A tourist stepping off the plane in Bangkok for the first time immediately feels the humidity. Like a sweaty embrace, this is the first in a series of new stimuli that will assault the senses of the Thailand neophyte.
That same tourist may spend the remainder of their holiday with a rictus grin spread across their face and a look of disbelief in their eyes. The people, sights, food and outlook on life that greets them in the land of smiles is something that they are likely to have never experienced before.
As they make their way through the enchanting mix of new experiences there is one sight that may initially puzzle them, although by the time they are finished their vacation it will make perfect sense. As they spend their first few days in Bangkok and then move to other more rewarding and beautiful parts of the country, they will continually meet other western tourists who are also experiencing the vacation of a lifetime.
However, within that mix of vacationing foreigners, there will be the occasional individual who appears a bit more world weary, with a knowing look in their eyes, and possessing what will usually tip off the newcomer to their different status; an uncommon knowledge of local customs and often the ability to converse in the Thai language. These individuals are members of an ever-growing segment within Thai society;
the western expatriate in Thailand.
These expats have been characterized as the frauds, freaks, fools and failures who could never make it in the real world , but their stories are much more varied and complex than that derisive description would suggest.
There are numerous reasons why they have left their lives behind. The reasons for choosing Thailand as their new home are just as myriad; the weather, the beauty and accepting nature of Thai people, the food, the inexpensive cost of living and the relatively lax immigration laws to name but a few. The world of expats in Thailand exists simultaneously separate while still part of the broader culture, with its own economy, legends, myths, code of ethics, vendettas and strange patois.
Whatever you say about the expats of Thailand, they are surely a vast and unique wealth of information for anyone visiting the land of smiles (many of whom will be the expats of the future).
For a look inside this unique world, check out http://faq.at/bkk a website that shows you life in Thailand through the eyes of the western expatriate. What you will find are the opinions, thoughts and experiences of those who have been living the Thailand expat life for years. Their tribulations, agonies, and sometimes sheer, asinine, mirror image pomposity that they claim to have left behind in the west, will entertain and surely give you an uncommon preparation for what will be the vacation of a lifetime. Or perhaps even, a new life.
That same tourist may spend the remainder of their holiday with a rictus grin spread across their face and a look of disbelief in their eyes. The people, sights, food and outlook on life that greets them in the land of smiles is something that they are likely to have never experienced before.
As they make their way through the enchanting mix of new experiences there is one sight that may initially puzzle them, although by the time they are finished their vacation it will make perfect sense. As they spend their first few days in Bangkok and then move to other more rewarding and beautiful parts of the country, they will continually meet other western tourists who are also experiencing the vacation of a lifetime.
However, within that mix of vacationing foreigners, there will be the occasional individual who appears a bit more world weary, with a knowing look in their eyes, and possessing what will usually tip off the newcomer to their different status; an uncommon knowledge of local customs and often the ability to converse in the Thai language. These individuals are members of an ever-growing segment within Thai society;
the western expatriate in Thailand.
These expats have been characterized as the frauds, freaks, fools and failures who could never make it in the real world , but their stories are much more varied and complex than that derisive description would suggest.
There are numerous reasons why they have left their lives behind. The reasons for choosing Thailand as their new home are just as myriad; the weather, the beauty and accepting nature of Thai people, the food, the inexpensive cost of living and the relatively lax immigration laws to name but a few. The world of expats in Thailand exists simultaneously separate while still part of the broader culture, with its own economy, legends, myths, code of ethics, vendettas and strange patois.
Whatever you say about the expats of Thailand, they are surely a vast and unique wealth of information for anyone visiting the land of smiles (many of whom will be the expats of the future).
For a look inside this unique world, check out http://faq.at/bkk a website that shows you life in Thailand through the eyes of the western expatriate. What you will find are the opinions, thoughts and experiences of those who have been living the Thailand expat life for years. Their tribulations, agonies, and sometimes sheer, asinine, mirror image pomposity that they claim to have left behind in the west, will entertain and surely give you an uncommon preparation for what will be the vacation of a lifetime. Or perhaps even, a new life.
