Thailand... tight-land? tideland? Name it how you will, all who've been there will remember nothing else but the Land of Smiles.
First arriving in Bangkok I felt like being transported to another dimension, I was completely out of my homey habitat; everything I knew about the world was now worth monopoly paper, plus taxes.
Cars I knew, the sky I knew, streets and buildings and other humans I was familiar with but pink cabs? Meat lollipops?? Baby elephants bathing in the sea?? Undecipherable road signs all around?
Asia in general can be an existential slap in the face, you go there, coming from the Western side of the World, and you inevitably start questioning everything you've done so far, as well as the methods you've used; suddenly you feel a splash of warm water rinsing away rationality from your the very core of your being.
But Thailand, oh dear... Thailand is the queen of all exceptions, it is the place that questions how you think the human world should work. Us foreigners have a special way of justifying this unique phenomenon by using the acronym "TIT"; meaning: This is Thailand. Works like a charm.
Every time someone serves you a dish you in fact did not order (some times providing you with the exact opposite of what you asked) you HAVE to think for yourself; TIT. And you have to eat whatever is in front of you! No crying allowed!
Every time millions of small motorbikes rush past you at outrageous speeds almost killing defenseless pedestrians, and of course, each other; TIT.
Oh, and those times when there comes a certain particular holiday in which every single person on the street (including grandmas) starts tossing water (in all its categories: bucket full, ice, using water guns) at you for no particular reason!: TIT.
Every time you ask someone for directions and you receive a nod (apparently acknowledging your request) but in fact they give you baloney because they actually did not have a clue of what you were talking about, and were kind of shy to admit it (and yes, you end up being completely lost and vulnerable to newer mistakes)... need I ever say it again? TIT people, TIT.
When the shrines where the Thais honor the spirits are filled with soda bottles (especially Fanta, I think they are quite fond of the brightness of the color). TIT.
First arriving in Bangkok I felt like being transported to another dimension, I was completely out of my homey habitat; everything I knew about the world was now worth monopoly paper, plus taxes.
Cars I knew, the sky I knew, streets and buildings and other humans I was familiar with but pink cabs? Meat lollipops?? Baby elephants bathing in the sea?? Undecipherable road signs all around?
Asia in general can be an existential slap in the face, you go there, coming from the Western side of the World, and you inevitably start questioning everything you've done so far, as well as the methods you've used; suddenly you feel a splash of warm water rinsing away rationality from your the very core of your being.
But Thailand, oh dear... Thailand is the queen of all exceptions, it is the place that questions how you think the human world should work. Us foreigners have a special way of justifying this unique phenomenon by using the acronym "TIT"; meaning: This is Thailand. Works like a charm.
Every time someone serves you a dish you in fact did not order (some times providing you with the exact opposite of what you asked) you HAVE to think for yourself; TIT. And you have to eat whatever is in front of you! No crying allowed!
Every time millions of small motorbikes rush past you at outrageous speeds almost killing defenseless pedestrians, and of course, each other; TIT.
Oh, and those times when there comes a certain particular holiday in which every single person on the street (including grandmas) starts tossing water (in all its categories: bucket full, ice, using water guns) at you for no particular reason!: TIT.
Every time you ask someone for directions and you receive a nod (apparently acknowledging your request) but in fact they give you baloney because they actually did not have a clue of what you were talking about, and were kind of shy to admit it (and yes, you end up being completely lost and vulnerable to newer mistakes)... need I ever say it again? TIT people, TIT.
When the shrines where the Thais honor the spirits are filled with soda bottles (especially Fanta, I think they are quite fond of the brightness of the color). TIT.
When little children walk around carrying a giant snake on their shoulders (Britney Spears like)... geez: TIT!
When the hottest girls in the night clubs are in fact perfectly disguised GUYS (which can be a bummer, even a threat to some of our fellow men)... TIT. Lady boy alert!
And don't get me started on the girls who learn how to make a weapon out of certain body orifices... I certainly shall not go into that but... TIT, TIT, TIT.
Oh, and last but not least... when every single teenage could potentially kick your butt (because they've all taken martial art lessons since BIRTH)... TIT.
Ironically you get to a point where things start to remind you of home, in a strange way... well, since I'm Mexican, I have been brought up with the colorfulness of the markets and the folkloric parades, and the strange religious rites disguised as catholic processions... so most things I see in the rural parts of the country are not that exotic to me as they could be to others, in fact they made me feel quite at home!
"You Mexican? You know Hugo Sánchez? Have free sticky rice!"- example #1 (during one of my visits to the local night market in Ban Phe, the gateway to Koh Samet).
So yes, I do recommend Thailand for people who think they've seen it all, even those who read tons of books and own a membership to the Nat Geo catalogs. It is a place that should be known by many of us, and it serves as a sort of refuge from the monotonousness of our routines (for a while, anyhow).
TIT everyone! And TTYL
When the hottest girls in the night clubs are in fact perfectly disguised GUYS (which can be a bummer, even a threat to some of our fellow men)... TIT. Lady boy alert!
And don't get me started on the girls who learn how to make a weapon out of certain body orifices... I certainly shall not go into that but... TIT, TIT, TIT.
Oh, and last but not least... when every single teenage could potentially kick your butt (because they've all taken martial art lessons since BIRTH)... TIT.
Ironically you get to a point where things start to remind you of home, in a strange way... well, since I'm Mexican, I have been brought up with the colorfulness of the markets and the folkloric parades, and the strange religious rites disguised as catholic processions... so most things I see in the rural parts of the country are not that exotic to me as they could be to others, in fact they made me feel quite at home!
"You Mexican? You know Hugo Sánchez? Have free sticky rice!"- example #1 (during one of my visits to the local night market in Ban Phe, the gateway to Koh Samet).
So yes, I do recommend Thailand for people who think they've seen it all, even those who read tons of books and own a membership to the Nat Geo catalogs. It is a place that should be known by many of us, and it serves as a sort of refuge from the monotonousness of our routines (for a while, anyhow).
TIT everyone! And TTYL
Xalli
