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So I’m back at the Bangkok airport, having arrived here about five hours early, in line with my paranoia about missing flights and also the knowledge that taxis apparently go off the meter later in the day. Getting a taxi here was an experience in itself – a little bit scary not having a seatbelt when the taxi’s zipping in and out of lanes without indicating at the speed this one was going! And then there was the tiff that resulted when I demanded he give me the correct amount of change… Ah, the joys of catching a taxi.
It’s my forth time here at the airport, and I feel I’m becoming quite intimately acquainted with the place. Free wireless is a blessing too.
Today I slept in – hallelujah! – then caught the skytrain to the weekend markets. Maybe not the best place to go when you’re in need of some alone time after a full-on three and a half weeks: that place felt – and smelt - like a mosh pit!
As I taxied to the airport I had a little time to reflect and came to the realisation that, as much as I love independent travel, there’s no way I could have been so immersed into the lives of the locals if I hadn’t been linked in with the team or the missionaries. Definitely glad I chose to sacrifice my independence to work with others.
And while we’re on this reflective note, here’s a list of things I’ll leave behind in Thailand, for better or worse:
Smiley, friendly Thai people… songtheows… “squatty potty” hong naams with hoses… “Jingle Bells, Coconut Shells”… wai-ing… tropical fruit: pomelo, papaya, farang, pineapple, champoo… rice porridge for brekkie… newbies being made to stand up for introductions during church… the cockroach dance and the Thai chicken dance… Thai language with its limited use of be-verbs but many tones… spicy food… eating with a spoon and fork, or Asian soup spoons… sitting on cushions on the floor to teach English and eat meals… Lipton Lemon Iced Tea from a recycled glass bottle… taking shoes off to go into church meetings, Internet cafes, certain shops and, of course, houses… dressing up nicely to go to church… solar-powered [electric] buses around uni… kow pad moo… paying for drinking water… eating together after church… dinner for under a dollar… gorgeous little Thai kiddies… people who think fair skin, and not tans, is great… geckos... not being able to hug male friends… red suns setting… smoggy Bangkok skies… rice paddies and tropical trees from out of bus windows… funny tummies… tuk-tuks… Seven-Elevens…
Some of these I guess I’ll re-ecounter in Kenya, and maybe even the US, but I guess it’s only Thailand where I’d get the whole cumulative effect of the above. I love this place.
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