My Seventh Day in Bangkok

We finished the training today. It was good, very informative and I really understood most of the topics.

During lunch I went to Tops Supermarket at Central in Silom.  I bought spices and some other local food.

I also saw this nice black dress, bought it at 790 Baht. I also got 2 pieces of knit wear, at 750 Baht each.

Tonight, we have a Bangkok everyone party at K’Wan’s place.

My sixth day in Bangkok

O God, never hide from me. But more correctly, never allow me to hide from You so that I could see You all the days of my life. Amen.

I enjoyed the activity last night,

Loi Krathong

Loy Krathong is as old as Thai heritage and represents a close bond between Thai culture and water. The festival takes place on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month when the water level is high and the climate is cooler. Participants ask water spirits to sail away their troubles in their krathongs, which are containers traditionally made from banana leaves and carrying offerings of incense, lotus flowers and small money.

My Krathong was nice. I bought it at 30 baht. I’ll post our pictures later.

Many Thais were there to send off their Krathong. The mood was festive, with lots of students around. They sold food, drinks, sparklers and Krathong.

After theat, we went to a mall to eat at KFC, tooka cab going back to the hotel.

My fourth day in Bangkok

I’m really having a nice time here in Bangkok. I’ve gone to Chatuchak, Sukhumvit and Suan Lum Market. Last night I bought 9 pieces of scarf at 50 Baht each. That’s around P70 per piece. I’m giving 4 pieces away for Christmas. The pieces I keep for myself. hehehe… I also bought spicy tamarind at 110 Baht for a 3-tube pack.

The XPON office here is so nice. They have a nice Conference Room, nice Espresso machine, with complete condiments — cream, milk, cocoa, sugar or low-cal sugar. They have nice office and furnitures. People are nice too. They always smile at me even if they don’t know me.

For lunch, we ate at the Foodcourt beside the office. It was a turo-turo style eatery without the flies. The noodles and coke cost only 35 Baht.

The last time I was here, I didn’t have money to spend. And it was a treat for us. But now, it also feels like a treat for me because I was sent by the company for training and meeting. I’m staying at the Landmark Bangkok, a 5-star hotel, with all the works. I share the room with my colleague, but there’s no issue there.

Here’s some of my official expenses so far:

Taxi from house to Airport    P180

Terminal Fee                          P750

Taxi from Airport to Hotel     300 Baht

Toll from Airport to Hotel        70 Baht

20081109 Taxi from Hotel to Dinner 101 Baht

20081109 Taxi from Hotel to Dinner 120 Baht

20081110 BTS card                             160 Baht

More kwento this week!

Useful Thai Phrases

For my up and coming business mixed with pleasure trip to Bangkok, here are some useful Thai phrases to memorize….

Some Useful Thai Phrases.

 

Hello & Good Bye	Sa-wat dee (kha,krab)
Thank you	Khorb koon
How much?	Gee baht
Where is ……?	……. yoo tee nai
I don’t want	Mai tong gaan
Sorry	Khor toat
I like it	Chob maak
Yes/No	Chai/ Mai chai
Why?	Tum mai
What?	Arai
I want to go to…	Chun ja pai …….
Toilet	Hong naam
Which way?	Pai taang nai
Left	Sai
Right	Kwaa
Straight on	Tong pai
Is it far?	Gai mai?
How to go to …….?	Pai …….. yang ngai
Never mind	Mai pen rai

Do you speak English?	Kun poot par sar ang grit dai mai
How do you do? (pleased to meet you)	Yin dee tee roo jak
I beg your pardon?	Arai na
I don’t understand	Pom (di chan) mai kow jai
See you later	Laiw jer gan
Can you help me?	Chuay pom (di chan) noy dai mai
Where can I get a taxi?	Pom (di chan) ja reark taihk see dai tee nai
How long?	Narm mai
Can I get you a drink?	Pom (di chan) (b)pai ow kreuang deurm hai ow mai
I hope we’ll meet again	Pom (di chan) wang war row ja dai jer gan eek
Do you mind if I smoke?	Kun ja rang geart mai tar pom (di chan) ja soop bu ree

 

Shopping

Shopping is the first thing, many tourists do when they arrive in Thailand. Thailand has a lot to offer in terms of shopping from air-conditioned shopping malls to dozens of outdoor markets. Department stores usually have a fixed price, but in markets, you can bargain the price.

How much is this?	Ra ka thao rai
That is a little expensive	Paeng pai
Can you make it cheaper?	Lot noi dai mai
How about ……. Baht?	….. baht dai mai?
Can you help me?	Chuay dai mai
Can I see that?	Khor doo dai mai
I am just looking.	Khor doo thao nun
I will come back later.	Ja ma mai
Do you have something bigger (or smaller)? (“Yai” = Big, “Lek” = Small)	Mee yai (or lek) gwar mai
Do you have another colour?	Mee see auen mai
Never mind	Mai pen rai

Numbers

It is important to learn Thai numbers if you want to be serious about shopping and bargaining in Thailand. Prices in department stores are marked but you will have to ask the price in outdoor market then try to make it cheaper.

0	Soon	20	Yee sib
1	Nueng	30	Saam sib
2	Song	40	See sib
3	Saam	50	Har sib
4	See	60	Hok sib
5	Har	70	Jed sib
6	Hok	80	Paed sib
7	Jed	90	Gao sib
8	Paed	100	Nueng roi
9	Gao	200	Song roi
10	Sib	1,000	Nueng pan

Once you have mastered from one to ten, the rest is easy.

Number’s Unit – 10: Sib, 100: Roi, 1,000 Pan, 10,000: Muen, 100,000: Saen, 1,000,000: Laan

Example- 21: Yee sib et, 22: Yee sib song, 23: Yee sib saam, 30: Sam sib et, 32: Saam sib song, 45: See Sib har, 57: Har sib jed, 63: Hok sib saam, 71: Jed sib et, 89: Pad sib gao, 98: Gao sib paed, 1200: Nueng pan song soi, 1,312: Nueng pan sam roi sib song

From the above example I hope you can pretty much combine the unit with the numbers.

Restaurants

Are you going to eat here or take away?	Gin tee nee reu glub baan
Eat here	Gin tee nee
Take away	Glub baan
Can I have more please?	Khor eak dai mai
Can I have an extra plate?	Khor Jaan plao neung bai
Clear the Table	Geb jaan
Check bill	Geb tung
Can I have a spoon (fork) please?	Khor chorn (som) noi dai mai?
Delicious	Aroi
Not Delicious	Mai Aroi
Not Spicy	Mai Ped

Can you recommend a good restaurant?	Chuay neh nam pat tar karn dee dee hai noy dai mai
May I have the menu please?	Kor doo rai garn ar harn noy dai mai
I don’t eat meat	Pom (di chan) mai tarn neua
Waiter/Waitress	Boy/kun
What do you recommend?	mee arai nar tarn barng
What kind of seafood do you have?	Mee ar harn ta ley arai barng
Keep the change	Gehp ngern torn ow wai
Can I pay with this Credit Card?	Jai duay bat krey dit dai mai
I’d like to pay	Gehp ngern duay
I enjoyed it, thank you	Pom (di chan) a roy mark korp kun
May I have a receipt?	Kor bai seht rap ngern noy dai mai

 

Learning another language is certainly challenging, but if you cannot get all the phrases listed here at the first time, do not be disheartened. Listen how native people speak and practice as practice makes one perfect.

http://www.mypattaya.com/80thaiphrases.asp