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Second Isaan Pics

Posted by Stuart at 12:18 PM on March 23, 2003

I have uploaded the second set of pictures from my trip to Isaan. This set contains a few pictures of a temple in Khon Kaen and a bunch of pics from Nong Khai province at the very northern part of Isaan on the Lao border.

You can view these pics (along with the one I uploaded a few days ago) in the Pictures of Nong Khai, Thailand Photo Album.

Comments

Posted by: reijo uusitalo on September 15, 2003 12:28 AM

well,i came 2 your pages by searching word isaan on google.
i dont have a slightest idea of your personal experiences in se asia.
i was in thailand 6 times,all together 6 months.
i am single, middle aged male of its not important to mention that i spend most of my vacation at pattaya.
so i enjoyed my thai time quite a lot as have a plan to visit country again.
many things distubed me a lot.
first.
prices 4 farang and a hell of a cheaper prices 4 thai.
thats what we here in finland call racism.
second:
those smiling pretenders allover pattaya,and i dont mean prostitutes.
well,i could go on with this list 4ever but that s waste of time,so i thank u 4 great pages and have a good time while your staying in SE asia !

Posted by: Stuart on September 15, 2003 10:07 AM

Hello Reijo.

I think you hit on the two biggest complaints from foreigners visiting or living in Thailand. 1) higher (racist) prices for goods and services, and 2) realizing that the famous "Thai Smile" only goes so deep.

You're right on both counts, but let me offer my take on these two problems. For the first one, it is more than just a racist issue. If a Thai person pulls up to a street vendor in a brand new Mercedes, you better believe that they will get charged more than the person casually walking down the street. People set prices to the highest figure they think they can get.

As far as the second complaint goes, yes, the smiles are not very genuine sometimes, especially in Pattaya. Unfortunately the Thai people who spend all of their time with tourists are the ones who are not very nice underneath that friendly smile. I suggest you are doing the right thing by learning more about Isaan. Then, as soon as you can, come back and visit the real Thailand (not Pattaya or Samui or Phuket).