What does Hua Hin need?

[Willow]

aloha all, i have only been in hua hin for a week, but i must say i agree with the posts of things needed here. i will like to add my concern about the rat problem. as is well known, they are filthy, diseae ridden vermin. it would be wonderful and healthy if some sort of eradication process could be undertaken.
as for the dogs, i have not noticed a problem. there is one by my hotel who seems to find one in a hundred people she does not like and chases after them. it is quite comical, perhaps because i am not one of her victims. i saw another dog at a hotel, who was wearing a muzzle. i guess he had priors.
coming here after a week in bangkok, has been a blessing. i was contemplating jumping off a rooftop. the city is not conducive for habitation.
well,
that is my rant for now.

[Chas]

OK. I agree with a most of the comments on what Hua Hin needs and am ready to add one to the list.. .realizing that it may be wildly radical and possibly a banned topic!

How about a proper church?

I am not an extremely religious person, though I have a deep spiritual sense which here is fed partly by regular attendance at Buddhist temple services with my Thai partner.

The ideal for me would be a typical C of E chapel with a proper minister, decent sermon, good music and perhaps vespers. I am RC actually, but they threw out just about everything I liked with Vatican 2. I go to the local RC church once on a while out of desperation but always leave depressed. Closest place seems to be Bangkok and I'm not driven enough to make that trip just to go to church!!

Anyway, just thought I would add it to the list and see what response might be generated.

[JD]

Hi Chas,

Like yourself I also need to give a little spiritual thanks now and again.

The one place I can deal with in Hua Hin is the christian service they hold at The Hilton on Sundays at 10.am.

Nice and friendly without any pressure, has helped me out a few times when I felt the need.

[Chas]

Thanks JD. I have known about the Hilton group since I came here, but I didn't want to mention them in my first post.

I am really glad you found them helpful but I am afraid that I just can't abide fundamentalists and fundamentalist gatherings. . .much too judgemental and bent on converting the "heathen masses"

I think I will probably have to stick to the local temple on Buddhist holy days ( and my occassional Sunday mass at the Salesian church.) I hoped in posting that somehow a wandering priest (perhaps somebody on the website or a friend or family member) might visit here and set up shop!

Anyway, I have often remarked to people that one of the nicest things about being in Thailand is the "live & let live" attitude fostered by Buddhism. No ranting and raving against SEX, no TV preachers pounding their bibles at you and no vacant-eyed teenagers coming to your door every week handing out cheap bible tracts. Buddhists seem comfortable letting you be who you are. . . and I like that!

I must also add that the the local Thai priests (RC) are VERY nice indeed, just the service is so damned depressing!

[Jaime]

Anyway, I have often remarked to people that one of the nicest things about being in Thailand is the "live & let live" attitude fostered by Buddhism.

I think this is true up to a point but as far as I know there have been religious persecutions against non-Buddhist Thais in the past - in particular there are Thai RC martyrs commemorated in, from memory, Mukdahan. And of course there are the tensions between Thai Buddhists & Muslims. My observation is that religion and nationalism are intertwined in Thailand.

Apologies if this has strayed too far off-topic or into banned territory!

[Chas]

Not banned territory for me, Jaime! I enjoy discussing religion and in fact teach an online course in which the main focus of discussion is sexuality and Christianity.. .and yes, that DOES make for very interesting discussions!!

However, I did not realize that intolerance to the point of killing others is a part of Thai/Buddhist history. .in fact I am really woefully ignorant of Thai history, just not having found a text yet that tells the REAL story. ( I don't want to read distorted drivel) I am open to suggestions on this if you know of a good, independent History of Thailand. ! And I will look up the Mukadan martyrs.

My remarks about Thai "live and let live" philosophy came entirely from what I have seen and heard around me and my experience of living here in Hua Hin/Cha am. Your reply also makes me wonder how much of the violence in the south is due to Buddhist attitudes toward Muslims. All the news reports present the Buddhists as total innocents and the Muslims as unprovoked terrorists.

[Guess]

Try "A popular History of Thailand" written by a Thai historian who has studied both Western and Thai historical writings and attempted to explain why there are so many apparent analogies and many differences.

As for the religous stuff. Most peoples of the world follow one religion or another (even if that religion is communism). I believe that all of them somewhere advise that all people should respect others.

This, however has not stopped any of them kiling others and in many cases each other. If anything I would think that ther has been more success in Asia then anywhere else in the world.

[niceday]

A real international school.

Here Here.

I know its against brains to be honest about certain schools.
Lets just say some people posting very positive things about a certain school might have other interests at heart. for example they might own or have a strong income from the god damn school or the like.
There is word of a new school here next year hopefully a real school that can deliver what they promise.
I always feel sorry for other parents the thai ones who work so hard to spend 80K plus a year to send their kids to some facade "everthing is wonderful, we care" school.
If you see international on the brouchure check it out for yourself and if you can talk to the foreign teachers and also the thai assisants who are supposed to be able to talk real English and not god damn basic robot chicken English.

i wonder would it be an idea to hire philaphino(sp?) assistants but then you run risk of them confusing and scaring your kid into an over the top jesus freak.

I only have experience with 1 certain school maybe not in hua hin, the other ones here might be great.
Also book a place early or you may have to send your young one to a lesser school.
a grain of salt.

[mil_dos]

Another thing Hua Hin could do with is 85% less tailors behaving like they've discovered a long lost brother every time you pass their (empty) shops.

Can't help but observe that people wearing a suit are not a common sight on Hua Hin's streets.

[PeteC]

That's not just exclusive to HH with our Indian tailor brothers....they do that everywhere here...and in Hong Kong...Singapore...on the moon etc.. Pete

[lomuamart]

I read a short while ago that the authorities in Phuket were clamping down on "aggressive sales tactics" used by a lot of the tailors. Those that didn't comply would be deported.
Don't know if this was ever enforced though. Maybe HH needs some of this as well?

[Guess]

Another thing Hua Hin could do with is 85% less tailors behaving like they've discovered a long lost brother every time you pass their (empty) shops.

Can't help but observe that people wearing a suit are not a common sight on Hua Hin's streets.

Water finds its own level. These businesses make money.

People in general here in Thailand, no matter what their racial origin is, are very poor at marketing. The custom here is to directly approach the potential customer. This, of course, is a lot cheaper than other forms of marketing.

The reason there are so many is because rents are relative cheap here and many people can earn a living from tailoring. The intended market for the suits, which as you correctly state are not common apparel in Hua Hin, are farang that are on vacation here and will be returning to farangland soon. The cost of a tailor made suit is a fraction of what it would be even in relatively low cost farang countries like Spain.

[mil_dos]

I suspect few people visit Hua Hin to buy a suit. I suspect few people who visit Hua Hin for any length of time fail to be very irritated by the tiresome tactics of the tailors.

My own limited experience of Hua Hin tailoring is that in a moment of Singha fuelled weakness I had a suit made on holiday three years ago. I ran out of time revisiting the shop for alterations before I had to return to Europe. Shop of course told me that it was a perfect fit from visit number one. On it's first outing, the jacket lining fell apart.

Cynicism apart (a cynic is just a realist with experience), these pushy tailors invariably tarnish rather than enhance the 'Hua Hin experience'.

Rant over.

[Oe]

Guys! No matter what hua hin needs to have or already have-if people who they don’t care and dont doing the right thing in the right way in the law its no point to have whatever we want!!! Don’t you think?

----------------------------
Be Real…Be Natural.

[Guess]

......if people who they don’t care and dont doing the right thing in the right way in the law its no point to have whatever we want!!! Don’t you think?

----------------------------
Be Real…Be Natural.

And there you have the crux of the matter.