Being a law student is a grind. There seems to be a never ending list of things you have to learn: you have to remember the details of thousands of important precedent setting cases, you have to study legal procedures, you have to learn the minutae of the laws, you have to be very familiar with the constitution and you have to be adept at the psychology of the courtroom. Passing the bar is no mean feat. In many countries there are quotas on how many people can pass the bar in any one year. The competition is fierce. Thinking about all this sometimes makes me go crazy. I’m a student and I didn’t sign up to college just to work, work, work. The brain will burn out and the body will atrophy. To stop this happening I make sure to set up a schedule which includes breaks. I eat good home cooked food, and I try to take vacations abroad in the holidays to give my mind some fresh stimulus. They say a change is as good as a rest. This Christmas vacation I went to Koh Samui in Thailand to rest my brain.
Koh Samui is Thailand’s second biggest island. It is the leading beach holiday destination in the country after Phuket. I had never been to Thailand before. A friend suggested that I try Koh Samui so I got on a 24 hour flight to Bangkok and transferred to a Thai Airways flight to Koh Samui Airport. I booked accommodation in Lamai.
Lamai is the second largest beach on the island. It is a gorgeous stretch of white sand that goes on for 2 or 3 kms. Since it was Christmas it was very busy. The beach was lined with sun loungers full of people making the most of the sunny weather. The sea was a little bit choppy but still pleasantly warm.
I stayed at Weekender Resort and Spa. My room had air-con, hot water, cable TV and fridge. It was clean and the interior while not stylish was clean and comfortable. The resort pool was right next to the beach. And best of all there was wifi so I could Skype home and stay in contact with what was going on in the world. Being a law student I feel a strong obligation to always know what is happening in the world, especially now that the Presidential Race has got started.
Traveling around Koh Samui I couldn’t help notice how the Thais disregard the law. Hardly anyone wore a motorbike helmet. All drivers ignored the traffic lights except for the set outside the police station in Nathon.
In Lamai town and Chaweng town I was informed that the legal closing time for bars is 1am. Many places simply ignore this rule, with, I presume, the tacit agreement of the police. Thailand has recently passed laws banning smoking in public places, and yet people smoke freely in bars and restaurants. My room has a no smoking sign and yet it also has an ashtray.
At first I found this most perplexing. The law is the law surely. What is the point of the law if people ignore it?
However, after a few days on Koh Samui enjoying the beach and the night life I came to realize that this ambivalence to the law was part of Thai culture. I made a few Thai friends who explained that the Thais are proud of their independence and don’t like the notion of strong centralized control or a nanny state. Thailand is the land of the free. On many islands and in small, isolated communities it is often the case that people administer their own version of justice. This might seem like vigilantism but for many it is preferable with having to deal with a corrupt policeman who is keener to collect bribes than keep law and order.
My 10 day holiday in Thailand refreshed my brain and renewed my determination to finish my law studies, but at the same time it made me realize the cultural limitations to the legal system.
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