Postbag is one of the Bangkok Post’s most popular columns and many people read it everyday. Readers write about anything on their minds from major political issues to a good or bad experience they might have had here in Thailand. They are not shy about giving their opinions and many letters are very outspoken. That’s what makes "Postbag" so popular.

What will these tourists have to say if they write a letter or send an email to postbag when they get back home?

Since the Bangkok Post is an English language newspaper, it is widely read by tourists who visit Thailand. As you will see in this lesson, tourists are regular contributors to "Postbag". Their comments about their experiences are both interesting and useful to read.

Tourism is one of Thailand’s most important industries. This year it is more important than ever because many of the country’s export industries are facing difficulties. The government therefore wants to increase the number of tourists visiting Thailand.

But this means that Thailand must offer tourists a satisfying experience. "Postbag" letters can give us important insights into what tourists like or dislike. Let’s look at a few examples.

Your teacher will probably divide you into groups for this activity with each group reading a different letter. First, read your letter and find out its purpose and its main points. Is it a positive or negative? What, if anything, does it tell us about the likes or dislikes of tourists visiting Thailand?

Be prepared to explain and comment on your letter to members of other groups.

As a class, summarise the positive and negative points made by the writers. Are there things you think tourist industry leaders should try to change or improve? Are there things that should be encouraged?

Tourist pricing policy up the creek Recently, I went on a bike ride with my daughter. It was her first full day visiting Thailand and we went to explore the hills west of Chiang Mai. To our dismay, two uniformed guards blocked our access to a public road that meanders to a creek and small waterfall. The guards asked a 200 baht per person entry fee. If we didn't have pointy noses, hairy arms and freckles, then the fee would have been 20 baht. The road was unblocked only weeks before. Out of principle, I refused to pay. Instead, we parked our bikes around the corner and walked up the creek. Plastic trash despoiled the length of what would ordinarily be a beautiful creek bed. If my daughter and I had paid the 400 baht, what would that money have been spent on? After paying the guard’s wages, I doubt any of the revenue would go toward picking up litter. Do foreigners dump trash along the creek? I think not. Thai people hold royal residences and temples in high regard. In so doing, they would never litter those places. How much less then do some Thais respect their natural terrain? I'm sure that for most, creeks, forests and mountains are special places. Surely they are worthy of respect. Ken Albertsen creek a small, narrow river up the creek in trouble; not appropriate meander to follow a route which is not straight, especially one with many turns freckles small brownish spots on the skin, usually of a light-skinned person litter small pieces of rubbish left lying on the ground Emporium staff very helpful I have just returned from another holiday lasting four weeks in Thailand. During that time I read your paper every day. In early February, I came across a letter in your postbag from a tourist who had the misfortune of having money stolen from him during a visit to the Emporium shopping centre. He complained that not a lot of interest was shown by the staff of the Emporium. My experience was however completely different. I also had my wallet stolen during an incident organised by some men on one of the escalators in the Emporium. I reported the incident immediately to the security staff who called in members of the management who took down all the details and then brought us with an English speaking staff member to the police station, where again details were taken. Both the staff at the Emporium as well as the police could not have been more helpful. I hope that I have set the record straight. P. Horvath escalator moving stairs taking people up or down How are these touts allowed to cheat? I recently took seven young Australian students to Wat Pho to put them in touch with Thailand's culture. I warned them in the taxi to be aware of the possibility of scams but even I was not prepared for what followed. As soon as we left the taxi we were confronted by a young man who informed us that the temple was closed. He kindly offered to take us to some other worthwhile sites. While walking the 100m to the entrance we heard the same story three more times. Finally a man told us that the temple was closed to foreigners as it was a special religious day and only Thais were allowed into the temple. By this stage the students were upset because they had travelled so far and were looking forward to the visit. I pointed out the 40 tourist coaches parked around us and assured them that these buses had brought foreigners as well as Thais. We made it to the gate, paid our 20 baht entry fee and then enjoyed a memorable two hours of sightseeing and culture. The students were mesmerised and their love of your country increased dramatically. Any guidebook will tell you about this scam. It is a national disgrace. How can Thai tourist authorities allow these blatant lies to go unchallenged year after year? Disappointed touts (negative) people who try to persuade others to buy something scams dishonest plans mesmerised fascinated blatant obvious; clear Really amazing I brought my family to Thailand for our Christmas holidays wanting them to experience all the wonders and beauty that I remembered when I came to Thailand 10 years ago. My family and I decided to visit some of the interesting sites in the national parks around Chiang Mai. To my amazement I found that the entrance fee was 20 baht for everyone except foreigners who must pay 200 baht (or 100 baht for children). That means that my family (2 adults three children) must pay 700 baht at each stop. Aside from the price being so expensive and prohibiting us from visiting more that one site I find it almost unconscionable that a government policy (Department of Forestry) can be so discriminatory and racially prejudiced. Equality, fairness, and non-discrimination are virtues espoused by almost all developed nations. Come on Thailand, break away from such petty policies and develop what really matters, a great country and great people. Dion Puru — Sydney Australia unconscionable unreasonable discriminatory unfair espoused believed and supported petty unimportant Thai honesty wins tourist's heart I wish to commend and extend my sincere thanks to Wandee La-orjit, a member of the cleaning staff at Zen Department Store. On a recent trip to Bangkok, I accidentally dropped my leather case containing air tickets, several hundred dollars in cash and my passport, in the men's room of the store. When I went back to check, I saw that it was gone. I gave up all hope of finding it. But an extremely gracious and honest Ms Wandee signalled to me that she found something and that it might be mine. After she personally walked me down to the basement to the lost-and-found area, there was my small attache with everything in it. I gave her a sizable cash reward, but it still couldn't fully convey my gratitude for what she had done. Temples, beautiful beach resorts and outstanding cuisine may be key attractions for tourists in Thailand. But I'll always remember the gracious honesty of Ms Wandee. She is a true reflection of the Thai spirit. Daniel LaVelle commend to praise cuisine style of cooking Managing waste, Thai-style On a recent journey by train from Bangkok to Sungai Kolok I witnessed the following: a) A member of the kitchen staff empty the complete contents of a dustbin out the dining car window. b) A member of staff immaculate in his brown uniform, walk the length of the carriage assiduously sweeping eight hours’ accumulated rubbish from one end to the other, ignore the available rubbish bag, and sweep the lot out into the passing Thai countryside. c) A repeat of the above act in the adjoining carriages, and on through the 20 or so carriages making up the rest of the train. d) A repeat of the carriage cleaning procedure described above, after a further 8-10 hours of rubbish accumulation. With this sort of example set by those in positions of authority, it is no surprise to see a large proportion of the general population treat anywhere and everywhere as one large rubbish bin particularly when travelling in cars, buses and trains. A cursory glance at the trackside confirmed that these were by no means isolated incidents. Is it company policy? P.A. Pillout immaculate very clean assiduously thoroughly; carefully adjoining next to cursory glance very brief look Another great stay, pity about the taxis We have just returned from "Amazing Thailand" after 10 fairly relaxing days in Bangkok. Our stay at the Marriott Royal Garden Riverside Hotel was full of the usual good service and thoughtfulness in spite of the current economic crisis. Most of our encounters on the streets or at the shops of Bangkok were friendly and helpful. During this critical period for Thailand, the taxi drivers should be ashamed of their illegal and destructive practices. Although we had some very good drivers, most of our encounters with taxi drivers were bad experiences. If the TAT wants a successful tourism campaign, it had better get the relevant authorities to crack down on the rascals masquerading as taxi drivers. Phil & Linda Leiby Taipei, Taiwan rascals bad people masquerading pretending to be something you are not Clean canals offer pleasant surprise A few weeks ago, I took my visiting friends on a canal tour in Thonburi. Being a frequent canal tourist, I was expecting to see the usual dirty water with floating garbage. To my surprise, we found the canals to be very clean. We encountered close to 20 garbage-collection boats during our tour. We did not spot a piece of styrofoam floating anywhere. The water was reasonably clean. The trip was very pleasant as a result. So, whoever is in charge, keep up the good work. Monson                No merit in caging birds My wife and I recently visited Thailand for a holiday. We were quite pleased to find everywhere much cleaner than many other Asian countries and we were made very welcome. We have nothing but praise for Thai people. They are all so genuine and friendly people and we felt safe to wander freely in the towns and countryside. The one very sad occasion was to see small birds being kept in tiny cages. These are offered to tourists who may pay to have them released. The problem, of course, is if money is paid to release the birds it only encourages this cruel trade. This type of business degrades your country and people. It belongs in the Dark Ages. This practice should be stopped. Andrew Dark Ages a period in European history from about 400 AD to 1000 AD when important societies and cultures were almost destroyed

Activity two

Look at the Postbag column in today’s Bangkok Post. (It would be even better to look at several issues.) Find out some of the other topics that readers write about. Do the writers seem to be mainly Thai or are they mainly foreigners?

TEACHER'S NOTE Activity one is based on a group and regroup technique that creates an information gap in a second grouping. The procedure allows student to gain confidence in talking about a short text or picture first in a small group. Then each student is required to retell the information to a new group of friends in a second group. In this lesson, students work together in their first group to understand the purpose and the main points in one of the letters. Monitor the groups as they work to help as needed. Allow enough time so that each student is able to practice speaking. Form the second grouping by having the students number (1-5 for example) in their first group. Then regroup by that number. In the second group there is an information gap because each student has a different letter to talk about. The aim is for them to explain their letter, using their own words. Perfect grammar is not the aim at this pint. If your class is not familiar with this regrouping technique, avoid confusion by having one new group demonstrate taking turns to talk about their letter before the other groups begin. With all this speaking practice, your class should be able to have a lively discussion about the likes and dislikes of tourists. Encourage them to express their own opinions and to make suggestions about things that can and might be changed. Note: If you are not teaching in Thailand, you will certainly be able to find themes expressed by writers to the Letters to the editor column in your local daily newspaper. This lesson can be easily adapted to any location and theme.

Click here to look at the whole eight-week series of lessons.