Thai lifestyle, culture, and cuisine

I’ve officially been in Thailand for two weeks now, so I thought I’d write a post about all the non-elephant aspects of my trip (although honestly, the elephants are the coolest part by far!). Here are my ten random thoughts on the Thai lifestyle, culture, and cuisine that make this country so fascinating!

1. Toot toot, hey, beep beep

There are no rules on the road. Go when you can and go when you can’t. Motorbikes (aka motorcycles), tuk-tuks, and salengs are everywhere – they even outnumber cars on the road. Even though it’s every (wo)man for himself, no one gets mad if you cut them off or almost hit them. It’s just accepted as a part of driving in Thailand.

2. Save the turtles!

Plastic awareness has not yet reached Southeast Asia. Everything is served in plastic, including all to-go containers and food cart containers. If you buy a can of soda from the store, it’s handed to you in a plastic bag with a plastic straw. I always politely decline the bag and straw, and they look at me like I’m crazy. Single-use plastic water bottles are a part of everyday life here – only tourists drink out of re-useable water bottles.

3. Banana heaven

The fruit here. Omg. It already has me googling how to grow Thai bananas in Baltimore (even though I know they won’t grow). Maybe I could set up a hydroponic garden in the basement?? Ok, maybe not. But seriously, the fruit is so fresh and delicious because it’s hyperlocal. All fruit sold on the street was picked that morning from a farm no more than than 5 miles away. The bananas are smaller with a more robust flavor than the ones imported back home. Mangoes, papaya, dragon fruit, pineapple, I am in fruit heaven!

4. Smaug (Smog)

Pollution in the city is out of control. Sometimes I’ll walk 2-3 blocks before I can get a fresh breath of air. After a few hours of walking around the city, my lungs hurt. I never thought I’d say this, but it gives me a whole new appreciation for emissions testing back home. Don’t come at me!

5. Dogtopia

Just like many third-world countries, stray dogs are everywhere. Most of them are super friendly, especially in the touristy areas (most likely because tourists feed them). And apparently, they’ve developed a pension for spice. At the STEF hospital, there was a very sweet, young dog named Nam Thum that lived on the property. The staff fed her their leftover Thai food for every meal and said she wouldn’t eat it unless it was quite spicy. Girlfriend probably has a more refined palate than I do! Despite her spicy Thai food diet, she was in excellent condition (although definitely had her fair share of internal and external parasites).

6. My inner piggy

The food, the food, the food. I’ve been quite the piglet so far this trip. The food has been out of this world good. I need to do a better job of taking food pics. The problem is that I’m so excited about the food that I dive right in and by the time I think about taking any pictures, my plate is mostly gone. #hungrygirlproblems

7. Chaos and regulations

Sometimes it feels like there is no order here. Which in some ways is kind of freeing. I think it would be nice to fall somewhere in the middle of living in a lawless world and living in a bubble. There are so many rules back home to protect us from every little thing. But here, not so much. Some examples:

OSHA is non-existent. I saw workers on the side of the road doing what I think was welding. A man was holding something, and sparks were flying, so… it was welding? Anyways, all the men were barefoot and had no face protection. It did not look safe.

Kids ride on motorbikes with their parents all the time. For many families, it is their only mode of transportation. Helmets are rare, especially outside the cities. Can you imagine driving on the highway and seeing a 5-year-old kid riding on a motorcycle with their parent? With no helmets? But it’s completely normal here.

On Saturday, I tried on a pair of these cute elephant-print pants in a shop. I went into the dressing area (just a curtain hanging in the corner), and there were a bunch of electrical wires hanging around my head. Some were buzzing and I had to do some Matrix-style changing to avoid touching them. But on the bright side, the pants fit great, so I bought them for a whopping 100 Baht ($2.97)!

8. Genuinely kind people

Despite the lack of rules, I feel very safe here. As a culture, Thai people are incredibly welcoming and polite. They will go out of their way to help you and not ask for anything in return.

9. The King and I

People (at least outwardly) revere the King of Thailand. It’s impossible not to know what he looks like, as his portraits are hanging all over the place. Billboards, train stations, schools, shops – even in peoples’ homes.

On Sunday, I did another long biking tour – about 40 miles in and around Chiang Mai and Lamphun. We stopped at farms, temples, markets, shops, and food carts. We even randomly happened upon a festival with traditional Thai dancing. I got to see so many different aspects of Thai culture, it was incredible. Eleven hours later (ok, I’ll admit, I was finally starting to get a little tired), we got back to the city and returned our bikes.

I had a mile walk back to my hotel and about halfway there, I came upon a road blockade. There were tons of Thai police officers walking around. Girls/women (~15-25 years old) were lining both sides of the road sitting side-by-side on wicker mats. Each was dressed in traditional Thai clothing and holding a single lit candle. I overheard someone say that the King was coming into Chiang Mai and would be driving by in 5 minutes.

We saw the procession of cars coming down the street, and the Thai officials told everyone to stop talking and get down on their knees to show respect. After about 15 government cars, the King and Queen rode past in the backseat of a fancy car (maybe a Rolls Royce?). Everyone was bowing and crying out in admiration. It was wild. He looked exactly like the portraits. To see people so overcome by their king with such deference was both strange and mesmerizing at the same time. About 15 more police cars and three ambulances followed the King. I guess similar to the presidential cavalcade, they need to be prepared for anything.

10. Temples galore

There are over 40,000 temples in Thailand, many of which are concentrated in and around Chiang Mai. Some are small, some are large, but each is unique and ornate. To enter the temple, you must remove your shoes and cover your shoulders and knees. On my bike ride, we stopped at Wat Hariphunchai – the central stupa (central shrine) dates back to the 9th century!

Quiz answers

A: Most of you guessed Picture A correctly. It’s an elephant scale! An elephant can be weighed by walking directly onto the scale. Alternatively, the truck transporting the elephant to the hospital can drive on the scale when it arrives. After unloading the elephant at the hospital, the truck drives back onto the scale and takes the difference to get the weight of the elephant. This is especially helpful for a fearful elephant who would likely not want to walk onto the scale.

B: No one got Picture B! But don’t feel bad – I didn’t know the answer either when they asked. Remember, this is the entrance to the elephant hospital. Sometimes elephants are admitted to the hospital with infectious diseases that can be spread to other elephants, other animals, or even humans. When this occurs, the area between the bumps is filled with a liquid antiseptic so that all vehicles going into or out of the hospital will have their tires disinfected as they drive through. It helps to prevent the spread of infectious disease outside the hospital, while also helping to prevent infectious disease from coming into the hospital where elephants are sick and often immunocompromised.