Whether they are due to environmental, economical, or transportation factors, we just have to laugh! Â Here are some things to get used to shortly after moving from Tieland to Thailand.
Five Things To Get Used to in Thailand
01 Â Don’t Bother Styling Your Hair
Guys and gals, this applies to everyone. Don’t spend too much time on doing your hair for the day – gelled, pomaded, braided, bunned, whatever – because it’s going to get messed up after putting on a helmet. And because I’m a safety freak and won’t go anywhere without a helmet, I have resorted to only a handful of hairstyles, mostly ones that take all of five seconds to do, or at the very least, can be easily touch up after pulling my helmet off. Pinterest, love of my life, your cute hair style ideas are of no use to me now. Â Chris broke down and just started shaving his head to make things easier…and cooler.
02 Â The Soles of Your Feet Will Always Be Dirty
Invest in a pair of house slippers! Between the lack of carpets and rugs “catching” dirt, walking barefoot in the house (wearing socks is too hot), dust particles settling in from the open windows (especially during the smoky season), and having residual dirt from walking around outside (unless you wear full-coverage shoes), our feet are always dirty. Our short-term solution is to keep a washrag nearby, but we still need those pair of house slippers!
03 Â Good Luck Getting That Large Object Home on Your Motorbike!
So far we’ve been able to handle several larger shopping sprees to the local Tesco (aka, Super Wal-Mart) thanks to the large under-the-seat storage area in our motorbike. However, as the passenger, I have to hold on to purchases that don’t fit. I am proud to say that I’ve ridden on the back of our bike while carrying a mop and a broom during one trip, a dish drying rack during another trip, and my biggest accomplishment has been holding onto a 17 gallon trashcan. On the freeway. Yes, you just saw a little white girl riding Thai style.
04 Â The Mosquitoes Will Find You
Our dreams of having a BBQ and sitting outside during the evenings were kind of shot when we realized that mosquitoes are everywhere. After moving out of our 6th floor studio apartment at Ban Jed Yod (where the mosquitoes didn’t find us), we have the opposite experience at our ground level townhouse, both outside and inside. As a result, we have a freshly stocked arsenal of bug spray, those little smelling candles/spiral bug repellent things, and a zapper bat!
05 Â Western Food is Expensive
There is a big price difference in Western food compared to Thai food. Although American food is inexpensive compared to back home (say, $5 for a cheeseburger, side of fries, and a drink at a sit down restaurant), a $1 plate of Thai street food fits the budget much more nicely! We find ourselves most often getting dinner from Thai street food vendors and spending only $4 (120 baht) total for dinner, where as before we spent closer to $15 (500 baht). Now that we’ve settled in, we treat ourselves to western food only every once in a while. Hey, freshly stir-fried chicken and veggies is healthier than a pizza anyways!
If you plan on moving out of your home country to a place completely new there will definitely be things to get used to. Â Most likely the things you thought would be hard to deal with won’t be, and the things you never thought about will sneak up to get you. Â It reality, it’s all part of the adventure, so we just take it all in stride and adjust.
Hi Chris!
Ummmmm hope you won’t mind or be offended, your photo on the right riding the motorbike, your hairline is receding, how the heck you got your hair back (on the right photo / right widget) . My hairline is receding already, you might want to share on how did you find a solution. ^_^
Paul! Haha
No worries. I don’t have a receding hairline (yet)…or a big secret to combat baldness. It was just really sunny that day and I had a very short haircut. We agree though, I do look like like I am balding there… :)
Ohhhh, you’re so right about the hair. Most of the time, I just braid it and stuff it up underneath the helmet.
Sometimes it’s just nice to walk or take a songthaew just so my hair doesn’t get messed up!
Haha! Now that’s dedication.
The bug zapper (I’m thinking tennis-like thing) is an amazing invention. When we lived in Korea, I would have gone insane without it. The mosquitoes in Asia are relentless. Thank you bug-zapper inventor. Thank you.
It is so satisfying when you zap a dozen or two in one setting!
Haha! Oh boy can I relate to one and 2! My feet got so incredibly dry and black from constant flip flops. It’s insane too how much I got used to the flip flop removal when entering homes. It’s a move my feet were programmed to!
We regularly scrub with pumice stones or get pedicures, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Removing shoes is a good habit to be auto-programmed with!
I’m resigned to the fact my feet are permanently dirty that bit is OK. I’ve not switched to a cheap street food diet and I’m sure I spend more on food that people who eat out every night but I like to eat healthily and I like cook. Also it’s not usually easy to get vegetarian food from the street stalls, if it was I’d be more likely to eat there.
If eating healthy is important to you and you like to cook, it’s well worth spending the extra money. We understand about the limited vegetarian options from street stalls. Asking for no meat is pretty straightforward, although many dishes are all meat and sauce/herbs, so you are SOL. If you don’t want things like fish sauce or chicken broth, that’s much harder!
Haha! Number 1 and 2 are so true! You literally cannot have a hairstyle under a helmet, besides helmet-head (which is reaaaally stylish). Also, what is the deal with everything being covered in dust a few hours after dusting? Seriously, my apartment has it out for me… I feel you on the rest of the list too, but 1 and 2 are my worst.
We think those two are the worst, too. I have since invested in a pair of house slippers that get good use!
Pizza isn’t American food ;)
Good read and having lived in Thailand for almost 2 years it all makes perfect sense.
Thanks for the kind words. You’re right about the pizza…much more of an internationally adopted food. It is our weakness, but luckily we have found an excellent place in Chiang Mai that offer 150 Baht Pizza Wednesdays :)
We have gone to KFC once, but man do I miss Papa Johns. Wish my friend John would move over here and open up a franchise :)
I know what you mean about the price diff b/w local and US food! We eat Indian food for lunch and dinner most nights and it’s much cheaper. We’ve eaten more Indian food in the past 2 months than in my entire life. It does make me enjoy American food even more than in the States…I would have turned my nose up at Pizza Hut before, but I was pretty happy to have it for dinner tonight :)
I see you are acclimating very well to life in Chiang Mai, having survived Song Kran. I agree with you that there is no better bargain than Thai street food. Have you acquired that Thai taste for green papaya salad? I like it, but had to watch that they did not slip any of those little black crabs into mine. If you like German food I would suggest Hofbrauhaus (right off the main street of the night bazaar). It is a little more expensive than some places but the food is excellent and service is too. Your blogs make me… Read more »
We enjoyed ourselves during Songkran. I cannot believe how many people that were there!!!
I personally love som dtum, but I’ve only had it with the little dried shrimp. One of my best meals was made on the beaches in Krabi – som dtum and a freshly grilled corn on the cob. I think I would agree with you and decline the crabs though!
The night bazaar is not far from us. I’d be willing to give the German restaurant a try!