Thailand is an incredible country filled with unique culture, stunning scenery, fantastic food and delightful people. I don’t regret coming to live here for a second. But there are moments, for me, regardless of all of this, when Thailand just…..sucks.

Thailand Sucks When You’re An Animal-Lover

I see an appalling number of stray dogs, many of which are visibly living with rabies or some debilitating injury. Most shrink away from people in a manner that leaves no doubt as to whether or not they’ve been abused at some point in their lives. They’re hungry, mistreated and suffering. Even more heartbreaking is the high number of unwanted puppies being born regularly because neutering is not widely practiced. Our former landlords own an adult female dog (or at least “own” her in the sense that they feed her and allow her to hang around the apartment complex.) Just after we first arrived in Thailand, this dog gave birth to 4 chubby, adorable little puppies. We played with them, fed them, and basically did everything we could to care for them short of adopting them (and believe me, we talked about this too, but it would have been completely incompatible with our wandering ways). Our landlords treated the animals pretty well by the standards around here, which is not saying much. They fed the puppies, but took no precautions with regards to their health or safety because, in essence, they were a burden. Every one of the puppies died eventually. The most infuriating part is that they were all perfectly healthy, but they died because no one was looking out for them consistently. Did anyone besides myself even bat an eye at this? Nope. It seems like a part of life in Thailand. Pets and strays alike have litters, and most of the offspring don’t survive. So much unnecessary death pains me in ways that I can’t even begin to express.

There are a few street elephants that I regularly see being led around the town. This is an illegal, yet unfortunately common practice is Thailand: owners typically parade these elephants around and solicit people to feed them in exchange for a fee. While I don’t have first-hand experience of what kind of conditions these elephants live in when they’re not working, I can hardly imagine that living in an urban environment, and spending countless hours a day trudging down city streets, is an ideal life for these intelligent animals.

Additionally, I’ve seen everything from flying squirrels to monkeys being sold as pets in local markets. Many of the animals for sale should not be kept as pets under any circumstances; while the ones that could reasonably be cared for in a family home nearly always appear far too young for adoption: countless puppies, kittens, and rabbits that should clearly still be with their mothers.

Thailand Sucks When You Want To Be Alone

Ban Pong is known as “the city of nice people.” And they really are. Since we arrived, we’ve been treated with kindness, patience and warmth by the people in this town, with few exceptions. That’s why I feel a little guilty about admitting this, but, sometimes all the attention is exhausting and tedious. I know they don’t mean to be intrusive by waving me down, pointing, and asking me endless questions wherever I go. And 90% of the time, talking with the locals is an enjoyable part of my experience here, but sometimes, dammit, I miss being anonymous. Sometimes I just want to go for a contemplative jog; sometimes I’m tired; sometimes I’m grumpy. In these moments, I just want to throw my hands skyward in the middle of a watching crowd and scream “Are you not entertained?” “Gladiator”-style.

Thailand Sucks When You Have To Pee

To end on a lighter note, I don’t think I will ever stop missing a good-old fashioned Western toilet. I’m not saying that Thai toilets don’t make sense. In fact, I can see why squatting is actually more hygienic than Western-style toilets in which bare -*ahem* – skin has to make contact with a dirty public toilet. I’ve even gotten relatively used to Thai toilet facilities that come equipped with a spray hose in place of toilet paper. But for the life of me, I don’t understand the numerous toilet stalls I’ve come across that provide neither toilet paper nor a sprayer. Worse still, bathrooms with these types of stalls inevitably also don’t provide soap at the sink. What on earth is one supposed to do?

What have been some of the most difficult things for you to get used to in foreign countries?