Greetings from Thailand
Actually, I am back, but here is me with two of my college roommates carrying .... something or other in a Thai wedding ceremony in Roi Et.
Some of you may be familiar with the groom, my friend Brink Lindsey of the Cato Institute. The wedding was amazing and I will try to post some more pictures later.
Thailand was wonderful, and if there is a country that has friendlier people, I have never been to it. I will post some thoughts on Thailand later, but a few top of head items:
- Business models can be really, really different in a country with lower-cost labor. There were dudes in my hotel in Bangkok whose sole job seemed to be to time out my walk toward the elevator and hit the up button at the perfect moment.
- One sidebar to this is that in restaurants and bars, they have waiters who simply hover around constantly. They keep the alcohol bottles on a nearby table and essentially every time you take a sip, they fill your beer or scotch back up to the top. It is like drinking from a glass with a transporter beam in the bottom keeping it full. This makes it virtually impossible to regulate one's drinking.
- The whole country is like a gentrifying neighborhood in the US. It is totally normal to see a teeth-achingly modern building right next to a total hovel.
Justin:
I visited Thailand a couple years ago (in some extremely unlucky timing I flew there on Nov 2, 2013). While I loved the county and wouldn't hesitate to return, my impression was that friendliness was directly proportional to how much you happened to be overpaying. Hailing a taxi in Bangkok required more negotiation than buying a car does in the US.
January 13, 2016, 12:47 pmMercury:
How nervous were you imagining the number of 'attendants' on your first trip to the Men's room?
Those bridesmaid dresses are simply gorgeous!
January 13, 2016, 7:53 pmMatthew Slyfield:
"The whole country is like a gentrifying neighborhood in the US. It is
totally normal to see a teeth-achingly modern building right next to a
total hovel."
Probably with a historic(ancient) building on the other side of the modern building from the hovel.
January 13, 2016, 10:16 pmTex Longhorn:
The fascinating lifestyles of the global elite.
January 14, 2016, 2:51 amMNHawk:
A good chunk of Asia is unfamiliar with the concept of zoning.
January 14, 2016, 7:47 amBrennan Schweitzer:
Thailand is wonderful country with truly friendly people, although a previous comment makes a good point of mentioning that some of that friendliness is directly proportional to an expected tip. Get away from the tourist traps, however, and you won't find a more open and generous people in the world, IMHO. Lao people come in a close second. Thai and Lao people not involved in the tourist industry are genuinely interested in you and desire to share their culture with you.
January 27, 2016, 6:36 pm