As we have now left Thailand, it is time to look back and reflect on some of the cultural differences we observed over the past 6 weeks. As a reminder, none of these observations are meant to be critical - although some of them do make us appreciate what we have in the US - but just observations from travelers comparing life at home to life in other countries that we visit and acknowledging and celebrating our differences.
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SCOOTER CULTURE (DAN)
One of the first things you notice is Thailand – be it north, south or in Bangkok – is the sheer number of scooters zipping along the roads. It makes sense that a country about the size of California and nearly double its population would find an alternative to automobiles for transportation to ease traffic somewhat. They even have scooter taxis where a pedestrian can flag down a scooter driven by a guy (or girl) with an orange vest indicating they are a licensed scooter taxi driver. Riders will straddle the seat behind the driver or sit side saddle, typically with no helmet, as the driver zips in and out of auto traffic on the way to the chosen destination. I hailed one of these once and was terrified the entire way.
A little more concerning is the proclivity to have multiple riders on these scooters as the same time and usually without helmets. You will see 2, 3 even 4 people riding a scooter that was built for one rider. Numerous times I have seen a mother with 1 child in front of her and 1 or 2 in the back – all with no helmets – or a father driving the scooter with a baby (literally a baby!) between the father and the mother and another young child holding on to the mother from her back. As this is such a part of the culture, I suspect they all get comfortable riding these at an early age, but still anything can happen on the road and it may not even be their fault, but I am surprised there aren’t more accidents involving scooters. Or maybe there are? I’ll have to do some research on that.
BUDDHISM CULTURE (FRANCESCA)
Many countries have a religion that predominates any other, but it is rarer to have a country where the religion is its primary identity. We experienced that in Morocco and the distinctive way the Muslim religion serves as the foundation of its culture. So too is Buddhism deeply woven into the Thai culture. With other countries that are closely associated with a religion, like Korea and the Philippines are with Catholicism, you aren’t necessarily aware of the religious connection in your daily dealings with shopkeepers or other people in the community. But in Thailand, it is very much front and center. Buy anything in any store and you will see the shopkeeper press her hands together in a prayer like gesture while saying “Kap kun kaaaa”.
You also see the Buddhist connection in everyday Thai life in how nice everyone is to locals and tourists alike and the perpetual and ubiquitous smiles on the faces of nearly all Thai people at all times. Sure, any country’s people can be nice regardless of their religion – take Canadians for instance – super nice, all of ‘em! – but Buddhism is definitely at play in Thailand as being kind, truthful and ethical are the core of the Buddhist tenets including the Ethical Conduct of the Eightfold Path and The Five Precepts and their ethical guides to daily living.
MUAY THAI BOXING (RYAN)
Muay Thai, or Thai boxing, is deeply woven into the fabric of Thai culture, history, and identity. It is not just a sport but also a martial art, a cultural tradition, and a source of national pride. Muay Thai training centers are everywhere and there are weekly fighting bouts at purpose built Muay Thai boxing stadiums in the big cities and the small island towns where combatants are sometimes as young as 8 or 9 years old (although the official minimum age is 15)!
Muay Thai is steeped in tradition and ritual. Fighters perform the wai khru ram muay, a ceremonial dance to honor their trainers, ancestors, and the sport itself, before every match. Ryan did a private session with our family and then signed up for 5 additional training sessions, about 1 per week for the duration of our time in Thailand.
TOOTH FAIRY AIN’T A THING HERE (AUSTEN)
Austen found this out the hard way as she lost 3 teeth in Thailand and got no money for them! What we all discovered is that in Thailand there is no tooth fairy, but rather when a child loses a baby tooth they throw it up on the roof of their house and in return they are supposed to be rewarded with straight teeth. I think the straight teeth ship has sailed already for Austen, but maybe they will straighten up now that the roof is riddled with baby teeth?
THE UBIQUITOUS 7-11 FRANCHISES (FINLEY)
Almost before you notice the abundance of scooters in Thailand, you’ll notice the abundance of 7-11 stores. Even small villages in the northern Thai jungles have several 7-11s within close proximity. We once saw two 7-11s next door to each other – I kid you not! I was told that one focuses on food while the other focuses on non-food items. All our kids LOVED 7-11 and they had their share of dinners there as well as drinks and snacks, but Finley was probably the one who most craved it on a daily basis. But I could have easily attributed this cultural observation to Austen who was 7-11 obsessed as well. In fact, at her insistence she created a slide show research presentation about the history of 7-11s in Thailand to help answer the question why there are so many.
She discovered that Thailand has the 2nd most 7-11 franchises in the world with 14,000, behind only Japan with 20,000. This is up from 4th place in 2004. On a side note, I think most people think 7-11 is a US company, but it is not, although it used to be. 7-11 (originally named “Tot’em”) was sold to Japanese holding company Seven & I Holdings in 2005 who led it to become the world’s largest convenience store chain.
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