1. 50/50 Thai ppl- copyright Peter. Luckily we met more of the good half overall (more of the bad half in the beginning). Perhaps it was the influence of Toms 'positive attitude'?
2. More amazing Thai food. The dishes seem to keep getting spicier- I just tend to order the really spicy ones without knowing what I'm getting. I'm sweating but I just can't stop because it's sooooo good. I could eat this stuff everyday, all day. The Thai & the Malaysians have perfected spices. However, I have not been to India yet so I do not have the full comparison...
3. My love of motorbikes is growing. I didn't mention it previously, but our whole month in east Africa I was joking with Tom that I wanted to rent a 'piki piki' (motorbike). He was never sure if I was joking or serious and he thought I was crazy nonetheless. It is especially dangerous in east Africa & 'piki piki' accidents are at least 75% of the cases we saw in the Ortho ward. Therefore, I abandoned the idea in Tanzania. However, I saw tons on Samui island too & the fascination resurfaced. Tom felt this was the lesser of 2 evils so we rented one for 250 baht/day (roughly $7)! It was awesome!!! Probably quite unsafe, however the calm relaxed atmosphere on the island makes it easier for foreigners/newbies to get the hang of it. It became our favorite way to get around the island (and cheapest!). Not my last experience with a 'piki piki' I'm sure ! :)
4. The women here are really pretty. And they age well. Or they are men who are now women? Who knows with this extensive lady boy culture, although we have only seen a few...there's probably much more in the north. They are probably pretty because they are so exotic to me.....but it is not so uncommon to see a white European walking around with his Thai gf or wife--after all Dominic the diving instructor found himself a thai wife! I am sure they both feel like they each get the better end of the stick!
5. I'm starting to feel the energy in the air. A more positive vibe. I'm in a paradise world trying to learn the Thai predisposition- always happy, always smiling, always look comfortable in their own bodies & in their surroundings. Why don't I see that in NA? Why is it that in these poorer countries that we are in people just seem happier?? Their lives move slower, they may not get as much done in a day compared to the westerner, but yet they get more out of each day than you or I ? What does the rat race really get us closer to?? Stress, and fake monetary happiness I guess...
I was reading recently that each place you see & take in will definitely give you something back. What you put in and your predisposition going into it will determine exactly what it is that you get back. We are approaching this trip with as little bias as possible and openly meeting as many people along the way as we can. I can feel something different in the air. This hectic, sometimes cheesy, sometimes too touristy Thailand, but yet a happy, mystical, beautiful place that gives and takes according to how you feel it out. I'm often a neurotic, stressed person and it's something I fight with every day because I wish this could be different. Dominic said to us on the boat: 'there is no relaxation without meditation'. As I sit on this evening bus ride heading to krabi, I feel at peace. My body is not tense, I am calm and drowsy, and I've never been happier. I feel so happy & I have no idea why I am in this moment right now but it just came on..... & I will enjoy it as much as I can. There is so much to think about in the future but I will just enjoy the present moment I am in.
6. Thai people really revere & respect their elderly. It is not just a matter of saying the proper 'right' hello to an elderly person, it is their behavior towards them that is engrained so heavily in the culture. At gatherings, it would be unusual to see groups of people hanging out according to age. The young mingle with the old as if they were the best of friends. Taking care of the old and sick is not a duty here, it is a pleasure & a privilege. When you are old and sick here, it is your turn to be cared for & pampered. It is a positive thing that the elderly should enjoy as well as the young who take care of them. It is a beautiful outlook, a view more western cultures should adopt.
7. A beautiful story I have heard: apparently there is a Muslim temple somewhere in India where a man named Jesus is buried & worshipped by Muslim followers. The story connects to the many years in the new testament of the bible where we do not know anything about Jesus' whereabouts--approximately late childhood to early thirties (?). There are claims that before Jesus began to preach his word that is written in the bible, he travelled extensively around Asia where he learned the teachings of Buddhism and embraced them. He then returned to his native home & began to teach these same values. This story fits on many counts: we really don't know about Jesus' early life (what he did, where he was, his influences before he began to preach) & many Christian values & teachings are incredibly similar to Buddhist principles- for ex. How you should treat your neighbor, giving to others through different ways (I won't get into specifics but many scholars agree that the 2 religions have striking similarities in many views). The story also claims that in this temple of this so called 'Jesus' there are footprint moldings outside the tomb- a characteristic
Practice of Buddhism still current today. In addition, the idea of this 'tomb' of (perhaps?) Jesus can be explained by the 'resurrection'-- it was known back in those days (& today) that people that were hung on crosses would often not die from the ordeal because they did not sustain enough blood loss or damage to vital organs. So the additional theory is that Jesus survived the crucifixion and when he was not found in the tomb he actually went back to Asia, lived & preached some more (the practices of Buddhism) & eventually died & was buried somewhere in Asia. This story might sound crazy but anything is possible, especially because there really is no proof in any direction as to what really happened. I didn't tell this story in order to start a fight with my Christian/Muslim/atheist etc. friends but rather for the stories' beautiful message: everyone can live together in harmony and we all have similar values/morals/ideas about being a good person and spreading a positive message. I absolutely love this theory whether it is true or not. I would actually love it even more if it was.
8. Some friends have told me that the travels we are doing this year are very much like the movie & book 'eat,pray,love' I have never read the book nor have I watched the movie & I don't intend to until the end of this trip. I don't want those ideas to influence any of mine.
:P Next time we should stay at the Phu Pi Mann Resort & Spa :P
