Quote Originally Posted by bar dog
So yes - even if I could speak very good Thai I may still not get what I ask for.
And that's exactly what I am talking about, the argument of convenience is not a strong one, Thais are jokers, they love to joke, and even between themselves the level of miscommunication is enormous, so as a farang it really doesn't make any difference wether you speak or not, they will always take you on a ride. It's a curiosity at best.

Quote Originally Posted by Torbek
I suppose I am saying that the lack of total understanding of what is going on around you has a considerable upside and, for me at least, was one of the pleasures of living in Thailand.
That's basically my take. I was going to learn more Thais when I realized that I didn't really want to understand what they had to say, not interested in their lifestyle or "culture" as it's non-existent anyway. I had the same problem in the US. I suddently realized that I was surrounded by overweighted idiots, trash TV with nothing on, Walmart culture centered around food and frutility, and people obsessed with consumerism. With so much noises around, such an alienating society could only turn you into a brainwashed consumer bot. I didn't want to become one and I left. Living in Paris and Eastern Europe after that was extremly refreshing without the noises.