Final Days in Thailand - Tribute to various Thai-isms

I've made it to Hong Kong, and I've been spending my days taking Capoeira lessons, visiting relatives and friends, and getting ready for my trip to Guangzhou. But here's a wrap-up overview of the two and a half weeks that I spent in Thailand after India:

PHOTOS!
1. Bidding farewell to my Capoeira Thailand group with a King of the Hill roda and dinner and drinks

2. Various photos taken throughout the year I haven't yet shown

Personal Reflections
In a lot of ways, leaving Thailand was more heart-breaking than leaving Hong Kong or Taiwan was, but in a very good way. When someone is lost in the world and doesn't know his/her place in it, s/he easily grasps and gets attached to familiar things out of an unconscious desperation, and doesn't wish to let go, which were my feelings for Hong Kong. But once we know who we are and start to live with purpose, then we develop a love for a place in an unattached way, like I did for Thailand. No matter how silly some different cultural customs may have seemed to me at first, I knew I would miss them when I left....here is a tribute to the special aspects of Thailand that I will miss:

Tribute to Various Thai-isms
1. Weaving and threading through Bangkok traffic (comparable to LA traffic) on my motorbike.

2. Dim Sum! People will laugh at me for this: Can you guess what my final meal was in Bangkok, at the airport? Pad Thai perhaps? Tom Yum Gong? Papaya Salad? Nope! Dim Sum! I like it in Bangkok (BKK) better than Dim Sum even in Hong Kong. I like it in BKK because the food is bitesized (HK dim sum is collossal compared to BKK dim sum), they have dim sum I haven't seen in HK, and I have to admit, I think they put more MSG in dim sum in BKK, very tasty =) (but unhealthy, I know). Most of all it's the atmosphere: it's a small shop unlike the huge cafeteria style places in HK. Plus, you pick from several raw dim sums on display that they then steam there for you.

3. Lady-boys: being gay is almost synonymous with being transexual

4. Pointing the soles of your feet at people is disrespectful. I read in the newspaper that Thailand has banned YouTube.com because they would not remove a video that shows a pair of feet above the king's head.

5. Speaking of banning websites, pornsites are blocked in Thailand, but brothels are as common on the streets of Bangkok as bars and clubs are in any American city (partnership between government and brothel owners?). They even have brothels the size of big hotels. Yet, prostitution is technically illegal. Talk about unenforcement.

6. Public parks are much livlier in BKK than in any other city I've seen. Usually in other cities, you'll only see couples sitting on benches, kids chasing pigeons, some people taking naps or reading on the grass, and roller-blading or jogging. But in Bangkok parks I see all that and badminton, jugglers, break-dancing, large groups of middle-aged folks dancing arobics to techno music, and at one specific park capoeiristas and traditional Thai instrumental music.

7. When you buy a bottle of water or a coke at a convenience store, they put it in a small plastic bag and throw in a straw so quickly that you have no time to say "no thanks". Buy the tiniest thing, and they still stuff it in a plastic bag for you. Plenty of times I see the customer take the item out of the bag as soon as they step out, throwing the bag and straw right away. Thailand is the most plastic-wasting country I've ever been to.

8. Prices! A movie ticket normally doesn't cost more than 4US$, and sometimes just 3US$ if you buy tickets in bulk!

9. Nose-picking scenarios:
On a date...talking romantic things and flirting...suddenly while she's talking she's picking her nose...
Or...in class, after asking a question, boy raises his hand yelling 'I know! I know!' all the while digging into his nostril with pinky finger.

10. Many things to tribute na! No room here. You go see for yourself na!


Sometimes we need songs or other forms of artwork and expression to remind us of the places we've been. I have the Thai national anthem memorized, as well as the popular Pali Buddhist chant. There's also the melody of Sasern Pra Baramee - the tributary song for the King.



And thus ends my time in Thailand. Overall, I'd say that it was a chapter of my life where I seriously slowed down the pace of my life, looked around, and really tried to see things that my eyes had forgotten how to perceive. It was a time that I really owned up to my faults and genuinely looked for a way to change. I also learned the true meaning of love. Well, a lot of this was possible because of my trip to India, but still, Thailand was important nonetheless. And plus, I got a whole lot better at interacting with little kids. I may visit the country again in the future from time to time to visit people.

Next travelog: Hong Kong