Peace, Love and Noodles

What is Johnny doing?

I had no idea what Johnny was doing. Johnny was introduced to me as Htoo Wah, a slight, middle-aged man hailing from the Karen Ethnic minority group in Thailand. A small and precocious man without question, but a small man with a presence so sincere and so gracious, that you would be remiss if you did not become a better person in his company.

His gap year group knew him as Johnny. A simple yet effective trade secret to westernize an ethnic name in order to make one seem more appealing.

Johnny didn’t need this.

Johnny haemorrhaged appeal and could deliver a master class on Charisma better than any of the Hollywood greats.
The way he captured you with his broken English, his peculiar word placement and the speed of which he delivered his anecdotes would leave you baffled senseless but in awe of the many ways this man will impress you.

“I bring Americans to Pala-U to save Monkey. They don’t know Karen people eat Monkey. Big delicacy for Karen guests. But no Monkey for Americans ok?”

Ok Johnny.

I couldn’t help but feel a creeping sense of dread as Johnny stepped out from the back of our pick-up truck onto the freshly graveled road leaving us with his dumbfounded party. I cared a great deal for this man and fretted as he marched toward the darkness in silence, exuding a confidence only seen on the faces of dragons.

Silhouettes of jungle flanked us on both sides and only small flecks of moonlight reached up over the trees. The heavy headlights of our pick-up provided us with enough light to make out Johnny's minute frame.

The figure began to take shape, and Johnny edged closer towards it. Silence fell upon us all as we witnessed the surreal scene unraveling before us; this frail human confronting this beast, the sound of Johnny’s flip-flops stifled as he stared into the soul of this behemoth, their eyes locking together in a moment of serene tranquility epitomizing the divine understanding between animal and man. The silence of the jungle deafened as Johnny reached out to embrace his spiritual counterpart.

I have never seen a man retreat back so fast and belly-flop so hard onto the bed of a pick up truck. I will always remember the fanfare of shrieks in English and Johnny’s high pitched Thai obscenities as Dumbo careened toward us in an earthy display of defiance as our pick-up fled in the only direction not impeded by a stampeding elephant.

That’s what you were doing Johnny. You were making us laugh. Thank you.