Learning the Hard Way experiences

[Gaybutton]

A post on the Gay Thailand board gave me the idea for this topic. No matter how much experience we've had in Thailand, we all were newbies once and I'll bet most of us have had "learning the hard way" experiences - and probably still do.

If you're not too embarrassed to do it, share some of those experiences with us.

I'll probably be sharing several more than this one, but this was my very first lesson.

When I arrived in Thailand the very first time, I exchanged a US $100 travel check in the airport. I had no idea at the time what value individual notes had in comparison to dollar values. Knowing absolutely nothing, I played right into the hands of an airport taxi tout. He led me out to a taxi. I could have walked out the door and done the same thing, but he spoke English and I didn't know any Thai words at all.

At least he told the taxi driver where I wanted to go, but that's all he did. Of course, as I was climbing into the taxi his hand was out for a tip. I was looking through some of the notes. He simply reached in, grabbed a 500 baht note, and off he went. I had no idea how much I had just tipped him. It turned out that was when the exchange rate was 25 baht to the US dollar - meaning I had just given him s US $20 tip for doing essentially nothing.

Lesson 1.

[Dodger]

My first trips to Thailand were business related and I traveled from the Dusit Resort in Pattaya to Rayong each day during my work assignments. My first life-changing encounter with the gay scene was one night when I ventured into Boyztown...strolled over to Thai Boyz Boyz Gogo still wearing a sport jacket and a loose tie wrapped around my neck...fell in love with the doorboy before even entering the place...whizzed him back to Dusit on what felt like a magic carpet ride...released 35 years of pent up closeted passion...and when it came time to tip him I was lost. I knew that the executive suite my company put me in at Dusit cost about 12,000 Thai baht per night - so that's how much I tipped him. And if you think that's stupid, I went back the next night...offed him again and tipped him another 12,000 bt. And...and...and, if you think that's stupid, he was the first Thai boy to flash his watery eyes at me...smile that irresistable smile...and say the words..."I love you"...and I actually believed him.

[Gaybutton]

The post about the current jellyfish invasion at the Phuket beaches reminds me of another learn the hard way experience. This has got to be in the top 10 of the most stupid things I've ever done.

All my life I had heard about how intense the sting from a Portuguese man-o-war jellyfish can be. I was in the bay near Pattaya and I saw a very small juvenile Portuguese man-o-war floating nearby. I can't believe I actually was stupid enough to do this, but I decided to see for myself how bad the sting can be. I was going to touch it lightly with the little finger of my left hand. After all, how bad can it be? And if it's bad, that's my least useful finger.

BIG MISTAKE! It literally felt as if my finger was forced into a blowtorch fire. It immediately spread to my entire hand. Then my whole left arm began to swell. I got out of the water fast and was going to head for the nearest hospital. Luckily, by the time I got to my car the swelling began to subside. But the pain lasted for over two days.

The movie 'Jaws' didn't frighten me out of the water, but that tiny baby jellyfish did - for quite some time too.

Now that's finding out the hard way. Darwin Awards time . . .