Thailand - Our everyday experiences

Our 30 day Thai visa is about to expire and we wanted to share some more of the unique cultural and everyday experiences we've had during our stay in Thailand:

1) Toilet Etiquette

What would you do if you were confronted with a spray hose attached to the toilet tank accompanied with a sign that said "Do not throw toilet paper down toilet"? My first thought was perhaps they meant don't throw paper towels or feminine products in the toilet and that the hose was for washing the floor. But I was wrong. Ladies and gents, this is called The Bum Gun, aka semi-automatic bidet, aka the Nether Washer, aka the Fire Hose from Down Under. It took me 15 minutes of googling to figure out proper process and technique. Would you believe people have actually filmed themselves using it? (I'll admit those were the most helpful ones) 

Long story short, I'm OK with using it at home but when I come across it in public washrooms... I just can't help but picture the countless other people who've used the same sprayer, made the same "proximity miscalculations" and/or had "spray back."

2) Taxis' Thai Style

This is called a "songthaew" and it acts like a car pool taxi. They're everywhere, in fact in Chiang Mai these are more common than actual taxis. Simply wave one down, they pull over and you tell them where you want to go, they say yes or no (better confirm the rate too), and then you hop into the back.  The route is not predetermined and varies according to the passangers on board so your 10 minute commute may be quick or long, you never know.  You also need to pay attention to where you're at because they'll pull over at random areas close to your drop off, you hop out, pay them and be on your merry way! We much preferred this to taking tuk-tuks since it's significantly cheaper, quieter (most tuk-tuks like to install loud mufflers), and you don't have to worry about over paying (as much).

3) Mopeds, Mopeds & more Mopeds

By far the most popular form of transport is the scooter/moped. There seem to be almost no rules for them as they ride on sidewalks (albeit briefly), weave between vehicles, create their own lanes sometimes 3 or 4 abreast, go against flow of traffic, and sit several people on at a time with no helmets (dogs and toddlers included). As different as this is compared to our very safe Canadian traffic laws, the Thais seem to ride with great ease and grace. It's not often we heard a car horn or even an angry shout. We'll also admit, it's a lot of fun watching people with their dogs and little kids riding along like it's nothing, the nonchalant smiles are heart warming.

4) 7-Elevens on Every Corner

7-Elevens are the scooters of retail stores in Thailand. They are everywhere, comparable to Starbucks in Vancouver or Tim Horton's in Ontario. To Rhonda, this came across as such a significant western influence which seemed so out of place in this asian country.

5) The True Purpose of a Sidewalk

We've come to realize that walking does not seem to be a preferred mode of transportation.  If sidewalks exist they change elevations and materials from stone, to concrete, to dirt, etc; at each storefront, they become parking spots for vehicles or outdoor storefronts for retail products.  Occassionally when you find yourself on a nicer sidewalk they often plant trees in the middle (which is understandable and appreciated in this hot country) but it often leaves only 6 inches to 1 foot on each side for pedestrian traffic.

6) Daytime Express

From what we read prior to our trip, it seemed like all the rage to ride a train in SE Asia, numerous websites, YouTube videos, documentaries showed bumpy rides, simple benches, open windows, rotating fans, and chickens. Well, unless you're a hobo or a farmer en route to the market with your chickens, not even the Thai take that "class" of train. Perhaps we were just simply not going far enough off the beaten route but we found the train ride to be excellent. In fact, similar to flying economy. Reasonably clean, loads of leg room, better food, better service, better scenery (very clean countryside!), very smooth, and about 1/3 the price of a plane ride. Although it took 12 times as long for us to get to Chiang Mai from Bangkok, the scenery was beautiful and eye opening. Although many of the recommendations we read said to do the night sleeper, we opted for the daytime ride instead and were very glad for the above reasons.

7) Temples Old & New

Thailand is temples galore. Probably not much of a surprise but it was a bit to us coming from Canada where churches are the commonly found religious building and they're typically relatively plain and utilitarian. In every neighborhood/major street we ventured into we came across amazingly elaborate temples, some prominently located and others tucked behind some quiet alley. But regardless of their location, they were all decorated with infinite detail and precision. Symbolism in every nook, cranny, paint stroke, and drawing. Often we felt we needed an academic background in Buddhism/Hinduism in order to understand the intricacies as we were just overwhelmed by all the meaning of every single little thing.

For example, in a temple you can often see multiple statues of Buddha. Seems redundant, no? We learned that as time passes, more statues are made and given to the temples as gifts.

8) Cold Water Plumbing

So it took us by surprise to realize that we had been functioning for a month in places where the only water supply to the household is cold water.  Thankfully most showers are equipped with an electric heater that instantaneously heats the water for our showering comfort.  Kettles become essential for boiling water for drinking and washing dishes.  The clothes washers are often just cold water but some also seem to come with an instantaneous water heater.  Have we missed not having hot water plumbed into the house?  Surprisingly not at all.