Sip bath

'We are going to Bang Saen al on the sea. We'll take Keauw Toad and Somtam with us.'

Who doesn't know that popular Dutch song? Sung by Louis Davids. Every now and then I sometimes surprise myself with my creativity. But this aside.

Because, after four weeks, I am already getting bored of Thailand, which I think many more Thai Dutch people suffer from, given the intense interest in Thailand blog, my dear Thai wife Sao organized a ride to the beach of Bang Saen, so about 80 kilometers from Bangkok. When we arrived in Bang Saen, after a long search, we finally found a parking space. It was Sunday so there were many Thai locals out and about.

I have immense respect for the Thai concept of marketing. We were barely out of the car when at least three Thai ladies (not the prettiest, by the way) tried to guide us to the folding seats with those linen striped cloths, which I always fear that my 100 kg will pass through. fall but especially when getting up has to fight to get out again. Without exception, these rickety folding chairs are placed under thousands of umbrellas, mostly worn to the thread.

Collection of disaster chairs, worn to the thread

'Loi Ped Sip' (forgive my phonetic rendering) came from the mouth of one of the Thai ladies who apparently belonged to this collection of disaster chairs. On to another war zone. 'Loi Ped Sip' sounded again.

As befits the Thai, my beautiful Sao abandoned these aggressive sales tactics and stoically looked for more suitable seats. It is unclear to me what search arguments she used. Because wherever I looked all chairs and umbrellas looked alike, only one with more holes than the other. They are all worn down to the thread.

Everyone knows that making decisions is not the Thai thing. So I sat down somewhere, which earned relief and approval from my Sao, who was spared to make a decision for himself. 'Loi Ped Sip' it sounded. I think, pure cartel formation I thought. Should the Thai competition authority take action against this.

'Loi Ped Sip' for seats with a view of such a mountain of black (car) inner tubes of which you see thousands and thousands on the beach, all mountains. Quantity is still the Thai's only marketing tool.

Otherwise perfectly stacked, the largest at the bottom and the smallest at the top and all with white Thai details, often eroded by the seawater or sea wind, apparently intended to enable the owner to identify his valuable inner tube.

Well-meaning junk

We hadn't even sat down before a colorful procession of Thai sellers passed us by. All kinds of products, mainly food, were offered for sale. Deep fried frames en pu, clams, oysters and colorful cotton candy. Don't even think about eating this. Thailand is still in the top ten of the diarrheal countries for a reason.

But also those rattling windmills, plastic buckets with shovels and even more of that well-intentioned rubbish not to shorten all the range of Thai masseuses. It reminded me of the past, sixty years ago, when I went to Zandvoort with my parents and saw the same practices there, except for those masseuses.

Great to see it again; hence my parody of 'We are going to Zandvoort'. It must be said that I was again annoyed by that shameless cartel formation, whoever you asked: all the same prices.

Brilliant marketing

My eye fell on a, I think three-year-old boy. In one hand a plastic bag containing a few rolls of toilet paper, in the other hand a toilet roll and a bag around his neck. 'SIP BATH' he said to me. Had to laugh at that serious look of that little boy he pulled.

Although I was well aware that this would give the politically correct readers of Thailand blog the necessary criticism, I was really charmed by his sales tactics. "SIP BATH," he repeated again, triumphantly holding up the roll of toilet paper.

Come on, I thought, let's see myself from the right side, took a hundred bath bill from my pocket. He handed me the toilet roll and took the 10 bath note, rummaged through his bag that hung neatly over his shoulder, fished out a XNUMX bath coin and handed it to me. "SIP BATH" he said and walked away. Brilliant marketing anyway.