But I didn't expect that from the average guy on the road. Communication in general is no problem. English is fortunately sufficient to get around and to chat to people. Only in a few places English is not an option. In those situations my hands and facial expressions would be clear enough and things worked just nicely.
People are courteous to foreigners.
They offered me a seat in a crowded bus or simply smiled. People are very friendly, always willing to help or to chat with you. From there the chat takes its course and can end up anywhere you want. I learned about the Thai educational system. People showed me around, explained the main sights and a guy took me to a place with Thai dancing.