Lost in translation

As I mentioned, Thailand is definitely much more English friendly than Mexico.  But there are humorous moments along the way.  The other day, I was walking down the street, not entirely sure where I was, so I asked a couple of other tourists.  They pulled out their map (a different one than mine) and pointed to the road we were on.  I compared it to my map and noticed that the spellings of the streets were different. According to my guidebook, this is quite common since there’s no standardized way to translate the Thai script into English.  Which leads to what I saw a bit later that day.  A restaurant advertising that they have “veggaquariam” food.  Hmm…not sure I want to try that.  But here’s the best.  Still later, same day, I noticed what looked like a restaurant.  There was a pepsi sign outside with Thai script on it.  Above that was another sign.  In English.  With one word on it.  Marijuana.  And yes, it is illegal here.  In fact, you can get the death penalty for drug offenses here.  So I’m definitely avoiding that place.

BTW, on a completely unrelated note, have I mentioned that it’s HOT here.  WOW!  The temperature is pretty similar to what it was in Mexico.  But the experience is totally different.  In Mexico, I rarely used sunscreen and only sweated when I played with the kids.  Here, I start sweating after walking a couple of blocks and I’m drenched after 30-60 minutes.  I’ve been taking two showers a day and that doesn’t feel like enough. And to think, I considered going to India where it’s 15-20 degrees hotter than Thailand.  Fortunately, the retreat center I’m going to is on a mountain above the city so it should be a bit cooler.

Speaking of which, I head to the center this afternoon.  So I’ll be out of touch until mid-June.  Be well….