Remembering Amazing Thailand

Sawadee is the Thai greeting and usually they make a wai when greeting each other. I find this very sweet to the ears as Thais do say it very, very politely and I could almost touch the respect inherent to it. Sawadee kha is used by women and sawadee krap for men. When I got exposed to the public and heard them speaking I was overwhelmed by the politeness they show in their language. They add kha or krap practically at the end of each sentence.

Consider the following conversation.

(Me at the bank)

Me: Sawadee kha! (Hello or good day!)

Male teller: Sawadee Krap!

Me: Wanee manager yoo mai kha? (Is the manager here today?)

Male teller: Krap. Ro sakroo krap. (Yes, one moment please?)

Me: Khop khun kha! (Thank you)

Male teller: Mai pen rai krap! (Don’t mention it.)

I should have written about this in the beginning but there were so much things in my head and I don’t know which one to write about first. Anyway, I did write about the Thai alphabet, didn’t I? Well, my focus today is the language and the culture that’s inherent to it. Thai people are very respectful and it is obviously reflected and overly emphasized in their language. They speak in a mild low-tone manner and they always add a respectful expression after each sentence they finish. As a tourist, visitor, migrant or expat in the kingdom one is expected to equal their politeness either in smiling or by simply remaining calm specially when situation gets bad or unfavorable. You must learn to be patient. I mean patient. Patient in everything especially when dealing with the local people. You must always practice to be calm and pacified. This is Thailand. Welcome!

A few days after I arrived in Bangkok I was invited by my friends to go malling and we took a small green bus like in the picture. They are very common on Bangkok roads and highways and my, oh my! How they do fly! Because of their size they can easily squeeze in between spaces and zigzag their way past other big buses. Their speed makes my heart stop beating and then when it approaches a red light ahead screeches to a sudden halt causing standing passengers to lose their balance and sway towards the front of the bus. Though seemingly dangerous, they are a favorite of mine because they are cheaper than the bigger buses and they get me to the place quicker!

Many Thais eat on the sidewalk restaurants. They are cheap but offer the same quality of food you can buy in a more decent restaurant. If these are taken away from the streets there would not be enough place for people to eat. I have also tried eating in one of them and watching them prepare the food is quite interesting and amusing. They are very quick and still arty.

My favorite food to order from these street restaurants was the “kwit yao.” It was thin noodles that they just blanche in a hot boiling water and tossed with chopped morning glory and sprouted beans. Sprinkle a dash of crushed peanuts, a little fish sauce and you’ll be eating with delight.

A few days after I arrived in Thailand, my cousin celebrated his birthday and we went to Sizzler’s Restaurant. Wow! I was going to love this amazing place especially the salad buffet. If you buy a steak you get the salad for free which we all did. The first Sizzler Restaurant I went to was in Soi Thonglor and I was going to go back there for several times the whole time I was in Thailand. Well, there are lots of Sizzler restaurants all over Bangkok and they are always full you have to wait for a table before you get seated. But we didn’t mind waiting. We loved it there.

One of my favorite fruits back in the Philippines was Rambutan. But they were a bit expensive. When I arrived in Thailand I was so much delighted to find this deliciously nutritious mouthwatering sweet juicy fruit abound in the market. And they are about 75% cheaper than in the Philippines. I was so much glad. As you can see in the photo is very inviting and irresistible, well at least for me. I would often buy three or four kilos and eat them with my homies in just one sitting. We especially enjoy the opening them and between chitchatting we would relish on the delicacy and nutrition it lavishes us. Rambutan is one of Thailand’s bounty and they are available starting February up to late September. During May to July they are at the cheapest and so we tend to buy more often during these months.

I was rather bemused when I first went to a Thai market and found a remarkable resemblance with what we have in the Philippines. But I was going to love Thai market more because the fruits and vegetables were very cheap. Separated by a wide ocean, Thailand and Philippines share many or almost all kinds of plants and vegetation except that in Thailand their fruits seem to be much sweeter. Since I and my cousin couldn’t speak the language, we would just point at an object and the vendor would type the price in the calculator.  Sometimes we just hand in the money and wait for the change.

Klongtan Condo was the first place where I lived. It was full of OFWs–teachers in the international schools and telemarketers. It was like a Filipino community. I was surprised really when I got there because my college best friend also lived there. It was such a nice surprise.

The condo is situated on Soi 40 Sukhumvit 71 and the first Thai words that I learned was “Nam mai mee” which means “No water” I was going to buy a jug of water but the cleaner couldn’t speak any English at all. Anyway, using our common senses we understood each other.

I didn’t stay long in this condominium because I got a job three weeks later in a nearby city and another three months had passed I moved to northeastern Thailand. Being one of the oldest condominiums in Bangkok, Klongtan Condo shows many signs of deterioation and the management seemed to be after the money only. They don’t want to spend a dime to improve the building and fix the empty rooms to invite more tenants.

One of the things that I noticed immediately was that soy milk was everywhere. I thought to myself that for sure Thais must be very health-conscious or at least aware of the many health benefits of soy milk. Every morning when we wake up we buy about four cups of home-made soy milk from a pedlar and I would lavish on the rich and natural taste of a freshly-made soy milk, free from preservatives, seasoned with just enough sugar to enhance the taste.

As I visited the shops I was even more surprised to see all brands of soy milk and school children seemed to be enjoying them.

Thais use this lime very often to enhance the food’s taste. They put it especially with fried rice. We also in the Philippines use lemon as condiment. I can’t live without lime or lemon and soy sauce. It’s what makes my food palatable. So when I arrived in Bangkok I was glad to see the limes readily available in the market. But oh, it was so sour it made me cringe when I tasted it. I didn’t like it at first but learned to later on. When I went back to the Philippines a couple of years later, I found the local lemon not as good as the Thai lemon anymore. I think that it was too mild and not as fragrant as the Thai manao.