationship and taking it out on me, I would certainly let him know I was less than pleased about the situation. I would very much let him know he was being unreasonable.

I find it easier to talk through disagreements with westerners and I am never scared to approach them. I am not scared of Thai men either, but it can be a matter of life and death with them. I had a Thai boyfriend at school who chased me with a knife out of jealousy and yes I ran for my life.

Trevor: What is your dream or goal

Keown: Difficult choice this as I have two dreams. Number one would be later on when my son has gone through all his schooling would be to return home to Thailand and open a small cafe. In the cafe I would do my English cakes and teas I just love that. I actually don’t have a sweet tooth myself, but I love to bake cakes and would fatten up the Thai people when I retire.  Then the garden with all my animals and making hand made products.

Hand Painted Umbrellas In Chiag Mai

Trevor: Finally Khun Keown, do you have a couple of favourite Thai proverbs or sayings?

Keown: Yes I do,   จงพอใจในสิ่งที่ตนมี  (cong phocay nay sing thii dton mii) (be satisfied with what you have) and ชั่วเจ็ดทีดีเจ็ดหน(chua jet thii dii jet hon) (seven times good, seven times bad) meaning fortunes change . In times of difficulty don’t get downhearted, because times ahead often prove better.

Thank you Keown you have been fantastic and it has been a pleasure. I know you are off to Thailand in this summer and would only ask that you keep us up to date on your travels, with what you are doing and where you go. We would be delighted to hear the stories. I will certainly be getting you back in the future to do some more stuff.

Ever since starting this blog, I have had a lady comment on many of my posts and subsequently subscribe. She has commented on  various subjects whether about Thai food, Thai travel, culture or cross cultural relationships and always with something of interest to say.

As a Thai national who grew up in Thailand, but has lived in the UK for the past 27 years I knew she was well equipped to talk about issues in both countries. I was delighted when she agreed to do this interview. Her name is Keown and I can tell you, she shoots from the hip as the Americans say, a very  straight talking lady. For the next few posts Keown gives her thoughts on a number of issues. It is time to have a rest from me and let Keown take centre stage.

Khun Keown

What was growing up in the north-east of Thailand like, what were your memories of life back then?

Life as a child was absolutely fantastic and as a family we moved about all over the north-east, because of my father’s job. My father was an environmental inspector and we spent time in Loei, Ubon, Kalisin, Mahasalakam, Roi-et and even outside the north-east in Kanchanaburi.

The job carried a lot of weight in terms of status and respect, which saw us in a very privileged position. His surname was already very well-known as he came from a very well off family. In fact the family were not only well off, but a very big family as well consisting of 13 children. My father actually came from Roi-et, where three of us were born including myself.

When I was 7-8 years  old,the family moved again, but this time did not take me. They left me with my aunty in Kohn Kaen , I was really upset at first as I wanted to be with them. However it did not take me long to get used to my new environment, my aunty and to make new friends, it was a happy time.

My father  used to take me hunting in the woods for wild animals and wild orchid. I loved that, it was full of adventure and activity.  Sometimes he took me into the very dangerous areas,where’s Communists lay on the ground hiding. I’ve seen my father shoot at them before with his riffle.

Thai/North-East Lifestyle

Were you not scared going hunting in those conditions

Yes, it was kind of scary, especially the danger from the communists. We were taught from a very young age by our parents, to be fearless. However  I was the only one that liked going hunting with my father even with all the dangers involved. My mother would have preferred that I didn’t go hunting I think, but I just loved it.

Do you think it’s possible for a foreigner to adapt to living in the north-east (Isaan) of Thailand and if so, should he choose town, city or village life?

There are quite a lot of foreigners especially Brits that are married and live with their wives in the north-east of Thailand. Some live in the City and some out in the provinces. I think it depends a lot on age and preferred lifestyle. If you are still fairly young and living with your girlfriend or wife in Isaan, then I guess you would want to live close to the town or city. That way you still have access to an active social life.

However if he is retired or simply a person that prefers the simple and basic life, he could think about living in the village. The problem might be that of making friends, because of the language barrier. If the wife or girlfriend comes from the village it is very likely that no one speaks English. If he can speak Thai or the local language, then people in the village would be so happy to have him there and help him no end. He would be able to pop around to anyone in the village for a chat. People would make such a fuss of him, because he would have proved that he can live just like the local villagers.

Thai/North-East Lifestyle

My father’s younger brother is a monk and next to his temple lives a westerner, the westerner has lived in the small village for years. He lives in the village with his Thai wife. My uncle, the monk has always been so impressed with the westerner and talks about him all the time in glowing terms. The westerner has built a lovely house and grows his own vegetables in the garden, he really adapted to Isaan lifestyle so quickly .

If you are happy to give up your life in the UK or the west and don’t need lots of material possessions to make you happy, then it’s a fantastic life of simplicity. You can tend to your vegetable garden with chickens running around the house and even buy anything on-line that you can’t access locally.

If you are happy to live in the home of your wife…. then why not. I would however strongly suggest you visit and try it out a few times first, before making the final switch. I would also strongly suggest that you don’t give up everything you have, don’t cut the cord on your home country completely. It all depends on how strong the relationship is, but make sure you have something to fall back on if things don’t work out.

Thai/North-East Lifestyle

What was it like leaving the north-east for thebig metropolis of Bangkok. I have heard that  a native north-east person really has to fight to be accepted.

Yes, it’s the poor farmers daughter scenario. If you are from the north-east, a poor farmers daughter and uneducated, you certainly won’t get any respect from those that live in the city. By the way that is not only just in Bangkok either. Thirty years ago darker skin and a strong north-east (isaan) accent would cause you to be the butt of jokes, but not so now.

I was picked on at school, because of my darker skin and to make it worse I had curly hair as well. Having curly hair is rather odd and I was unlike anybody else. It is very rare for girls to have curly hair unless her family is  mixed race, but I was certainly not.

People actually respected my parents especially my father’s family as they are high in status regarding career and wealth. My father’s brother was an MP, so yes I did get some benefits from his position. I would visit my uncle in Bangkok during the school holidays and he would get me jobs I would never have been able to get myself.

Bangkok City Girls

When I was doing my work experience in Bangkok, just after finishing school, I did find that the Bangkok city girls looked down on me. However that was until they found out who I was and how I got the job, then their attitudes changed instantly and they treated me much better.

I know it sounds ridiculous, but on this subject I don’t think it will ever change. If you’re a farmer or your parents are doing manual labour jobs then discrimination can be terrible. My father’s side were higher up the status scale than my mum’s side. My mum comes from a normal family, but my grand father chose my mum for my father, because she was a nice girl and well-behaved.

In part 2 to follow shortly Keown talks about cross cultural relationships.

For more information and articles about subjects related to Thailand, please visit http://www.engagingthailand.com/

 Books

Blundering Around Isaan – A Village In Northeast Thailand by Peter Jaggs

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00452V9UE/?tag=www.engagingthailandtips.wordpress.com-20

Travelers Tales Thailand: True Stories by James O’Reilly and Larry Habegger

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1885211759/?tag=www.engagingthailandtips.wordpress.com-20

Sex Talk: In search of love and romance by Kaewmala

http://www.amazon.com/dp/9749478835/?tag=www.engagingthailandtips.wordpress.com-20

Great Thailand Forum

http://www.thai-dreaming.com/forums/forum.php

Whilst visiting Thailand for a while and being that we have a good few friends in Hua Hin, we of course tagged the location to our itinerary. Keen on getting the most out of this great location and including some of the things I absolutely love to do, I was in no time at all designing and creating perfect days in a perfect location, yes life design in Hua Hin.

Of course every day is not the perfect day, but life design is certainly the way to go. I mean if you don’t design and create the type of days you want for yourself then someone will create them for you. This is of course true for whatever your location.

My day will probably bear no resemblance to your normal, but ideal day. However I make sure I have a mix of the important things like exercise, work (I love to do), family, social activities and some relaxation also. Putting together your ideal days are not just reserved for a beautiful location like the royal, coastal resort of Hua Hin, but can be done anywhere.

The Royal Beach Resort Of Hua Hin, Thailand

7-8.00 am: Run Along The Beach

The day in Hua Hin starts with a nice run along the beach. It is just the right time of the day as the temperature is cooler and probably the only time I would entertain it. For those who do not want to run a walk along the beach is also beautiful. Take some bottled water.

8.15 -9.15 am: Research Work

I do an hour of offline research for an article or a product that I may be trying to put together.

9.30 -10.30am: Online Work

Online duties take over as I check and return mail, then finish off any research that needs to be done online. By the way for anyone that is in Hua Hin there is a fantastic internet cafe. The Internet cafe is called MK INTERNET and is based opposite the Tanawit condos in the centre of town. Well equipped, very private, clean and tidy and only 30 baht for one hour, it is a must visit and highly recommended. A pleasure to use this place when in Hua Hin so check it out.

10.30-11.00am: Breakfast

Either porridge or poached eggs on toast, a good energy filled breakfast, with a good protein kick.

Near Pranbury In The Province Of Prachap Khiri Khan

11.00-1145am: Gym

With cardio completed at the start of the day I can now do 45 minutes of weights and other toning exercises. This is required as too much great food and drink in Thailand and the will power can take a bit of a tumble.

Midday-4.00pm: The Beach, The Sun Whilst Working And With The Family

More research and writing, but this time with the family on a beautiful, nearly deserted beach near Pranbury in Prachuap Khirikhan. On the weekends in Thailand the beaches see a lot of people as the Bangkokians come up to the coast to get away from the city for a couple of days. During the week however these beautiful beaches are almost empty, apart from us and the fantastic sunshine. Can’t remember when I last saw that in England. Lunch is seafood of course.

4.00-6.00pm: Article Writing And Website Updating

Back online now to work on both updating the website for an hour and writing a latest blog article.

Paradise And Virtually Empty. Near Pranbury

7.00pm: Evening Meal With The Family

Going out here is fantastic, delicious food and kind to your wallet. Going to one of the markets here in Hua Hin is great, very popular and you might have to wait for a table, but certainly worth it. Superb food consisting of Gai Panang curry, spicy laab moo (pork), Pla chu chi fish with a chilli sauce, Khao Phat Gai (chicken fried rice), Tom yum gung soup, Spring rolls and cold drinks for 6. All for about 16-00 pounds for six people.

8.30pm: Evening Reading

An evening in would consist of a good read of something in English I was studying up on or it could even be a novel I might be reading, followed by an hours reading in Thai. A good read in both languages really relaxes me. While to be perfectly honest a good read in Thai requires my full concentration and more.

Fantastic Indoor Market Hua Hin, Thailand

10.00pm: Weekends Socialising

Meet up with a few mates here in Hua Hin for a few beers and to watch the football. All big screens with live premiership football on them. See more games here than I do at home in the UK. There has been known to be the odd spot of karaoke singing on a Friday or Saturday night that goes on way in to the early mornings, but these are rare occasions now., as my wife has seen to that.

For more information about Hua Hin, Thailand in general and life design in Hua Hin and else where please visit www.engagingthailand.com

Mark:  As the Aussies say, ”do the hard yards” There is no substitute for hard work with the Thai language….. no short cuts, no miracle prescriptions. It takes a long time, but the rewards are great. Few foreigners ever get beyond a few mispronounced phrases, even after years and years here, so you will be placing yourself in a select few if you take the trouble to learn Thai well. Move on to learning written Thai as early as possible and that will help you with your conversational Thai. If you learn written Thai you can pronounce any Thai word correctly which, with Thai being a tonal language, is a major step forward. My other piece of advice is to get a friend like Trevor Bide, who has steered me in the right direction with great books for learning Thai on a number of occasions.

Trevor: Your too kind sir, but that is a key point you raise about learning written Thai as soon as possible. I messed around for a long time reciting sentences on a daily basis, but it was not until I actually started to read and write Thai that my Thai learning took off. You have to become really serious about learning and as you say putting in the hard yards. I needed direction in my learning and took some lessons with a wonderful Thai lady in the south-west of the UK called Khun Siriluck who got me back to the basics of learning the alphabet, tones and starting from scratch. I actually walked in at the start thinking I was not too bad already, but Khun Siriluck soon got rid of my ego and got me learning properly. This was a lady who translates and interprets all over the world and a member of Linguist institutions, so it was time to listen. I continued after as I continue today on my own, but always giving my Thai language learning attention as I am still very much learning.

Trevor: Is there anything you miss about the UK at all?

Mark: I miss family of course, a few friends, going to Anfield to see Liverpool (rather than watching it live on ESPN here in Thailand), roast dinners, British comedy and occasionally I miss a snowy day. But that’s about it.

Trevor:  Sorry mate, but me being a massive Manchester United fan all my life and you being a massive Liverpool fan I think it best we give the football a miss as there could be some heavy football banter here as there is ”how can we say” a slight rivalry that exists between the clubs. Football is massive in Asia though and especially the English premier league and there are loads of live matches to watch.

My Tuk -Tuk awaits don’t know where yours is mate!

Trevor: Do you find it easy enough keeping in contact with family and friends in the UK and are you able to see them from time to time.

Mark: As well as visits to the UK, most of my family have visited Hua Hin in the past few years….and there’s a few more on the way later this year. Being a very family orientated town, Hua Hin is always enjoyed by the casual visitors who come here for 2 or 3 weeks away from the UK….my parents, brothers and sisters are no exception. They all had wonderful visits here and, if the economic situation in Europe was brighter, no doubt they would have been back again by now! I manage to keep fairly regular contact via email and skype. My wife owns one of the busier and better equipped Internet cafes in town….called MK Internet Cafe (opposite the Tanawit condos in the centre of town) so bridge the distances between ex pats and their loved ones back home. I remember living in Australia before the days of the internet and the sense of being ”far away” from family was much starker than it is nowadays living in Thailand with the internet.

Looks like everyone has turned in for work at the MK Internet Cafe in Hua Hin

Trevor: Can you see a day where you may no longer want to live in Thailand and further more could you ever see yourself and your family moving back to the UK?

Mark: I suppose we should never say ”never” but it’s very difficult to picture myself living back in the UK. I’ve been away for too long …prior to my 7 years in Thailand I spent almost 10 years living in Australia. So the UK hasn’t really felt like ”home” for many many years. I still like to visit there when I can, as I have family and friends there – and my wife Kwang enjoys visiting them too – so I hope I will always be able to go back for a few weeks, but I generally feel far removed from UK life. If I was to move from Thailand I think it would be more likely that I would return to Sydney than return to the UK. Opportunities and lifestyle over there are more attractive to me. But moving from Thailand would require quite a major upheaval both emotionally and physically. Not to say that’s impossible, but this feels like my ”home” and it would take a massive sea change in thought to tear me away.

Home in downtown Hua Hin

Trevor: Foreigners I talk with have this paradise picture of owning property in Thailand and that is after one or two visits. However Thailand and property for foreigners looks to be  a dangerous occupation. I mean is the best a foreigner can hope for a condominium ten stories high, or is renting property a better option.

I’m not the best person to talk to about property as I’ve kept out of it for the most part…but I do know a lot of people who have bought over here. There was a big rush on Hua Hin property a few years back and in the frenzy I think a lot of people moved in with the aim of making big bucks quickly. Consequently a lot of investors, developers and buyers got their fingers burnt when the economic crash happened a couple of years ago. Of course you rarely hear about success stories but over the past few years I have heard too many accounts of deals going belly – up…and some more publicised ones that turned ugly and tragic. Anyone interested can check things out on forums…I am not going to go into details here. Rental is under-rated everywhere, if you ask me. Rental prices in Thailand are always reasonable and to me it’s far better for someone moving over here to spend a year or two renting and, during that time getting to know the right people who can be trusted, before entering into any buying venture. Anything rushed in Thailand is liable to end up messy, so my advice to anyone moving over here is to take time to learn the lie of the land before making any big decisions that you may end up regretting. That applies to property…. as well as other business ventures…and also relationships.

Trevor: That really is some sound advice… excellent. I have not tackled relationships as that is probably a blog on its own. In fact I know where you can learn masses on relationships from a lady by the name of Kaewmala who is an expert on the subject. Kaewmala has written a book  called ”Sex Talk. In search of love and romance”. Kaewmala and the world of knowledge she provides can be found at www.thaisextalk.com and also her blog at www.thaisextalk.wordpress.com all about love and relationships, How to find the right Thai woman and even some great Thai learning features.

Trevor: Finally Mark: What in your opinion are the 3 most important things for successful living in Thailand.

Patience, respect and a good network of people you can trust.

Mark:  Correct. Not for the faint-hearted. My driving is kept to a minimum and is mainly intercity – between Hua Hin and Bangkok, or a few trips to the south. I never drive in Bangkok – as the A-Z is impossible to understand and if you take a wrong turn then it can take you an hour to get back to where you started ! No kidding. Bangkok also lacks distinctive landmarks so I hardly ever know if I’m heading North, south, east or west. I’m not comfortable with that, so take taxis or sky train, or let my wife, Kwang do the driving. Outside of Bangkok the main concern is the motorbikes that cut you up as if you’re not even there. Another must for anyone driving here is to learn the unofficial signals on the road – if you don’t you may end up in hospital or the morgue. For example, if a car flashes you, then it means they’re coming and you better get out-of-the-way, NOT ”I’ve seen you and you can come through”.

It’s gridlock in Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok

Trevor:  As a man who has been in and around the business scene in Thailand before. How big would you say the differences in a cultural sense are when  doing business in Thailand compared to the west.

Mark:  Patience is definitely required here. You will not be trusted by Thais until you prove that you are trustworthy. Be careful with what you promise and always deliver, then you will build a reputation for honesty and will gain the trust and respect of Thais you are doing business with. This applies to some extent anywhere, but is more pronounced over here where Thais prefer to do business with other Thais, in the Thai way. Over here, it’s even more important who you know, so it takes time to build a network and gain your credibility. Most of the business systems here have been directly transposed onto Thai business from the west. They often do not fit well and it creates many problems between Thais and westerners in the same organisation. Many people come here expecting for business life to be just the same as back home, and are left disillusioned when it doesn’t work out. Thais will always meet you, because you are western, and are seen to be at the forefront of business know-how – after all, you are from the land of business success! But to get a firm commitment from them is another matter. Often we presented well, were well received, agreed on a follow-up plan with a view to looking at proposals and contracts and that was the last we heard from the potential client. It can get frustrating, but it is just the way. You need to take time to establish yourself, get people talking about you, then others will want a piece of you! After a while, we were securing contracts in Thailand, but at a fraction of our perceived worth. We took the same services to the Maldives and received triple what the Thais were prepared to pay. So there is this to contend with also.

Trevor:  So true about taking time to establish yourself first. I remember completely blowing a couple of interesting and potential business projects in the early days with my youthful eagerness and western approach of pushing at things and trying to keep things moving. I soon learned that things take time or at least longer to do here, and when I am in the North of Thailand it is even more laid back. I struggled with the passages of time where nothing was happening, and there were many of them. I now actually love the way that business, fun and making friends can all mix in together here. For example here on a first day meeting we could all be at a restaurant eating and starting the journey of getting to know each other and have not even mentioned the business in hand. In the west it is normally meet up, nice to meet you, how are things then straight down to it, having got the so-called small talk out-of-the-way. I can quite categorically say that I blew the first couple of working arrangements with Thais out of the water with this approach, but all part of the learning process. So allowing the time to establish yourself, focusing on building relationships with people and patience  is key.

It must be safe to cross now surely Sukhumvit Road In Bangkok

Yes, but hurry as that lot over there will soon be coming Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok

Trevor:  Would you say you have a better quality of life living inThailand with the slower pace than the rushing about type of lifestyle in the UK?

Mark: It’s a bit of a loaded question, the way you phrase it! Fortunately, even when I was in the UK, I was careful to keep myself out of situations where I was forced to rush around. I had two years in London between 1997 and 1999, working as a sales exec for a corporate hotel reservations company, which was the nearest I came to a hectic job, but if you’re asking if I miss that the answer’s a resounding ”no”!  I’ve always liked the bustle of the city lifestyle. I was born in Ipswich and spent 18 years there, but never really liked the small town mentality. Since I was 18, I have spent most of my time in Coventry (I sent myself there, for University, in case you’re wondering), London and Sydney. it wasn’t until I moved to Hua Hin that I ever thought I could live in a small town. I like the balance here and, yes the relaxed pace of life. Hua Hin is close enough to Bangkok to zip up there for a day or two, but far enough away to be removed from the pollution and the draining lifestyle there. Viewing the UK from the outside, it does seem to me that too many people work too long hours in pursuit of an impossible dream….. Financial happiness. To me they have to be separated – financial security and happiness. One does not lead to the other. If we only have goals that others have imposed upon us, such as the house, the car and the wide-screen TV, we are missing out on all other the other goals we should be looking to. Consumerisation breeds consumerisation so once we meet one consumer-based target we are still frustrated because there is always better things to buy. This mentality has also been transposed onto Thailand, from the west, and is now very evident. But there is still a natural lightness of being, sense of fun and happiness in the average Thai, which is very appealing to westerners because we see so little of it at home now. Culturally, with the family being so important to Thais, this is another noticeable difference to life in the west, where we often live very solitary existences, with the focus on the self rather than the family. There is still a palpable sense of community in Thailand, also , which I like. When my wife cooks dinner she will often pass a bowl to the next door neighbour and send one of us off to drop off a taster to various friends dotted around town. I remember this happening to an extent in the UK when I was a young lad, but how often does this really happen nowadays? I’m a person who likes his own space but can anyone really not be impressed by the way Thais love to share their eating (and other) experiences with their friends and even strangers? Wonderful.

Trevor: Kindness is truly a trait that can’t be bought and you will still see the older members of society in the UK upholding traditions, opening doors for people, checking up on neighbours to see if they are ok and generally caring, but with the rest you are more concerned that you will be told to mind your own business now or far worse  if you show a helpful side. It is true  that here in the UK you get bonus points for who has the biggest TV…. I mean there are all those soaps to watch (you have to keep up … don’t you?) and the never-ending mind numbing reality TV shows…. so meaningful. Give me books any day.  Whenever I am in my adopted home town in Thailand called Nakhon Sawan  , I am invariably invited out to dine with a group of Thai friends (again an example of Thais liking to eat and share  each other’s company together). On each occasion they remind me that years ago I told them I loved the dish… (yam mamuang gap pla duk fuu - Mixed Thai salad with peanuts and crispy cat-fish). Now every time  that we go out to eat and after all these years a big dish of this is still ordered for me. I plead with them to sample some of the dish with me, but they stick to the other dishes and go out of their way to make sure that everyone knows this is my dish and is to be left for me. They always say that we know you love that dish Khun Trevor. They never forget and just want me to enjoy everything. Goodness knows what will happen if I go off the taste of that dish, but they are all so very kind and considerate that I dare not disappoint and anyway fortunately enough and after all these years I still love it.  Hey Mark your spot on. Houses, cars and wide-screen TV’s two a penny, but acts of kindness given or received and cherished memories, they can’t take them away.

   MK Internet Cafe                     Mark                    Mark & Kwang

Trevor:  When did you first arrive in Thailand and how did that come about?

Mark:  I had visited Thailand several times between 1990 and 2003, but moved here ”permanently” in  March 2003. With my younger brother Michael being based here for the best part of 15 years, and with me being based in Australia for most of the time, Thailand was an ideal stopping off point between the UK and Australia. I often took the opportunity to catch up with Michael and his wife, and to take a short holiday. In March 2003 I was offered the opportunity to work in Hua Hin, with a start-up company called Transformational Thinking, which is a consultancy that promotes better thinking and change within organisations. This came around at just the right time for me personally, and I decided to leave my ”adopted home” of Sydney Australia and set up here in Thailand. I quit my ridiculously well-paid internet sales job, sold my car and most of my possessions in Sydney and came over with just a few suitcases and tea crate boxes to my name – basically clothes and CDs!

Trevor:  What did you find were the biggest difficulties in adjusting to life in Thailand? 

Mark:  Having spent well over a year in total in Thailand prior to my move here, there were not too many surprises. Having a job sorted out before I came here, and being able to move in to my brother’s and his wife’s rented 3 bedroom house in Hua Hin removed two major issues that people normally face when they come here.

Trevor:  Was the language much of a problem to you at first?

Mark:  The language is always a barrier when you first come here, but within a few months you can pick up just enough to get yourself into trouble! And English is more widespread than it used to be so I wouldn’t call it a serious problem in terms of getting the basics achieved. I used a  ”2 new words a day” policy to expand my vocabulary and the usual, lazy ”learn by osmosis” approach, but came to a standstill about a year in when I got even lazier and stopped learning new words! So over the past year I’ve made huge efforts to learn to read and write Thai which has given more of a spur to my spoken Thai. This effort pays off as it means you can interact far better with Thais and really get to spend enjoyable time with them, rather than joining an expat clique that cocoons itself from the reality of what Thailand is.

Trevor:  I totally agree with you about the major benefits of learning to read and write Thai. Like you I started stringing a few sentences from memory together in the early days, but going back to the basics and starting with learning the alphabet like a child would, really kicked the whole process off for me. It is a nice feeling when you pass all the street and major road signs that are written  in Thai script, and it does not feel alien to you anymore, because you can read and understand them.

I actually despise the cold and love the heat, but Thailand even for me can sometimes be on the hot side. How have you learnt to adjust to the heat?

Mark:  The heat takes some getting used to, even for someone who hates the cold and has spent most of his recent past in Sydney. March, April and May are often energy sapping and it’s difficult to maintain the work mentality. It’s a struggle just to keep going at 3pm in 40 degrees heat, unless, again you cocoon yourself in an air-conditioned box. Adjustments to the working day to can help with this, as the climate is just not suited to a 9-5 set up.

Trevor:  Were there any other adjustments that took some getting used to?

Mark:  Food was never an issue. as even in Sydney, my dishes of choice were always Thai. I prefer rice to potatoes or pasta, and the spicier the better. Bureaucracy with things like visas and work permits caused us many headaches until we got a reliable Thai – run service to look after this side of things for us. My advice is not to tackle the paperwork alone, pay a bit more for someone who knows what they’re doing to do it, and remove the headache and repeated visits to Government offices. I had savings when I moved here, which were eaten into fairly frequently as we agreed as a company to work for the first year without paying ourselves. I would not recommend moving to Thailand without savings to back you up. as it’s difficult to save money here. Unless you’re on expat wages, from a multinational company based in Bangkok be prepared to use some of your savings in getting established here. If you do land a well paid job (for Thailand) then even if you can save money then it’s the Thai Baht which doesn’t stretch very far when you return to the west for a visit.

Trevor:  Yes, savings are indeed a must,  combined with a lifestyle plan as it is that which will determine  your cost of living. There will be the normal  things to factor in to the plan like accommodation, Transportation, electric, water and gas, food and drink, medical, phone, internet (unless in Hua Hin then better to use Kwang’s internet cafe). Then you come on to things like eating out, visa trips, travel, entertainment and things like buying clothes and miscellaneous things, but a less extravagant lifestyle can still see you living a very rewarding life and essentially why we live or spend periods of time in Thailand in the first place.