My Thailand Travelogue

Incredible Thailand - worth praising and compelling us to introspect

If you are an Indian, it is a must read for you. If this post of mine can change the mindset of any one of you towards a better one, I will feel fortunate and blessed.

Recently we (my husband, my elder daughter and myself) got a chance to visit Thailand and stay with my younger daughter, who is working there. We travelled a lot in Bangkok, also visited Phuket Island, visited Big Buddha and Down Town Thalang Road there which was lined with colorful 19th-century shophouses and Sino-Portuguese buildings, went for island hopping to four islands, visited Bangkok’s Sea World, Madame Tussauds, IconSiam-Thailand’s biggest and fanciest shopping mall which has just opened along the Chao Phraya river and saw the musical fountain show. We also visited Ayutthaya and went for shopping in floating market there. I must say that it is an extremely beautiful country and I was really impressed by many things that I observed there. I was forced to think, “Are we the same species of individuals here in India? Why can’t we too have the same common sense and thought process?” Let me suffice my thinking with a few reasons:



Beaches in Thailand

So many tourists visit this country but the beaches were totally litter free with clean and clear sea water.

Such a clean beach

Traffic in Thailand

The roads were always busy with umpteen cars and bikes but in my 8 days’ sojourn, I never ever heard any honking. When asked the reason, a driver said, “This is common sense that no one will stop on the road without any reason. Why honk?” Roads are completely cattle free, smooth, without any holes or broken patch with very fast running vehicles but the drivers always maintained a certain distance between the car ahead and their car, while running their cars on roads or while on the signal. No bikers would occupy that left out space in between. In Phuket I could see a biker standing and waiting for the signal to go green, even at 3 am at night when the road wore a deserted look. The cars stopped to give priority to pedestrians crossing the roads on zebra crossing. And yes, we could see no one crossing the roads from anywhere except zebra crossing or overhead bridges. Also no light flashes were observed either from front or from back while driving at night.

Notice the video camera below
 the mirror and also the distance 
maintained between vehicles

Security in Taxis

All the taxis are equipped with video camera to record traffic at the back. All have the driver’s id and details, helpline number in case of emergency and all have a rate chart on the dashboard, car doors and in front of back seats to save you from any inconvenience and untoward incidence.

Driver's details in front on dashboard,
 taxi+fare details and payment mode at back

Driver's details at back too

Metro in Thailand

We were asked by my daughter to stand towards right side of the escalator to give way on left to the ones who were in hurry. People standing in the queue for the tickets were standing quietly keeping at least one arm distance from each other as we were taught in schools and not falling on each other. Again we were asked to stand in queue on both sides of the metro gates and let the passengers alight first and then board. All were following this. Once inside the metro, no one was in a hurry to grab a seat. Instead the seat was being offered to the ones who needed it more, like aged people, children, pregnant women and women. We could see one seat being occupied by only one and no one asking anyone to shift and make space so that 3 can sit on 2 seats.

No one will be on your head even in the queue. 
Proper distance is maintained. 
Remember one arm distance during 
assembly and PT in school?

No one will ask you to shift and 
get him/her inserted in metro...
one seat one person

Garbage in Thailand

During our stay, we travelled a lot and could cover a very large area. But to my surprise, we did not find any garbage anywhere. All the roads, tourist spots and markets including vegetable markets were too clean to find any trash, not even near the roadside street food hawkers’ carts. I was told that there are a few patches where garbage can be seen but may be those were perhaps too few to be noticed in our large coverage.




Condominium in Thailand

The condominium where my daughter resides, has 32 floors and also has all the amenities for daily needs-gymnasium, swimming pool, dry cleaner, beauty parlour, service center for paying various bills, restaurant, laundry and a  7-Eleven convenience store which is open 24 hours. The laundry also has a water cooler from where drinking water can be taken on payment of some amount. Laundry is open to all residents and has many washing machines of different sizes which one can use to wash one’s clothes on payment basis as per the weight of clothes. There is sitting arrangement too for the waiting period while the washing is in process. Silence is maintained and people talk in soft voices.

Common water cooler and laundry area 
in condominium

Washing machines of different sizes
and waiting benches and table in laundry area

Security in Condominium

The driver of any outside vehicle entering the premises has to submit his/her I-card to the security guards at the gate and in turn he/she gets a A4 size pass to enter which he/she returns and takes back his/her I-card. Their details are entered in database.

The occupants get 2 key cards for their apartment. There were six lifts for one building all at one place and there was a common gate to all which would open only on the touch of the card of the occupant. Inside the lift after touching the card on the scanner, the buttons for the floor where the occupant resides, of 7th floor where the pool and gymnasium were situated and of 1st  floor which is the lounge; only get enabled based on from where you get into the lift and whether going up or down. Like if you are residing on 10th floor and getting into the lift from 1st floor, 7th and 10th floor buttons will be enabled, if you are getting in the lift from 7th floor then 10th and 1st floor will be enabled and if entering from 10th floor, 7th and 1st floor will be enabled. This eliminates the chances of any unknown person entering your floor and thus gives you security.




Garbage Disposal in Condominium

On each floor of the condominium there a neat and clean room with separate shelves for different kinds of garbage like paper, plastics, glass and a big bin for general bio degradable garbage to help you dispose off the daily garbage without looking for any person to come and collect it.



Professionalism of people

The night we reached Bangkok, we were informed by my daughter that both the ACs in her apartment were leaking and the maintenance person was to arrive next day at 4 pm. Would you believe that the person came with a helper at 4 pm sharp next day. As per our country’s experience, we were prepared for that one to two hours of disturbance that we had assumed those persons would be causing; but to my disbelief they had come prepared with everything: a staircase, clothes, other equipment and even plastic covers to cover the TV etc. No hotch potch, to messing up and no halla gulla. Quietly they did their work and went without even asking us to move (Just compare it to what happens here in such a situation).

The maintenance process is very fast there, complaints are resolved ASAP.

I am not going to comment much upon what happens here in India but I just regret to mention that there is a vast difference between their and our way of thinking. We think more about our own convenience here, simply ignoring how it is going to affect others. After going through this small post of mine, just answer my question truly: are we as sensible as they are?

And then aren’t we the same genus and species? Then why this vast difference?