I came the first time to Thailand when travelling for my company around Asia 30 years ago. As nearly all people coming for the first time to this country I was enchanted by the exotic environment, the kindness of the people and not as least the beauty of the girls. A came then many times to visit this country, and when I got my pension, I decided to spend the rest of my life there.

 

After some years in Bangkok and Phuket, I went to the home village of my wife in the province of Surin (Isaan). I built a house, my wife opened a gas-station with a little supermarket, and I wrote some books about my experiences in this country, in which I tried to show to Farang not knowing this country, what can be found after the smile of the people, and how to avoid some stumbling blocks.

 

Since there are enough travel guides over Thailand, describing in detail, which places are worthwhile to visit, where and at which prices one can sleep, eat, go shopping, and find all kinds of entertainment, I have waived such descriptions, which are surely important for the tourist. Instead of this, I have tried to give in small stories an idea of the daily life, and of the thinking and behavior of the Thais.  All these are of course my subjective experiences, and one should be careful to generalize them too much. One should in particular see in them not a social or moral judgment of the Thais, but should take the stories as they are meant: as small multicolored snapshots, which should allow to understand somewhat better the for Farang-visitor often unforeseeable and unexplainable behavior of the Thais in their daily life.  Visitors to Thailand are usually coming only for a short time to this country.  Perhaps this book can bring them somewhat nearer the „Thai-way-of live“.  Perhaps they will then take something more home with them, than just a few postcard impressions, and more than only the confirmation of the usual picture, with which the tour operators tend to serve the expectations of the tourists.

 

 

Guenther Ruffert