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Thailand - Random Thoughts Page 4
One thing I like very much in Thailand is that there are local Thai artists producing big billboard posters to advertise the films instead of using the usual, boring promotional material that comes from the film studios. The BBC ran an article about a similar thing in Pakistan: In pictures: Pakistan's cinema art
Some countries I've visited fill the airwaves with popular music from Britain and America, hardly producing any of their own locally. Not so Thailand. It's different in Bangkok but out in the provinces it is rare to hear any foreign music. All of the music I listen to on the local radio stations is home grown and some of it is very, very good. In fact, I'm getting quite hooked. As a casual listener, the music seems to be divided into two streams. There is the more traditional style Thai music with strained vocals, twangy mandolin-type and other traditional instruments, over-enthusiastic horn sections and funky electric guitars. This doesn't usually do too much for me. It's better to my ears than Chinese traditional music and nowhere near as annoying as Indian music but I find it quite depressing after a while. A certain type of Thai folk music is known as look-thung and it is very popular. Unfortunately, my Thai isn't good enough to understand the lyrics most of the time. I have a hard enough time with the spoken word, let alone songs, especially if regional dialects are used. However, I am told that the songs reflect everyday life. They are about culture, modern living, problems in society, etc. A kind of political commentary set to music. I really wish that I could understand more but maybe later as my Thai improves. There is a write up about look-thung here. I really like some look-thung tunes (my current favourite at the time of writing is a singer called Ajareeya Bussaba) but much of it falls into the category of twangy instruments, strained vocals, depressing lyrics, etc. The fact of the matter is that there are many different styles of Thai music but I just don't know enough about them to begin to describe the subtle differences. Mor Lam is another popular genre, originating from the Northeast - Lao and Isaan - but even Mor Lam can be sub-divided into several different forms. See the Wikipedia Mor Lam entry for more details. Another big favourite of mine is the album Kard Kao Rao Yoo by Goong Bussayamat. It has the usual sad songs that the Thais love but also some upbeat, happy music. The title track is superb and if you buy the VCD version the video is quite powerful. It is the classic Thai pop music theme of a man going off with another woman and leaving his wife and daughter to survive alone. All tear jerking stuff but she gets through it of course and does OK even after the love rat did a dirty on her. The other tracks are also very good and explore some unusual themes. Does som-tum matter? People make it now with apple and carrot but it should be made with papaya, shouldn't it? Holding on to their traditions and culture is important to the Thais and this song explores that theme. I love the video tracks that have girls dancing along with the singer. The choreography may be primitive - almost reminiscent of Pan's People in the 70's - but no other race of females move quite like Thai females and nothing makes my heart happier than to see them doing their simple dance moves with big smiles on their faces. Contemporary Thai popular music is very different. Anyone who has seen the house band in a Thai bar will know that Thais can play musical instruments as well as anyone. But beyond just copying other artist's recordings a few also have the ability to write some very good songs. My problem is that although I know many of the songs from hearing them so often, I often don't know who is singing them. I know a few bands and singers and I am trying to learn more. Here's a great web site for exploring Thai popular music - Top 10 Thai Music My only complaint about Thai pop music is that most of it is about lost or unrequited love and after a while it starts to get me down. Pop videos have been played on some long bus journeys I have taken and every song seems to be about the same thing. Sad songs sell a lot better in Thailand than happy ones. The videos will typically show a girl looking at a photograph of her old boyfriend through broken glass where she has smashed the frame because he has gone off with another girl. Unfaithfulness is a very popular theme in pop music; perhaps because this reflects Thai society? Because of the popularity of Karaoke in Thailand (with most Thais having home Karaoke devices) it is often difficult to buy plain CDs of Thai music. The most popular format seems to be VCD with Karaoke lyrics in Thai and English so that everyone can sing along. Very popular is a girl from Chiang Mai called Lanna Cummins (her surname is from an Australian father, I believe). Her song Wai Jai Dai Gaa which is a really catchy tune with a nice lyric was a huge hit in Thailand and would probably do well in other countries if given enough air play. Lanna's first album (called simply 'Lanna Cummins') is an absolute classic. If you are in Thailand, just buy it. It will only cost you Bt135 or so. There isn't a weak track and even though Wai Jai Dai Gaa is catchy, there are better tracks on the album. Her second album wasn't as good but the first album set the bar incredibly high. Another band I really like are a bunch of youngsters known as Endorphine. They are only in their teens and early 20's but have a huge amount of talent and the girl vocalist, Thanida Thamwimon (Da), has an amazing voice. You'd never believe that such a mature singing voice was coming from an 18 year-old. Their song Sing Sam Kan (The Important Thing) is a really nice tune and I love the song Dok Mai Ra Tri (Night Flower). Endorphine are a bit special. This isn't just a bunch of kids making a noise. The individual musicianship and the way the songs are structured tell me that they are a very special talent. They could go far in international markets given the right support and backing. The closest Western band I can compare them to is The Cardigans. The overall sound of the band is defined by the distinctive voice of a female lead singer, the musicians behind the singer are very good and they have an ability to write very catchy songs. Reading about how Endorphine were formed confirms my view that great music is created by individuals who come together by chance. It's not a process that can be replicated by TV talent contests or by putting together pretty boys and girls who can dance and are pleasing on the eye. Endorphine started off as a high school band formed by a couple of brothers and a friend. They then had a big break finding Da, the lead singer. Just like when Lennon met McCartney in Liverpool and when Donald Fagen accidentally heard Walter Becker playing guitar at Bard college in New York it's a piece of magic when this happens but it's fate and can't be recreated artificially. Endorphine have a way to go to catch the Beatles or Steely Dan but who knows!! Well done Thailand for not just jumping on the boy and girl band bandwagon. It's great that the country is producing so much good music. I'm convinced that many of the songs would do well in Western markets if they were given the airplay. March 2006 update: I have been told that Da, the singer with Endorphine, who I raved about above, has throat cancer and that her singing career is therefore over. I was devastated when I heard. Not only has Thailand lost a great pop singer but the poor girl is barely into her 20's. Truly, very sad. My thoughts are with you Nong Da eThaiStore.Com offers an excellent selection of Thai music for sale online.
An article I read about the band Endorphine was written by Nuttaporn Srisirirungsimakul ("Porn" somewhere in the name is quite common; it means gift, or blessing, in Thai which is how many parents feel about their children). One of the Endorphine band members is called Anucha Boethongkhamkul. Here are a few more examples from a newspaper that was lying around which employs journalists called Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn, Achara Pongvuthitam and Somchainuek Engtrakul. You get the picture? Surnames aren't that important and are a fairly recent phenomenon in Thailand. King Rama VI (King Jajiravudha) introduced a law in 1913 that made it mandatory for all Thais to have family names and he himself granted surnames to many people. Normally someone will be known just by their first name and a title, such as Khun Sirichok or, in the case of a teacher, Ajarn Tawat. I mentioned elsewhere that life is just a game for Thais and of course these names are far too serious. Therefore, they all have official nicknames or cheu len in Thai, which they are given at birth. A more accurate translation would be 'play names'. These are what Thais use all the time in daily life, not bothering with their formal names. They are short - normally one syllable - and reflect the Thai sense of fun. There aren't that many so after a while in Thailand you will doubtless know several Goongs, Nois, Leks and Daengs. Animal nicknames are quite common. 'Goong' - shrimp, 'Bplaa' - fish, 'Maow' - cat, 'Nok' - bird. Three girls I knew were called Toffee, Apple and Pai. It seems that parents sometimes make an effort to give siblings matching nicknames. I have two little friends who are brother and sister named Di Di and Do Do and know two sisters called Om and Em. The worst ones I've heard are 'Bee-Em' and 'Benz' (as in German luxury automobiles) for twin boys and Nokia (as in mobile phone). It starts to give an idea of the Thai value system these days. Just to complicate matters, friends will give each other unofficial nicknames based on appearance or behaviour. An example would be my friend, Aor. Aor is her official nickname and Pritsapa is her real name. Her friends call her Ban because she has a round face and ban (so they tell me) is a classifier for round things. Sometimes the names sound quite cruel. A friend of mine who was killed in the tsunami was called Chang Noi (little elephant) because he was a large-built lad but there is never any malice intended. Aor calls her best friend Oo-an which means 'fat' in Thai and yes, Cin is a chunky girl. Sometimes nicknames are just one syllable from the person's formal first name. Nit for Oranit, Dee for Natadee, Ju for Jutharat, etc. However, Mr Sa-Ard Fish Ball is unusual, even for Thailand.
I find photography quite a challenge in Thailand for a variety of reasons. Being so close to the equator, the natural light from the sun directly overhead is extremely harsh and of course good light is essential for good photographs. I have always found the light for photography to be better further away from the equator. The narrow exposure latitude of current digital camera sensor technology only makes things worse in this respect. With harsh light and strong shadows, getting the right exposure can be very difficult. Dusk is a brief affair in Thailand and the sun shines brightly most days. As a result there are very few occasions when I think to myself that the light is perfect for taking photos. The rainy season (when it isn't actually raining) presents more opportunities for good photos because of the cloud cover but I have experienced periods several months long in the hot season when the sun shines brightly every single day and there isn't a cloud in the sky.
They are a very image conscious race and generally like having their photos taken but only if they can pose. In every town there are shops where they can get posed photo shoots done. The girls love these places and will typically get lots of photos of themselves taken cuddling fluffy animals. What they don't like are candid shots but these are exactly what I like taking. Posed photos are generally quite boring and I have always found natural portraits to be far more interesting. In Thailand though it sometimes gets me into trouble. I thought a telephoto lens might be the answer but what often happens is that I will be watched constantly as I wander around with a camera. It's probably different in Bangkok where the pace of life is faster but in provincial Thailand, in towns where there aren't many farangs, the locals watch visiting foreigners like hawks. Another issue with taking photos is sensitivity. Some beggars I've seen have been in a desperate state but as much as I would like to capture their plight on camera something inside stops me from doing so. At times it just doesn't seem right. In 2004 I contracted a serious fungal infection in my right eye and as a result almost lost my eye. This occurred on the same day I had visited a poor Muslim fishing village and had been poking my camera rather obtrusively into peoples' lives there. I viewed everything through the camera with my right eye and, just hours after, I developed a serious problem in that eye. To this day I think it may have been a case of instant bad karma. Photographing Thai girls frustrates me because I can never make them appear as beautiful on film as they are in the flesh (so to speak). It would be easy for me to say they aren't photogenic to make excuses for my lack of skill but that isn't the case. I just need to practice more, and anyway, taking photos of pretty girls is no hardship. As with photography everywhere, there is a huge amount of luck involved. Whenever I go out without my camera I normally see something I'd like to take a photo of. Thailand offers many fantastic opportunities for great photos. It is a land of so many contrasts where East meets West and old meets new. I maintain that it isn't easy to get truly great shots but that is the wonderful thing about photography. On those odd occasions when everything comes together just right it is a very satisfying feeling.
I put it down to American's trying to keep the frontier spirit alive. They all want to build their 'Little House on the Prairie' living the American Dream and a rugged, utility vehicle helps to reinforce the desired lifestyle (even though most live on housing developments in towns and only use their pickup trucks to go to the local shopping mall). In many ways, pickup trucks have replaced horses in American culture. There is a big 'macho' culture surrounding pickups which might also explain why they are so popular in Australia.
Why? Firstly, it is economics with passenger cars having high excise taxes. There is also a bit of a 'frontier' spirit in Thailand too which I think makes utility vehicles more appealing. However, in Thailand I see more practical benefits of having a pickup than in the US. The majority of the population lives in fairly rural areas and a vehicle with a big carrying capacity is essential. Being a developing country, the roads aren't always very good so a sturdy vehicle is advantageous. It is not only goods that get carried in the back. A very common sight in rural and provincial Thailand is to see 20 people sitting in the back of a pickup truck. And of course, they are ideal vehicles for the annual Songkran water fight.
To achieve this dream some get their pickup trucks converted into sawng-thaews so they can live their dream and make a living at the same time. I am informed that Isuzu trucks are stronger than other brands and have better fuel economy. The same Thai man that told me this also said that older Isuzu models were tougher than the current D-Max ones.
Obviously, being such a big market, the American manufacturers have tried to attack it but the dominance of Isuzu and Toyota is just too strong. You see a few Chevrolets around but not many. There are also a few monster trucks that are quite fascinating vehicles and I also see a vintage US Dodge pickup occasionally which looks as if it is indestructible. It must weigh at least four tonnes. If you want to make an impression in Thailand, forget about buying a Boxster. Just head down to the local Isuzu showroom.
The whole country is plumbed with blue plastic pipe and it works very well. It's light, durable and cheap and it's probably recyclable too. What's more, it is easy to work with. It only seems to require a bit of PTFE tape to secure joints and there is no need to employ expensive plumbers.
What is interesting however is that in all my time in Thailand I have not experienced or witnessed one single untoward incident involving the police. One of my neighbours is a cop and he is a nice guy. Most of the policemen I have spoken to have been fine and, on one occasion, a group of off-duty cops still in uniform who I met in a restaurant insisted on paying for my meal. When I went to the local police station with my girlfriend to report the theft of her bank passbook the cops on duty were courteous and efficient. Despite all the stories I have heard about taking bribes, whenever I have seen cops pull up Thais for traffic offences everything is done completely by the book with proper tickets written out. My only criticism is that I don't see enough cops on the streets and on the roads and, as a result, law enforcement is pretty slack. The photo shows a cop who has just pulled four youngsters on a motorbike. Four people on one bike doesn't appear to be an offence in itself but on this occasion the rider of the bike wasn't wearing a crash helmet. Many Thais blatantly break this particular law but, at the time of writing, the traffic police seem to be having a bit of a blitz. The girl in the photo is demonstrating what to do if you get pulled in Thailand. Just smile. She knew she had broken the law and she got caught. There's no point getting angry, the damage has already been done. Making a fuss will only antagonise the cop so just pay the fine, smile and don't do it again - unless you want to pay another fine.
The Thais certainly love their public holidays and there are no shortage of them. However, in terms of actually getting a day off, the country is divided between government and banking workers and the rest of society. The poor buggers earning Bt6,000 a month (80% of Thailand's population earns less than Bt10,000 a month) don't even get weekends off, let alone public holidays. Those fortunate enough to work in government departments - including schools - or banks, or similar institutions do rather well though. Normally, as a tourist this won't really affect you because everything you want will be open whenever you want it. However, if you need to deal with a government department as a result of living in, or visiting, Thailand you may be affected. Please also note that foreign embassies and consulates located in Thailand observe Thai public holidays. If you stay in Thailand for any length of time it is well worth buying a Thai calendar. Many of them have the months and days written in English as well if you can't read Thai and they show all the public holidays. The kind of thing you don't want to be doing is to show up at the Department of Labour on the last day that your work permit is valid to find the office closed. Instead of just being able to get a straightforward extension you may find you need to go through the complete application process again starting from scratch if your permit has expired, and no excuses.
This sounds so British. I realise that outside of Britain and North America waiting for your turn in line is a bit of a weird concept but we anal Brits are funny like that. Sorry. Some places in Thailand operate a ticket system where people take a numbered ticket from a machine as they arrive and wait for their number to be called. I like this idea. It works most of the time except that people still go straight to the counter without getting a ticket. What's different in Thailand compared to many other countries is that the person will normally be served instead of some officious dragon telling them to get a ticket. The other thing that's different is the people waiting with tickets never complain about a queue jumper. This type of behaviour would start a small scale war in some countries but Thais are too laid back to bother. Counter staff will often serve multiple people at the same time. If you are being served and someone else walks up they will also be served before the assistant has finished dealing with you. It happens the other way round too. I've often been asked what I want before the person in front has finished being served. Thais will think nothing of going straight to the front of a queue if mainly farangs are queuing. I've seen this a lot with locals who are assisting farangs with visas. They just go to the front of a long queue, talk to the official and collect the passport or whatever it is they want. Foreigners probably can't understand what is being said and ignore what is going on but it is simply queue jumping.
Thai schools are quite fascinating places because they are microcosms of Thai society at large. Image, of course, is very important. The entrance to the school will be impressive and at large schools there will be an army of low-paid women who walk around with brooms all day sweeping and picking up fallen leaves. Activity days open to the public and other schools are very important to showcase the school and make a good impression to the outside world. Students will take weeks to prepare for big events such as 'Academic Day' or 'Sports Day' and neglect their lessons but this is quite acceptable to their teachers. School uniforms are an important part of presenting the right image and all pupils will wear their uniform. There will be different uniforms. Sometimes the boys will show up in their standard white shirts and long blue shorts, other days they will wear scout uniforms and some of the older boys will wear army fatigues once a week for their afternoon at military camp.
However, when it comes to English lessons, which is a skill that will be far more useful to them in the long run, many will just piss about and basically do what they want. The school day starts with everyone standing to attention followed by a long, droning speech from a senior teacher. Thais have the most amazing ability to talk continuously for hours on end when speaking into a microphone. With the uniforms, marching bands and almost military precision at the start of the day it is easy to think that Thai schools are efficient seats of learning. Unfortunately what goes on in the classrooms is nothing like the image presented to the outside world. The 'Thai' in Thailand means freedom and this is an important part of the Thai male psyche. I have to stress that in their general behaviour Thai males and females are poles apart. The freedom for an average Thai male to do what he wants is very important to him and he doesn't like anyone telling him otherwise, especially a farang. Westerners generally think of schools as places to receive education. For Thai kids school is just somewhere to have fun and learning isn't that important. Passing their grades is important but in many Thai schools there is no such thing as failing so it's not something to really worry about, especially if they come from a wealthy family. Some schools have separate departments purely for discipline but they are ineffective in maintaining discipline just as the Thai police are ineffective at maintaining laws. At an early age Thai school children are nurtured in a very gentle environment by female teachers. It produces nice kids but they don't exactly learn a lot. After high school many Thais go to university. A bachelor's degree is now the minimum educational requirement in Thailand. There isn't a job advertised that does not ask for a bachelor's degree at least. Even working in McDonalds in Thailand requires a bachelor's degree. Without a degree the only jobs open for Thais are menial ones with minimum wage rates of pay. For this reason all but the poorest Thais go to university. There are universities everywhere and a huge number of graduates are being produced each year but what does this really mean? With all these new graduates, is Thailand creating a highly skilled, highly motivated work force to compete in the global marketplace? Sadly not. Many undergraduates have never studied the subject they choose to do a degree in. Many are not the brightest of students but are just going through the process of getting the piece of paper that will enable them to get a half-decent job. I was told by the head of computing at a big university that some students arrive to start a degree in computing having never seen a computer before. I therefore don't put much value on Thai bachelor's degrees. It's an image thing as well. The government can boast of a large, highly-qualified work force but the average UK 'O' level student would run rings around most Thai graduates. Of course, there are many exceptions. Those students who continue in education to do Master's degrees and PhDs are generally quite sharp and students at the Bangkok universities tend to be a bit smarter than those from provincial universities. This is something to remember if teaching at a university. There are bright students but there are also a lot who can't be bothered and do the minimum amount possible just to get through their courses.
Although I would like to blame America for the gradual demise of Thai cultural values in Thailand and the erosion of a non-materialistic, happy way of life for one of materialism and consumerism; the USA isn't entirely to blame. The big supermarket, cum shopping mall, players in Thailand are Tesco (British) and Carrefour (French). Following the 1997 financial crisis, Thailand blamed globalisation and foreign influences for what had gone horribly wrong, not wanting to look at the failings closer to home which actually had more to do with what happened. The outside world was suddenly an enemy again and some nationalistic, even xenophobic, attitudes were spawned. Thaksin, being the opportunist he is, made the most of this, setting out a nationalistic ticket for his 'Thais love Thais' party and vowing to fight the world using his dodgy business management skills. It was a sure-fire winner among Thais and, despite being a supreme crook, he came to power with an enormous amount of support. There was a big expectation among Thais at the time that restrictions would be imposed on foreign businesses operating in Thailand, such as Tesco and Carrefour. The big supermarkets were hurting small Thai business owners who weren't able to compete. They weren't big enough to fight back and needed government assistance. However, big foreign businesses operating in Thailand are beneficial to certain people. Awarding big contracts means big kickbacks and once the new stores are in operation there is an ongoing tax revenue stream (something that Thaksin doesn't like paying himself). GDP also gets a boost which is the only thing Thaksin measures his success by. So, what did he do? In any situation where there is a choice of doing something for the good of Thailand and the Thai people or doing something that will financially benefit government, politicians, friends, family and cronies, there will only ever be one decision. Foreign retail chains have been allowed to continue opening huge stores unchecked and the Thais love them - provided, of course, they are not small shop owners. It's easy to understand why. With lots of people milling around (most of them completely aimlessly) there is an atmosphere of sanuk and the fact these huge places are air conditioned makes them sabai. Many Thais live without air conditioning and the hot season can be mighty uncomfortable without it. 'Shopping' - and many use the English word - is a favourite pastime even if they haven't got the funds to shop. They can borrow from Aeon or any of the other credit companies in Thailand as the Thaksin government has urged them to do. I have nothing against the big, foreign retail chains. They offer a good selection of food and goods at reasonable prices and having everything under one roof is very convenient. They employ lots of Thais which is also a good thing. It just seems a bit of a shame not to keep all the profit in Thailand when all the business comes from the pockets of Thai people. If you plan on getting some serious shopping done, avoid weekends. When they're not working the Thais flock to the big malls in their thousands, wandering around without a care in the world and with not the slightest idea they are getting in your way. It's impossible to get anything done quickly with so many human 'road blocks' in the way. Update September 2006: The BBC News Site reports that the Thai government has expressed concerns about foreign supermarket chains and how they might be affecting traditional fresh markets. As a result, there is some talk apparently that new stores will not be allowed to open. We shall see. This sounds like a typical pre-election type announcement so it will be interesting to see what happens after next month's election.
The Thais are a sporty nation of people which is a very healthy situation in an age where far too many people lead unhealthy lifestyles. Yes, there are problems with some kids who just eat Western fast food and play on-line computer games but many Thais exercise regularly and do so because they enjoy it. Walk around any Thai town in the evening and you will see aerobics sessions and lots of sport being played. They're good too. I have already mentioned the fact that the Thais are skilful footballers but they excel at other sports. Thai boxing, naturally, is one sport where Thailand leads but there are others. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, Thailand did well at Tae-kwon do and, for some reason, there are a lot of very good female weight-lifters. James Wattana (not his real name, I am sure) became famous many years ago on the international snooker circuit and since then other Thais have followed. It is a sport they have taken to and even the smallest of towns seem to have at least one snooker hall.
It seemed to me that letting the dogs breed unchecked just causes them more suffering. What I didn't realise at first is that taking away an animals reproductive capability is also regarded as a sinful act. Thais worry that if they sterilise an animal, karmic forces may impose the same fate on them. It is yet another aspect of life where Thai thinking differs to that of Western minds. Some of the dogs are in a real mess. I call them 'pogs' or 'digs' because they look like a cross between a dog and a pig (especially the ones with curly tails). Some don't have proper coats, just a few stray hairs on their pink bodies.
There is a government programme apparently to remove strays from the streets but I have never seen a dogcatcher in Thailand. They are only allowed to remove dogs without collars. What is rather strange is that the dogs that are obviously strays have collars. I can only imagine this is an act by local people to give the dogs some kind of protection. Thai temples are a favourite sanctuary for Thailand's animal waifs and strays. At the local Wat, wherever it may be, you will find a fine collection of dogs, cats and chickens, and remarkably they all co-exist perfectly happily. Merit-making works in favour of the animals. The local people provide for the monks and the monks provide for the animals at the Wat. A voluntary organisation known as Soi Dog Rescue was set up in 2002 (by farangs I believe) and uses donations to give some of Thailand's stray mutts a better life. If you want to help, get in touch. His Majesty the King has also done a great deal to help the plight of Thailand's stray dogs by writing about how he adopted a stray female named Tong Daeng. The book was a huge success and is also available in English. Several of Tong Daeng's descendants live in the royal households. Thailand's stray dog situation has changed little over the years. Here's an extract from the book, Foreign Records of the Bangkok Period up to A.D. 1932, tittled 'The pariah dogs of Bangkok'. "In the remotest alley, the most secluded corner, the broadest highway, or the most open of public spaces, roam the most disreputable and degraded members of the canine family -- the pariah dogs. Black, brown, white and spotted dogs with skeleton frames and sunken eyes, many of them in the last stages of disease and decay, snap at the dirtiest bone, or feast upon the filthiest rubbish they can find.
I couldn't stop because I had to work but I saw him again a couple of days later and found out what had happened. He had been hit by a vehicle - which is hardly surprising when you see how the Thais drive and how the stray dogs wander across roads. The injuries were horrific. His back had been broken leaving his rear half completely paralysed and twisted around at almost 90 degrees. The Thais had managed to get him out of the storm drain and when I saw him he was dragging himself along with his front paws. He had open sores on his back legs from where they were dragging along the ground but at least he wouldn't have felt any pain. The sores would get infected quickly though. I bought him some chicken from a nearby street vendor which he gobbled up and for the next two days I took him food. The food went in OK but I imagine the vehicle collision that shattered his spine had also wrecked his innards and he had probably lost control of his bowels. Poor thing. In his condition, the most compassionate measure would been to have had a vet put him down but that approach isn't very Thai. I asked a couple of my students what I could do and their only suggestion was to take him to the nearest temple. This is the stock Thai answer for unwanted, neglected or sick animals which is why every temple is full of animals. I continued to keep an eye out for him but after a couple of days he disappeared. I can only assume he died from his injuries or, being unable to walk properly, got him by another vehicle.
Cats do a wonderful job of taking care of themselves but the long-haired varieties need some help with brushing and washing. Not having an owner, or any human help, to assist him with his grooming, his coat had got into a real mess and he couldn't do anything about it. All this fur must be unbearable in the Thai hot season, especially the state it was in. Wandering around, he had obviously been involved in a few scrapes with other cats and he had sores on one ear to prove it. Again, I was tempted to try to get him home so I could clean him up but my apartment doesn't allow animals and, as bad as I feel, I can't rescue every suffering animal I see in Thailand. Thailand is not an easy place for animal lovers. The Thais are compassionate people and that compassion extends to all living creatures but I truly believe that the policy of leaving all animals to breed unchecked is misguided and creates, rather than alleviates, suffering. The Thais don't believe it is right to destroy or prevent life but, as a result, many animals suffer. In addition to these two examples I have seen countless stray animals suffering, including newly-born pups walking around on the streets just waiting to be run down. But what can you do? Unfortunately, not very much.
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