I sometimes write that a Thai boy I met can read clocks and maps, implying that others cannot.
Reading clocks
A story from my father's childhood. At that time children did not have wristwatches. When children were out playing, they used the church clock tower to know the time. When they were in an area where they couldn't see the church clock, they sent the youngest to read the time. But he couldn't read clocks, so he came back and told the olders "the short arm is between 3 and 4 and the long arm is at 7" which makes 15:35.
With digital clocks you don't have to read the clock any more, but you have to be able to count to 60. I wonder how often delay is caused simply by Thai boy not knowing how many minutes it is from 15:35 to 16:15? Or by thinking that from 15:40 to 16:00 is 60 minutes, because 100 centimeter is one meter?
That would be a subject for a survey in an area with a lot of passing people.
When chatting with Thai boys, I use 24 hour format or Thai time system (which divides the day in 4x6 hour periods).
https://www.thaifaqs.com/what-is-thai-time/
http://www.clickthai-online.com/basics/clock.html
There was a related issue in Germany after the re-unification that led to misunderstandings. "Halb drei" (literally: "half three") means "half an hour BEFORE three o'clock" in East Germany and it means "half and hour PAST three o'clock" in West Germany.
Reading maps (1)
On 10mar2019 I met a boy in MBK (his choice of meeting point) who is from upcountry and who has been in Bangkok for one week. He arrived by BTS and we then took taxi to my room. All positive in bed, repeat. Good English.
His family is on the other side of the river, and he stays in a hotel near Chong Nonsi BTS, but does not remember the name of the hotel*, but knows the way from BTS Chong Nonsi to the hotel, and knows the way by BTS between Chong Nonsi and MRT. To get home, he would take the taxi from my room (near Malaysia hotel) to MBK, then BTS from there to Chong Nonsi, then walk home! And I couldn't talk him out of it!
Screenshot on google maps. Malaysia hotel to MBK he would take taxi, them MBK to Chong Nonsi by BTS, but here on google maps it's both car.
Fortunately, it's not my concern, and he didn't even ask for taxi money.
*I asked twice in different contexts. But then I saw the hotel key he had with him, and searched for that place, and it all adds up (location and price).
While I have an amazing brain that allows me to learn new things as long as they are of scientific/technological/linguistical nature, but not if anything emotional or dealing with people is involved, most Thai brains are hard-wired and cannot accept alternatives (shorter, faster, cheaper) to known procedures.
Reading maps (2)
While the above was all spoken, I have a written record for the following, so my readers have the same information as I.
The boy travelled from Pattaya to Rayong and as he didn't know a direct connection, he went via Ekkamai bus station (Bangkok Bus Terminal (Eastern) in below map) in Bangkok!
Below screenshot of our conversation. Not just the Pattaya to Rayong, but some general points about online dating as well.
Reading maps (3)
In 2016, I took taxi from my room (near Malaysia hotel) to Suvarnabhumi airport and the driver went via Sathorn road and outer ringroad. When we arrived at the airport, I could not contain my curiosity and I had to ask him why he took that long way: He always goes to the airport this way!
Complete story reported before https://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2015/06/taxi-myths-debunked.html
Another unusual taxi trip. From Sathorn to Suwarnaphumi on Tue 10.05.2016. Driver asks policeman who directs traffic at intersection for way to Sathorn road, which I find strange (better go to Rama 4 - Klong Toey expressway). Driver tells me he will go Rama 2 and outer ringroad because toll is cheaper there. But I wonder how much longer we will drive for that cheaper toll. Beyond Taksin bridge, I check google maps: fastest would be via Rama 4 - Klong Toey expressway, but now there is no way back. Later ask driver why he didn't take that route. He never went that way! In total it took 7:58 - 9:23 am, 77 km, 40 Baht toll and 639 Baht fare to get to the airport! In addition to not knowing the best way, he cannot calculate either: I gave him a 1000 Baht note and he handed me 440 Baht change, and I corrected him.
Reading maps (4)
(Boy from Battambang, chat on facebook 5may2019, we had met before in Pattaya twice, now he is in Bangkok.) Another cumbersome communication about how to meet; the boy was only 2 km by road from my place. When he finally arrived here after much to and fro, I could see on his mobile phone that googlemaps didn't have access to location. I had assumed he knows where he is, and I sent him my location so he knows where I am, and wondered where the problem is.
Scientific explanation
But it can all be explained by history and society.
Thailand has been an agrarian society for all of their history. The grandparents of the boys I date were living in villages where there was no need for exact times and location, as everyone was in shouting distance and there was nothing that would require a timing more precise than morning-midday-afternoon-evening-night.
When they dropped a farming tool to the ground and left it there, it would still be there the following day, and it would still be operational. Unlike a mobile phone. In all my life, I dropped a mobile phone once (no trace) and a camera once (a scratch, but still fully operational).
I couldn't find a picture of a watch/clock with one pointer and no numbers to add here to illustrate my point. The closest to illustrate the Thai perception of time is:
Whereas in the West, there was a number of people involved in trading, crafts, mining, manufacturing, that required literacy and numeracy, that had a positive influence on the rest of the population.
The subject of reading clocks and maps on a gay Thailand forum:
https://www.gayguides.com/forums/topic/12330-help-me-to-prepare-my-trip/?do=findComment&comment=133529
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