If you ask any of the 47 people on my Squad, they will all tell you that Thailand was amazing. And it was. For me, I absolutely loved my contacts, manual labor of ministry, the surprising change in my heart toward young girls ministry, breathtaking scenery, transportation, and the smiling natives.
This month was full of children, mountains, new experiences, love, and adventure. After finishing up our ministry in villages and smaller towns, my team headed to the larger, more touristy city of Chiang Mai to reunite with our Squad and do some fun things : ) So our last day in Thailand was spent riding and hanging out with elephants, soaking in nature at a beautiful waterfall, taking a bamboo raft ride down a river, eating amazing food, and last but not least, ending the day seeing Owen Wilson at the same restaurant as us as we set off floating lanterns. BEST DAY EVER!!! I mean…. Seriously!
Now, enjoy some fun facts about Thailand and a video recap of our month!
11 Things You Didn’t Know About Thailand
1. Ants are protein. There is no escaping ants…. Anywhere. They are on the floor, your bed, the bathroom, your legs, and yes, even your food. It was not uncommon to see ants just hanging out on the food your host is preparing. And if you see him on your plate of fried rice, you just scoot that sucker off to the side and keep going. Or devour him. Nom nom.
2. 7-11 is to Thailand as Starbucks is to America. There is a 7-11 on every corner in this land (random, I know). Someone would go here pretty much every day. Lunch? Check. Snack? Check. Water? Check. Need some A/C? Check.
3. You catch a song tao instead of a taxi. A song taois basically a truck with walls and seats in the bed of the truck and can hold up to around 10 people. And that’s how we’d catch a cheap ride from point A to B. And if there’s no room to sit, you just hang off the back by holding on to a pole.
4. Every meal comes with a fork and spoon. Coming here I assumed we’d be using chopsticks again (because everyone in Asian eats with chopsticks, right? Misconception). Instead, every meal came with a fork and spoon, but never a knife(?). Later I found out that you hold the fork in your left and spoon in your right hand and you shovel the food with the fork into your spoon to eat like a real Thai : )
5. The Land of Smiles. Thailand is known as “The Land of Smiles”. You will notice Thai’s are always smiling and look vey pleasant because of it. Here, you are judged by your smile. So no frowning! : D
6. Feet are offensive/head is sacred. Since the foot is the lowest part of your body, it’s considered inferior. It’s extremely rude to point your feet or have your shoes indoors. So when sitting on the floor, it’s always Indian style (not legs outstretched). And since the head is the top of the body, it is considered very sacred. So NO touching another persons head or face.
7. Dogs are wild animals. There were dogs EVERYWHERE. You might think they’re cute and cuddly, but it’s actually very sad seeing crazed and ragged dogs everywhere. And please, don’t touch them. You don’t know what kind of disease they’re carrying.
8. You dollar goes a long way. It’s seriously unbelievable how cheap Thailand is (and how much all your “little purchases” add up :P). 30 baht = 1 USD. So we’d usually have our meals for 50 baht or under. That’s basically an entire, large meal for the price of one measly item on the dollar menu. It’s crazy!!
9. There are no rules of the road. Oh yeah… no seat belts, speed limits, or rules whatsoever. In the beginning I rode around with fright thinking we’d constantly get hit while driving because literally NO ONE drives in the lanes. Want to drive down the middle of the road for no reason? Sure! Just move out of the way at the last minute if someone’s coming. Squeezing 4 people plus a dog and infant on a motorbike? No prob!
10. Same Same but Different. In American we say something like “same difference”, but here you will frequently hear them say, “same same, but different” in reference to things. It’s become a national a joke now and you can actually buy shirts that say this incredible phrase.
11. There’s lots of help. Just like we were here representing AIM through The World Race, it was incredible to see and hear about soooo many other NGO’s (non-government association) here to help with trafficking, poverty, needy children, animals, etc. Doing The World Race, sometimes I feel like we’re going in and we’re the only help and hope these people have. But it was so cool to come here and partner with some amazing organizations and to learn that there’s already so much help being offered and that God is HERE and is being glorified through His Thai people.
