Life
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An example of Thai workmanship from the Beyond the Bamboo Curtain series. Had some builders around last week to build some gates to stop the dogs wandering off. They did a good job erecting the posts firmly in position and upright. The welding on the gate frames had been carefully done. Most Thai workers miss…
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You’ll see odd things sometimes Behind the Bamboo Curtain. You’ll notice businesses and government departments moving their employees around at short notice. The Thai élite are paranoid that their senior staff will find ways of cheating them. On the other hand, they can sometimes be very caring. Benjawan had been taking a lot of time…
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Part 6 of 14: Feeding the Cat In this quietly revealing chapter, Derek wakes to a still Sunday morning and begins to see Toy’s world through new eyes. A rabbit named Brown waits patiently for breakfast, while Toy’s modest flat becomes a lens into Thai domestic life, social expectations, and the quiet pressures of living…
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Chapter 6 Talking to my son My hospital appointment came more quickly than I had expected. Hooked up to several machines by what seemed like an endless flow of wires, I spent two hours on a bed while examinations on my heart were completed. The good news was that the hospital had found nothing out of…
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Beyond the Bamboo Curtain It seemed like longer, but Toy and I had been together for only nine days. Were we going too fast? Was I going too fast? Did I know enough about her after such a short time? Much of what I’d gleaned about Thailand had come from internet forums and from Richard’s…
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Part 3: A Thai Thief I had crammed a lot into my first five days in Thailand. I had been puzzled and perhaps confused by some of the differences I noticed between Thai and Western ways. Although the people seemed happy and relaxed, maybe there was something being concealed behind the smile that was on…
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Part 1 We’re Airborne This is the first in a 14-part series tracing Derek’s journey through the subtle, often unseen layers of Thai society. Each instalment offers a glimpse behind the bamboo curtain—where social cues, quiet tensions, and unspoken hierarchies shape daily life. We begin mid-air, with altitude and anticipation, as Derek’s story takes flight.…
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Thais are taught from an early age not to show their emotions, not to reveal their true feelings to others. It’s difficult for westerners to understand this as it’s a complex cultural attribute, unique to peoples of the East, particularly the Far East. Let’s think about the Thai Smile They are just showing their happiness…