A list of things I’ve noticed one month into the trip that are a little different to home:
- Men carry their girlfriend’s handbag. They don’t just hold it by their side but actually put it over their arm and walk down the street masculine as ever.
- All soft drinks from the street stalls come in old school glass bottles. So many people can be seen walking around with a sprite in a plastic sandwich bag filled with ice.
- The majority of pavements are not used for actual walking. Most thai people travel by moped or motorbike so the only people seen on pavements are generally tourists. And at that the thai people use every inch of space to plant a stall, pole, or cable tower on them making them a bitch to try and walk by.
- The King needs to add more bins to the towns and cities across the country. We both have walked for miles holding empty wrappers because there are no bins to throw them in – which is surprising because there’s not much litter around.
- Customer service is not key in Thailand. Most staff in shops, restaurants and stalls will serve you when they feel like it. NB. The Jolly Frog Kanchanaburi – I’ve never wanted to hit a waiter as much as I did with Lek – The boy does nothing as Alesha Dixon once sang.
- If you’re white, blonde and have big boobs – you’ll defo get people looking at you – at least 8 times a day average.
- Monkeys steal things. Fact. Just ask Gareth re: sunglasses and crisps.
- When eating any rice dish you have to use a fork and spoon. It’s just wrong to eat it with a fork alone.
- Buckets are better than doubles in Thai bars.
- Monks. They just baffle me in general. I could possibly do a whole post on them alone. My main observations are about their lifestyle – how long they have to be a monk…. why are they allowed to smoke but not eat meat and why do they get their own spot on the boats and buses? (I’ll update when I find out)