Farang in Thailand
For Initiation
Thailand is the country in Asia, attracting the most visitors, and that with good reason. It has a unique culture, rich and varied traditions and beautiful natural beauties. One can admire the golden towers and steep roofs of Buddhist temples, and may find impressive ruins of submerged cultures and many other attractions. In the north, there are still rainforest-covered mountains and secretive valleys with exotic tribes, as Meos and Karen. At the southern shores there are still nearly pristine beaches and islands where one can feel like Robinson. Whatever the personal interests and inclinations are for the visitor, the first visit to Thailand will be a unique experience, full of exotic wonders.
However there are some things in this country, which will appear strange to the European visitors. This is especially the way to rip off the - in Thai terms – rich tourists. There is also corruption at all levels, and the ruthless way the Thais are dealing with their natural resources. Any visitor to this country after his return has to judge himself, how his personal expectations are fulfilled. These personal expectations are individually quite different. There are people who know of Thailand only the airport in Bangkok and the bars in Pattaya, where they can get drunk every night and go hunting for girls. There are the people who travel to Thailand to enjoy for a few weeks the sandy beaches, the beautiful weather and just want to rest and get strength for the daily stress at home. But both kinds will hardly know about the people of this country, because they only come in contact with People who work in the tourist industry...
But there are more and more tourists, which in addition to the beaches in the south, the tropical forests in the north and the golden temples, are even interested in the culture and way of life of the native people. By comparing their own problems with the living conditions of these people they may take something home that makes them see the daily stress with other eyes.
For Farang it is difficult to understand exactly how the Thais think and act, also it is difficult for the Thai to understand the thinking and actions of the Farang. I have now lived in Thailand for more than twenty years, most of this time in a typical small Isaan village near the Cambodian border. My stories can perhaps contribute to a better understanding of all the things in Thailand, which initially appear incomprehensible to the foreigner, and can help him to evade some stumbling blocks. The description of the country and its people depends off course largely from ones own personal circumstances, particularly where and how one lives, and ones attitude towards the people with whom he is living. I do not claim to present an objective description of the customs and traditions in this country, and not everyone will see the things same as I do. There are enough books about Bargirls and Farang in Pattaya and Phuket, describing the things from the perspective of the tourists or sex tourists. But I live for many years in Isaan, and can describe the life of the people here as I see it.
It is obvious that in the many years that I have lived here, not only many things have changed and I have had to adjust my own opinions concerning all the changes that have occurred. But I think that in the villages in Isaan that I know, most of the changes are only superficial. If you scrape a bit, the old Thailand quickly comes to reappear. TV, Handy, Motorbikes and Pickups are only engrafted on the people. The old sold customs and superstitions are still governing the life of the indigenes.
