My Thailand Oddity – Good Health-

(Part 15)

I’ve posted a fair bit about Thailand’s culture, its social peculiarities, food, and so on, but I have not mentioned much about me, probably because I am not what this series is about, at least in general terms, however… Recently, more people have asked me, “How are you?” or “How are you doing?” With that in mind, I write the following.

Firstly, for those who don’t know me so well, I am no Spring Chicken. Some may say I’m middle-aged, which would be nice, but I doubt if I shall live until I am 132.

Some years ago, I broke some bones in right my foot. They have never healed correctly and often cause me pain when walking. The doctors advised that surgery could leave me worse off and allowing things to remain as they are is best. So, I’ve let my foot mend as far as it can naturally.

When I am cold my foot often pains me. Causing me to limp. The limp changes my gate which, in turn, hurts my knees as my weight is then abnormally distributed. This affects my left hip as it takes more strain, and so to my lower back.

Another infirmity is my right shoulder. My shoulder blade is misaligned. This is due to repetitive strain through the many years I worked as a chef and restaurateur.

I have the initial aches and creaks of Rheumatoid arthritis. Some days when my wrists are extremely painful, and my fingers hurt. I find it difficult to grip, to undo a screw top jar or bottle, or simply to lift something. Even holding a paintbrush, or a vacuum cleaner hose for a few minutes can become exceedingly uncomfortable.

Before I left Britain, all these ailments were daily nagging pains. A constant in my life. I became accustomed to living with them.

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I left England, after being back ‘home’ for three months, in June 2023. The entire year up until that point had been grey, damp, and miserable. The weather forecast that morning said it was going to be overcast, with light showers and a high of 14°.

Twenty-two hours after closing the front door of my house in Yorkshire, I was baking in 34° of glorious, wall-to-wall, sky-to-sea sunshine.

Initially, I stayed at a wonderful small boutique hotel, The Nova Gold, in the Hollywood Klang area of Pattaya, which is only a short ten-minute walk to the madness of central Pattaya’s bars, shops, restaurants, and nightlife, and about fifteen minutes to Beach Road/Pattaya Beach.

Once settled into my room, which was of generous proportions, and had scouted out the swimming pool and gym, I took my first walk down to the beach, stopping for a Latte Yen (an iced Latte,) on the way.

I limped. My knees, particularly my left knee hurt. But I knew, in a day or two, those pains would start to abate, as they had on my previous visits to Thailand.

You see, the constant heat soaks into your body, not just your skin, but your muscles, tendons, and bones. It saturates into your very core. As it does, the muscular and skeletal pains fade, eventually waning away. (Then there are the benefits of the sunlight itself; It helps promote the quality of sleep, increases the production of vitamin D, and boosts Serotonin and Melatonin production. Research shows plentiful sunlight helps protect you from type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, colon, breast, and prostate cancers, along with non-Hodgkin lymphoma).

This allows one to walk further and more frequently, which in turn stretches, loosens, relaxes, and strengthens the body. Soon swimming, walking along sandy beaches, and even a short stint in the gym become a pleasure, not a torturous activity.

The beautiful weather is one reason I love it here.

My body is now a comfortable place to live. I am no longer in constant pain from my injuries. Even the nagging tenderness, the form of discomfort we brush aside and conclude are simply inevitable symptoms of ageing have long gone.

I have not taken any form of painkilling medicine for several months. I have no call for them now.

But this is only one part of my well-being, there is more… read on…

Food.

I mentioned above that I was a chef.

I was a chef who advocated good, wholesome, natural food. Food made from scratch, from produce, not from products. I preach that red meat is healthy, as is real butter, along with lard, and saturated fats, and these things are not detrimental to health. (The reason is simple. Ultra-processed foodstuffs are unnatural, they are either chemicals or processed with derivatives of the Petrochemical industry. They are slowly poisoning you. Their effect is more devastating than Smoking and Alcohol abuse combined. They are insidious, stealthy, crippling, incapacitating poisons).

While some foods in Thailand are prepacked processed foods, they are the minority of the diet for Thais and most foreigners who are residents here. Food in Thailand is not controlled by major supermarkets. Most are produced and sold by local people, in markets, from small stores, and shophouses. The vast majority is made from fresh produce which is prepared from scratch and cooked to order.

Eating this way has had an amazing effect on my ‘gut health’; an area many medical professionals claim to be the most important for overall well-being. I must agree. I have never felt better than I do now after eating this way for such an extended period.

Below are other things which have majorly impacted my well-being.

Medical care is good. Hospitals (both government-run and private enterprises) abound, as do Clinics, Optometrists, Dentists, Masseurs, and chiropractors. Health care is not free. However, the government facilities are heavily subsidised and therefore extremely affordable. Most government hospitals are simply walk-in and be-treated establishments. They are efficient and waiting times, from registration or triage to treatment can be counted in minutes rather than hours.

Socially, the Thais have a wonderful outlook on life. Family and community are major parts of every Thais life. In this village alone there seems to be an event or party, religious (Buddhist), or private (still open to the entire village), official calendar (New Year, Chinese New Year, Christmas, etc.), or celebratory festival, every week or two.

While this village has a central area, where the larger events are held, most parties… the Thais love to party, are held in the street, outside of people’s homes. Marquees are set up, and music blares out from 4 am until late, possibly 4 am the following day. People of the community gather, come and go, bring food and drink and… well… socialise. No red tape, no local authority interference, no special (and costly) licences, just genuine community doing general community things… real social community.

When not hosting an event, this area is used for activities, badminton, for teaching traditional Thai dance, aerobic exercise, young children’s five-a-side football, and many more. To one side is a street gym, like those that one may see along a beach. Meetings are held here on occasion too.

Halfway along the street in which I live is a fenced off area. This is a small, all-weather football/hockey/basketball pitch. The village teenagers use this every single day, older folk once or twice a week. It is floodlit, a necessity here as it gets dark around 19:00 hrs. all year around.

Nowhere do you find drugs paraphernalia or discarded alcohol containers. No needles, wrap packages, no cans or glass bottles. The facilities are respected by all, young, teens, and adults alike.

This sense of community has a wonderful benefit to mental wellbeing, mine included. This is just one aspect of the cultural difference I am experiencing.

I could mention several other areas which have had an impact on my health and wellbeing, both physically and mentally, but I think I have covered enough items for one post.

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Thank you for reading My Thailand Oddity – part 15

Keep Happy, Paul

My Thailand Oddity – part 12 – There is something about honesty.

This is the twelfth ‘My Thailand Oddity’ post on the Wild Geese Travel blog.

If you want to catch up with my adventures, the first post in this series can be found here.

Today, as the post’s subtitle title implies, I focus on honesty and trustworthiness. Some things travelers are often concerned about when leaving the familiarity of their hometown.

So, without any more ado, here we go…

It is a sad situation when much of human society must guard itself against those who would steal, thieve, and attack us.

Every country, and culture, I am aware of has members of its community who, let’s say for ease of communication, have criminal intent installed into them. Whether by nature or nurture is irrelevant here.

When in the UK, I ensure my car is locked before entering a store. I check the windows and doors of my home are secure before leaving. If in a café, for instance, my bags are kept close, often between my feet. When riding public transport, one hand remains on the handle or strap of any bag I may have with me.

This became the accepted norm, at least my accepted norm. We are advised by the government, local authorities, the police, and the media not to leave our bags unattended. To beware of pickpockets. To secure our houses and vehicles as a safeguard against potential acts of crime. Not to walk alone in isolated places, especially at night, and more so if you are a female.

It is an element of fear that clings to the edges of our consciousness.

Now, I am not saying it is a bad thing to take care; or to have an awareness. What I am saying is that it is a sad situation when we need, when we must, take such precautions because the very society we are part of is untrustworthy as a whole.

I am not saying Thailand is without crime.

It is not…. Although…

The crime rate has dropped dramatically from 9.97 in 2003, to the latest figure of 2.58. The main crimes are drug-related, and criminal enterprises/organized crime gangs.

Most of which does not affect the regular visitor or tourist. Those who are travelling here should observe the ‘standard’ practices when visiting anywhere unfamiliar.

Nevertheless, the respect most Thais have for one another, along with the teachings of Buddhist principles, has such a strong influence on low-level crime, such things as stealing, and opportunist theft, are rare.

Another reason for this culture of honesty is many Thais are relatively poor, some even refer to themselves as paupers. A fact that cannot be argued with.

However, unlike the culture of the West, where it is now expected that governmental support for the impoverished is a right, rather than a benefit. The Thais have no, or very little, assistance from their government in this respect.

Even ageing is an issue here, especially if one cannot continue working. This is when the other member(s) of a family must step up and support their older relatives. There are no generous state pensions here, only a minimum, and I mean a minimum, amount.

While in the West this may be a reason, according to academics, why crime rates rise, in Thailand it is why such crimes are rare; and that is simply because Thais respect one another. Thais know the work effort, and the work ethic needed to produce even a small income. They are conscious that whatever money they can make daily will help support their entire family. The last thing most Thais would consider is depriving others of their livelihood, goods, or chattels.

Examples of this attitude are everywhere. Here are a few of them.

Mainly, because of the heat here, Thai houses tend to be very open constructions with living/dining/kitchens, (often these areas are all part of the same room,) being outside. Covered with a roof but frequently open on all sides. Commonly only bedrooms and bathrooms are internal. Therefore, to secure a Thai house, the way we secure a home in the West is difficult.

But house invasions/ burglaries are rare here. Property is respected.

If you read my last post on this blog, you will have read about how cars are often left unlocked for long periods, and how many are parked without applying a parking/handbrake, so they can be moved by others when needed. I won’t reiterate this point as I shall then only be repeating myself, but please read about it here.

One of the other prime forms of transport here, as in many other Asian countries, is the motorbike. Primarily these are what I refer to as scooters or mopeds, although there are many ‘fully fledged’ motorcycles too.

Not all of these are modern bikes, not all are well-maintained. Many do not have functional keys. Others, even brand-new ones, are often left with the keys in the ignition, but these bikes are still where their owners left them when they return.

More so are the bags, boxes, and shopping left on the footwells, or hanging from handlebars. No one takes anything. Quite simply, if it does not belong to you, leave it alone. Don’t touch.

I like that.

It is also a similar situation with shops, stalls, and stores. Again, mainly due to the heat, many stores are open-fronted, if not simply set up in an open barn-like structure. When closed, a simple net is drawn across the front, not as a way of securing the place, but simply to let people know they are not open.

Sometimes it’s even less than a screen. I have seen tape used, not dissimilar to police crime scene tape, or the yellow and black striped construction tape, to indicate the store is closed. Once or twice a simple piece of thin rope has been loosely strung across the entrance.

In a marketplace, any non-perishable goods are often just covered by draping a cloth or sheet over them, like a bartender may do with a beer pump when a certain beer has sold out.

No one steals anything.

Of course, in the larger towns and big cities, things can be different. Crime is, as with all countries, higher urban areas.

Much of this, I feel, (and I may be wrong in my observations and perceptions), is due to migrant workers, and tourists, who do not have the same cultural and social upbringing as the Thais.

Saying this, it is far from doom and gloom the metropolises.

I can say this from personal experience…

Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand a city of approximately 11,070 million people. A sprawling metropolis, and one area you think opportunistic crime would be prevalent.

One way to transit or sightseeing in Bangkok is to use the river taxi, which is a fast and frequent boat-buss service. The boats speed up and down the river, only stopping briefly at certain locations to disembark and board passengers. They do this swiftly, once the last passenger has one foot on the boat, or the dockside, woosh… the boat is off again at great speed along the waterway.

I was a passenger on such a craft, and as I had not been in Bangkok previously, I took a few ‘snaps’ with my phone’s camera.

Out of the blue, so to speak, my companion suggested we alight at the next stop, and not the destination we originally planned, which was fine with me. As the boat was almost alongside the jetty, we stood from our seats and rushed off the boat.  I was then on the quayside and reaching for my phone, to take a snapshot of the departing boat.

It was then I realised I had left my phone behind.

Instead of putting my phone safely back in my pocket, something I normally do, I had placed it on the seat next to me so it was at hand should I see something more worth photographing during this river ride.

I felt sick, as one would. Luckily enough there is a telephone number on the dockside for anyone who needs to contact the boat’s operators. (Thankfully my traveling companion had his phone with him.)

Now, I shall cut a long story short… when speaking to the riverboat taxi office they asked for my ticket number. This identified the particular boat I had been travelling on. They then told me to wait where I was, they would call me back within twenty minutes.

Twenty minutes from then, coupled with the twenty minutes (at least) it took us to talk to the office, that’s forty minutes of the boat stopping along its route, and forty minutes of a multitude of passengers embarking and debarking from the river taxi.

My companion said I could give up all hope of finding my phone. There was, he said,  “no way I would ever see it again.”

His phone rang, and the boat company told us to get on the next river taxi and travel to the end of the route. This is where their office is located. If they had my phone this is where it would now be.

We got a free ride downriver to the final quay and were then guided to the office by one of the crew members of the boat we arrived on. It was not certain they had found my phone. They had several and wanted me to identify mine… if it should be there.

They had it, and I claimed it back. It seems that a member of the boat’s crew, once the office contacted him, picked it up from where I had been sitting. No one, not a single person who travelled on that boat touched it.

All the above are reasons I include as reasons for loving Thailand, but they are not exclusive.

Thais, as a rule, have a laid-back attitude towards life. They are generally happy folk. One reason Thailand is known as ‘The Land of Smiles’.

I think it is their honesty that lends itself to making them so.

Please read the other posts in the ‘My Thailand Oddity’ series, on Wild Geese Travel Blog, to find out what else is so attractive about Thailand.

Thank you for reading.

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Keep Happy, Paul

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