Thai Language Blog

Full Kee has nothing to do with the Thai language – it’s a common name for a chinese restaurant. But that name really bothers me because in Thai, ‘kee3’ means s&%t or ‘crap’. As an adult I shouldn’t be amused by this, but really, a restaurant that is full of kee?

The word kee3 ขี้ is also a very common prefix to many Thai words, most of which have negative connotations. It could mean the excrement of something (like mucus, ear wax, dog dropping, wood chips, etc.). Or, with a Buddhist undertone, it could mean ‘too much of something to the point it is bad’. But, unlike the word standing alone, it’s not rude to say it as a prefix. Many of these words could be used to describe the negative aspects of people.

I’ve compiled a list of the most common cases you’ll run across:

Don’t be jealous.

Yaa2 kee3 e2chaa5

อย่าขี้อิจฉา

My ex-girlfriend complained too much.

Faen1 gow2 pom5 kee3 bon1 maak3 bpai1

แฟนเก่าผมขี้บนมากไป

I’m very forgetful.

Pom5 kee3 leum1

ผมขี้ลืม

And she's buying a stairway to... Doi Suthep.

Located just 15 km from the city center of Chiang Mai is the mountain known as Doi Suthep (ดอยสุเทพ). Towering over the city

Chiang Mai's holy hill.

at 1,676 m (5,499 ft), this mountain houses the sacred temple Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep (วัดพระธาตุดอยสุเทพ), which is a must-see for anyone visiting Chiang Mai. It is said that this temple was founded in 1383, and a fascinating tale goes along with the legend of this holy site’s history. As the story goes, a monk named Sumanathera had a dream in which God told him to go to Pang Cha in search of a relic. When he arrived, he found a bone that many claim was Buddha’s shoulder bone. Amazingly, this bone had magical powers, and he rushed to show it to King Dharmmaraja of Sukhothai. Excited about this relic, the king threw a big ceremony for its arrival. However, the bone showed no mystical powers when it finally arrived, and the King told Sumanathera to just hold onto it. The king of the Lanna Kingdowm, King Nu Naone, became interested in the relic, though, and he requested it be brought to him. Apparently, the relic split in two when the king received it – one piece was enshrined in a temple, and the other was put on the back of a white elephant. As the legend goes, the elephant carrying the relic climbed up what is now Doi Suthep. Once atop the hill, the elephant trumpeted three times before dying. The king took this as a sign that a temple had to be built upon this holy site, and so goes the tale of Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep.

And yet another group of child performers.

Groups of children perform at Doi Suthep.

More performers.

These days, the temple draws plenty of visitors every day, and it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Chiang Mai city. The temple features countless shrines, bells, and pagodas. There are elements of both Buddhism and Hinduism on display here, and visitors can also enjoy fantastic views of Chiang Mai from the top. If you plan on traveling to Chiang Mai at some point, I highly recommend you visit this temple; if that’s not an option for you, here are some more of my photos from my trip there:

After our night in a tiny village, we headed back out on our hike through the beautiful Thai jungle in Chiang Mai. Throughout the morning, our incredible tour guide Book continued to regale us with tales of his life, mixed in with plenty of jokes and useful tidbits of information about the jungle and everything in it. After a few hours of walking, we stopped at yet another scenic waterfall to enjoy our picnic lunch. Further on down the trail, we stopped in another village, inhabited by people of the Karen hill tribe. The women of the village were at work stitching and weaving colorful scarves (which were, of course, available for purchsae), and cattle, hogs, and chickens were wandering around the village, or laying down and relaxing. Book told us the story of the Karen tribe, and how they came to Thailand and eventually became Thai citizens. However, the language that they speak is quite different from standard Thai, and Book told us he could not understand their dialect, but that they could speak good enough Thai to communicate with him.

Karen women making scarves.

Cows catching some shade.

Village life in the Thai countryside.

A normal day of work in the Karen village.

After a short stay in the Karen village, we got back on the trail and kept the hike going. We walked for a few hours until we came to a little waterfall and swimming hole. As it was a pretty hot day and we had been hiking for a good five hours, we were thrilled to have a chance to jump in the water and cool off. The water was icy cold, and it was just what we needed to break up the long day of hiking in the heat.

Relaxing by a waterfall.

Cooling off in the swimming hole.

Nice and refreshed after our swim, we hit the trail again, bound for another village where we’d be staying the night. We arrived late in the afternoon, with plenty of time to enjoy the peace and quiet of the countryside before the sunset. We sat outside and swapped travel stories while the locals picked papayas off of tall trees.

Enjoying the peaceful countryside.

Village huts converted into guesthouses for rent.

When the sun went down, Book again went to work cooking up a feast for us. Just as the night before, everything he made was delicious. After dinner, we lit another campfire and sat around with a bottle of Thai whiskey. With a few shots in him, Book opened up to us quite a bit, and he told us stories of his past. Once upon a time, he told us, he worked with opium farmers by selling it to tourists that he took on treks. He told us how he also had a bad opium habbit, and how he finally came around and got clean. These days, he sticks to the whiskey and hand-rolled cigarettes, and his top priority is being a good husband and tour guide. Having just shared his life story, Book was ready to take the guys in the group out on an adventure. As such, me and the other guys joined him and two of his friends on a quest to hunt flying squirrels. Equipped with old school muskets, the guys actually shot down quite a few of the elusive squirrels, which they would take home to feed their families. It was another amazing night out in the Thai jungle, and we again packed into a hut, huddled underneath mosquito nets, and drifted off to sleep.

For our last day in the jungle, we started out with a short hike to catch a ride… on elephants. With three people per elephant, I was volunteered to sit up front on Dumbo’s neck. This made for an interesting ride, especially when it tried to venture off into the trees in search of food. Thankfully, there was a guy guiding the elephant from behind to ensure that we did not wander off into the trees.

Hitching a ride - Thai style.

When we arrived at our destination, we hopped off the elephants and walked onward to another waterfall. This time, cliff jumping was an option, with two different jumps – a little high and really high. Book wasted no time in leaping off of the smaller one, and I had no trouble following. The higher jump, however, was a different story. Having taken the plunge several times before, Book casually leaped off of the rock and into the water. Looking down at the jagged rocks directly below, I had a little bit of trouble taking the leap. I eventually came around, and while the jump was exhilarating and tons of fun, an awkward landing ensured that my ears would be full of water for the next two weeks (thankfully over the counter antibiotics and pain killers were available back in the city). We finished up our three-day adventure with a trip down a little river on bamboo rafts. It had been an amazing experience, to say the very least, and it was easily the highlight of our month long stay in Thailand. Back in Chiang Mai city, we bid farewell to our new friends and headed out to roam the streets.

Making our way out of the jungle on Day #3.

Us with Book - the best tour guide there is.