I recently got a chance to go on holiday to Thailand with a group of friends and I must say, it was a pleasant experience. We’ve been planning the trip since the start of the year and after disciplined monthly payments, it finally became a reality. Thailand is a  very popular international tourist destination and I have always been intrigued as to why. It is a South-eastern Asian country surrounded by crystal, clear blue waters and is home to a number of popular islands such as The Phi Phi and James Bond to mention only a few.

Back to why I chose to write this blog.

There are a couple of items that I have noticed since being here that I would like to compare and contrast with those from my country, South Africa. And as a disclaimer, the opinions shared below are all from a personal perspective and are all meant to reflect, share opinion and guide conversation.

1. Climate.

The obvious change I noticed since stepping into Bangkok was the change in climate. The air is humid in Thailand and that makes for hotter than usual daytime temperatures and warmer evenings. The average daytime temperatures are about 32 degrees Celsius. There was occasional rain though not as intense in these times of the year (late October- early November). The need for air conditioners (that was the first thing the driver who came to pick us up at the airport put on after the ignition) in this part of the world is a necessity as the humidity makes it almost uncomfortable to go around with day to day activities for those who not used to these harsh weather conditions. There is never a need for long pants, jerseys or coats, at this time of the year but shorts, flip-flops, vests and hats are ideal.

2. Cable wiring.

The streets of Thailand are infested with wires of cable for electricity in the street poles. These wires can almost be mistaken for cobwebs in the skies and they were an interesting sight upon my arrival. And no sparks were seen even when there was rain. I am more used to the underground pipeline system from back home.

3. Safer to walk at night.

I must say, I liked this part especially about Bangkok. Maybe it’s due to it being such a popular tourist place and that we may not have visited the centralized, hardcore spots in Phuket but we did feel very safe walking on the streets at night with all our valuables. This was done without an obvious sight of heavy police presence and I feel it’s something our country can learn a lot from.

4. Shops don’t close that early.

Major retail shops are opened until the early hours of the morning and this was convenient for us. This got me seriously wondering “When do people in Thailand ever sleep?” The popular 7 eleven store was our one-stop convenient shop of choice. So good a convenience the aspect of shops closing off late, a my friend and I got a famous Thai massage at midnight. Thailand makes use of Bahts as their currency and although it took some time to get used to, with us having to always keep in mind the rands to baht conversion factor thereof, we soon got a good handle on it. A 100 Thai baht is almost equivalent to our R50.

5. Monarchy and culture is highly regarded.

We came to Thailand at a time when the Thai people were honoring the one year anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s passing. The late King was the world’s longest serving head of state who ruled Thailand for more than 70 years. The respect, honour and dignity with which the Thai people upheld for the late King and their culture overall was clearly visible and inspiring. The number of temples and cultural sights worth visiting in Thailand easily attests to how highly they regard their culture and traditions. It would be great to have this as a lesson to us South Africans, with our unique diversity and rich backgrounds, to embrace our own traditions and to not be apologetic about practising them.

6. Tap water is not that safe to drink.

It is highly recommended that tourists make use of bottled water when in Thailand. And as such, we bought big bottles of these to ensure that every quench of our thirst is undertaken safely. The hotels even recommend that visitors do not drink from the tap water. So where the cleanliness and safety of their drinking water was concerned, I would say Joburg water is unsurpassed.

7. Pimped up familiar cars everywhere!

As a car junkie, I was impressed by the familiar cars I could see around the country. This came as no major surprise because there are some car models from back home that are made in these parts of the world. The likes of Kia, Chevrolet, Honda, Mazda and Toyota were a familiar sight, though appeared very pimped up and modified. The Toyota quantum taxis had impressive seating and interior decorations and designs that were an interesting sight.

A modified Mazda 2.

A super fast Toyota Fortuner.

This is the luxurious Toyota VellFire. I think this vehicle can compete in our country with the likes of Hyundai’s H1.

I kid you not. This is not a PVC ceiling from a house in Soweto, it’s the inside of a Toyota Quantum taxi.

8. Communication was an issue.

It’s was a mission to find people who speak clear English around. This is not to imply that there weren’t people who do speak the language well but I must say, we found it a mission to get people who easily helped us to navigate around and to effectively communicate this form of assistance in a language that both parties could understand. This also meant we also had to teach ourselves their language to bridge the gap.

This little pocket book of Thai basics from a hotel in Bangkok came in very handy.

9. Poverty is a universal language.

With every developing country, comes problems that are akin to that. Even amid the glory of the bright lights and fashionable sights, there are areas, similar to those in our country, where poverty seems to be rearing its ugly head. Areas of clattered squatter camps were visible and people out and about visibly hustling to try earn a living and make some cash. I would have loved to interact with the locals to really delve into some of their struggles to get a fuller picture of this but maybe next time. I did not see beggars while in Thailand, I guess it had a lot to do with message from the poster I saw below:

10. I missed Ubuntu.

I must say, I really missed the sense of ubuntu that most South Africans easily enshrine and embody. The sense of always being willing to lend a helping hand to people who appear lost or need directions or who just are  in need of friendly, harmless conversations between people from different continents and backgrounds altogether. That was a challenge. It was difficult to climb over that barrier and to get people to readily and freely assist. I only thought of our nation’s Ubuntu to attribute why we felt that way. A place where people greet each other warmly, willing to connect and engage with other people to better understand them, was missing. I remember an instance when we were in a shuttle bus to the flight that took us to Phuket and while we were busy laughing and talking amongst ourselves there, as reasonably loud as we can of course, a couple came up to us. The lady commented how easily it was for her to identify where we were from (South Africa) from our accents and the green bar-coded passports we were holding. That was enough for us to all get into an impromptu conversation on the spot like we all knew each other from a while back. I guess it’s one aspect that makes Mzansi a unique place to be.

11. Be aware of opportunists.

With every new country that one explores, it goes without saying that all guards must be up. There are plenty of folks trying to make a quick buck from tourists. Try to negotiate more affordable deals that suit your pocket before paying the first amount a vendor reveals, as we found out, more than once, that the actual prices can be very cheap elsewhere. There were a lot of times when guides who popped up to us  from nowhere, ready to offer us a seemingly “good sightseeing deal” so doing one’s homework prior comes in handy. Not to say there are no opportunits in SA, I guess with this aspect, we may share a commonality with Thailand after all. So be careful and always be on the look out at all times.