Thailand had been a bucket list destination for many years, and after finally taking the chance to visit in December, I am here to report that it did not disappoint. Many of the people I know who have spent time in Thailand have been to one, two, or three of the following: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket. I was fortunate enough to see all three, and loved them each for various reasons.
The temples and palaces of Bangkok were stunning, the food was delicious and ridiculously affordable, and certain sections of town lived up to the hype I had in my mind from movies and books. Chiang Mai is in the mountains, and the lushness and fresh air were magical. We visited an elephant hospital where they have developed prosthetic limbs for poor elephants who stepped on land mines in nearby Laos and Cambodia. A wonderful meal for two, plus coffee, appetizer and tip was less than twenty bucks, and an hour-long massage was 6. Even better, the massage was delivered by a very skilled woman who is an inmate at the local prison and works in a special rehab program to deliver usable skills prior to their release. I also spent an hour talking with a Buddhist monk about his daily life, and thoughts on the world. It was fascinating.
The third stop in Phuket was glorious and included some of the world’s premier beaches. Turquoise water, velvet sand, stunning snorkeling and a higher cost of living as one might expect in a resort-type Island. So the tour was incredible, and I most certainly plan on returning. But here’s the think about Thailand - the best part happened to be the people.
The country is 94% Buddhist, and given the culture I just described, literally every Thai person I came into contact over the course of my stay felt to me like they had either just gotten done meditating, or getting a massage, or both. And they probably had! As a culture, Buddhists often start and end their day “on the cushion” as it were, tuning in through a daily meditation practice. The impact of this on a communal level is palpable and wondrous to me.
The best example of what this translates into on a day-to-day basis was the navigation of traffic. The typical roadway is full of 40% vehicles, 60% scooters. And while there are things like stop signs and traffic signals, these are often more implied than strictly observed. But it’s like being in the ocean and watching different schools of fish merge and flow. You simply turn when there’s an opening, and if that person in front of you pulls over to talk to that woman on the sidewalk, no problem, we just shift over and keep going. And that person next to you who also has to shift over to make space? No problem. He saw it coming too and everyone is just fine about it all. No one is angry, or honking, or reaching for their weapons. We are all in this together, just making our way down the street. What a concept.
My dear therapist friend remarked, “It sounds like everyone in Thailand has a regulated nervous system.” Bingo. It is a deep joy to be around a bunch of grounded, tuned-in, joyful, content people. Perhaps it’s because they’re the only country in the region to avoid colonization. Or because they are a more homogeneous society, versus America’s melting pot.
Whatever the reasons, Thailand just skyrocketed up the list of my favorite places on the planet. And for now, I’m doing my work to keep myself regulated and tuned in, leaving my car horn alone.
