Thailand offers myriad’s of possibilities in terms of geographic variety, friendly people, excellent food and very reasonable prices. My visit coincided with the economic crisis of the region (not that I had anything to do with it). The currency has dropped 110% against  the dollar in the last year. However, it has not dampened the Thai spirit. Some news clippings from local papers touting Thailand as a tourist haven, ”Thailand, where you can ride your motorbike anywhere, Malaysia is boring, the haze wasn’t your fault, visit Thailand we need the money, our hotels make you feel like you are the only guest, For you, special price!”

 

People

             One of the cultural attributes of Thai is the phrase “Mai Pen Rai” which means never mind. Another valuable concept that guides their lives is “Sanuk” which means “fun.” The third Thai characteristic is their tendency to “accommodate” and avoid conflict. These three characteristics make Thailand the unique place it is. Being in Thailand therefore is being amongst people who are fun loving, accommodating and not used to taking things too seriously. I do not know the origins of these characteristics but I will speculate anyway. Thailand sits in the middle of two civilizations India and China and has borrowed the from both in an interesting polyglot mix. The Thai script is borrowed from Tamil and the language has its origins in Pali and Tamil. The predominant religion is Buddhism from India but it is actually a mixture of Hinduism( or Brahmanism) and Buddhism. The average Thai can not separate the two religions. Buddhism was a reform movement in Hinduism just like Christianity in Judaism and Protestant in Catholicism.

 

                     It is difficult to walk on the streets of Bangkok without getting accosted by a smile accompanied by “Taxi, Massage” or the offer of a bargain with “special price for you.” The Thai have a very seductive manner about them and the smile which can make you feel like the “most important person in the world.” The streets of Bangkok have their noise, color and wafting smells of food and decay all in an aroma that is uniquely Asian. The ubiquitous massage parlors and prostitution(1% of population) are borrowed from the Chinese. Apparently prostitution has existed in Thailand long before the arrival of Farangs. Average Thai male visits a prostitute once  a week. AIDS awareness has led to acceptance of condoms which have reduced the incidence of the disease in Bangkok but not so in North Thailand. Prostitution is apparently born out of poverty of North Thailand and women are sold into bondage. Now a days the Burmese, Vietnamese and Chinese women have started to make their way across the border.  Middle class women no longer tolerate polygamy and the rate of divorce has begun to rise. Marriages are not arranged by family. Family does occupy an important part of people’s lives. The other past time is shopping. Consumerism has become the religion for most people. The Thais claim that they too are chasing the “American Dream” which is “thrust down our throats” mainly through advertising.

 

Politics

             Thailand had its brushes with authoritarianism after the fall of Thai kingdom in 50’s. The King is revered and one should not even attempt to criticize him The King was born in Massachusetts in 1927 and was educated in Switzerland. Thailand in a constitutional monarchy. The king has managed to project an image of benign wisdom which serves the people well in the tumultuous constantly changing political scenery. The national anthem to the King is played before movies and you have to stand. The king’s birthday was celebrated with considerable pomp and circumstance and his pictures were adorned everywhere. The Thai claim to be the only country not ruled by foreigners in Asia. However, this claim is somewhat disingenuous. The Thai have compromised with the neighbors  and usually yielded territory to appease the aggressors. Vietnam and Cambodia were at one time part of Thai kingdom. Thai were runover by Burmese and ceded territory to the Europeans later. They call this “Bamboo diplomacy.”  Following the 50’s there have been frequent coups and military became powerful gradually yielding to democracy. The last student massacre was in 1976. The last Prime  Minister was also an ex-General. His government fell after the financial crisis. The current Prime Minister has been in this position before and is now well liked. The newspapers publish the fortunes amassed by politicians on a daily basis. It is democracy Asian style with corruption and frequent shifts of alliances.

 

Economy

               Thailand has mainly an export economy and export rice, agricultural products, computers and electronics. The shopping malls in Bangkok are as large and as numerous as any I have seen. You can buy anything here now at a reasonable price. Pirated software, music and videos are available at dirt cheap prices. Numerous English language bookstores have most of the chain store books. Apparently the Thai crisis was predicted by an American Economist two years ago and he was laughed out. He felt that the crash was inevitable since the economy could not keep growing at the rapid pace without technological advance since it had essentially grown to employ all the people. He now predicts that the crisis will be over because all these mouths have to be fed, housed and clothed. The question though is what kind of pain they will have to endure. 1 million people have already lost their jobs and more is to come. They have agreed to sell the Banks to foreigners but are still reluctant to let foreigners buy land. The Thai will now end up giving up their sovereignty they so fiercely protected all these years without a shot being fired. IMF is a dirty word in Thailand but they will accommodate. China Daily meanwhile called the crisis as a plot by the US through IMF to take away all the hard earned labor of Asians. They claim the US is furthering its own interests. After all, they say  IMF is not Marshall plan. China will use this card soon to exploit the Asians as it goes around offering a helping hand while blaming the west fro the crisis. I believe the worse is yet to  come. Whether the Thai will come out wiser and enact enforceable legislation, remove corruption and sound investment policies or simply let others take over is yet to be seen.

 

Places to see

                     The beaches of Phuket where I spent two weeks are remarkably beautiful and quite affordable. North Thailand offers mountains and nature in an unspoiled tropical environment. Yes, I went elephant trekking. The Elephant driver was like a nervous, intrusive mother who kept up an incessant chatter to guide the young elephant over a treacherous mountain spring. When was the last time you saw a mountain stream sitting in the middle of it only ten feet high. The city of Chiang Mai is closer to nice Thai city with some creature comforts at an unbeatable bargain price. I took a trip to the Golden Triangle where Burma, Laos and Thailand meet. It is still a drug haven on the Burmese side but drugs have been cleared from Thai side. Not much to recommend the trip. The ruins of Buddhist temples at Sukothai are remarkable and are part of a UNESCO world heritage site and definitely worth a trip.

 

                 Then there is Bangkok . It is a city of 10 million people in a chaotic, colorful, noisy atmosphere of traffic fumes, crazy motorbike riders and overflowing street stalls. The survival gear for me included a hat, sunglasses, comfortable shoes, sun screen, walkman, comfortable walking shoes and a face mask. Now you are ready to take on Bangkok. The public buses are very affordable. My daily budget for transportation - 20c. One can always go to the temples in Bangkok and they have been renovated. There is Golden Buddha, Lying Buddha and Emerald Buddha.

 

What Else

               I was in the land of the Buddhists so I figured I should find out about that. I took some mediation lessons in a Wat (temple). That only stimulated my curiosity and I kept looking for the real thing. I found it in a 10 day retreat at a pagoda in Central Thailand. I arrived at the place and was ushered along with others to my barely furnished small room. I and 60 others had signed a pledge of “noble silence” for 10 days that meant no communication with anyone even by gestures. The day began at 4 AM and lasted till 9:30 PM with 10 hours of meditation/day. Two vegetarian meals/day were served in a buffet. We were not allowed to leave once we had signed in. There was a moat around the place and the doors were locked. No one left. After enduring what seemed like unbearable pain of sitting cross legged for 10 hours/day a little euphoria came over me and bursts of creative imagination that lasted two days. This was followed by “nothing” for two days and then the relief that it was almost over. Wisdom- no but a certain ability to handle pain with “equanimity” and the Buddhist belief that all things are “impermanent”  became more understandable. The participants were two third Thai and one third foreigner with a similar ratio of female to male. The foreigners were from Australia, Japan, France, Germany and Italy. At the end of the deprivation of the retreat we were all ready for “defilements” and non stop talking. We talked into the next night reliving our experience and trying to place it into comprehension. If the whole world were to become practicing Buddhist and send out vibrations of peace and joy (Metta Bhavana), the world be a better place.

 

       I don’t know how many of you have ever been through some thing like this. I would recommend the experience at  least once in a life time if not once a year. Those so inclined can pursue on the net at www.dhamma.org. They have branches in 80 countries. An interesting version of McDonaldization of Buddhist meditation practices. Remarkable quality control and it is all free. They accept only donations from old students.

Now that I can meditate on the tip of my nose let me see where it leads me.