Yahoo Answers, stupid question: Is Thailand weird?

Seen on Yahoo Answers posted in July 2010:

steve

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Is Thailand weird (because of ladyboys etc.)?

My friend tells me if go see him in Thailand one thing I must not miss is ladyboys. Like, why? A guy in a dress, yes? Or is my friend not telling me something... he is (or was) straight. And is this more worrying than the fact he thinks there will be a war there soon?

• 4 months ago

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spanky

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

What is there to worry about in that?? - - No, it is not weird, but I am beginning to think your friend is.

It is fun here. Thai like to have fun. There are many ladyboys. It is no big deal.

• 4 months ago

67% 6 Votes

Time for some maintenance

A month ago my netbook fell off my bed, whereby the battery was ripped off and broke one of the battery holder clips. I repaired it temporarely with tape, keeping the battery in place, but was not happy with the solution. Yesterday I undertook the bold enterprise (to go where nobody goes..) and opened up my netbook glueing the plastic clip parts together. (The grey piece on the bottom of the photo.) After one and a half year of intensive use, it was a good time to clean the fan and the air outlets aswell. I was very relieved to see my faithful netbook still operated after my daring action.

Strange Thai stone shells

The creator of the video shows stone like animals called Hin Hoi, meaning rock shell fossil. He got them from a temple near Udon Thani and was told they are to be found at a specific location along the Mekong River. They react by moving when you put them on a thin layer of lemon juice. According to a French website, where you can order them, these stone-like shells are really alive, but will eventually die. Then they will not move anymore I guess, so the words rock or stone and fossil are a bit misleading. Small Hin Hoi cost €19/$26 and bigger ones €25/$37.

Oldest farang community in Thailand now here for over 300 years

Jewish community
in Khao San Road, Bangkok

According to several sources there are about 1000 Jewish people permanently living in Thailand, the major part of them are concentrated in Khao San Road, Bangkok, but smaller communities exist in Chiang Mai, Phuket and Koh Samui. In the 17th century the so-called Baghdadi Jews from Russia first arrived here and later the Ashkenazi Jews fled from Russia to Thailand as well, prior to Russia they used to live along the Rhine river in Germany. Their community in Thailand expanded even more when Persian Jews were fleeing from persecution in Iran in the 1970s and 1980s. Nowadays they have own shops, restaurants, synagogues, schools including kindergartens and own cemeteries. (The latter one was obtained after a one year debate with the authorities.)
Technically the term 'farang' refers to a Western Caucasian, so some might argue, this is not the case for every Jewish individual living in Thailand, but hey, Israel even joins in with the European song contest, don't ask me why.

Thai corruption got higher after Thaksin left

According to Transparency International, an independent organisation, which measures world wide corruption on a scale from 0 to 10, (0 represents highly corrupt, 10 means highly clean), this year along with China, Columbia, Greece, Lesotho, Peru and Servia, Thailand scores a mere 3.5 ranking it no. 78. Last year the Kingdom ranked 87 showing some improvement this year, but in 2005 when Thaksin was still in charge, it ranked 59 with a 3.8.
Winners for 2010 are Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore with a score of 9.3. No messing around with officials in these countries.
Interestingly enough a country like Botswana outranks Thailand by far, obtaining a 33rd place with a 5.8 or Chile deserves a 7.2 ranking it no. 21.
Lowest score is reserved for Somalia with a 1.1 it ranks 178. Slightly trailing are Myanmar and Afghanistan at 1.4 and Iraq (The country with weapons of Mass Deception) at 1.5.

Stonehenge: Playfulness of our ancestors?

Now and then I like to do a little bit of photoshopping.
A while ago I sent this entry to worth1000.com for a competition called Monumental Mistakes 2.
By the way I became 3rd.

Farang/Thai slang

Various things about Thai slang have been written, but so far I didn't come across a topic dealing with slang terms or words used by foreigners or expats living in Thailand or visiting Thailand frequently.
From what I learned until now, I compiled a small list of slang terms and phrases used for inter-farang or farang to Thai as well as Thai to farang communication. Some terms or phrases are also used amongst Thai themselves.

Balloon chaser - To be out for the free food at (birthday) parties held in bars.
Buffalo [is] ill - A Thai girl/woman asks her foreign partner for more money, but has doubtful reasons about the need for it.
Butterfly - A person having multiple (consecutive) relations, used mainly in Thai/Farang communication. (Originating from Japan in the 50's from Puccini's opera Madam Butterfly)
Cinderella - Generally referring to an Isan lady looking for or finding a foreign partner.
Kaput - Broken, A German word, somehow introduced into the Thai language.
Koh Phi Phi / Go to Phi Phi island - Take a pee.
Pattaya/Patong/Bangkok/etc. tatoo - A scar from a motorbike accident.
Pick-up some roadkill - A foreigner, often a sex-tourist, looking for or finding a street prostitute. Used outside Thailand as well.
Same, same but different - Used throughout S-E Asia for foreigner/local communication to identify something which cannot be classified because lack of knowledge of the language spoken.
Tanglish - Broken or badly pronounced English spoken by a Thai person.
Thai time - A delay when making an appointment with a Thai person and he or she shows up or is ready far later than is customary in Western culture.
YKK - Zip your mouth up (named after the Japanese zipper manufacturer).

This list is far from complete, more examples anyone?

The true story of Jack Schitt

Seen at a toilet door in Patong, Phuket.

Cooking amazing Thai food with Yingsak

The most famous Thai sauce
brand produced by Yan Wal
Yun Co.,Ltd, Established in
1947

Now my favorite program to be seen at ASEAN TV, is a cooking show co-sponsored by Healthy Boy Brand sauces, broadcasted every Saturday morning at 11:00am. During the program the entertaining host Yingsak speaks both Thai and English and will demonstrate each time how to cook two different Thai dishes, which will need of course the healthy boy brand sauces. Usually after the cooking show, Yingsak will visit a place of interest in Thailand and at the end, if you're lucky, you will be taught two new Thai words as a bonus.
   
See also: more Yingsak video's

Effective Swine Flu cure

Seen in Phuket, the final remedy for Swine Flu (H1N1)

Funky dog

Seen at Otop, Patong, Phuket
A dog loves to make a ride with his owner.
By the way, both don't wear a helmet.

6 excuses to keep fit in a bar

Seen at an "Irish" bar at Soi Kepsab, Patong Beach, Phuket

Lady/Baby boy asking for massage

Seen in a side-street of Bangla Road, Patong Beach, Phuket. The son of the owners, half foreigner/half Thai, of a massage parlour is attracting
the passengers by to have a massage.
No way to ignore him if you would do with the usual drill here "Hey mista, Massage?"
I have heard stories of young children aged between 3 and 5 who'd like to dress up as a lady being encouraged by their family and neighbours to become a ladyboy, how much different from the Western Christian doctrine.

Plane bar

Seen at Soi Kepsab (literally meaning the street of keeping money) in Patong Beach,
a bar which look like the cockpit of an airplane. All Beers are ฿60 (€1,45/$1.98) and
all cocktails are priced ฿99 (€2,40/ $3.26).
And although the're many shops around with people who will bother passengers by,
you're left alone once sitting there. So between the crowds it's a place of tranquiltiy.
By the way in the sky you can see four Thai air balloons

Funny masks

Seen at Bangla Road, Patong Beach, Phuket, you can buy all kinds of realistic masks.
But I guess if you wear a Bin Laden mask, like the one on top in the middle and wear
it for example in New York City, your life expectancy will be minimal.