The very first blogger I will be interviewing is one that I have known for over 2 years. He is one of the first Thailand bloggers that I started talking to when Thailand Musings began and we have continued our relationship over the past 2+ years. Even though I have never met him in person (just missed you in Phuket man, but hope you loved the pretzels!) I consider him a good friend and imagine us continuing our relationship for many happy decades to come. I heartily recommend you check out his blog which has over 1500 pages indexed and is a HUGE repository of Thailand information.

1. What is your name, the name of your blog and the subject matter of the Thailand blog (language, food, general life, nightlife, etc)? If you don’t mind, please provide a photo of yourself so I can share it with my readers. We all like to see who it is that we’re talking to.
Name: Vern Lovic
Thailand Blog: ThaiPulse!
Subject: Experiences while living in Thailand, articles about traveling to amazing parts of Thailand, over 3,000 photos and 160 Thailand videos at YouTube (some a bit strange admittedly) about life in Thailand.

2. How long have you been blogging about Thailand? What was your inspiration to start Thai Pulse!? Did you (or do you) blog about any other subjects?
I love to write. I began in 2005 by creating these 5,000 – 10,000 word updates in HTML to my family at home about Thailand and how it was so different from living in the USA. I didn’t realize at the time – but, I was “blogging”. Eventually I set up 25 or so blogs at blogger.com and then some WordPress.com sites, and finally graduated to the WordPress.org system which is by far the best experience once you get it down.

My inspiration for ThaiPulse! was that I wanted to share all the different things I was experiencing in this cool country. I realized it was going to be an ongoing project – and it has been.

Other blogs are:

AimforAwesome.com – many motivational, philosophical, and (GTD) getting things done type articles. I recently moved it toward an all Hawaii focus to try to monetize it at some point in the future.

IncAnswers.com – elearning, ebusiness articles – without the hype. I became sick of the get rich quick b.s. I was seeing all over the internet marketing sites and decided to create a reality based online business advice site. That didn’t come out so smooth, but have a look and you’ll get the idea.

ThailandeBooks.com – my main Thailand focus at the moment. I’ve built a site that people can come with their iPhones, iPods, Blackberries, whatever they have – and buy books online, and read them in the same 5 minutes. I’m in the process of writing another 5+ ebooks to list here. I’m taking books focused on Thailand and southeast Asia. If you have a book that hasn’t been published, or that you have the full digital rights to – have a look at the site and see if it’s something you want to be a part of.

Literally Steve I have another 15 sites – the three above are the most important.

3. Obviously you are not Thai and have chosen to expatriate to Thailand. What country are you from originally? What made you choose Thailand as your home away from home?
Originally from USA. If I could change my nationality at this point I would do so. I escaped from the USA in 2004 with a semblance of sanity still left. I have an ebook that explains in-depth about why I chose Thailand. Look for “Living in Thailand – at the ThailandeBooks.com site.

4. How long have you been visiting and/or living in Thailand? If you’re currently living in Thailand, what part of Thailand do you live in? Why did you choose this city/province over others in Thailand?
Since 2004. I’ve bounced around a bit, seeing a lot of things but never getting close to Chiang Mai. That’s the great unknown for me at this point. Would I like CM better than other areas – not sure. I’m loving the other areas so much I’m not in any rush to get up north. We’ve been in the south and the northeast. The northeast is best for the people, but the climate and many things to do make the south the place to be. We’re looking at another place in the south, having already stayed in Trang, Krabi, Phuket, and Surat Thani. It isn’t altogether impossible that we end up in Isaan again – where my heart is!

5. Even though Thai food is really built upon the same 4 precepts as Chinese food (sweet, sour, spicy and salty) Thai food is known throughout the world for its spicy component. Do you like spicy food? What is your favorite Thai dish?
In America I thought I could eat spicy Mexican and moderately spicy Indian food. I’ve taken that up a couple notches to where I can now eat som tam as spicy as any Thai I’ve met. When I order I say, Pedt Pedt Pedt Pedt Pedt so they get the idea that this farang can really eat it. If they give me weak stuff, the next time I say I want “Pedt silop silai” which means spicy until I fall over into a coma. Eventually they catch on.

I really enjoy Som Tam Bla-Rah, Yum Woonsen, Grapow Neu-uh, and something as simple as Gwit Diao Gai. Favorite? Probably som tam – we eat it a few times per week for lunch.

6. Thailand is known to be very affordable as a tourist destination and as a place to live. What things do you find to be the biggest bargains in Thailand?
Housing. I’ve stayed in a $50/mth place and a $300/mth place. Both were considerably cheaper than I could have found in Florida or Hawaii.

7. Even though there are bargains to be had, some things are certainly more expensive than others. What do you find to be most expensive in Thailand?
Western food. I have to have pretzel rods shipped in at $35+ per box. There are a few things I can’t find here very often and that I ask friends in the US to send: good toothpaste and toothbrushes, underwear that fits me, socks that fit, and of course – pretzel rods.

8. There are many good reasons given by those who live in Thailand for settling in the Kingdom. What do you feel is the best part of living in Thailand?
Avoiding the stress of the USA was and is the biggest reason for moving to TH. Now that I’m here I realize that there is a country of 65 million that are living with a lot less stress than Americans are. Here nobody worries about things in the future. I understand now what is meant by America as a culture of fear. Wow, it’s quite obvious… and something I’d rather avoid if we can remain living here another 60 years or so!

9. One group that’s easy to find online are the complainers who live in Thailand, but seem to feel that the Thai’s should change to accommodate their Western guests. What things do you feel are frustrating for foreigners living in Thailand? Do you think these aspects of Thailand should change or that they are simply part of the culture?
It’s a futile effort to attempt to change Thai Ways. Bringing Farang Ways from wherever you’re from is not doing anyone a favor, in fact, you’re causing distress to people. Thai culture has done fine without adopting western attitudes, lifestyle, educational system, business practices, etc. Sure, I get outraged at some things and they make no sense to me at all. When I look back on it and put in context it all makes sense. Thai society works. It works very well. The concept of Face and keeping everything appearing to run smoothly on the surface is very, very important. I hope you take some time to read up about this important concept before you arrive.

So in short, assimilate into the culture, don’t bring yours and try to force the millions around you to adapt to it. You’re playing a losing game.

10. Considering the last few years especially it’s evident that Thailand is a country in flux. Western thinking and Western customs are rapidly invading the Kingdom. The Thai people seem to be looking for change and the political leadership in Thailand is constantly changing. How do you think Thailand has changed since the first time you visited, both positively and negatively?
I’ve only been here five years but I’ve seen some changes. At least I think I have. Hard to say since I went from Isaan to the south – where the culture, the people are vastly different. In trying to keep touch with those in the know in Isaan I believe that western attitudes and practices are being latched onto and are changing Thai society dramatically. I think there will be more change in the next 5 years to traditional Thailand than we’ve seen in the last 30.

I’m saddened by the political situation. Can you imagine if Thailand had a decent government that cared for the people and did everything for the benefit of the entire country? They might have 30 million visitors, not 14.

I’m saddened more by the intrusion of western advertising schemes here. The people are like deer in headlights when it comes to multi-level marketing schemes and such. A very sad state of things that I hope progresses slowly.

11. Even with all the changes in the past decades, it’s safe to say that Thailand is very different from any Western country. How is your life in Thailand different from your life in the West?
I think everything is different… from what I eat, when I wake up, what I think about during the day, what I do during the day, topics of conversation, lack of stress, lack of seriousness or urgency about things like health insurance or politics… I can avoid all that stressed me in America. I can forget about money as a means to a happier life, and focus on doing what I want to do instead.

Thais’ are amazing people and I feel very comfortable living amongst them. I’ve had a couple of bad experiences that I’ve written about in a bio that I’ll release when I leave Thailand – but, overall – nothing but great experiences and the highest recommendations that westerners come here and experience it for themselves. Start with Isaan – tour it a bit, meet people. Then move around the country and have a much different perspective than those that come only for Pattaya, Patpong, and Patong – the three P’s.

12. Please tell us about 3-5 of the best posts from your blog.
Thailand FAQ – lots of answers to questions about Thailand. Links to many resources.

Thailand Snake FAQ – snakes are one thing that skeeve people out about Thailand. There are over 40 species of poisonous snakes here. Read the FAQ to get a perspective whether you’ll be seeing any of these beasts – and what to do when you are bitten.

Short-Time S*x Hotel Review – this one had quite a response when it came out. I didn’t publish many of the comments, choosing to keep the blog rated pg or r at the most. My wife and I stumbled into this short-time hotel south of Bangkok and it was amazing. We stayed.

Everything about Songkran – Songkran is the Thai New Year and it’s the most fun I’ve had ever. Here is everything you need to know about it.

Thailand Travel Channel – this is my collection of 160+ videos I’ve taken in Thailand. Don’t miss the Gross Grub Series or the mutant cow… I have over 2 million views of these videos, so some are pretty good. Others – fail! Have a look and see what you get out of it.

If you liked this interview why not go check out all of my Thailand blogger interviews.

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