My Visit To Thailand

I have recently returned from a holiday in Thailand. My first time visiting, and the country was not only beautiful for so many reasons but also interesting for many reasons I had not even considered.
Here I share my thoughts on Thailands customs and habits.
Thank you for your kind messages and continued support.

Transcript

I have recently returned from a holiday in Thailand,

My first time visiting,

And it was not only beautiful for so many reasons but also interesting for many reasons I had not even considered.

It is a different world there compared to the UK,

No doubt about it,

And there are certainly many Thai customs and habits we in the UK would not entertain.

But during my two-week stay I didn't complain.

I done things Thai style.

Hello my name is Jacqueline and welcome to my Tranquil Spirits podcast.

Thailand is a big country and my visit was to Bangkok for three nights and then for the rest of the two weeks to an island called Koh Chang.

And it is from these places that I share my experiences with you.

My stay in Thailand was not only beautiful because of the scenery,

Temples and magical landscape,

But also interesting because of Thai customs and traditions.

First of all,

To get it out of the way,

I want to talk about going to the toilet,

A subject we Brits do not readily discuss.

Whilst many hotels in Bangkok had traditional toilets as most of us know them,

Many more public and private toilets did not provide toilet paper.

Some do,

But as paper towels and nine times out of ten not fitted in the toilet cubicle but outside by the wash basins.

Instead of toilet paper hanging on the wall next to the toilet basin,

There is a hose hanging on a hook ready and waiting to be used to clean yourself after you've been.

This hose,

When you have it in the appropriate position for cleaning yourself,

When pressed sends out a powerful jet of cold water and with this you wash your private parts.

If you decide to use paper to dry yourself afterwards,

A waste bin is provided nearby to pop that into after use.

A hard lesson was learnt the first time a friend used a hose after doing a number two.

You must remember to flush the loo before squirting with the hose,

Otherwise you might just as well take a shower as it would be more than water covering you.

Now I am assuming that if you have grown up with this routine it becomes second nature as you know no different,

But for me it did take a little getting used to and in the middle of the night when I needed to pee I found I had to wake up fully to first of all remember how to use the hose and then to stop myself from dropping toilet paper into the loo after I had dried myself.

A fellow visitor had diarrhoea one night.

I didn't care to ask how she coped with everything.

Some things are best left unsaid.

Whilst most toilets flush the same as they do in the UK,

Certain places on the island did not have toilets with a flush.

Instead they had a huge tub of water in the corner of the room with a small bucket or scoop floating on top.

This was used to tip a quantity of water into the toilet basin until what you had done had disappeared.

I have to say by the end of my stay I had become quite used to this way of living and on reflection it is no doubt cleaner than using toilet paper to do the cleanup job.

It is also no doubt cheaper as the price of toilet paper today is quite ridiculous.

Maybe we should think about bringing back bidets.

I totally understand the benefit of them now.

Anyway moving on,

The other custom I kind of got used to was taking shoes off before going into homes,

Temples and most stores.

I totally agree with this and in my home I encourage people to do this when they visit me.

My reason has always been for cleanliness.

When I think about all the yucky mucky stuff shoes have been traipsing in all day I don't really want that brought into my home and the Thai reasons are very similar.

Your shoes have come into contact with dirty ground outside which studies have shown contains thousands of different types of bacteria which shoes then bring into buildings.

In their homes Thai people like to sit on the floor instead of chairs.

As there is dirt and other impurities on the bottom of shoes it makes sense not to traipse it in and around the home.

When they get home the first thing Thai people do is go to the bathroom to wash their feet.

It's just another habit to keep their home clean.

Visitors are not expected to go to this extreme but taking your shoes off is considered a courtesy.

If unsure especially at shops look for the telltale heap of shoes lining the entrance.

I really like this custom although it was slightly frustrating when I wore trainers.

One of the Thai customs you cannot avoid is the way they greet you by pressing their palms together and bending their head slightly.

This simple gesture has different variations each one indicating a specific level of respect.

Your fingertips might reach your chin when you greet friends and your fingertips reach your nose if meeting someone that is older or is considered superior and the fingertips extending to eyebrow level is used for paying respect to monks.

If in doubt followed the lead of others and return the greeting when made to you.

As a visitor we were not expected to know hello or goodbye in Thai but as a woman using the word karp with the bow and a man using the word karp with the bow was appreciated.

But in case you are interested without going into too much detail hello is swadi followed by karp if a woman is saying it or karp if a man.

This can also be used for good morning,

Good afternoon,

Good evening,

Good day and even goodbye.

And thank you in Thai is krup karn also followed by either karp or karp if a woman or a man.

This did feel strange at first to do but we very soon felt comfortable greeting someone in this way.

The roads are pretty full and hectic in Thailand with many people riding motorbikes making it easier and faster for them to move around as they go in between cars often sat in traffic jams.

Many taxis are also motorbikes and it is not unusual to see women sitting side saddle on them behind the driver.

This is by no means a safe way to travel especially if the driver has to swerve or do an unexpected emergency stop.

But the women who do this seem used to it.

They often are wearing skirts for work or find it easier to dismount when riding side saddle and it's not unusual to see them on their mobile phones at the same time.

Crazy to even think about it and in case you were wondering helmets are worn sometimes but not by the majority.

An interesting custom I heard about influenced by Buddhist and Hindu beliefs is that many Thais believe that individual colors are favorably connected to specific days of the week and our lucky color is the one associated with the day of the week on which we are born.

Yellow for Monday,

Pink for Tuesday,

Green for Wednesday,

Orange for Thursday,

Pale blue for Friday,

Purple for Saturday and red for Sunday.

Wearing an item of clothing of the correct color for the day in question can bring good luck.

And I can't possibly finish without talking about the food.

Thai food is delicious.

All the food I ate there was made from fresh ingredients and yes it did mean we had to wait a little longer than normal for our meal.

But during that time we could chat about our day and not be in any hurry.

Relaxing and socializing is a big part of Thai customs.

The food was full of amazing flavors and plentiful but apart from the wonderful use of spices and the fresh ingredients one other thing which stood out for me was the presentation.

No two bowls or plates seemed to match and that was great and unique.

It appeared to me that they took as much care in choosing an ideal dish in which to serve the food as they did in preparing the food.

Orchids and other flowers were used often to add a stunning finishing touch to the meal which made me especially want to savor the flavors and take my time to enjoy the food before me.

Even a plate of fruit was presented like a work of art.

I'm not talking about one particular restaurant here.

Every restaurant we went to presented their food in the same way.

As I reflected over this I realized in the UK we tend to just get the food eaten often without really tasting it as we eat so fast.

In Thailand a meal was an event to be savored,

Enjoyed and appreciated.

These are just some of the customs and habits which made an impression on me during my visit to Thailand.

Have you ever been to Thailand?

What customs or habits did you enjoy or shudder when you think about them?

I may have only seen a tiny part of Thailand but I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to exploring more of this beautiful country in the future.

Before I go here are some random Thai beliefs I thought might interest you.

If you step out of your house with your left foot you will have a good day.

If you look backwards between your legs it will reveal if there are ghosts around.

Now don't whistle at night as that is a way to call in the ghosts or bad spirits.

And last but no doubt not least don't cut your hair on Wednesday it will bring bad luck.

Thanks for listening.

Have a beautiful day,

You deserve it and remember always follow that dream.

Thanks again for listening and I'll speak to you again soon on my next Tranquil Spirits podcast.

Bye for now!

Reviews

I enjoyed this mini trip to Thailand!

You had me giggling there at the beginning! 😂

It’s wonderful that you visited and shared some of your most interesting experiences! ☺️

I really enjoyed this little segment- as well as others you’ve done with thoughtful reflections. I enjoy your courses and meditations too but this felt like I was getting cozy with an insightful friend and a cup of tea. Gentle and uplifting after losing my pup of 14 years today. Thank you.

Dear Jacqueline, thank you for sharing your amazing experiences in Thailand 🩵🇹🇭 🙏🏻
Due to my health challenges I sadly will not make it there, but so appreciate your beautifully described visit to their fascinating culture. 💖🙏🏻

Thank you very much for such a colourful and interesting account. A lovely, uplifting start to the day.