Land of a thousand smiles

Well, I have at last forgiven myself now for slacking on my 2012 project and decided to start writing again. Things got a bit busy with all the travel and whatnot - and though there is no shortage of pictures, the pic of the day idea was lost in the madness of my holiday. So instead of posting 2 weeks worth of pictures from Thailand at once (which are already posted on facebook), thought I'd highlight just a few things at a time. First up, the people.

Thailand is known as the "land of a thousand smiles" and now I know why. There was not one local that I met in Thailand that wasn't pleasant.
(Well there was this one guy who was mad that I took a picture of his monkey - apparently wanted money for it. A monkey in overalls - something you don't see everyday.)

I have to admit that in the past, I've been guilty of lumping Asians into one broad category. Quincy will have that influence on you. But after being to Hong Kong, Japan and now Thailand - I can honestly say there is a huge difference culturally. And Thais I must say are my absolute favorite. Is that racist?
The Thais love English speakers, as they love trying to speak it themselves. They also enjoy listening to  tourists like me butcher the language when I try to mutter my "thank you" in Thai.

Then there was Patrick:

Yes, I laughed too when he said his name was Patrick - certainly doesn't look Irish to me. But I went with it. Patrick was our bartender one night out on the beach of Phi Phi Island. Here's an example of how wonderful Thai people are:
He guessed my age.
He guessed I was 29.  (And he wasn't looking for tips - not a common practice in Thailand!)

So they are sweet, smiling and kind. They are also funny as hell. From the guy at the Tiger Kingdom telling us before we went into the cages "the tigers are a bit hungry today" to the guy belaying me (holding my rope) when rock climbing saying after I tied my figure 8 knot "not good" (he actually said "knot good/knot is good" but purposely attempted to confuse me) to the guy at the elephant sanctuary that yelled "waterfall!!!!" when the elephant in front of the one we were riding took a pee with his gigantic...

The other remarkable thing about Thai people is that they are happy with so little. We took a river cruise in Bangkok that weaved through the back side of the city, giving us a glimpse into life outside of the touristy bits and palaces. Families in some areas didn't have much other than a thatched roof about their heads. I saw a few families sitting on the riverside, waving to us tourists as we cruised by. Kids were playing with sticks - not dolls or video games. And although we didn't sit down and have a heart-to-heart - I gathered that everyone genuinely seemed to be relaxed and content with life.

Thailand - the land of a thousand smiles. Now I know that doesn't just mean the locals, but it's contagious to the people that visit.

Next post I'll cover more interesting/scenic pics from Thailand!