Sawasdee!

 

        Thailand truly stands to its name as the land of smiling faces. Everyone is so shy and friendly and always ready to greet you with a smile. Coming out of the Bangkok airport, one is always greeted with "Sawasdee" with the obligatory "Wai" (hands brought together in front of the chest or the face as if in prayer). "Sawasdee krap" they would say to a man and "Sawasdee ka" if to a woman. "Sawasdee" is actually a loose translation of "welcome" or "hello" or "greetings" in the Thai language. 

        Since their country has never been colonized, I find the Thai way of greeting as truly genuine, being rooted deeply in their culture and history (just like the ''bow" in the Japanese culture and rubbing noses in the Eskimo culture). Our "Mabuhay" greeting in the Philippines pales short in comparison. 

        Here's some of Dexter's observations while in Bangkok:

• Bangkok is actually pronounced “bahng-kok”.  "bang-kok" has no meaning in their language. 


• When meeting Thais, return the smiles. The smiles are part of the conversation.


• Thais always talk in moderate tones, so they may be irritated when you raise your voice (or shout) when you try to talk to them.


• Forget the temples. Bangkok is a shopper's paradise! It's just like Divisoria and Tutuban but the shopping is much more pleasurable, the goods are of much higher quality, and there's simply so many places to shop at -- it gives a "shopper's high" to anyone even to a person like me who hates shopping. Make sure to set aside more than enough time for this activity.


• Just like any big city, Bangkok has its own share of traffic congestion problems (just imagine Edsa during rush hour). The air is much cleaner though and the public buses do not belch out black smoke.


• If you're lucky, you'll spot elephants on the street. We were walking along one night without suspecting anything; suddenly a baby elephant surprised us when it trumpeted his trunk loudly, prompting my mom and my sis to shriek in surprise, hehehe.


• Most of the city's taxis are late model Toyota Corollas (the Altis variety), painted in gay colors like yellow, green and fuschia (no lavander though).


• "Tuk-tuks" are incredibly fast ard noisy (just like our tricycles in the Philippines). They can seat up to four people with some cargo at the back.


• Real authentic Thai food can be sampled on the city's sidewalks -- just select the ingredients you want and allow the ''chef" to cook it up. I didn't try it out though -- I'm ''afraid" of spicy food, hehehe.


• Elephants galore! For a taste of the real thing (or rather, for a sight of the real thing), go to the Thai cultural show at the Rose Garden outside of Bangkok.


• I couldn't cross my legs even if I wanted to. It is considered rude to point the soles of my feet at someone since the Thais regard their feet as the least sacred part of the body.  Conversely, the head is considered to be the most sacred and noblest part of the body -- so never touch a person’s head or ruffle his/her hair.  Make  a sincere apology if you unintentionally touch someone's head.


• As Buddhists, the Thais believe in karma, reincarnation and nirvana. This is what prompts them to be good and to do good at all times. They never hurt any living creature intentionally, believing that they could be reincarnations of their ancestors.


• Here are some quotes from our tour guides:

"We can all live in peace together if we purify, meaning no selfish stuff. If the words ''I am" and ''I want" stop, then we start to purify and we can live in peace"

"Life is like a candle. It melts and then the melted wax is made into another candle. If you are pure, then the next candle will also be pure. Therefore commit only good deeds while alive."

 

 
        Anyway, while at the tour bus, I spotted a mosquito flying near my chest. Without thinking about it, I quickly swatted the mosquito with my hands and I ended up in the “Wai” position. As I opened my hands, there I saw the mosquito squashed up and all, so I cheerfully said, "Sawasdee!"

 

        Oh well... Bye-bye mosquito. I’m not Buddhist anyway, hehe =)