thailand under the skin
It has just hit me that in a few weeks, I am to leave Thailand. In less than three weeks in fact.
Somehow this country has got under my skin. I'm juts not quite ready to leave yet - there is still so much to see and do.
The beaches feel a little unreal. There is wealth here, too many farangs, too much western food and not enough markets and street vendors for my liking. Everything is expensive - the Thai people used to foreigners fresh off the planes and boats and willing to pay what would be a small fortune in Isaan or the north for food, water and everyday items.
But in Thailand everything is so fresh. I will miss the fresh-faced smiles, the cunning and knowing glances of the tuk tuk drivers, the unbelievably sweet mango and pineapple, the real taste of a banana. The prickly red rambutan with their delicious white flesh and the smell of phad thai from a street stall.
The abundance of food choices from the fiery som tam (papaya salad), which even mai phet (not spicy) can still blow your head off, the sticky rice and grilled chicken, the chicken with cashew nuts, fried rice, chicken with sweet basil and chilli... the numerous noodle variations and rice bowls. I didn't eat much rice before I come here and now I get withdrawal symptoms if it has been too long since I ate it.
The scenery has been stunning every step of the way, from the bustling filth of Bangkok to the lushcious green rice fields, the mountains of the north with the colourfully-clad tribespeople and the soft curves of white sand on the beaches of the south. There is much more to explore. More people to meet. More sangsom to drink while listening to Thai pop.
While I don't want to stay here forever, I cannot feel anything but sorrow on leaving these shores. They have a wonderful way of life. Thai people, dare I say it, are pretty lazy. Some work all the hours Buddha sends. Many more take the easy route always - picking up one or two expensive taxi fares rather than taking several cheaper fares from tourists or Thai's in the know.
That is why prostitution is seen not as a bad life - you can earn more in one hour klying on your back than in a week for some of these girls. And they reason they are only doing what they would be with violent and abusive husbands anyway. Sex tourism is a complicated mish mash of western guilt and curiousity, shame and pride.
For Buddists, giving up the body is far less of a sin that prosituting your mind as they believe we do in the west - working for companies we hate, pushing away our morals for the sake of money. While still a sin, it is possible to earn merit to cleanse or balance out that sin. It could, for example, pay for your sister's university education, a new home in your parents village, new water buffalo to breed instead of earning money through a hard-won rice harvest. It is a complicated situation for westerners to understand. They don't want pity.
Thai people are very proud. They can sleep at any given time whether on a speed boat, bumpy train, smelly bus... They create fantastic food and believe in having fun even while working hard in the fields. They love their hard-working King with a passion and many are devout Buddhists - a religion I find worthy, honest and workable.
With the sun shining down on this stunning beach at Thong Nai Pan Noi, it is hard to want to board a plane to Australia, let alone home. I know why people stay on here. The laid-back way of life is so appealing and so different to our busy busy schedules.
Right now the sun is struggling and the waves are too high to take the proposed snorkelling trip to Bottle Beach and beyond. But while there are books to read, delicious food to munch and cocktails to sip, why would that matter?
Somehow this country has got under my skin. I'm juts not quite ready to leave yet - there is still so much to see and do.
The beaches feel a little unreal. There is wealth here, too many farangs, too much western food and not enough markets and street vendors for my liking. Everything is expensive - the Thai people used to foreigners fresh off the planes and boats and willing to pay what would be a small fortune in Isaan or the north for food, water and everyday items.
But in Thailand everything is so fresh. I will miss the fresh-faced smiles, the cunning and knowing glances of the tuk tuk drivers, the unbelievably sweet mango and pineapple, the real taste of a banana. The prickly red rambutan with their delicious white flesh and the smell of phad thai from a street stall.
The abundance of food choices from the fiery som tam (papaya salad), which even mai phet (not spicy) can still blow your head off, the sticky rice and grilled chicken, the chicken with cashew nuts, fried rice, chicken with sweet basil and chilli... the numerous noodle variations and rice bowls. I didn't eat much rice before I come here and now I get withdrawal symptoms if it has been too long since I ate it.
The scenery has been stunning every step of the way, from the bustling filth of Bangkok to the lushcious green rice fields, the mountains of the north with the colourfully-clad tribespeople and the soft curves of white sand on the beaches of the south. There is much more to explore. More people to meet. More sangsom to drink while listening to Thai pop.
While I don't want to stay here forever, I cannot feel anything but sorrow on leaving these shores. They have a wonderful way of life. Thai people, dare I say it, are pretty lazy. Some work all the hours Buddha sends. Many more take the easy route always - picking up one or two expensive taxi fares rather than taking several cheaper fares from tourists or Thai's in the know.
That is why prostitution is seen not as a bad life - you can earn more in one hour klying on your back than in a week for some of these girls. And they reason they are only doing what they would be with violent and abusive husbands anyway. Sex tourism is a complicated mish mash of western guilt and curiousity, shame and pride.
For Buddists, giving up the body is far less of a sin that prosituting your mind as they believe we do in the west - working for companies we hate, pushing away our morals for the sake of money. While still a sin, it is possible to earn merit to cleanse or balance out that sin. It could, for example, pay for your sister's university education, a new home in your parents village, new water buffalo to breed instead of earning money through a hard-won rice harvest. It is a complicated situation for westerners to understand. They don't want pity.
Thai people are very proud. They can sleep at any given time whether on a speed boat, bumpy train, smelly bus... They create fantastic food and believe in having fun even while working hard in the fields. They love their hard-working King with a passion and many are devout Buddhists - a religion I find worthy, honest and workable.
With the sun shining down on this stunning beach at Thong Nai Pan Noi, it is hard to want to board a plane to Australia, let alone home. I know why people stay on here. The laid-back way of life is so appealing and so different to our busy busy schedules.
Right now the sun is struggling and the waves are too high to take the proposed snorkelling trip to Bottle Beach and beyond. But while there are books to read, delicious food to munch and cocktails to sip, why would that matter?
posted by charlie at 1:39 pm
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