1. I’d like to know, where does the name ‘The Land of Smiles’ come from? And why does Thailand have this name? Is it still used by the TAT?
James:
From 1.2 million foreign visitors to Thailand in 1977, numbers rose to 5.7 million in 1993, to 15.8 million in 2011. Tourism became a major part of Thailand’s economic growth in the 80s and that’s when slogans were introduced. The term Land of Smiles was first used as a marketing slogan in the 80s when Thailand’s tourism industry was booming (‘The Golden Decade’: 1987-1996). It was used less after the mid 90s after being replaced by ‘Amazing Thailand’, but the slogan was never really fully eclipsed.
Someone (probably a marketing department) may have taken it from an early 20th century German operetta that went by that name. Or, it may have been a modification on another well known marketing slogan ‘The Land of Good Living’, which an American PR agency gave to the state of Florida before it became ‘The Sunset State’. Arguably, Thai people do tend to smile a lot more than your average European when walking or working in the street, and of course the non-confrontational attitude people here mostly adopt may deliver a smile when in another culture a frown would be the result of the same interaction. Most Thais, as we all know, smile to diffuse an awkward situation. Smiling is an important tool to prevent the loss of face. That being said, it’s my personal opinion that when I am in rural areas people generally smile a lot with a more honest kindness, but I wouldn’t say the same for urban centres, or over-exploited resort towns. In 2009 the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration launched the ‘Bangkok City of Smile’ campaign, while Suvarnabhumi airport goes by the slogan ‘Airport of Smiles’, so the smile thing, whether true or not, is still very much (ab)used.
2. I’m new here and yet to spend a winter in Chiang Mai. It seems it has rained since I came here in April. So now it’s sunny again, and cool, what do you recommend I go out and do?
James:
Camping is possible at most national parks, though I’d stick to the camp grounds and not wander into the jungle as I did…and got lost. www.thaiforestbooking.com/nationalpark-eng.htm
3. I recently rented a house for 6 months, and when my contract was up I asked for my deposit (18,000 baht) back and was told I’d get 3,000 back as the rest of the money would be used for fixing things (I broke nothing), cleaning, labour. Is this normal?
James:
It’s not unusual in Thailand for the owner, or agent, to try and keep some, or all, of your deposit. You should generally give something for cleaning (from 500-1,500 depending on the size of the house or apartment), and if you have broken anything it will need to be fixed or replaced. You should check houses and apartments when you move in and if you find something broken, scuffed or stained, etc, then take a photo and tell the owner or the agent. Get them to sign a statement that they recognise the damage. In your case 15,000 is very excessive, if what you say is correct and you haven’t smashed the place up. Here’s what a local lawyer told me: “This is becoming a common thing in Chiang Mai because many landlords try to take advantage of renters no matter if they are Thai or foreign. This kind of landlord knows that to fight for getting a reasonable amount of deposit back takes a lot of energy and time, and in some cases requires money for the lawyer if the dispute goes to court. Therefore they are quite sure they can get your money easily. The way to get more deposit back is from talking – threatening (legal) – and lastly going to court. No government agency is directly responsible for this problem.”
4. Where can I buy toys for my kids (aged 3 and 6) for Christmas?
James:
Central Kad Suan Kaew, 3rd Floor. There’s a toy shop in Central Department store. A shop called ‘Kids’s Fusion’ has just opened on Nimman Soi 5, de Marche Mall.
A.V. Glory sells kid’s toys, both fun and educational. 199/64 Moo 2, Moo-Baan-Suan-Non-See, Chiang Mai-Maejo Road, Nongjom, Sansai, Tel: 053 262 835 www.kingskid.biz/products/aboutus.html
5. Do you know if there are any Quaker meetings in Chiang Mai?
James:
After searching for you I could not find any Quakers that meet in Chiang Mai. If any readers know of any please tell us and we will pass the information along.