I love everything about Thailand, starting from the spicy food, vibrant markets, tropical islands and its people. Probably what I am about to say happens in other places as well but Thailand is the only country where I have spent so much time but it’s not my home. Consequently I have had a lot of opportunites to ask questions, like for example when I get lost.
From my experience going around without a phone with good internet connection is not a very good idea.
Once I was having lunch in a very nice cafe in China Town, in Bangkok. My phone was out of battery but I had a map ( the real paper one) with me. I was on a big street but I wasn’t sure if it was Yaorawat Street or Charoen Krung Street (both of them are two of the main arteries in town) so I asked the waitress, who spoke a good English, where were we. I was startled when she told me that she didn’t know. I repeated the question, assuming that she probably misunderstood me, but nope, the answer was the same.
In another occasion I was in a furniture store with a friend of mine. She asked the salesman which sofa was a better choice but guess what…he didn’t know.
The latest episode happened a couple of weeks ago when me and the sweetest one were in Siam Area. He had scheduled an appointment for the hairdresser but I left him go alone. I mean who wants to sit in barber’s shop while there are so many shopping opportunities around. The place is located in Siam Square 1 and has been there since the first time I visited Thaland a few years ago and probably even before that. I suggested him to ask someone inside for the exact location but can you imagine? None of the few people working there he asked knew anything about it!
So my questions is, do Thai people really don’t know? Or they don’t want to tell? Or is it just that they don’t know how to say it in English? Probably I will figure it when I learn to speak Thai fluently. In the meantime I will try to always have battery and internet on my phone.
I love you, Thailand!
I think they didn’t understand your questions in English. I wouldn’t suppose you pronounced Yaowarat and Charoen krung exactly how they say. Perhaps some English words like hairdresser or barber, I think they call it hair salon. And if your accent is different from Hollywood films, they will find it hard to understand. If they understood your questions, they would definitely help. They’re very helpful there.
Hi Ariel, yes, probably it’s a language barrier, but in the first case I just asked the girl what was the name of the street where we were (and where she works), I didnt even try to pronounce the name of the streets, I am a desperate case when it comes to tones 😀 But many times I ask people about BTS for example (in Thai) and they are always very helpful, even if I don’t understand the answer, they point me to the right way.