I’m somewhat acquainted with the writer. At least, I’ve met him. He’s a friend of a friend. These entries I can vouch are pretty accurate.
However, I still consider civil-servant salaries low even if they are higher than those of many Thais. The wife is on a government salary, and her family generally makes much more than she does. One cousin in particular, in marketing, makes a pile, has a company car at her disposal 24/7 and gets a free mobile phone and occasionally rags the wife mildly for not having gone into business. There are a quite a few Thais who manage to rake it in. He seems to exaggerate the benefits, too. Healthcare is not entirely free, although it is a good deal. But if the wife ever needed something seriously big, we’d have to pay for that ourselves. And I don’t think she has much opportunity to ask for bribes in her case, even if she were prone to do so.
I especially like the one about the Pattaya Flying Club “Suicides” in part 2. Notice he doesn’t dispute that there ARE a lot of farangs (Westerners) killed by a high-dive off the balcony.
You have made a very valid point out regarding civil servant salaries vs those working in the private sector. What i ought to have stressed in relation to decent civil servant salaries was “especially in the provinces”. Outside for say Greater Bangkok, it is difficult to find anyone working for companies earning a decent salary, regardless to whether they have a university degree. Most folk in the provinces earning a good wage are those, of course, in the ‘family business’.
In Suphan Buri town where i live (and i’ve lived in a lot of provincial towns in Thai) for example, the basic salary for an office job, even for those with a degree, is only around 5,000 baht basic (not inc. OT/comm etc…). The wife was on 7,600 starters and that’s considered pretty decent here.
Glad you liked the one about the Pattaya Flying Club
I have to disagree a bit with the food poisoning comment. Sitting on the throne feeling like crap and barfing all over the place for a day or two is most likely food poisoning. I have no idea if it comes from ice or other sources, but new environments do often have little bugs(or their toxins) that your system isn’t quite used to and it takes a bit for your immune system to catch up and slaughter the bastids.
Yeah, I hate to tell you, but I had food poisoning, (one of the several times I was), in Thailand. I don’t drink liquor, hadn’t had any iced drinks and no Red Bull for me -ever. So, yeah, it was the food, and, no, it wasn’t just the ‘trots’, it was full on food poisoning. Of course there is always an exception, but your post is such a sweeping generalization, I’m sure you’re aware.
I don’t know if this is a myth but it is ridiculous to me (if true). I think Thais have an unheathly distain for feet. Somebody online posts a picture or video with the king with feet over his face and they get all pissed. Who cares? It’s just feet! If they are disgusted by them so much then just amputate it.
The finger is a stand-in for an insult. The Thai seems to have a thing against simply feet. It doesn’t mean anything, they just consider it dirty. Seems like they have issues… :dubious:
I have to say I’ve been laid low by the occasional bout of food poisoning, too. Still do, although not as much as in the past. And it always seems to be right after I drank 20 or 25 bottles of Singha beer. Say, maybe that stuff does have formaldehyde in it, after all!
Actually, I took Stephen’s post to mean travelers tend to blame the ice more than anything else. He did mention the possibility of a fiery bowl of Tom Yum Kung. But dodgy food certainly does exist here, and not every time does it get you sent to the hospital. I’ve rarely gone to a doctor for it myself, instead opting to ride it out at home.
There’s been an interesting development along these lines. While it’s true there are so many farang (Western) men leaping from Pattaya high-rises that it gives new meaning to the lyrics of the song “It’s Raining Men,” there is the occasional female jumper.
However, the events of this past Wednesday night are enough to raise quite a few eyebrows – among everyone, that is, except the police. That night, a Norwegian lady leaped from the fourth floor. The body was found by her Norwegian husband and … his Thai wife.
So we have a farang lady, her farang husband and his Thai wife. These last two told police they had all been in the unit together, when the farang wife suddenly decided to kill herself. The police seem satisfied with this, although an autopsy will be performed as a matter of routine.
Only in Pattaya could a farang lady’s body be found by her farang husband and his Thai wife and it not raise any suspicions.
