Meanings about Thailand

Here it will soon be opinions on the mysteries of Thailand.

Is Thailand rightfully called 'The land of smile'?
Why is it so difficult to understand how Thai people think?
Why is the Thai people so forgiving to the stinking backpackers?

Everyone who has been in Thailand knows that the country is called "The land of smile".

One expression in Thailand is "Mai pen rai". This means 'don't worry, there's no problem, everything is OK!' 'Mai pen rai' is one phrase one hears often in Thailand, it has become the countries motto.

It is not an untruth that Thailand is the land of smile. Alistair Shearer says in his book "Thailand--The Lotus Kingdom" that one of the most important thing for Thai's is to have a good time. This quality is known as sanuk which translates roughly as 'good fun'. At work, as in free time, sanuk is the essential ingredient in anything worth doing, and perhaps it is not a coincidence that the same word--ngan--means both 'work' and 'party'. Alistair Shearer thinks that Thais seem as a people in harmony, with themselves and others. They are non-aggressive, this quality is referred to by Thais as jai yen which translates 'a cool heart'. Jai yen is considered desirable in all situations. Angry or loud people are looked down on in Thailand.

A cardinal virtue in Thailand is kreng jai -"consideration for others". This makes the life pleasant for farangs in Thailand, as long as they too behave nicely and show kreng jai.

Sabai is also important--a sence of physical and psychological comfort. A common greeting in Thailand is "Sabaii dee mai?" Do you sabaii?

More on sanuk from Alistair Shearer. "At its best sanuk manifest as a natural and infectious sociability. But at its worst sanuk can be symptom of a refusal to confront situations that may be difficult or painful, a determination to keep things on an easy-going superficial level, whatever the eventual consequence of such an evasion may be. The farang's confrontation with sanuk can thus be his greatest source of pleasure, or a cause for very real frustration. Anyone who knows Thais will recognize how a conversation can tail off into evasion just when the nub of what appears to be an important or interesting subject is reached, because to continue the discussion might involve embarrassment, or loss of face or reputation for someone concerned. Or it may be the talk has touched a social nerve--such as taboo subjects concerning authority figures such as the royal family or the monkhood. Whatever the topic, the Westerner can come away from a discussion feeling that he has not really encountered what Thais think or feel, but only a polite, and often charming, façade. "

Often when you want to discuss interesting or important issues with Thai's you hear "Oh, you think to much!". Alistair Shearer has no obvious explanation why it often is like this, but he says: "I suspect there is an unintellectual bias in the Thai personality, cultivated perhaps by the pervasive influence of a Buddhist outlook that undercuts the thinking mind so valued in the Cartesian West".

Alistair Shearer writes: "A favorite Thai pastime is known as pai-tio, the nearest translation may be 'wandering around'. This aimless but interested strolling, people-watching, taking the air, is a vital part of the social life of a people who find the desire for solitude well-nigh incomprehensible. Thais love to see and bee seen, and at any given time, a high proportion of the Thais you see out and about, unless they look very purposeful, will probably be indulging in a bit of pai-tio."

Thais are very vary on their looks. I have heard that many Thais, male and female, use an amazing amount of time in front of a mirror. So what do they think about the so often dirty-looking backpackers?

Alistair Shearer writes: "The Thais are used to the distasteful looks of many of the backpackers. But they still do not understand or like it. The Bangkok phrase for the back- pack budget travelers translates as 'bird-shit tourists', presumably because they have fallen from a great height.

One sweet quality of Thai's are their ability to sleep anywhere, lying prone along the saddles of their motorbikes, or arms thrown over their faces behind counters in shops, stretched in sensuous abandon like cats in the sun...