A bus sign posted on a Bangkok bus fan page was widely shared, reported Sanook.
It may have been in English letters and an attempt at transliterating Thai but it was leaving both Thais and foreigners equally confused!
The poster on Rotmaethai tried to figure out what the placenames were on Route 60 – a regular cream and red city bus going from Suan Siam (Siam Park) to Pak Klong Talat.
There was Fashion – that shouldn’t be too difficult for a Bangkok resident but a tourist may not know Fashion Island shopping center.
KM8 would be a challenge for anyone and apparently means Ramindra KM8.
Bankpi – not too hard, Bangkapi.
Bamkhamhacng – well you might need a degree in acquired dyslexia for that – Ramkhamhaeng (university).
Knlongtna – that seemed to have been put in the washing machine and hung out to dry….Klong Tan.
Pratuna – well they just left off the “M” didn’t they! The poster conjectured if Water Gate was a good alternative but rejected that idea.
Finally, Pakknlong – that’s Pak Klong Talat. The poster considered “Flower Market” for that – a popular end of the line destination.
The poster used some fruity Thai language in calling for the bus company to up their game.
They said that Thais were losing face to foreigners because their English spelling was so bad.
Though given the state of much English signage in Thailand it’s debatable whether too many tourists would care, they’d probably just laugh.
Even if they used the bus!
Part of the fun of going to Bangkok is getting lost, suggests ASEAN NOW, for both Thais and foreigners alike!