My husband has been compiling a list of the top *500* (it may be a bit ambitious...) things he will miss about living in Thailand.
Here are a few samples...
#397 of 500 things I'll miss about living in Thailand (in no particular order):People Sleeping in Public = Laid Back LivingWhen Becky and I first got here, we kept coming across people in our old moo ban asleep in totally random, often hilarious places. I'm not a fan of making broad, sweeping generalisations, but I find myself agreeing with the author of this blogpost, who writes the following:
"If there were a contest who could sleep the easiest and in the most unusual places, I think the Thais would win hands down….I have seen many people sleep on their (parked) motorcycles, and I have seen a number of co-riders asleep while the bike was in full motion in traffic."
I'm a firm believer that the world would be a much better place if more people took naps.
#401 of 500 things I'll miss about living in Thailand (in no particular order):
Lemongrass Tea
We have huge clumps of lemongrass growing in our yard, which we use to cook with and occasionally to make lemongrass tea. Becky makes these neat little bundles of dried lemongrass stalks that you can stick in a pitcher of hot water, which you then leave in the fridge, to make cool, refreshing lemongrass tea. Making tea from the plants growing next to your house is pretty awesome.
#405 of 500 things I'll miss about living in Thailand (in no particular order):
Front Yard Lychees
Today one of our neighbours was cutting lychees off a tree in her yard and as we were passing by she handed us a fresh bunch to take home. There's nothing like fruit freshly harvested from a tree a few meters from your house. Those lychees were pretty fantastic, and it's nice to have someone hand you fresh fruit as a gift.
#409 of 500 things I'll miss about living in Thailand (in no particular order):
Khao Soi - Chiang Mai's Signature Noodles
Khao Soi embodies Golden Triangle cuisine; it's a result of multiple cultures adding elements to a dish and blending flavours till all the individual ingredients add up to something sublime. There are Thai, Burmese, Malaysian, Shan, and Laotians aspects to this dish… Egg noodles swim in a savoury soup base, with coconut milk added judiciously, and then depending on what kind of Khao Soi you order, either chicken, pork, beef, seafood, or vegetables serve as the main element in the bowl. On top of that, you add crunchy fried noodles, pieces of pickled cabbage, shallots, roasted chilies to taste, and a squeeze of lime. It's a taste explosion! We were told upon arrival that "you haven't been to Chiang Mai till you've had Khao Soi." We promptly dived into a bowl and have yet to find our way out. This is very high on my list of favourite Thai foods.
#428 of 500 things I'll miss about living in Thailand (in no particular order):
Lunch Hour @ My Office
My coworkers in Bangkok actually take time to eat together outside the office everyday for lunch. After spending many years in the states eating my lunch alone in a sad cubicle while staring at my computer screen, it's really refreshing to be a part of an office community that actually shares meals together and enjoys each other's company. The agency actually stops working for lunch. I think that's amazing, and people actively invite you to eat with them. It's nice to eat lunch with friends and not talk about work.
Of course I have many, maybe even a hundred things, that I will absolutely miss about living in Thailand. However, for today I'd like to share my top 10 things (in no particular order) of things I will NOT miss about living in Thailand. This is not intended to be Thailand bashing, just a simple list of things that frustrate me about living here.
1.) Noise pollution-Aside from HaNoi, Vietnam (the loudest place I've been too) Chiang Mai is right up there...There is constant noise, from the moving trucks advertising Muay Thai boxing matches, to the constant rumble of tuk tuk's, to the neighborhoods that have loud speakers and make weekly announcements at the crack of dawn on the weekends...on the positive side, no one honks here, everyone is too polite!
2.) Moments of awkward laughing & smiles due to cultural differences and language barriers-Thailand is indeed the "Land of Smiles" 3 years living here have taught me that the smile reigns above all else, smiles and giggles are openly shared at even seemingly (from a western viewpoint) inappropriate moments. If they have no idea what you are trying to say (whether in Thai, because of poor pronunciation or in English) giggles & smiles. If someone gets into an accident, giggles & smiles (we saw this first hand our first week here). The job didn't get done as it should have, mistakes made...you guessed it, giggles & smiles.
3.)Toilet paper in the trash rather then in the toilet-Not too much to say here, it's a 700 hundred year old city, most places around (including our own home) don't allow paper in the toilet.
4.) Geckos shocking me, as they like to hide behind and under stuff in the kitchen-I'm glad they are around doing mosquito duty, but they are so jumpy!
5.) Traffic/Driving with no rules-A few days a week I'm confronted with cars driving on my green light down the wrong side of the road in order to make their turn. In these moments I become the raging farang (foreigner) honking my horn and refusing to offer a polite smile.
6.) Hot season-You can't go outside because it feels like you will melt. I'm not kidding. I have felt like my face was on fire from just a few minutes outside, in the SHADE! 100+ degree temperatures for days on end.
7.) Pollution season-You can't do outside because your eyes burn and it feels like you're breathing smoke (because you are).
8.) The change over from hot season to rainy season-think high 90 degree temp's with 100% humidity. When you get out of the cold shower you immediately start sweating.
9.) The insanely high cost of cheese-It's ridiculous. I miss eating cheese on a regular basis.
10.) "For you, BIG size." -Honestly, I'm not running into this phrase as often now that I've lost all the baby weight, but occasionally I still get it...it doesn't matter if you're a size 0, if you're farang, to the Thai perspective you require a BIG size. Truth be told, the potential for being told "for you, BIG size" has made me avoid certain shopping situations.
