I lived in "The Land Of Smiles" for over 1-1/2 years.   As you can imagine, Thailand's culture is different than
America's culture.   After having spent enough time there, I started taking notes about some of the more
interesting differences.   This compilation is by no means comprehensive; simply ones that I found particularly
interesting.   They are as follows (and the list might grow as I recall experiences) --

1) Here are some bar/restaurant-related issues --

1	Most toilets are flushed (bars, restaurants, schools) by pouring water into them
2	Ice from "good" water in bars, restaurants, etc. are cylindrically-shaped
3	Thais rarely touch their food
4	One can frequently see rats at outdoor restaurants
5	When ordering mixed (alcohol) drinks, bars do not "mix" the drinks -- they pour the mixer(s) first, then pour the alcohol, and that's it!
6	Individuals are not allowed to brew beer at home; it is strictly controlled by the law protecting the breweries
7	Food spiciness -- (1) If something is spicy for a Thai, then it is very spicy for a foreigner; (2) If it is moderately spicy for a Thai, then it is spicy for a foreigner; (3) If it is slightly spicy for a Thai, then it is moderately spicy for a foreigner; (4) If it is not spicy for a Thai, then it is slightly spicy for a foreigner

2) Here are some transportation-related issues --

1	Streets are cleaned in the mornings by people sweeping them with brooms
2	Electric, not petroleum-propelled, motorbike/motorcycle riders don't need helmets, insurance, or registration
3	People regularly drive on the shoulders on the wrong side of the roads
4	Younger and/or less-affluent people ride motorbikes; older and/or more-affluent people drive cars
5	Younger people frequently ride with multiple passengers, as many as four
6	Nakhon Chai Air, the most popular busline service, has a policy where drivers change approximately every five hours for trips over that much time
7	Street vendors push or drive carts around towns, selling food along the streets, occasionally/frequently obstructing traffic
8	Thai drivers are very patient, unless they're in the bigger cities
9	Police trucks, not cars, are brown with white trim
10	Sidewalks don't exist in many parts of towns; riding skateboards is out of the question
11	Minivans can hold as many as 14 people ("mini"?)
12	There are no "warning tracks" on the shoulders of highways, similar to what exist in lower elevations of Southern California, to warn drivers that they are nearly driving off of the road; this would be a problem motorbike/scooter drivers because they frequently drive on the shoulders

3) Here are some things about my apartment --

1	My apartment's bathroom was accessible via balcony
2	I found a centipede in my shower one morning; I frequently found cockroaches
3	Some apartment bathroom sinks do not have separate cold and warm-water levers -- just one warm water lever
4	Electric arcing occurs when plugging things into wall outlets
5	Minivan drivers are very aggressive. They remind me of drivers in Los Angeles -- cutting in and out of lanes quickly and frequently

4) Some generally-interesting things --

1	Mosquitoes are very small and cannot be heard; thus, they constantly bit me and I wouldn't know it until the next day
2	Soi (street) dogs are everywhere (e.g., on school grounds and around outdoor restaurants)
3	"Soi dogs" get to know people and, eventually, know longer annoy them
4	Elephants are walked along roads at night, their handlers panning for money by feeding them bananas or bamboo
5	Outside the bigger cities, one rarely hears police cars or ambulances
6	"Cool" weather occurs between November/December and February/March
7	Buying a set of sheets and pillow cases doesn't necessarily mean getting an accompanying "top sheet"
8	Bananas come in three sizes -- (1) Small: The length of one's middle finger (10cm), (2) Medium, and (3) Large: American-sized
9	Streetlights in smaller towns and along smaller highways are flourescent lights
10	Some buildings' steps are steep -- they are square (the height is the same as the length)
11	Lizards (geckos?) are in nearly every building
12	People usually do not talk on buses, minivans, trains, etc.
13	People pick vegetables for eating (e.g., lemongrass) from the sides of roads, from streams, from rivers, and from canals
14	Cows eat along roads, highways, etc.
15	People regularly drive motorcycles on the shoulder of the wrong sides of highways
16	Launderers/Cleaners won't clean women's underwear
17	A person can hear roosters "cock-a-doodle-doo" not only in the country, but in the cities
18	Millipedes are regularly seen on golf courses
19	Most Thais do not know how to snap their fingers, nor do they know how to whistle
20	It is considered bad luck to pour liquid with one's hand turned upright, thus pouring backwards (a right-handed person is expectedly to pour to the right)
21	Many people live where they work -- the shop/store, restaurant, etc. is in the front of the house ("shophouse") and the living quarters are behind and/or above it
22	Thais say "Hello. How are you?" by saying "Have you eaten?" ("ghin kaow")
23	Thais rarely touch any parts of their heads with their fingers and "never" touch their mouths
24	When there are activities (e.g., festivals) in towns, men from villages (late teens to 30's) will go to town looking for fights; killings occassionally occur
25	Music played in many/most public places is similar to that of the U.S.'s 1970's
26	Khmer temples from previous millenia are scattered around the northeast (Isaan) part of Thailand (e.g., Prasat Pranum Rung)
27	Students cheat on homework and exams/tests and many don't even try to conceal it
28	Having dark skin is an indicator of lower cultural status (e.g., being a farmer)
29	Most dogs and cats living on the streets are VERY scared of people
30	Beers can have varying alcohol content levels
31	A beer named "Leo" has a drawing of a leopard on it, not a lion ("Leo"pard)
32	A "d" at the ends of words is pronounced as an "ds" or "d s"; example: "a hundred miles" becomes "a hundreds miles" or "a hundred smiles"
33	Some/Most dogs, that are pets, have bugs on their bodies because most Thais cannot afford to pay for medications
34	White skin is generally preffered over darker skin; in order to preserve skin as white as possible, they protect themselves from sunshine, even at the cost of being uncomfortably hot
35	Different dialects exist in different parts of the country, influenced by Laos (northeast/Isaan), Cambodian/Khmer (northeast/Isaan), north (Burma/Myanmar), and south (Malaysia)
36	In some cities, sewage smells occasionally eminate from "open" sewer lines
37	Thais are discrete when handling money, as if it is a secret where no one should know how much they are carrying
38	Thai farmers plow the (rice) fields in mid-February
39	When Thai girls and women (under around 25 years old) have their pictures taken (e.g., postings on Facebook), they usually try to achieve a cute look (eg, a pouty mouth) as opposed to any other look (sexy, intelligent, etc.)
40	Bugs get in your hair, you can feel them crawling around on your head, and it's difficult to get them out
41	Many foreigners ("farangs") in Thailand are liberally-oriented, one of the reasons why they live in Thailand, a country that is more liberally-oriented than most Western countries
42	Championship football/soccer games are not played at the end of a season, they're played at the beginning of the next season; new players are on the team
43	It is nearly an endless city (megalopolis?) from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi

Also, after having decided that I was going to return to The States during the last few months while I lived in
Thailand, I created a list of reasons why I missed San Diego and the U.S.   The reasons are as follows (in no
particular order) ...

1	Weather: Temperature is too hot there
2	Family: Miss them
3	Friends: Miss them (similar interests)
4	Ocean: Not convenient to get to it where I lived there
5	Mountains: Not convenient to get to them where I lived there
6	Beers: Better selection in The States, especially in San Diego
7	Sports: Difficult to watch American sports (time difference is 14 or 15 hours)
8	Sports: Missed playing golf, tennis, softball, etc.
9	Astronomy: Didn't have equipment there to do it
10	Backpacking: Too hot to do it!
11	Camping: Too hot to do it!
12	Hiking: Too hot to do it!
13	Fishing: More desirable fish and variety in The States
14	Housing: Have a 3-bedroom house, yard in San Diego; had a studio apt there
15	Music System: Have a 1000-watt system in San Diego
16	Television: Have a 61-inch TV in San Diego
17	Occupation: Higher pay in The States
18	Language: Nice to speak and listen to native *American* English