Where do you live Buzzer - which province?

Thai smiles have many meanings: Hi, Happy to see you, I'm embarrassed, sorry I just dented your bumper, I can't remember your name, I can't speak farang and you can't speak Thai so we can't comunicate past this smile, etc, etc...It's all about context. Don't translate this as a western facial expression because it isn't - Thai expressionbs seem to be much more subtle - my wife used to take a frown as or consternation as rage and turning my nose up slightly as 'how dare you offer me that crap!'. Its cultural, just as difficult as the language, but even moreimportant to unerstand and 'speak' if you're going to live in LoS.

I think the corruption charges are fairly pot on, but then its much better to hand over an on-the-spot-fine (purple persuader - AKA 500 Baht note) than get arrested for speeding/not wearing a crash helmet on crashhelmet check Wednesday. This works out quite well kind-of. Police are incredably low paid, so this helps them out; the courts are not so crammed full of petty cases; the guilty are inconvenienced without being screwed royally.

I think where ever you are, you cn either fit in or not. If you can, then you will enjoy life, otherwise you'll be miserable. This all assumes you have the cash to live comfortably too I guess.