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(Aviation maintenance) In Thailand nicknames are preferred over legal ones

By Shama Kern

 Would you mind being called a pig or perhaps a buffalo? I didnt think so. However in Thailand these are common names and there are numerous others that appear strange to our taste. Thai people have first names and surnames same as we do, but generally they contain so many syllables that it is a real challenge for any westerner to repeat or memorize such a name.

This is a somewhat recent phenomenon. In earlier times names in Thailand used to be shorter and easier. Recently it has become fashionable to take on those monstrosities of names. This went so far that the Thais felt compelled to pass a law that limits how many syllables names can contain. This prevented official business transactions from drowning in syllable quicksand. It is quite easy to change your name in Thailand. Dont like it, no problem, pick another one. A simple application will do it.

In Thailand you might plead “please, anything but your real name!” Fortunately most Thais use abbreviations of their real name or nicknames which are at the other end of the spectrum of the multi syllable confusion. In contrast they typically consist of just one syllable or letter. For simplicity’s sake Thais frequently use any one of the syllables of their real name as their nickname. You will find that some of those nicknames strike you as very unusual. There could be Ms Pig, Mr. Buffalo, Mr. Dog, or Ms Bomb. Who comes up with such names? Here are some name stories of Thais whom I know personally.

There are many nicknames that are descriptive in an odd sense. One girl I know is called pig. In western countries that would be very demeaning, but she was given that name since her baby fat reminded her adoring parents of a piglet. In Thailand “pig” is seen as a cute nickname. Of course if ever the girl decides one day that she doesn’t like her nickname anymore, she will be able to simply change it. Another acquaintance of mine is called dog. As a little kid he was constantly peppering everyone with questions and interrupting conversations. His parents found that he resembled an excited puppy, so “dog” it was for him.

Thai nicknames can also be chosen for special powers. One man was always sickly as a boy and could never shake his various illnesses. The people of his village thought that the name “buffalo”, a strong animal, would help him counteract his weak condition. There is even a saying strong as a buffalo. Amazingly his chronic diseases went away and he became a strong, healthy person, true to his name. But before you start calling people “buffalo”, be aware that this is also used as an insulting word. Buffaloes are regarded as stupid and low brained. If Thais want to say something really nasty about someone, they use the expression ‘he is stupid like a buffalo’.

Some nicknames are descriptive in a colorful way. One of my friend’s nickname is “Green”. She ended up with this name since as a baby she supposedly had a greenish complexion, and that became her name. 40 years down the line her skin looks perfectly normal, but she is still Miss Green.

Non-western cultures often place more importance on dreams than we do. A good Thai friend of mine once had a dream. She went to a temple with her sister in law and a monk wanted to give a large beautiful precious stone to her sister in law. She declined the gift and requested that the monk give it to her friend who was very happy to receive it. The day after the dream she realized that she was pregnant. In her mind the dream foretold the pregnancy and therefore she gave the baby the nickname of ‘precious stone’, Ploy. Her sister in law did not want to become pregnant, so the passing of the stone was very symbolic for my friend.

Thais know no limits when it comes to creative nicknames. The son of one of my friends happened to be born during the war between Iran and Iraq. The Thai news agencies published regular stories about all the shooting and bombing. Since she had not been able to settle on a good nickname for her newborn son, she just called him bomb.

There are nicknames which are totally meaningless. Some are merely single letters like O (pronounced Oh) , E (sounds more like the English pronunciation of A), B (pronounced bee) or D (pronounced dee). More recently it is becoming fashionable to use western names like cat or joy as nicknames, as long as they consist of just one syllable.

Not all Thais use nicknames. They use their legal names which in those cases tend to be reasonably pronounceable. In most cases Thais will introduce themselves by their nicknames. Although some of those nicknames appear strange to us, we should count our blessings, since we would have a serious challenge trying to understand or remember those mile-long legal names which are so typical in Thailand.

For more information about living and traveling in Thailand please visit

www.shamakern.com

The author is an expat who lives permanently in Thailand. He writes entertaining and informative stories about a fascinating country.

Rajasthan as Tourism Destinations

By mosho

 The state of Rajasthan is filled with its historical culture and its natural desert beauty that makes the tourism industry flourish in Rajasthan. The popular cities for tourist destinations in Rajasthan are Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Amber, Alwar, Ajmer, Bikaner and Chittorgarh. These cities are popular for its royal forts, beautifully decorated havelis, natural desert landscape and most of the old palaces and forts have been converted into heritage hotels.Among these cities Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner are the most visited and most popular cities in Rajasthan. These palaces give you an ultimate experience of living a royal lifestyle as you would get a royal hospitality here ranging from your reception, beautifully decorated rooms, cuisines, and leisure activities at the peak of royalty and luxury Rajasthan style.

The famous monuments and heritage sites of Rajasthan that attracts a huge crowd of tourists are Jantar Mantar, Dilwara Temples, Chittorgarh Fort, Lake Palace, City Palaces, Jaisalmer Havelis, Bara-dari on the Anasagar lake, Jain temples, Ranakpur Temple and Bhandasar Temple are some to name.

The city of Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan which is rich royal architecture, rich culture and history. The city of Jodhpur is also known as Fortress city as it houses beautiful blue colored homes that is located at the edge of the Thar Desert. Jaisalmer and Bikaner houses golden havelis, and Jain temples. Bikaner is also famous for snacks known as namkeens that has its popularity worldwide.

Rajasthan is often called a shopper’s paradise. Rajasthan is famous for textiles, semi-precious stones and handicrafts. The attractive designs of jewellery and clothes are eye-catching and invite shoppers. Rajasthani furniture has intricate carvings and bright colours. Rajasthani handicrafts are in demand due to the intricate work on them. Above all, Rajasthan’s shopping appeals to both tourists and people from other parts of India due to its cheap prices for quality goods.

This handy information on Rajasthan Tour brought to you by www.classictajtours.com. You can also check out more articles on tour packages India such as golden triangle India, nainital ranikhet, north india holiday packages etc.

Now Book Hotels at Lowest Prices

By Vaneesh

 Getting discount hotel reservations when you travel is not really that hard when you know how.

Booking early is one of the best ways to get a discount hotel reservation. And the earlier you book you hotel room the more discount you may receive. Hotels manage their reservations to ensure that the hotel books the maximum number of rooms at the maximum room rate possible. And the hotel will certainly make sure that the number of bookings exceeds the hotel’s break even point so that it is profitable. Hotels regularly release blocks of low cost rooms to the market to encourage people to make a reservation. These rooms will only available several months into the future. The hotel will have blocks of medium priced rooms and blocks of high priced rooms. As the demand for rooms increases the hotel “sells” the cheapest rooms first leaving the blocks of higher priced rooms. Also as the demand for rooms increases the hotel will increase their room rates to match the demand.

Booking at the last minute can sometimes result in a significant discount for customers. When a hotel has not received enough bookings to be profitable, then the hotel may release a number of rooms to the market at a discount. However, customers may not be able to book the hotel of their choice. If you are not too fussy about where you stay booking a hotel at the last minute can sometimes work in your favour.

Avoid travel on religious, public or school holidays. There will be increased demand for hotel accommodation which leads to higher room rates. Hotels tend to receive bookings many months in advance giving hotels the chance to maximise their room rates to ensure the hotel is fully booked well before the holiday period.

Avoid travel in Peak Periods such as the middle of summer when visiting a beach resort or island. Likewise, avoiding the middle of winter if going on a skiing holiday. The Greek Islands are a very popular destination during the summer months with the peak during August when the Greeks are on holiday. I visited the Greek Islands during June; there was plenty of affordable accommodation and the weather was beautiful.

Avoid travel during a major event such as The Olympics. For example, when the Sydney 2000 Olympics were being staged I travelled to New Zealand. The number of tourists visiting New Zealand was at a low point and I booked some very good bargains and had the pick of hotels. Also there were no queues at any tourist attractions which makes your holiday so much more enjoyable.

Booking multiple nights at the same hotel often results in a discount for customers. I cannot count the number of times I have booked 3 or 4 nights and received a free night or some other benefit such as a free breakfast every day. Hotels offer this to encourage customers to stay longer as it saves the hotel money. A hotel would rather check-in one customer for five nights than check-in five customers one for each night. The hotel would save substantial check in and out costs, administration costs, cleaning costs advertising and agent booking fees.

Stay during the week and not on weekends can result in a significant discount for customers. This is very evident at entertainment hot-spots such as Las Vegas and Macau where gamblers fly in for the weekend. The hotel rate on Friday and Saturday nights is often double the Sunday to Thursday night rate. Many other international locations also have this weekend premium where travellers arrive for a weekend escape from the city. For example many Londoners travel to Paris for the weekend and many Greeks visit the Greek Islands on the weekends.

Stay a little further away from the centre of the action. When travelling to major cities and attractions, the nearer the hotel to the city or attraction the more you should expect to pay. If booking a hotel in a major city consider staying in the suburb just outside the central business district. If visiting a major tourist attraction, such as Disneyland, consider staying in the next suburb. The down-side, of course, is the extra travel cost but a $10 taxi fare may be a lot cheaper than the extra cost of the hotel room.

Booking on the Internet is the best way for customers to compare and shop for a hotel in any location in the world. There is huge choice for customers meaning huge competition for the hotels which keeps prices low. Also many of the best hotel deals are only released on the internet and are often only available until sold out. The internet allows you to enter your travel dates, check availability, compare prices, view photos of the hotel exterior and interior and read reviews hotel reviews from other travellers.

The booking is made in real-time so you know that once it has been confirmed the booking is complete. Most importantly, making a prepaid reservation will get you the cheapest hotel rates available. As your credit card is charged at the moment you make the booking everything is confirmed and arranged for you immediately.

And once the booking is complete the hotel check-in voucher is sent to your email address and can be printed out for presentation to the hotel on check-in. If you lose your voucher, don’t worry, simply go to your email and print another one. Bookings can be altered or cancelled at any time however if the booking is changed within 72 hours before the check-in date there may be an administration fee charged by the hotel and this will vary from hotel to hotel.

Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips and hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques and insights pertaining to Internet Business, do please browse for more information at our websites.

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Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 at 11:40 am and is filed under travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.