We've been home for several days now, we're still un-jetlagging (I wish my brain and my insides could do this at the same rate) and I've been gradually unpacking not only my dirty laundry, my vacation t-shirts & patches & souvenirs, my Blue Elephant paraphenalia, but also my memories and impressions of the trip. Thailand is primarily a peaceful Buddhist country whose philosophy strives toward enlightenment, and I think that I made some steps towards that on my own.
My First Enlightenment was the Thai people themselves. What friendly, open, happy, respectful people they are, not only to us as tourists, but also among themselves. In a huge crowded city like Bangkok, I don't think I saw a single disagreement or display of rude behavior -- even on the packed SkyTrain, subway or on the crowded ferry boats. The recent political troubles were not in evidence, and it looked like the philosophy of "Why can't we all just get along?" really meant something.
Enlightenment Number Two was the Thai countryside. We really only saw a limited part of the whole country, but we enjoyed a major world city, a jungle National Park, and a tropical island, all within a few hours' travel time. I know there is a lot more diversity to the country, but I certainly enjoyed what I saw.
A Third Enlightenment was of course the food. That's what we came to see in the first place, and we weren't disappointed. From the elegant preparations at the Blue Elephant (which we helped cook up ourselves) to the incredible array of street food vendors, and the serendipitous roadside restaurant meal ("Could you please cook up a multi-course banquet, on no notice, for about 16 people, and make it consistently interesting and delicious? Mind if we film you while you're doing it, here by the side of the highway?" "Of course, of course -- Sawadi ka!" And they did.
Enlightenment Number Three-A : the fantastic number of familiar-seeming food treats that turned up -- corn waffles, grilled chicken gizzards, 'curry pops', the great iced coffees. Watch Peter's great video on his "Fries Me To The Moon" blog post, and enjoy him and Laura finding great American-style fried stuff in the middle of Thailand (great move putting the video to Beach Boys music, Peter!) And the delight of the Thai street vendors when Gary joyously and loudly found some honest Soul Food (grilled pork snout -- really good!) was priceless.
And a final Enlightenment: our traveling companions. It was a real pleasure for Clare and me to get to know all of you as distinct individuals, and appreciate your own additions to the trip. From working alongside you at our Blue Elephant work stations, to wandering the streets looking for whatever, to cramming in the SkyTrain, to getting completely lost at Chatuchak, to listening to Tippie singing at the restaurant or on the last bus, to battling the leeches, to our last night's BBQ on the beach, to individual personal conversations -- thanks to all of you for making this such a memorable trip. Thanks also to everybody at Metro who worked so hard to bring this off -- great job!
I'm sure that everyone has their own idea of finding Enlightenment. For the group as a whole, it seemed that when we searched for that Bright White Light, we could tell when true Nirvana was approaching when the Light was accented with a brilliant orange stripe and green stripe, and the words " 7 - 11 " came into view. But for me personally, I felt True Peace as we rode home on the SkyTrain, and that beautifully reassuring woman's voice beckoned: "Next Stop -- Na Na".
Some day I'll get off there..............
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