Tinglish

So, there is this thing called Tinglish. Basically this is Thai + English. When people say, "oh yes, they speak English in Thailand", what they really mean is they speak Tinglish, which is something like.....

Tinglish - Sawasdee ka, I make price good for you, na ka. No paeng. Cheap, na. Other, no good, mai dai. Me good, ka? Discount very special for you, na.

Translation - Hello, I can offer you a good price, OK? I am not expensive, I am cheap, aren't I? Others do not have good merchandise, but mine is good. OK? And I will offer you (and only you) this very special discount.

So conversationally as long as you get every third word or so, things tend to go pretty smoothly. Of course, now I find myself saying "ka" and "na" a lot when unneccessary, out of habit....when talking English to other Westerners, but I hear this is what happens....

So while you don't expect your average street vendor to be fluent, you would imagine the printed billboards in malls or advertisements who do use English to use proper translation services, no? Well, you probably see where I am going here....this is not always the case. Most of the time, one notices the mistakes in passing, but ocassionally one of these signs are unintentionally funny.

For example, my friend recently found this sign and took a photo with his cell phone:

"Experience this world's modest theatrical technology."

This is being used all over the fanciest mall here with this super luxe movie theater who has just installed some cutting edge video and audio technology. I assume they mean "most" instead of "modest".

Road Trip to the Ancient Capital

Carol and I took a day trip to the ancient city of Ayutthaya – about 2 hours north of Bangkok. Ayutthaya in short, is one of Thailand's historical highlights. Serving as the Thai capital for 417 years (1350 -1767), it was once glorified as one of the biggest cities in Southeast Asia. During the 17th century, most foreign visitors to Ayutthaya, traders or diplomats alike, claimed Ayutthaya to be the most illustrious and glittering city that they had ever visited. It was actually compared the city in size and wealth to Paris in its time.

Today, there are but groups of crumbling ruins and rows of headless Buddhas where an empire once thrived. But the temples are still amazing, even if in disrepair.

The three pagodas of Wat Phra Si Sanphet house the remains of King Borommatrailokanat, King Borommarachathirat III and King Ramathibodi II. We climbed to the top of one of the temples - a precarious climb at best, because the steps are only about 5 inches wide. This is why you see me hanging on to the sides (fear of heights sometimes challenges my curiosity).


The amount of detail in these structures is simply incredible. No matter where in the world I go, whenever I visit an ancient city I am unequivocally flabbergasted that these large, intricate structures were actually built with simple tools and hands. See all of the tiers in the temple at left? Amazing.

I still owe you all an entry on Phuket and Koh Phi Phi. But there are so many photos and so much to tell, I have been a bit lazy to sit and write it all. Soon I promise. Life is keeping me quite busy here. I never expected to slide so easily into an active social life with so many fascinating people and so much to see. Sometimes I have to remind myself I am here to work and not play!




Having a grand time...but still missing you all,
Joanna

$15 blueberries

OK, let this be a lesson...always look at the price tag.

While I am not price insensitive, usually it is my assumption that at the grocery store, everything is reasonably priced. Oftentimes I feel like a grocery store millionaire - it is the one place that everything is well within my financial reach. That is, until now...

One of my all time favorite "treats" is yogurt with blueberries and strawberries and a bit of granola. Suddenly hit with a craving, I realized I had not enjoyed this most delicious combination in quite some time. As there is a large market directly across from my new apartment I decided to just dash over and quickly pick up the essential ingredients. Much to my surprise, the checkout register rung up $45 for this seemingly ordinary combination. Astonished that I did not notice the high price of my exotic, imported fruit, I quickly paid the cashier and slunk out. To put this in perspective, I will let you know that your average Thai earns about $15 a week.

Later I sat at my table chewing each expensive berry very slowly. I am not persnicketty enough to count every berry and figure out the cost per berry - but I was tempted to.

OK, so I can afford $15 blueberries, but that is 3 hours worth of massage, people! And I do have my priorities straight. Next time...going local - mango and papaya.

Sawasdee ka,
(Thai for "hello" and "goodbye"....I don't know the word for "stupid foreigner that overpays for fruit")

Joanna