I was in northern Thailand and Laos for a few months way back. I was in Bangkok on Xmas day and we were very drunk. Anyway I'm walking down Ram Buttri and these three local guys are hanging on the corner. One of them grabbed my friend's hat off his head. I said "What the fuck?" and grabbed it back and wander on a bit. Then I notice two of them are running after us, one with a bottle. I got to my hotel and they caught up with us. "Say solly" says one, and I did just to save any hassle. He punched me in the head wearing a ring and sliced my eyebrow open. I was bleeding all over the place. The guy with the bottle chased my friend upstairs but he managed to escape. I got another guy I knew, an ex-nurse, to patch up my eyebrow with steri-strips. Meanwhile some cops and paramedics turned up but I told them I was okay and not to bother. I flew to Cambodia for the first time a couple of days later with a black eye wearing wraparounds to try to look normal and kept walking into doors etc.
Anyway, I didn't provoke the attack, other than saying "fuck" which Thais seem to get very offended by. In 18 years in Cambodia I've never had anything like that happen.

Chuck Borris wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 3:54 pm Best way is to leave the place, you cant argue or explain drunk Thai man nothing.

Well drunk Cambodians are much the same. The only times I've seen Cambodians fighting they were really crap, swinging arms around like windmills and throwing cutlery at each other. Handy enough with meat cleavers though.

Cooldude wrote: ↑Mon Aug 14, 2023 6:12 pm I've never had co workers or in laws over here. I'm talking about a group of strangers who have already been drinking seeing you and calling you over to drink with them.

Yes, I used to join with these generous local drinkers but not anymore. Too many "jool moys" and then some start getting really stupid and annoying after a few cans.

There’s always the vile drunk kicking about among other drunks, who can’t manage to just get drunk without getting nasty. Actually, they have difficulty having just a drink without then having sufficient to get drunk. My brother is one. Hard drinker, and unpleasant before the second has followed the first. Preferred liquid is wife beater, then anything that costs less.

Here in Cambodia, SWMBO’s family have a neighbour who is so similar, except she may once have been breeding material. Hopefully, it’s all dried up, now. But all the hallmarks are there of a nasty drunk- I haven’t a clue what she’s saying, and mostly people just tolerate her. Rolling their eyes. But you can detect the edge in her voice, the crappy mannerisms, despite the language barrier. And the coward in her comes out, because she directs whatever pent up resentment at the kids, instead. Yet she’s clearly sufficiently aware of what’s going on in the early stages of an evening, because if you place yourself between her and the kid, you can pretty much see the hackles rise. But she’s not my neighbour.

That aside, I can manage to sit down and drink with several of the locals both here or in the province, and just let the world drift by. The idiots have been mostly weeded out. But I’ve also encountered a few of the nastier types around Phnom Penh. But I’m sure their preferred escape is drugs, first.