I was once again caught by the short bathroom door frame as my teeth shuttered against each other and I cursed out loud. I sat there, thinking, “I just want to go home to where the door frames are a normal size (and I don’t have to put the key in a holder to turn on the lights).”

Ever since we noticed the trend of short bathroom doors, we have been asking our hosts to try to figure out why this is the case. Roger hypothesized a good theory that it was to designate to guests which door leads to the bathroom. He suggested this to a host, who completely denied it. There is no reason for the short door, and so I have hit my head on them many times (though none as hard as today).

Post from: Thai Trek

Even some families who live outside of the heart of the city have their business and home on the same property. So although there are free-standing houses, there will probably be a business next door. One of my hostesses explained that Thai cities are not zoned for residential or commercial use. You simply get permission to build your house from the town, and then you can choose to run a business on the same property or not.

Although our hosts have often pointed out the “heart of the city,” it is difficult for my Western eye to discern this. In fact, our first few days in Phitsanulok, most of the group was quite confused where we were going the majority of the time. There are no grid patterns or town squares becauses businesses can be anywhere.

The combination of home and work, along with many other Thai customs, reminds me of how things worked in America 100 to 150 years ago. For example, my current hosts have five house staff and three business employees, and my last hosts had 20 farm workers who lived in houses on their property. Most homes in America no longer have live-in help except for the very rich. Also, many Thai houses also have outdoor kitchens. The cooks prepare the food there to keep the smells and heat out of the house. This has not been common in the United States for quite some time.

Thai houses are also more open to nature. Most townhouses have roll-down gates in the front to lock the business up at night. But during the day, when it is rolled up, the entire front of the building is open to the street. There is no front door. When I was first driving by these places, if the doors were down, I would wonder what that space was used for. Based on the size of the door, I hypothesized wrongly that it was a garage. Lesson for the week: Don’t try to superimpose your cultural ideas onto a new culture.

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Mine has a daughter who speaks English like a native. She is visiting from her university in Bangkok primarily because of my visit. On the way to the house, she explained to me that we were going to the house in the country as they have two houses – one near her father’s school (which he owns) and one in the country near her mom’s work (she runs a tobacco farm). When we pulled up, we did a short driving tour of the farm first and then back to the house. It belongs in architectural digest. It is the picture of classic Thai style mixed with modern flair. Everything is white or wood – white marble floors in one part, teak in the other; teak doors, teak furniture, teak trim, teak windows (with a beautiful metal design in the middle). I have my own room with a king bed and a bathroom nicer than my one at home (sorry mom). Pak, the daughter, told me they built the house just three years ago, and they normally stay in the city house. Although everyone else’s accommodations sound very nice as well (Roger has his own house as his host is a contractor building small homes near his), none are anything like this.

Early in the day, we entered our first Thai house when a Rotarian from Sawankalok invited us to lunch. He owns a construction business and is currently building an agri-tourism resort on his property. His house was quite large (I think someone counted six bedrooms … each possibly with its own bath) and an interesting study in contrasts. Some things were amazingly beautiful (like the doors carved with elephants entering the kids’ bedroom) and some not so much (like the 1970s style ceiling tiles). The most amazing part was the house within a house. It looked like a traditional style Thai house surrounded by a koi pond (complete with bridge) in the middle of their house. It was one of the many en suite bedrooms and unique.

Although today was a study in Thai opulence, I am sure I will run into some houses that are not that way (much like that last hotel).

Post from: Thai Trek