Interviewing Foreigners

During all the years I've spent in Thailand and the rest of South-East Asia I have been approached dozens of times by students armed with questionnaires eager to interview me. I can only applaud this way of practising English as it provides much needed exposure to actual English-speaking tourists or residents (both native and non-native speakers) and puts students in a position where they cannot run or hide and have to use their English skills creatively in order to make communication possible. However, thorough preparation is vital for this approach to succeed, something which is often sorely lacking when Thai students go on their inquisitive tourist hunts.

Taking to the streets and talking to complete strangers is something no Thai student would do out of their own volition. It is clear that most – if not all of them – do it because their English teacher imposed it as a mandatory assignment. Many teachers – including myself – often advise students to practise their English outside of the classroom. Doing so for listening, reading and writing is relatively easy, as the anonymous Internet provides a treasure trove of possibilities. Practising speaking, however, especially face-to-face conversation, is easier said than done. Where on earth do you find someone to talk to? I

nstead of repeating myself and summing up a list of places where there is a good chance of speaking English to foreigners, just try to remember, dear reader - no matter if you are a student, teacher or other - the time when you were at school studying a foreign language, be it French, Spanish, Chinese or Swahili; be it in London, Los Angeles, Sydney or Kaapstad. Did you roam the streets of the multicultural city you were living in with the sole purpose of finding new friends to practise your newly-learnt language with? I bet you didn't, for whatever reasons. I haven't undertaken any formal study, but I am sure that all over the world a significant proportion of language students aren't fluent in the language they studied, even at university level. How big this proportion is differs from country to country. I am pretty sure that there is, for example, a huge ability gap between English graduates in Sweden and Thailand - without intending to idolise the Swedes and bash the Thais.

How not to

Before giving some hints and tips on how to conduct a productive interview, let me give you a few examples of how things can go wrong – and believe me, they often do. The following scenarios should absolutely be avoided unless the sole aim of the exercise is being away from the school benches and mucking about with classmates:

1. A pair or small group of students interviewing one or more foreigners whereby only one of the students – always the strongest – asks all the questions; the others usually stand around grinning or commenting in their own language;
   
2. Students letting interviewees read the questions they prepared for their survey;
   
3. Students asking mostly closed questions (e.g. You like Thailand?), vague questions (e.g. What you think about Thailand?) or rather nonsensical questions (e.g. How about your holiday?) - oftentimes using incorrect structure (as in my examples);
   
4. Talking very quietly – almost inaudibly really – with terrible pronunciation (e.g. You lie ee lai?).*

Getting started

Time to give some advice. When students interview foreigners, it is essential that they properly introduce themselves. Nobody foreigner wants to waste precious time by participating in yet another useless time-sharing survey. The introduction needn't be long, but should be brief, clear and honest. It could go like this:

Option 1: Good morning, my name is Ploy and these are my classmates Lek and Noi. We study English and we'd like to practise our English by asking you some questions. Could you please spare a few moments of your time?

Option 2: Hi, could we ask you a few questions? We are English students at Wittaya Whatever School and we are doing a survey to practise our English. Can we ask you a few questions? It will only take five to ten minutes.

Option 3: Hello, we have to interview foreigners for our English school assignment. Could you please help us by answering some questions? Nobody wants to talk to us because our English isn't perfect. Thank you so much for saving our lives. (fairly honest, funny but possible effective)Other variations are of course possible. Students should use language and words they are familiar with and fully understand, not just blurt out phrases they'd never use on their own. Memorising every single question isn't necessary as speaking naturally is more important than sounding like a parrot. Fluency should take precedence over accuracy when speaking in a real situation where communication is the prime objective; however, interviewers should get the very basics right by asking grammatically correct questions and use intelligible pronunciation.

Possible questions

I don't think there are right or wrong questions as this depends on the kind of interview or survey you want to conduct. It can either be a general survey about Thailand or be more specific, e.g. targeted at tourists and tourist attractions, food, customs etc. Let students come up with their own questions first, either individually, in pairs or small groups. I prefer to do this in sequence: individuals devise a few questions, compare them with their neighbour and then move on to form groups of four or six. This way everybody will be at least forced to do some work as most groups won't welcome freeloaders.

What follows is a short list of questions that might be used for general surveys. I don't recommend just handing this out to students as this means forgoing the very useful stage of making questions whereby creativity and accuracy are important.

- What's your name?

- Where are you from?

- Which languages can you speak?

- Are you on holiday in Thailand?

If yes:

• How long have you been here?


• How long do you plan to travel in Thailand?


• Where are you staying now?

If no:

• Where do you live?


• How long have you lived in Thailand?


• What's you job?


• Where do you work?

- Which parts of Thailand have you visited?

- Which place did you like most?

- Do you like Thai food? What is your favourite dish?

- What do you like most about Thailand?

- What don't you like about Thailand? (interviewers should be able to handle criticism)

- What do you do to fight global warming?

Most, if not all of these questions are also extremely useful for general conversation. Remember that asking questions is not only a way to start a conversation, but also to keep it going. Open questions can be used to make someone talk longer (e.g. What did you know about Thailand before coming here? Why do you like Thailand?), while closed questions will obtain specific information (e.g. Are you married? Have you had a Thai massage yet?). An effective way to keep a conversation going is by asking follow-up questions.

Example: What did you do yesterday evening? (Answer: I went to the cinema.)

Follow-up questions:

• Which film/movie did you see?
  
• Did you enjoy it?


• What's it about?
  
• Would you recommend it?


• Where did you go to see it?


• Who did you go with?


• Did you see the original version or was it dubbed?


• How much does a film ticket cost?


• Who's your favourite actor?


• What kind of movies do you like?


• How often do you go to the cinema?
  
• How do you get there?

There are many more but I think you get my drift. Students should be given similar exercises to hone their skills.

Tips for teachers

Finally, conducting great interview depends largely on the quality of preparation and the guidance from the teacher. In general, most people aren't born interviewers. Having good conversational skills will certainly help, but decent preparation is still needed to fine-tune interviewing skills. In this regard I can't help pointing out that most Thais aren't exactly perfectly enunciating chatterboxes – especially not when speaking English – so their choice of questions should be scrutinised before sending them into the real world in order to avoid inappropriate, incorrect or confusing questions. Pronunciation drill and exercises may be required. There are already too many conversations like 'Where you from? - How long you stay Thailand? - You have girlfriend? - What about your job? - You like Thailand yes or no? - Goodbye see you again.' Let's try to get it right for once.

What teachers should remember before sending their students on a foreigner-hunt:

– Persuade students there is no need to be shy; most foreigners don't mind answering a bunch of questions if asked by enthusiastic students;

– Give the assignment to pairs or small groups (maximum 4);

– Avoid pairing good friends in order to limit goofing off (unless you know they are competitive and work well together);

– Make sure students know that introducing themselves is important;

– Let them come up with their own questions but make sure to correct grammar mistakes in an appropriate manner;

– Ask for proof of interviews: tapes, pictures or short video clips of interviews (shot preferably with a digital camera instead of a mobile phone for quality reasons) are not only a lot of fun to watch afterwards, they are also very useful for post-interview correction and feedback;

– Practise, practise, practise: students should practise the questions often and know many of them by heart before using them in a real situation;

– Let them interview each other in a controlled, but not necessarily quiet, environment (classroom, playground, school grounds near noisy street, etc.) before doing real interviews (again, don't pair friends if possible);

– Do a dry run: ask one of your English-speaking colleagues to be a mock interviewee so students feel the stress of interviewing a stranger (if, for whatever reason, you have been ostracised by your peers, play the victim yourself);

– Help students devise a quick and easy way to record answers using abbreviations for places (e.g. BKK, CM, AYU, KCh, KSi, KSt, SUK, PHU, KRA etc.)**, languages (EN, FR, SP, CH, JA, IN, GE, KO, IT, etc.)***, countries (e.g. US, UK, EN, CH, JA, KO, Swi, Swe, GE, FR, SP, IT, AUS, NZ, IS, etc.)**** and possibly many more (food, tourist attractions in Thailand and so on); taping an interview and transcribing the answers later is also possible but involves a lot of work afterwards;

– Make the whole exercise competitive by rewarding the best students;

- If time and school infrastructure allow, set up a class blog or forum where students and interviewees can post messages and get in touch with each other; sending a class newsletter or survey results to interviewees' email addresses can be another way of keeping in touch and practise report and email writing;

– Remind students to thank interviewees for their time and patience.

Good luck to all.

A selection of Cambodia photos is now available on www.flickr.com/photos/philiproeland. The author of this article is still on a break but can be contacted at philiproeland@hotmail.co.uk. Replies could take some time.

1/12/2008

(*) Do you like to eat rice?

(**) Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Ayuthaya, Ko Chang, Ko Samui, Ko Samet, Sukothai, Phuket, Krabi

(***) English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, German, Korean, Italian

(****) United States, United Kingdom, England, China, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Israel

Vietnam: Failed, Cambodia: Passed

Last month I travelled around southern Vietnam and Cambodia, mainly for three reasons: relax and recharge my batteries, broaden my horizons and get to know these countries a little better in order to make an informed decision as to whether I could ever live and work there. In my quest for a new job, Vietnam featured on the 'possibles' list.

I had already visited both countries some six years ago, so I knew more or less what to expect. My expectations were broadly confirmed: both countries have been going through boom times, proof of which can be seen in the multitude of new hotels and construction sites that dot all major cities and the improved road networks that make travelling and transport much easier.

Neither country is as evolved as Thailand, which boasts a superb road network and well-organised public transport system. In Vietnam, the major transport arteries running from North to South consist of just a two-lane motorway and a single-track railroad. Although the main road has been improved considerably, it still sports a zillion bumps and potholes, making travel all but a relaxing experience. Most of Cambodia's roads have been paved and are great, especially when compared to the dirt tracks of a decade ago. The only section on the tourist trail which hasn't been finished yet lies between Siem Reap and Sisophon. When travelling by bus or car, be prepared to undergo a three-hour long vibro-massage.

This column will mainly focus on Vietnam. Would I ever want to work in Vietnam? Absolutely not. There is no way whatsoever anyone could convince me to work in Vietnam. Although the country has a lot of beautiful sights, many interesting tourist destinations and is relatively cheap to live and travel in, not once did I feel the urge to inquire about job opportunities or settle down there. On the contrary, at times I pondered cutting our stay in Vietnam short and move on to its neighbour. The main reasons for my discontent were the constant hassle from hawkers and taxi drivers (esp. cyclos and motorcycle taxi drivers) compounded by the horrendous traffic situation.

Traffic is probably bad wherever you go in Vietnam, but in major cities it is an absolute nightmare. Ho Chi Min City (aka Saigon), Vietnam's economic hub, has a population of more than eight million people and a mind-blowing five million motorbikes circle its streets. Motorbikes have become affordable to almost everyone, not just because of the higher purchasing power of Vietnamese workers, but because cheap Chinese motorbikes have started flooding the market and started selling like hot cakes the last few years. Five years ago, only good-quality Japanese motorbikes were available costing a few thousand dollars; now, cheap but unreliable Chinese bikes go for as little as 400 dollars, thereby putting a purchase within just about anyone's reach and literally clogging most streets of HCMC.

Crossing the streets as a pedestrian is often tantamount to attempting suicide in Vietnam, and driving a bike yourself is only recommended if you are a retired stunt driver. Although there must be some official traffic regulations, nobody seems to follow them. The unwritten rule seems to be that everyone is allowed or even supposed to drive recklessly and aggressively but should try to avoid crashing into all the other madmen out there. The result of all this for the sightseeing tourist is that although there are quite a few interesting sights, often the only way to reach them is by taxi or tourist bus; consequently, many sightseers don't even bother at all and stay in their hotel rooms or the nearest bar.

In smaller cities such as mountain town Dalat or seaside town Nha Trang, renting a motorbike is daunting but still doable if you avoid rush hour. It is also a good way to explore the more rural Vietnam at your own pace and get away from the organised tours that sometimes make you feel as if you're on a cattle truck. Make sure to wear a helmet and drive aggressively though or you'll get nowhere. I tried to brave the local Mad Maxes and even rented a bicycle and motorbike a few times; in HCMC though, I wouldn’t have used one if they were free.

Although public transport in Vietnam has evolved for the better, tourists are still guided towards the convenient tourist buses going from South to North (or vice versa) and stopping in the most important tourist destinations (aka Open Tour). Overnight trains are also popular as well as domestic flights for the travellers wanting the see the whole country's highlights in a week or less (madness if you ask me). Public buses and passenger vans are abundant but unpopular with tourists. We only used a van once, to get from the border at Lao Bao to Hue.

A big Ford van picked us up near our hotel, we got in and got two nice seats in the back. The van was only half full and we thought it would be heavenly to travel in such comfort. Our opinion of public vans changed slightly when twenty minutes and a dozen stops later, no fewer than 24 people had been crammed into the 16-seater van. As you can imagine, there wasn't an inch of room to spare and we got to know some fellow passengers more intimately than we ever wanted to. We decided to stick to big buses from then on.

Food and accommodation are satisfactory and plentiful. In many places, air-conditioned rooms with (unnecessary) hot water shower, fridge and cable TV can be had for as little as 10 dollars; double or triple that in prime locations or two-star local hotels. Although Vietnamese food is varied and tasty, the tourist trail now seems to have more pizza joints than authentic and affordable local restaurants, which is really a shame. I'd rather forsake culinary globalization altogether.

I didn't get to know any Vietnamese personally, but if I was asked to describe them, I would say they are ambitious, industrious and creative; unfortunately, I suspect they are also rather insensitive and flexible with the truth. Queuing or awaiting their turn are alien concepts to them. Not unsurprisingly, they have a very different world view from westerners, whom they might see as overly sensitive, fussy and downright weird. Below are some lines you might be given in tourist places and how to interpret them, and a conversation outlining possible differences between westerners and Vietnamese.

How to interpret Vietnamese tourist speak

Vendor: I have cheap price for you.
What it really means: You should be happy that I only overcharge you by 200% instead of the usual 400%.

Bus driver: The bus will stop at the next corner because we are not allowed to drive in the old town.
What it really means: We are actually still far away from the entrance to the old town, but we are going to drop you here anyway because our hotel is just around the corner. We hope that you'll be too tired to go looking for other accommodation and spend the night with us.

Dried fruit vendor: Please buy some dried strawberries. Very good.
What it really means: Please buy some lookalike dried tomatoes which I have cleverly disguised as strawberries by deliberately mislabelling them. They are cheaper than strawberries so I'll make a bigger profit and you'll probably be too far away from here when you discover it so you won't come back to complain.

Travel agent: Free lunch is included in this day trip.
What it really means: Unless you order extra food at highly inflated prices, you'll have to share a tiny plate of fried tofu accompanied by plain rice among 10 sightseers.

Travel agent: Sightseeing in the morning, then transfer to the Vietnamese border followed by a one-hour boat trip from the Vietnamese border to Cambodia.
What it really means: Sightseeing until 9 A.M., a 1.5-hour boat trip to the Vietnamese border followed by lunch in an awful yet expensive food shack and another four-hour boat trip to Cambodia. If we are honest about travelling times, nobody would go on this trip.

Different attitudes

Westerner (on a jungle trek): Be quiet everyone, there a rare sun bear ahead of us, I'm going to try to take some awesome photos.
Vietnamese guide: Bears are great. Let's try to capture it, put it in a tiny cage, stick a catheter in its gall bladder and sell the bear bile for a bomb.
Westerner: That's horrible.
Vietnamese guide: I admit bear bile is an acquired taste, but it's good for you.
Westerner: No, I meant it's cruel and painful for the bear.
Vietnamese guide: Don't worry, cruel is not a Vietnamese word and bears don't feel pain.
Westerner: I hope you're joking. What's that noise? Look there, it's an endangered horn-bill. What a majestic bird.
Vietnamese guide: Good, be quiet so we can kill it and have it for dinner.
Westerner: No! I won't let that happen.
Vietnamese guide: Swell, now you've scared the bird away. Oh well, we'll just have stir-fried porcupine and turtle hot pot then, washed down with some snake wine. Maybe there are even
some leftover dog kebabs from yesterday.

As the end of this column approaches, I would like to apologise to all Vietnamese citizens and residents if my judgment of their country was too harsh. After all, I only spent a few weeks in this beautiful place and didn't get to know all the ins and outs. But then again, first impressions matter. However, I do recommend a holiday in Vietnam, although I think it would be a good idea to combine it with a more relaxing destination such as Cambodia, or even better, Laos.

Let me quickly point out that Cambodia fulfilled my expectations. It hasn't changed dramatically and people are still friendly and make an effort to speak English to hawk their wares (their English sounds considerably better than their neighbours' and without much of an accent). Cambodia would be a wonderful country without some of the relentless hawkers, tuk-tuk and motorcycle drivers, but I suppose they're just trying to make a living. Someone ought to teach them the basics of good selling techniques for tourists though. I might address Cambodia in a future column.

More pictures can be seen on www.flickr.com/photos/philiproeland.
The author of this article can be contacted at philiproeland@hotmail.co.uk.

1/11/2008

Bangkok Getaways (3) - Petburi

Although I have left Thailand, this month's column features my last Bangkok Getaway as I thought it might be useful for the many EFLers based in the City of Angels wanting to escape the urban concrete jungle and enjoy the more worthwhile parts of the Kingdom. I haven't written any new stuff lately since I have been too busy relaxing in Sandalwood City and by the time you read this, I will be on my way to Vietnam, followed by Cambodia, in an effort to (re)discover these booming destinations in what was formerly known as Indochina. I'll try to keep you posted in future columns although spending hours in Internet bars is not my idea of travelling fun.

Petburi in a nutshell: a historical park on a hill, lots of temples and some monkeys thrown in for good measure

I went on this overnight trip to the scenic town of Petburi a few months ago. Tourist maps and road signs often refer to this city as Petchburi or Petchaburi but the believe me, the correct way to pronounce it is definitely Petburi. Unfortunately, transliteration of Thai script into the Roman alphabet is often neither clear-cut nor logical (just think of the airport: Suvarnabhumi vs Suwannapoom).

Petburi lies some 160 kilometres south of Bangkok and can be visited in one or two days. In order to get there, take either train, bus or van. Day trains depart infrequently from Hualampong train station in central Bangkok; buses depart every half hour from the new southern bus terminal (located what seems like 100 clicks southwest of the capital, but in reality it's only about 15 clicks); vans go all day long from Victory Monument to Hua Hin on a fill-up-and-go basis and can drop you off in Petburi.

Once in Petburi, you can either start the sightseeing immediately if you're on a day trip or you can find a hotel to stay the night as I did. Remember that there is quite a lot to see and day-trippers might find themselves longer on a bus or train than actually sightseeing. Also, after a few hours, you might get tired and not bother going the extra mile to discover some hidden gems. Instead, the only thing you'll want to do is down a few cold ones and lie down for a nap.

Once you reach the Petburi bus station (actually there is no bus station, buses just stop near the central market), motorbikes go just about anywhere in the city centre for a mere 20 baht or so. I had one drop me off at the Kao Wang Hotel, which is conveniently located next to Kao Wang Hill where the main sights are. The hotel was cheap at 250 baht for a fan room with bathroom (add 100 baht for A/C) but somewhat rundown (think not-so-new council flats or housing projects). Although the whole place was in dire need of a lick of paint, my room was airy and the bedsheets spotless. The bathroom sported a Thai toilet, which was okay as I prefer this to sitting on dubious toilet seats. If you like your western toilet though or if you're not into squatting, you might want to look for another place to stay or put your bowel movements on hold for the duration of your stay.

As I already mentioned, the main attraction of Petburi is Kao Wang Hill & Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park. Cobblestone paths lead up and around the hill which is studded with temples and various components of King Rama IV's palace. The views are great and the whole area is a photographer's dream. Fat monkeys loll about in the trees and on top of the walls along the main path. The walk up looks easy but is fairly strenuous, especially since there is a lot of ground to cover if you want to see the whole domain.(*) You needn't be a mountain goat but it might be a challenge for couch potatoes and Thais alike. Make sure to drink plenty of water, wear a hat or use sunscreen, and take either an extra shirt or a small towel for when you're drenched in sweat. Entrance fee is a giveaway 40 baht (just under a Euro, just over a dollar).

If you're on a day trip, you'll probably want to have a late lunch and then go home after seeing Kao Wang. If you're booked into a hotel, I suggest you have lunch followed by a shower and some rest before discovering the rest of the town. There are quite a few interesting temples in Petburi town itself, but seeing them will involve quite a bit of walking. The most picturesque temples are probably Wat Mahathat, Wat Chi Pra Keut, Wat Lat and Wat Yai Suwannaram (jut consult a tourist map once you get there). Instead of walking your way around town, you could hop on a motorbike to get you to the furthest temple and walk back from there. There are of course more temples than the ones mentioned here, but after a while temple-fatigue sets in and you might reach the point where you don't want to see any more of the bloody things, no matter how spectacular they are.

At night, there is a huge night market set up in and around the park located next to Kao Wang Hill. You'll find everything you've ever needed there, ranging from cheap T-shirts to fake designer jeans, take-away dinners, local sweets and desserts, tropical fish, cherrywood vases, pirated CDs and fried bugs. The fried grasshoppers are delicious and full of healthy proteins if you're into exotic foods. If the thought of devouring creepy crawlers upsets your appetite, there are a number of economical restaurants in the vicinity of the night market.

(*) partly taken from Lonely Planet Thailand

Picture galleries available at www.flickr.com/photos/philiproeland (just do a search with the keyword 'Petburi).

The author of this article can be contacted at philiproeland@hotmail.co.uk

1/10/2008

Education Flaws

(adapted from Bangkok Post, Education, 26/8/2008)

It appears a Suan Dusit Poll has highlighted major weaknesses in the Thai education system. These include:

• inadequate teaching materials
• lack of teachers
• inefficient curriculum
• students' failure to focus on their studies

The Suan Dusit rector explained to a Senate panel they had conducted the survey in order to identify which problems to tackle first. The poll also asked about what solution people felt should be implemented first. Respondents called for:

• improving the curriculum
• student-centred approach
• adequate teaching materials
• efforts to get families to instil in children a love of reading
• lessons on ethics

Relevant authorities would be informed about the findings. Follow up on how they implement the solutions and updating the public on the progress would be done as well.

Well, what can I add? Let's just say I wasn't surprised at all by the findings, nor by the proposed solutions. What is needed is immediate action instead of more surveys and feet-dragging by officials in charge.

Goodbye Thailand (September 2008)

I’ll get straight to the point of this month’s column: I have given up my job and left the Land of Smiles. I already hinted in my January column that 2008 might be my last year in Thailand, so it’s not a big surprise for most people who know me. The questions I get asked most are: 'Why?', 'What are you going to do?', 'Where are you going?' and 'Are you going back home?'

I'll answer these questions in reverse order as the last ones are the easiest. Am I going back home? What a silly question; I go home every day. Actually, Thailand has been my home for more than four years. Of course, most people use the word home to refer to one's country of origin or birth. Anyway, I'm not planning to turn back the clock and pick up one of my former lives.

So where am I going then? I don't know yet. I could have looked for a new job before quitting my old one, but I wanted a temporary break from work so I could have some time to relax and travel. By the way, I know that starting all over without planning too much in advance can be a refreshing experience; I’ve done it before. Also, I hope I'll be thoroughly rested and brimming with new ideas after a prolonged stay in the Land of a Million Elephants, probably followed by a tour of some other South-East Asian countries. Although I liked my job, I always thought that I didn't have enough time off to enjoy life and get away from it all.

What am I going to do? This question is relatively simple. Unless I get offered a really well-paid job out of the blue, I'll more than likely find a new EFL job, probably somewhere in Asia. Teaching is what I apparently do well and it's also what I've been doing for the last twelve years. Many countries need qualified teachers, so finding a new job shouldn't be that difficult.

So the question remains why? Why leave Thailand, the Land of Smiles, the best country in the world if Thais are to be believed? The short answer is that I didn't have enough reasons to stay.

Those who have been reading my column regularly will know that I acknowledge and welcome different cultures. When teaching, I don't want to radically change local students' cultural values or ideas as I am convinced that English should be taught as a world language, not misused as a colonial tool to shove British or western values down someone's throat like it was sometimes done in the past. On the other hand, I don't think every cultural reference should be banned from a language course, as it can broaden students' horizons and help them develop their critical thinking skills and personal world view.

I have to admit that I was getting a bit bored with both my job and my host country, so simply finding another workplace wouldn't have solved my problem. I made a list of positives and negatives, and – surprise - the former list turned out to be the shorter one. The plus list told me that I mainly appreciate Thailand because of the climate (hot all year round), the food (one of the best cuisines in the world), the travel and sightseeing opportunities and the low cost of living.

This 'what-I-like-about-Thailand’ list is a very personal list, and although many foreigners in the Kingdom might have one, the contents probably vary. Although quite a few long-term residents or repeat visitors might add other positives such as the abundance of teaching jobs and the wide availability of cheap prostitutes to it, I would rather put them on the negatives list as they often attract unskilled would-be teachers to the Kingdom for the wrong reasons.

My 'pet peeve' list on the other hand started to get too long, although after some reflection, I came to the conclusion that many items were quite trivial. As already stated, I respect other cultures and when living in a foreign land, I'll try to live my life as similar as possible to locals. I'll eat their food, use their means of transport, adapt my teaching style if needed and enjoy local markets and travel opportunities. However, when local culture clashes with my personal beliefs and values, I'll still respect the former but I won't necessarily give up the latter.

Here are some entries which figured on the 'what-I-don’t-like-about-Thailand’ list. By the way, I think that after being away from Thailand for a while, I might change my mind about some of the items and realise I was exaggerating.

• Although Thailand has many breathtaking places to offer, Bangkok and its suburbs – where most jobs can be found - are just one big, ugly, noisy, polluted mess.

• The majority of Thai students are rather uninterested, unimaginative and lazy. Instead of soaking up knowledge as a sponge, they usually need to be force-fed.

• Appearance is more important than substance. Good-looking (white) teachers will always be in high demand, even if they have never taught and think a gerund is a tropical disease.

• Any form of criticism in Thailand is taboo, even positive criticism. People prefer undergoing bad practices instead of wanting to change them, as this might cause loss of face for the one who implemented them. Actually, causing loss of face is probably considered worse than committing murder. Lots of people have been murdered because of petty insults.

• Dual pricing and ongoing tourist scams ensure that foreigners will often leave Thailand with mixed feelings.

• No-fail policy in all schools ensures that enough teenage morons graduate to fill (private) universities. Many university graduates would probably fail western high school exams.

• Foreigners cannot own a business, land or a house (condo only). Buying a car or motorbike is possible but not straightforward; red tape and corruption are prevalent; banking is anything but foreigner-friendly; consumer service is virtually non-existent.

• Traffic is dangerous. Most motorists think speeding, tailgating, weaving through traffic, using a mobile phone and drink driving are no big deal, despite the abhorrent death toll on Thai roads. There is a complete disrespect by motorists for pedestrians and cyclists.
  

Some of my concerns might seem petty and also exist in lots of other countries, so they’ll erode over time. I don't think I've been much of a moaner during all the time I've been in Thailand, partly because I feel that endless complaining doesn't solve any problems.

As a final thought, I really enjoy the teaching profession and have always done my best to further my students' English skills. However, being employed by a language school where many young students study at the weekend, I feel that Thai youths are somewhat being denied their childhood. For many of them, life is a continuous learning nightmare as they are being dragged from one tutoring school to another. Few seem to realise that all this tutoring wouldn't be necessary if youngsters were given an adequate education from Monday to Friday. Unfortunately, unless parents can shell out big bucks for top international schools, this a pipe dream as the Thai education systems remains in tatters with oversized classrooms, inadequate and apathetic teachers, lack of decent materials, a no-fail policy and an everything-needs-to-be-fun attitude completely undermining effective learning. Unless the whole education system is fundamentally revamped, the future of Thailand looks gloomy. But hey, who cares as long as we’re all having ‘sanuk’ (fun)?

After rereading this column, I felt it was too negative. I trimmed down the negatives list and decided to go ahead with it anyway as most – if not all – of my previous columns were by far and large positive. Thai censors would probably want to take it off-line or censor it if they could find it and understand it. Thailand is a wonderful country but I doubt it’s the best in the world; I surely wouldn’t want to be stuck here for the rest of my life. I’ve been to quite a few countries, but there are still countless places out there waiting to be discovered. Because of my thirst for change and with life being so short, I feel there is no time to waste.

The author of this article can be contacted at philiproeland@hotmail.co.uk.
1/09/2008

Bangkok Getaways (2) - Lopburi (August 2008)

It’s another getaway column this month. If you can’t be bothered to read it or don’t have any spare time to get away from the drudgery of daily life, check out my photos at www.flickr.com/photos/philiproeland.

A few months ago I went to a town located just a few hours from Bangkok that's worth definitely worth a visit. Lopburi, famous for its ruins and monkeys, lies some 150 kilometres north of the capital and can easily be reached by either bus or train. I opted for the latter mode of transport since I live not far from a train station. Most day trains are 3rd class only, dirt cheap and well-ventilated since they all run with both windows and doors wide open.

Buses depart frequently around the clock from the Northern bus station, aka Morchit, and take two to three hours. Trains are regular as well and take slightly longer. The advantage of trains is that they take you straight to the centre of old Lopburi, whereas buses go to the bus station in new Lopburi, from where you'll need to take another bus or shared taxi to the old town.

While inter-city buses in Thailand are usually modern and air-conditioned, trains take you back in time, especially when travelling in 3rd class. It seems that the Royal Thai Railways haven't invested a penny in rolling stock for the last few decades. Railway carriages are worn-out and their wooden benches become uncomfortable after a few hours. I wouldn't recommend them for long-distance trips as they are not only more uncomfortable, but also slower than buses. Buses, on the other hand, do have a worse safety record. You might get a sore derrière, but you'll never die of starvation on a train, as there is an endless procession of vendors going up and down the aisle selling a myriad food and drinks. The wide range of inexpensive food for sale includes grilled chicken or pork with sticky rice, fresh fruit, peanuts, dumplings, stuffed buns, local sweets and even dried squid; water, iced coffee and tea, fizzy drinks and even beer can quench your thirst.

Although seeing all the major sights of Lopburi can probably be done in just a day, I preferred to stay overnight in a typical local hotel. The Asia Lopburi Hotel, in the centre of the old town opposite King Narai's Palace, might sound expensive but it wasn't. Single fan rooms with private bathroom and TV could be had for as little as 250 baht (add another 100 baht for A/C) thus confirming again that travelling in the Kingdom can still be economical.

Let me remind readers unfamiliar with Thailand that single room in traditional Thai-Chinese hotels usually refers to rooms with one double bed. Double rooms sport two beds, so make sure to ask for the right room if you’re travelling as a couple. 'Suits’ (sic) or 'sweet rooms' are the mispronounced or misspelt Thai equivalent of suites and only available in luxury hotels. In the local lingo, 'hong tamadaa' means ordinary room or fan room while 'hong air' is an air-conditioned room.

As already mentioned, the main attractions of Lopburi are its ruins, temples and monkeys. All of them are conveniently located within walking distance of each other in the old town. The most interesting sites charge a moderate 30 baht entrance fee (10 baht for locals), so they are within anyone's budget. Travellers on a shoestring can limit themselves to the few free ruins or gawk at the good stuff from outside the fence. However, is money is that tight they might just as well start thinking about which body part to sell next.

In my opinion as ruin and temple lover, the following sites are a must-see when visiting Lopburi: Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat (temple ruins on a large area opposite the train station), Phra Narai Ratchaniwet or King Narai's Palace (walled compound smack in old city centre) and Prang Sam Yot (Khmer temple ruins, aka the monkeys' lair, along the railway near the main thoroughfare). Other interesting but less spectacular sites include Chao Phraya Wichayen (ruins of the former residence for foreign ambassadors), San Phra Kan (small contemporary temple where Thais make merit and another monkey hangout) and Wat Nakhon Kosa (temple ruins near the latter, along the railway line).

If the above names are just gobbledegook to you, just have a look in any travel guide or surf the Internet and you'll find tons of useful information as I couldn't be bothered with copying what's in my Lonely Planet. By the way, travel information is often just meaningless words on paper. To really enjoy the great stuff that's out there, you'll need to get out of your sofa, put on your walking boots and find out for yourself.

Basically, what draws tourists to Lopburi is mainly ruins and monkeys. It would be fair to say that the area around Prang Sam Yot is being completely overrun by monkeys. Estimates put the number of these long-tailed macaques at a couple of thousand! Although they are a major tourist magnet, these seemingly cute creatures can get on the nerves of local shopkeepers and vendors alike who use sticks and slingshots to prevent them from stealing their merchandise.

For many tourists, hand-feeding these seemingly nice animals with fruit and veggies and taking close-up snapshots of the experience is high on their to-do list. However, once the cheeky buggers start jumping on your shoulders, pick your pockets or give you a nasty bite, you'll quickly start losing sympathy for them and wish the evil beasts were somewhere in a laboratory undergoing vivisection. Remember that they are wild animals and not miniature humans, so be prepared for a visit to the local hospital and a rabies shot if you get up close and personal.

In November, there is the annual Monkey Festival during which the monkeys can gorge themselves on a lavish buffet set up around their lair. Don't think that is the only time for the poor animals to eat properly. Every day of the year they are given more food than they can possibly eat.

Many of the Lopburi sites present great photo opportunities. Let me remind you that most great pictures are usually taken either early morning or late afternoon with the sun behind you or, at sunset, directly in front of you. If you're a lone traveller, don't forget to take a tripod as the pictures will become more entertaining for both yourself and friends or family. If you hate lugging a regular tripod around (like me), get yourself one of those mini-tripods that fit in your pocket. If you're not a (semi-)professional photographer, they'll do the job without other sightseers staring at you. By the way, when I was in Lopburi, many of the sites I visited were nearly deserted, thus giving me the opportunity to take some memorable pictures. So get off that couch and drag yourself to Lopburi! It's much more interesting than sitting in front of the TV all day or sleeping off a hangover. Have fun.

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In a totally unrelated story, the press reported a few months ago that many of their sleeper train carriages were infested with bed bugs. Ten trains were subsequently disinfected and refurbished. I wouldn't have included this trivial news item, weren't it for the fact that the Thai tourism minister and a so-called expert from a leading university pointed the finger at foreign tourists. According to them, backpackers were responsible for the infestation because (a) they might pick up the bugs when going on a trek and (b) they don't like to wash and often go without a bath for days, thus attracting the bugs. This is of course total nonsense and proved yet again that many Thais don't have a very high opinion of anyone who isn't Thai. Shame on them!

For more photos of Thailand and the rest of the world, you can visit my photopage on Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/philiproeland.

The author of this article can be contacted at philiproeland@hotmail.co.uk.
1/8/2008

Back To School (June 2008)

In Thailand, May is the month when most students go back to school after a two to three-months summer holiday. For some, this is a joyous occasion as they are getting bored stiff sitting at home with nothing to do; for others, it’s a relief for not being sent to summer school tutoring every day anymore; for many, it's the dreaded return to the Thai classroom where killing time is the main task of the day.

In this month's article, I'll give a brief overview of primary and secondary schools in Thailand, introduce you to a few of my students and discuss some burning issues on the Thai education front. Being employed by a private language school, I have the privilege of meeting students of all different walks of life, well upper walks to be correct. Usually they have one thing in common: they – or their parents – can afford private tuition outside of regular school hours.

I feel that extra-curricular tutoring can either be a blessing or a curse. It can be a blessing because apparently the quality of regular Thai education remains so inadequate in many schools that in order to learn anything useful at all, tutors – be it language, maths or science tutors – are an almost necessary addition to a student's formal education. However, as I mentioned last month, I have the impression that dragging children to several tutoring school at the weekend or after school hours can rob them of their childhood. Aren't children supposed to play with their friends and have fun after having completed their homework?

There are three main kinds of schools in Thailand: government schools, private schools and international schools. Internationals schools are the most expensive, with average yearly fees ranging from 200,000 to 600,000 baht, depending on the quality and reputation of the school. All lessons are conducted in English, except foreign language lessons and Thai language lessons of course. Class sizes are usually small (15–25 students per class) and most, if not all, teachers are foreign. Admission criteria are strict.

Private schools are schools resembling government schools, but are privately owned and managed. Tuition fees are much lower than international schools, ranging from around 50,000 to 200,000 baht per school year. Admission criteria are not as strict as for international schools and class sizes are bigger (25–40 students). Most of these schools run English programmes, meaning that students are usually taught in both Thai and English. It is possible for students to have a geography lesson in Thai, only to be followed by the same lesson taught in English by a foreign teacher. Unfortunately, despite the existence of admission criteria, some schools will admit just about anyone (they're running a business, remember), even if the candidate’s English is much to poor to undergo lessons conducted in English. These students often require extra tutoring to bring their English skills up to speed.

Government schools are schools run under the patronage of the Ministry of Education. There are tens of thousands of them across the country and most don't have a very good reputation. A lack of funding, limited resources, not always qualified teachers and the no-fail policy all contribute to students graduating with few useful skills at all. Most schools admit just about anyone. Class sizes are big (45–60 students) and often most – if not all – teachers are Thai. Education is supposedly completely free, although many schools charge small fees to cover expenses such as utility bills and foreign teachers' salaries. School uniforms and text books are other costs incurred by parents.

Surprisingly, some 300 government schools country-wide, most of them in and around Bangkok, are considered top-notch and places in these schools are highly sought after. These schools usually have strict admission criteria. To give an example, more than 20,000 students sat the test to get into the top senior high school, with only 1,400 places available. Offering gratuities or tea money by patrons to secure a place for their offspring has been banned by law. Although considered excellent, classroom sizes in these schools remain high (around 50 students per class is not unusual).

I imagined that teachers working in these establishments were better qualified and more dedicated than elsewhere and thus delivered a higher standard of education. The truth, however, seems to be that these teachers are often associated with prestigious universities and are thus abler to coach their students to pass entrance exams. If you get into one of these high schools, you’re almost sure to get into a good university. This emphasizes yet again the fact that Thai students aren’t in school to learn anything valuable for life; their only purpose for studying is passing exams.

Let me introduce you to some of my students. Aclaire (not real name) is a 15-year old student of mine who got into what is considered the top government high school. There are 47 students in her class. She says courses are difficult and students are required to study hard. Every student also has to join one of the many school clubs with choices ranging from the English club and the cooking club to the movie club and the music club. These clubs aren't just for fun. Aclaire joined the movie club and her first assignment was, together with four other students, to write a screenplay for a 15-minute murder mystery video that will be directed and produced by the club. Apart from going to school on weekdays, Aclaire also studies on Saturdays and Sundays. Extra English, chemistry, maths, Chinese, music and art classes keep her busy most of the weekend. Although this year all her school subjects (except English) are taught in Thai, her English is of a high standard because she used to be enrolled in an intensive English programme the previous years.

Nana (13) goes to a regular government school which is not considered exceptional. She is at the top of her class (51 students) when it comes to English grades, but she still takes extra lessons on Friday evenings. Her passive skills are quite good, but her active skills are sorely underdeveloped. Although she can make herself understood, she speaks very slowly, lacks confidence, hesitates often and thinks too long before speaking. She lacks fluency because she never needs to speak English, not even in class during an English lesson. She told me that during English lessons at school, her Thai teacher of English never speaks English at all. The only thing she does is explain the subtleties of English grammar in Thai. No wonder most Thai students don't have basic conversational skills. Although there might be some valid reasons why local teachers keep doing it their way, I think they deserve to be named and shamed more often if they underperform consistently. When asked what she does at the weekend, Nana guiltily admitted that she stays at home and relaxes, except for her piano lesson on Sunday. I was pleased to hear that she is allowed to be a normal kid.

Nene (8) goes to an international school and has needed lots of extra tuition over the last 18 months. I suspect she wasn't ready to study every subject in English, but she was thrown in at the deep end, possibly because her school was too lax when enforcing entrance criteria. Fortunately, thanks to the quality of education and the benefit of private lessons, she is already showing the beginnings of real fluency and speaks very naturally with a slight American accent. Her reading skills are still lagging behind, but have progressed light years compared to last year. Although she is one of my younger students, she is one of the most talkative and will often start a conversation without being prompted. She is a really sweet girl and a joy to teach. I’m pleased that she is actually learning useful skills at school and not just becoming a trained monkey who is good at taking absurd multiple choice tests. Of course, this is just how I see it from my limited western point of view.

An issue that has been discussed to death in teachers' rooms lately is the Thai culture course. This 20-hour course which costs from 4,000 to 8,000 baht now seems to be mandatory in order to obtain a teacher's license. Many teachers, especially the 'old hands' who have been in Thailand forever and often have a Thai wife and/or partner(s), have questioned the usefulness and relevancy of said course. As I haven't taken the course myself, it would be nice to have a reader or other columnist do a write-up of their experience undergoing it. I agree that it is important to know the cultural values of the country you're living in, so in that respect, the course might be interesting to newbies fresh off the boat. If it is, however, just a blatant attempt to make money at a teacher's expense or to assimilate all foreign educators by teaching them to sing the Thai anthem and to appreciate Thai classical dancing, then I would consider it another 'This-is-Thailand' scam.

A dress controversy has resurfaced at Thai universities. As you may or may not know, Thai university students are required to wear a uniform, consisting of a white blouse and black skirt (for girls and ladyboys) or white shirt and black trousers (for boys). If I remember correctly, girls' skirts shouldn't show more than a few inches of flesh above the knee and blouses should fit. Many girls seem to have a problem with this as, in the name of fashion, they deem it necessary to wear ultrashort mini-skirts, revealing just about everything but their knickers (especially when sitting down) and blouses fit for 12-year olds, i.e. two or three sizes too small.

There has been a lot of debate about this in society, in the press and even on Thai TV talk shows where female students heatedly defended their right to dress like sluts. As I am not a directly concerned party, I won't take sides. On the one hand, I'm not particularly into sweets or sugary snacks, but I don't mind some eye candy from time to time. On the other hand, from a teaching point of view, it can get awkward and irritating in the classroom when students invariably start clutching their imaginary cleavage or try to pull their skirt down whenever you come within a 5-metre radius.

I've attached a picture collage to give readers who don't live in Thailand an idea of what I'm talking about and judge for yourself. I strolled around a university neighbourhood armed with a camera, but couldn't locate many students. I then decided to check out the students' more natural habitat, namely the local shopping mall, and I had instantly more luck. Within a few minutes I had taken two dozen useful snapshots depicting current fashionable student apparel.

The questionable dress sense of Thai college students is not the only raging fashion controversy. Thais seem to have this bizarre idea that wearing dental braces is extremely attractive, possibly because girls flashing multi-coloured metallic grins are regularly featured in teen magazines, thus transforming the dental gear detested by western youths into a fashion statement. Needless to say that from a medical point of view, most teens (or even adults!) don't need to wear these monstrosities. Some, but not all, dentists might also be reluctant to prescribe them if they are unnecessary. Market forces, however, have brought braces within anyone's reach, as do-it-yourself kits can now even be purchased at local markets for very little money.

Scores of illegal dental clinics have also sprung up around popular teen hangouts where youngsters can have their cute smile ruined for a fistful of baht. To make matters infinitely worse, many of the outlawed low-quality braces glued on healthy teeth can cause sores on the gums and contain dangerous metals such as lead. I wonder what will be the next fad. Wearing an eye-patch? Having fake buckteeth fitted? Nothing would surprise me anymore. One thing that has remained unchanged over the years is the students’ favourite complexion: acceptable colours are pale, ashen, pallid, pasty, sickly white and anaemic; definite no-nos are tropically tanned, mysteriously mocha and sensually dark.

To end this month's column, here is my nickname of the month May 2008: Hygiene (girl, 12). What on earth were the parents thinking? Of course, it could be that I’m culturally ignorant and badly in need of the aforementioned workshop.

The author of this article can be contacted at philiproeland@hotmail.co.uk
1/6/2008

Ignorance Or Arrogance? (July 2008)

Studying overseas has become increasingly popular with Thai students over the last decade, in undergraduate as well as graduate programmes. Not only do these students need robust finances in order to do so, they also need excellent English skills. Most foreign universities expect applicants to take either a TOEFL or an IELTS test in order to prove their English abilities.

TOEFL and IELTS are the two most important, internationally recognised tests for admission to tertiary education conducted in English. By the way, contrary to what I said in my introductory paragraph, this education doesn’t necessarily need to take place abroad since quite a few Thai universities – both public and private – now offer international programmes in Thailand, open to local and foreign students. The need for candidates to take an English language test remains though.

Readers who have ever taken either test or teachers who have taught TOEFL or IELTS courses can attest that for non-native speakers, doing well on these tests translates into a lot of hard work. Apart from becoming proficient in English, students will also need to fine-tune their test-taking skills and build up their endurance and concentration, as these tests usually take about four hours to complete.

Most universities require TOEFL iBT (Internet-based Test) scores of minimum 80 and IELTS band scores of minimum 6. For more exact information, students should contact the university they want to study at. Although most countries have now implemented the latest version of the TOEFL test, i.e. iBT, it is not unusual for universities to still use the older PBT (Paper-based Test) scores. Confused? Google the Internet for more information or look at my original column on www.ajarn.com where I've included a comparison table.

Anyway, this article isn’t about the exact scores needed to gain entrance to university; it’s about Thai students’ preparation – or rather lack thereof – before taking these tests. Readers familiar with Thailand might know that getting the required score on these tests is often a Herculean task for many students, thus the need to start early brushing up their English, planning wisely and making English part of their daily routine. For more tips on how to improve your English, please read some of my earlier columns.

As taking TOEFL and IELTS test has become commonplace in Thailand for many university entrants and graduates, tutoring schools helping students prepare have mushroomed. Unfortunately, many wannabe (under)graduate students still think preparing for a possibly life-changing English test is something which can be done in a matter of hours, days or weeks, whereas they should rather be thinking of months or even years.

During the last few weeks, as part of my school’s placement test, I interviewed half a dozen candidates, all expecting to be taught the TOEFL or IELTS nitty-gritty in a few weeks. All but one student scored higher than elementary on the placement test. I have to admit that I was not really surprised. The tragic part was that most were planning to take the test at the earliest the next month and at the latest by the end of the year and all considered doing well extremely important.

What baffled me most was that all these people, whose English could at best be described as poor and at worst as appalling, had no reservations at all about being able to study in an international programme where the lectures, assignments and even the possible overseas environment would be exclusively English. One woman, who was planning to enrol in an English PhD programme, couldn’t even answer basic conversational questions. She looked at me as if I was speaking Russian (to her, I probably was) and kept asking in Thai if I spoke Thai, which I of course stubbornly refused, as the whole point of the interview is to assess students’ speaking and listening skills.

I tried to explain to her, with the help of a Thai colleague, that in order to prepare for IELTS, her general level of English needed some improvement first (understatement of the year) before embarking on a much more challenging test preparation course. She pretended to understand yet didn’t sign up for a course, meaning she probably went to another language school willing to let her part with her money and sign up for an IELTS course immediately. At one point I was about to ask her why she didn’t pursue her PhD in Chinese. If she had answered that she didn’t speak any Chinese, I could have replied that she didn’t speak any English either. Of course I didn’t, but I kept wondering if this university graduate whose English was virtually non-existent was really expecting to be able to study full-time in a language she barely understood. Was that out of complete ignorance or arrogance?

This article would have ended here if it weren’t for an irksome incident I experienced the other day. Unfortunately, the title of this article does not exclusively refer to Thais' language skills. As you may know, Thai roads are among the most dangerous in the world and saying that Thai drivers, even the ones employed in the public transport sector, aren't the world's most skilled drivers is tantamount to calling a Turkish bath rather tepid. Although I don't complain easily and I am aware of the cultural sensitivity of complaints and the ensuing loss of face for all parties concerned, a van driver was driving so dangerously during my last trip to Kanchanaburi that my blood started to boil and I couldn’t help berating him for driving so recklessly. I am sure that in just 30 minutes he had accumulated enough traffic violations to revoke his driving license for the next three lifetimes. Although weaving through traffic, speeding and tailgating – simply put, driving like an utter maniac - are very common, I couldn’t appreciate him doing so when it started to drizzle.

In true Thai fashion, he completely ignored me apart from a condescending chuckle. His female companion tried to reassure me all was good by claiming ‘he vely good diver, no wolly’ , but although Evel Knievel slowed down slightly, I still felt far from being in safe hands. The look on the other passengers could only be described as completely indifferent and of course nobody wanted to get involved, either because they preferred running the risk of accidental death to losing face or because the simpletons thought driving like Lewis Hamilton on busy roads was swell.

A few days later, after I had cooled down and decided to start my private boycott of vans, I read an article in the Bangkok Post about road safety. The Thai Health Systems Research Institute recently released figures putting the number of people disabled in road accidents at 35 and those injured at 350 a day. A quick Internet search put the number of people killed in traffic at around 13,000 in 2005, and rising yearly. Taking into account the number of vehicles, miles travelled and population, this is far higher than most other countries. Such tragic figures should spur passengers into demanding safer drivers, especially on public transport. Are drivers so ignorant about what causes accidents or are they so arrogant to believe that their driving skills, amulets and flowers garlands will protect them from any harm?

The author of this article can be contacted at philiproeland@hotmail.co.uk
1/7/2008

Bangkok Getaways (1) - Kanchanaburi (April 2008)

A while ago I had four days off and was in need of a change of scenery. I wanted to escape the hustle and bustle of noisy Bangkok and find some cleaner air and more relaxing surroundings. I decided to revisit Kanchanaburi, a small town some 130 kilometres west of the capital and mostly known for its historic landmark, the Bridge on the River Kwai.

Although frequent buses depart from Bangkok's southern bus terminal and trains run twice daily from the Bangkok Noi train station, I opted for a passenger van originating at Victory Monument. The fairly spacious van took me and ten others for 130 baht to the centre of Kanchanaburi. Apart from an obnoxious mobile phone user sitting next to me spouting rubbish at high volume for the first 30 minutes, the journey was pleasant, quick and uneventful.

After about two hours, the driver let out most people at the Kanchanaburi bus station and asked me where I was planning to go. 'Near the river,' I told him, as that's where most of the tourist accommodation is situated. 'Okay, River Kwae,' he said, 'no ploblem'. As you may have noticed, the correct pronunciation of Kwai is 'kwae', so don't be surprised if locals are dumbfounded when you ask for the River Kwai (‘kwai’ means buffalo in Thai). After another two minutes, he dropped me off in front of the River Kwai Hotel, a medium-range hotel in the city centre, quite far from the actual river.

I didn't argue and got out, sensing that he might not comprehend why a wealthy foreigner would want to stay in budget accommodation overlooking a river. I hailed a motorbike taxi which took me for another 20 bath to the tourist street running parallel with the river. 'Pai nai?', asked the motorbike driver and I blurted out 'Jolly Frog', as that was the only one of the ubiquitous guesthouses I could remember from my previous visits three and six years earlier.

Jolly Frog's Backpacker's was still around and going stronger than ever. Although I hadn't really planned to stay there, I had a meal in their restaurant and checked out the rooms anyway. The guesthouse had a nice, big garden with well-kept grass, palm trees, deck chairs, some hammocks and access to the river. Although it is a typical backpackers' haunt, I thought it would be hard to find better price/quality.

Prices at the guesthouse were low, ridiculously low even. In fact, I regained some of my travelling enthusiasm I had lost on overpriced Ko Chang a few months earlier. It appeared that not everywhere in Thailand tourists are being squeezed like lemons. Jolly rooms started at 70 baht (no typo, about 2 dollars) which got you a single room with fan and shared bathroom. Raft rooms on the river went for 150 baht (shared bathroom); in the main building, doubles with private bathroom cost 200 baht (fan) or 290 baht (A/C). As it wasn't too hot, I settled for a fan room.

If these prices seem incredible, food at the Jolly restaurant was equally cheap, with meals starting at 25 baht. Just outside the guesthouse, 'Jolly Good Massages' offered Thai torture for as little as 130 baht per hour. Renting a bicycle cost 50 baht for 24 hours. Motorbikes were on offer as well for lazy buggers with a death wish or a local sweetheart.

Now what is there to see and do in Kanchanaburi apart from lazing in a hammock or sipping cold ones on a pontoon in the river? There is of course the famous bridge on the River Kwai, known around the world thanks to the war movie bearing the same name. The bridge was successfully bombed by the allied forces at the end of World War II, but was quickly thereafter restored. It is still used by the State Railway of Thailand which operates several trains daily on what is known as the Death Railway. This railway was designed by the Japanese and constructed by their prisoners of war linking Thailand with Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. It is said that one prisoner died for every sleeper on the railway.

Nowadays, the line only runs as far as Nam Tok, some sixty kilometres west of Kanchanaburi. Tickets on the tourist train originating in Kanchanaburi cost 300 baht for foreigners (100 baht for Thais) and include - apart from a seat in the special carriage on the train No. 257 - a soft drink (tea or coffee - sic), a snack (cookies), a certificate of pride (?) and a 200,000 baht insurance. You can either buy tickets at the train station yourself or join one of the several tours offered by local guesthouses and travel agencies. If you don't like trains, just walk across the bridge to soak up some of the atmosphere. There is even a shuttle train for tourists unable to walk the 200 metres across the bridge, which is ideal for the disabled and Thai sightseers.

Various day trips or half-day tours are sold everywhere in town and usually include more than just a trip on the Death Railway and a stop at the Hellfire Pass Memorial. Other diversions are visits to local waterfalls, hot springs or caves; bamboo rafting, elephant treks, elephant bathing and so on. Some agencies even offer overnight trips to hill tribe villages and the Three Pagodas Pass, located on the border with Myanmar, some 240 kilometres from Kanchanaburi. If you haven't seen a lot of Thailand yet, most of these tours are convenient and offer fairly good value for money (most one day tours cost 550 to 850 baht; entry fees and are food included).

None of the travel agencies include the Tiger Temple in their tours, but do offer transportation to this increasingly popular but controversial tourist attraction. I had heard quite a bit about this temple where tigers supposedly roam free and wanted to check out myself what the fuss was all about. Let me start by giving you a brief history about this temple, based on the temple's own leaflet.

The Tiger Temple is actually called Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno. You can understand why it is commonly known as the Tiger Temple. It opened in 1994 and has gained a reputation as a wildlife sanctuary. Apparently, it all started with an injured jungle fowl given to the monks by villagers, followed by peacocks, wild boars, unwanted pets, deer, buffalo, cows, horses and wild goats.

The first tiger cub arrived in 1999 but died soon thereafter. However, since poaching is a lucrative business in Asia, cubs are often left to fend for themselves after their mother is killed. Some of these were brought to the temple. As the years went by, the cubs grew up and 'to the abbot's delight and surprise started to reproduce'.

Now hold on a minute. Surprise? The abbot might have guessed what would happen if you put male and female tigers together. Delight? Definitely, since the temple charges a 300 baht entry fee. As a result, 'the abbot conceived an ambitious plan to create a large open air enclosure where each tiger would be given one rai (1600 m2) of land'.

I thought this all sounded good at the start: rescuing tiger cubs from the hands of greedy poachers and building a sanctuary. The truth however is that although the tigers are still alive and given ample food and decent-sized enclosures, they are still locked up. No tigers roam free at the Tiger Temple. Nor is there any initiative to reintroduce them back into the wild, or so it seems.

When entering the grounds and following the crowds, the photo opportunity with tiger cubs is what you'll probably see first. A monk sits and plays with a number of young cubs which have been taken away from their mothers and hand-reared in order to domesticate them and suppress their natural instincts. Tourists can sit with the monk and cubs and have their picture taken. Allegedly, none of the tigers are ever fed raw meat in order to prevent them from having the occasional tourist for lunch. This might be working as I haven't heard of any maulings lately.

The adult tigers are taken daily from their enclosures to the Tiger Canyon, walked there by the monks assisted by a horde of volunteers working at the temple. In the canyon, the tigers are chained to the ground and visitors can have their photo taken squatting behind some of these fearsome beasts. The photos are taken with the tourists' own cameras by the volunteer workers and are free of charge. This lasts under a minute as on busy days hundreds of would-be Tarzans line up to be immortalised with a species that might soon feature on CITES EW-list (extinct in the wild).

Special pictures can be obtained for an extra 1,000 baht. For this hefty fee, you can spend more time with the tigers and have your picture taken with one of the biggest but tamest tiger’s head on your lap. This might be the time to remember that in order to get access to the temple, you have to sign a waiver, agreeing not to hold the temple responsible for any injuries or damage that you or your personal belongings may sustain.

Should a visit to the temple be on your itinerary when visiting the region? I think everyone should decide for themselves. There is a lot of controversy surrounding this temple on the Internet (cf. The Thorn Tree, Lonely Planet's online forum) and there are as many friends as foes of the temple. Friends describe their visits as an unforgettable experience, foes point out that this is no more than an ordinary zoo, where tigers are occasionally mistreated.

I didn’t witness any cruel treatment myself, but if what the monks do is conservationism, then it's definitely Asian-style. It is clear that the temple has become a well-oiled commercial operation with hundreds of daily visitors. I suppose it’s running a healthy profit, although a substantial part of this must be used to feed the tigers and build their enclosures. The temple seems to have no plans whatsoever to release any tigers back into the wild. This would actually be impossible as they have become domesticated and probably wouldn't be able to survive in the jungle. On the other hand, tigers in the wild are facing a grim future, and the temple is one of the only places where one can see these beautiful creatures close-up, albeit in chains. So to go or not to go? Without intending to influence readers, I didn't think it was worth it.

If you don't like seeing animals in captivity or want to avoid being mauled, you could visit some of Kanchanaburi's museums or war cemeteries instead. No danger there of being eaten alive. Like the Bridge on the River Kwai, all cemeteries and museums are conveniently located within cycling distance of the riverside accommodation. I thought the somewhat dilapidated and slightly bizarre World War II museum next to the bridge was the most interesting one, followed by the brand new, air-conditioned Death Railway Museum next to the centrally located Don Rak War Cemetery.

For food, drink and entertainment, there are a string of pubs and restaurants along the River Kwai Road in the vicinity of the guesthouses. Although their food and drink might have been good, they all suffered in February from the lack of tourists. The Jolly Frog restaurant, however, was always quite full, unlike the 15-odd roadside establishments that vied for the remaining twenty tourists roaming free.

My return to the capital on the fourth day was uneventful. I had booked a ticket for one of the vans that made the trip every hour to Sanam Luang, the park located near Kao San Road, and it picked me up right outside the guesthouse. Although I stayed 4 days/3 nights, Kanchanaburi can be visited in just a day or two if time is scarce. It's definitely worth it if you're in dire need of some low-cost rest and relaxation in unspoilt green surroundings.

The author of this article can be contacted at philiproeland@hotmail.co.uk.
1/4/2008

My Songkran Escape (May 2008)

For those who don’t live in the Land of Smiles, let me remind you that the Songkran Festival is the Thai celebration of the Buddhist New Year and is celebrated in the middle of April. Festivities usually last three to seven days and their main focus are on partying and water-throwing. Whereas the original festival was respectful and fun, nowadays it has completely degenerated into a drunken orgy of water hooliganism, harassment and binge drinking. No wonder that almost 500 deaths on the roads and several thousands of accidents occur yearly on Thai roads during Songkran. By the way, I completely disagree with most travel guides that say Songkran is one of the best times to visit Thailand. In my opinion, it’s one of the worst.

The festival isn’t about gently pouring water onto people’s hands anymore as it used to be; it has become real guerrilla warfare where water cannons, dirty water and even ice water are used as weapons. Many sexually frustrated male punters also seem to think that groping females is a legitimate part of the ‘fun’. In order to avoid this misery caused by bullies and barbarians, many foreign residents barricade themselves indoors for several days during this period, I kid you not.

This year, the missus and I decided to go on a 10-day trip to Singapore and Malaysia, partly to avoid the above-mentioned hysteria. I had been to the southern part of Malaysia (Langkawi and Penang) before but never to Singapore. She hadn’t been to either. Thanks to the Internet, I managed to buy some very reasonably priced aeroplane tickets to go from Bangkok to Singapore and come back from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok. These ‘open jaw’ tickets made it possible to see both countries without having to do any backtracking.

Singapore

Although some friends and colleagues had depicted Singapore as rather dull and outrageously expensive, I wanted to see for myself. Most also reckoned that a two or three-day stay was ample time to see the mini-state, one even thought that one day was more than enough. How wrong they were.

My first impressions of the smallest South-East Asian country were very positive and I soon realised that one could easily spend a month there in order to explore every nook and cranny without getting bored. That is, if one had the time and money to do so. Although prices in Singapore aren’t prohibitively high, the country is truly expensive when compared to Thailand.

While walking along the Singapore River in the evening of our first day, my reaction was: ‘This isn’t Asia’. Singapore is really very different from most Asian countries I have visited. All the streets are clean. Traffic is very light. All motorists and pedestrians obey traffic rules. There aren’t any food stalls on the pavement or mangy dogs in the streets. Whenever there is an open space, there are some trees and well-kept grass instead of a pile of rubbish. New buildings are modern while old and historic buildings are tastefully renovated. Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere.

The reason behind the light traffic is a government policy that forces car lovers not only to buy a vehicle, but also a permit to drive it. This so-called Certificate of Entitlement (COE) costs about as much as a small car.

Singapore struck me as being similar to several western cities. I thought it combined the cosmopolitan atmosphere of Sydney, the sophistication of London and the homeliness of Amsterdam. Remember that this is just an impression based on a three-night stay. Thinking of the saying that a new broom sweeps clean, my positivism might erode with time.

Anyway, I’ll go over the most interesting facts of our stay without trying to bore you with every detail. Accommodation is expensive: dorm beds start at 20 Singapore dollars (SGD), the shabbiest hotel rooms go for 50 SGD. You’ll need to pay at least 70 to 100 SGD for a half-decent room, as we did in Little India, one of the cheaper city districts.

There are plenty of things to see and do; unfortunately they all cost money. We did seven of the ten must-see attractions (the iconic Merlion Park, tourist-friendly Sentosa Island, the original Chinatown, historic Clarke and Boat Quay, authentic Little India and alleged shopping paradise Orchard Road). Because of time constraints, we basically skipped all the animal and natural attractions such as Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Jurong Bird Park and the Botanical Gardens. There are lots of good photo opportunities, so don’t forget your camera.

Tourist brochures are plentiful at Changi Airport, but they are disappointing as they mainly focus on high-street shopping and swanky dining, both of which cost tons of money. As I’m based in Bangkok, I’d never go to Singapore for shopping. An Arab wouldn’t go to Australia to buy a camel, would he now? (Yes I do know there are camels in the Outback.) Actually, we cut short our trip to Orchard Road, as seeing expensive department stores is not my idea of fun while on holiday.

If you want to put your platinum credit card to good use when you’re getting hungry, you can wine and dine at the ubiquitous classy restaurants found all over the city centre. However, if you aim is to keep the food bill affordable, try eating at food courts or local, down-to-earth eateries, where the food is usually just as tasty but where you won’t need to sell a kidney to settle the bill. Food courts can be found in most shopping areas while basic restaurants are abundant in the ethnically diverse districts such as Little India and Chinatown.

There is no Singaporean language. Most people speak Malay, Chinese or Hindi. Just about everybody speaks very good English as well. It was actually a relief to be able to speak English again wherever we went – contrary to Thailand, where hardly any local has the skill to conduct a basic conversation in fluent English.

Sources have told me that Thais are envious of Singapore, and so they should be. General living conditions are much better, e.g. no traffic jams, limited air and noise pollution, clean and wide pavements, better working conditions and decent salaries. Also, very few people in Singapore seem sexually confused: there are no ladyboys, transvestites, transsexuals, eunuchs or tomboys to be seen on every street corner, contrary to Thailand. By the way, Singapore has also shown the world that it is possible to have an abundance of squeaky-clean, non-smelly public toilets. I wish the rest of the world would follow suit.

Isn’t there anything negative about Singapore then? I suppose there is, but I just wasn’t there long enough to experience it. Rules are said to be very strict and laws are rigorously enforced. I saw a T-shirt for sale claiming that ‘Singapore is a fine city – smoking $500 fine, littering $1000 fine, jaywalking $300 fine’. Press freedom is supposedly suppressed and the government doesn’t seem to handle criticism very well. Also, if your daily diet requires lots of alcohol, remember that beer is about three times more expensive than in Thailand.

Malaysia

After three nights in Singapore, it was time to catch a bus to Malaysia. To our surprise, we were the only two passengers on the coach to Melaka (aka Malacca), a coastal city in the south-west of the Malaysian peninsula. Malaysian immigration was efficient, friendly and swift. I received a visa-free three-months-on-arrival stamp without even the need to fill in an arrival card.

Although it doesn’t have the sophistication of Singapore nor the sandy-white beaches and nightlife of Thailand, Malaysia is a pleasant and relaxing place to visit with a lot of atmosphere. Melaka, which is rapidly being developed as a seaside resort city cum fancy shopping malls, has lots of interesting buildings, museums and remnants of the colonial era, mainly located around Bukit Saint Paul (Saint Paul Hill), in the middle of the old town centre.

Accommodation in Malaysia is much cheaper than in Singapore, albeit slightly more expensive than Thailand. The hotel room we found was twice as nice and half the price of Singapore. Food is tasty and restaurants cater to most palates, with a mix of Malay and Chinese food being prevalent. Most restaurants are ‘halal’ (conforming to the Islamic dietary laws) of course, as the majority of Malaysians are Muslims. Alcohol is expensive.

Seeing all the sights in Melaka and getting some relaxation took us three days, after which we moved on the capital Kuala Lumpur. After a two-hour bus ride we arrived in KL, as it is commonly known; it’s a big, modern city which doesn’t seem to be plagued by never-ending traffic jams and near-fatal air pollution. A swath of fairly inexpensive but scruffy hotels and guesthouses is located in and around Chinatown, so choose wisely. Most Malaysians speak basic English, although some can be hard to understand.

KL’s Chinatown should really be called Faketown, since I hardly saw anything authentically Chinese sold at the Petaling Street market. Fake perfumes, designer clothes, leather ware, watches, pirated DVDs and the like was all there was. One could of course argue that producing fakes is an art the Chinese have perfected. On top of that, the market was swarmed with herds of obnoxious and bothersome vendors – none of them Chinese – who couldn’t sell a bottle of water to someone stranded in the desert.

The main tourist sites in KL include Independence Square (Dataran Merdaka) with the picturesque Sultan Abdul Samad building, the Petronas twin towers and a number of famous mosques. Besides these, the Lake Gardens in the middle of the city provide a welcome oasis of green with several attractions such as a planetarium, orchid and hibiscus garden, butterfly garden, the biggest bird park in the world and a placid lake with boats for rent. Lake Gardens cover quite a big area, and doing all of it on foot can wear you out in the heat. I wish they would have banned all cars and rented bicycles instead.

After another three nights in KL, it was time to return home. The Air Asia flight was not only cheap but also punctual and took us in two hours back to Bangkok. It had been a very nice break from Thailand indeed. Looking back, I was very pleasantly surprised by Singapore and racked up another positive experience in Malaysia. However, I was a bit surprised and dismayed that a lot more people than I had imagined in both Singapore and Malaysia smoked, with countless cigarette butts littering the streets especially in KL.

Several English language newspapers are available in both Singapore and Malaysia. While we were there, two Malaysian stories caught my teacher’s eye. The first one decried the situation in which youngsters find themselves pushed to the limit by their parents to perform well academically and are dragged kicking and screaming to tutoring schools every weekend, thus denying them the opportunity to be a child and play with friends. It surely reminded me of Thailand. The second one focused on parents’ anger towards a teacher who thought nothing of caning a boy after he had supposedly misbehaved. Locals usually condone corporal punishment and wouldn’t have batted an eyelid if it weren’t for the fact that in this particular case the boy who underwent the caning suffered from Down’s Syndrome.

A belated Happy Buddhist New Year to everyone.

The author of this article can be contacted at philiproeland@hotmail.co.uk
1/5/2008