As you know, Thai is the main language spoken here in Thailand. Did you know that Thai is often very similar to Lao, the language of nearby Laos? As my student Nikki taught me, the way to say "hello" in Lao is sambaidee. In Thai, it is sawatdee krubb or sawatdee khaa. This makes me wonder: which language came first?
The baht is used here. One interesting thing I've learned is that in Thailand, picking up a coin from the ground is considered bad luck, whereas from where I come, finding and keeping a penny from the ground is good luck!
A small water bottle usually costs about seven baht, but filling a water bottle of the same size from the water machine costs about one baht. In Thailand, where an entire meal of rice and curry may cost only 20 baht, I definitely choose to refill my Nalgene water bottle rather than buying new bottles.
There is a small restaurant at the end of the alley I live on that I visit most days. Two women own and run the shop. One of them cooks and the other makes drinks. Although they don't speak any English, they still poke fun at my low spice tolerance.
