Before going to Thailand, I was ignorant of Indochinese in the same way that I found many Americans to be ignorant of any important differences between the Japanese and Chinese. I guess I too opinion of Indochinese as some sort of variant of Chinese. I was in for quite a surprise when I arrived in Bangkok in 1986 and though I found lots of East Asian trappings I realized very fast that Thai culture was thoroughly different from the East Asian culture I had been used to. And it's not that the fact of this distinction took me by surprise really; it's more that I had no clue as to what Thai culture was and it was a whole new world to me, replete with wonders, friendly people, scammers, and mean-looking soldiers.
I want to dispense with the rip-off artists right off the bat. Thailand seems to have more than its fair share of them even now, as the nation grows more prosperous. But to be fair, it seemed like there were less scammers when I was there in the mid-eighties, although Thailand was a much poorer country than it is now. Maybe they were just unaware that tourists mean lots of money. In any case scammers are prolific in any nation that is poorer relative to the tourists that it hosts. This is true all over the world and Thailand is no exception.
Japanese School Girls
What I suppose I loved most about the Thais was there lack of formality, their honesty, happy laughter, and nonchalance. Mai pen rai may now be a cliche Thaiism, but I remember a determined never mind attitude when I was there. And I remember that between strangers Thais were more than willing to institute a relationship ad hoc. I remember the time that I walked into a drug store to buy some prickly heat powder, and the lady pointed at my face, laughed, and said, You no shave (I hadn't). I remember the boarding school high school boy on the overnight bus who fell asleep on my chest like I was his brother or something (what was I to do, push him off?). And I remember the pretty lady at the boat mark office who looked me squarely in the face, smiled, and said, You're good finding man (she wasn't flirting, just observing). In a similar vein, I remember an piquant vegetable store girl suddenly grabbing my arm, saying, You buy. No meaning to it, just high pressure sales Thai style.
But Thais seem to be both more professional and less trusting these days. Mai pen rai.
Thailand Catch Phrases
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