Thai kindness.
We are no longer tourists, we live here. So we will never pay more than 15 baht for a
smoothie. We know the white van to Bangkok is and will always be 60 baht. We
have learned a ‘please-kah’ will knock off 20 baht on a bargain. We have also
learned that almost everything can be bargained.
Thais trying to give us the “farang price” does
not come at a surprise; but we stand there and repeat ‘no-kah’ until they
realize that they can’t pull one on us. That’s the silly thing about this Land
of Smiles - they’ll give you a warm, wide smile while ripping you off.
The practice of locals trying to take advantage
of the tourist crowd is to be expected and can be found everywhere. However,
when you mix getting ripped off and the infamously inconsistent Thai
transportation into an early morning – the result is a very cranky farang.
A few weekends ago we wanted to visit the
sunflower fields in Lopburi and then make our way to Ayutthaya. We woke before
the sun and walked to the van station where we find our sketchy white vans that
take us to Bangkok. To get from Point A to Point B in Thailand require 5
changeovers, 18 pit-stops, and double the planned amount of time. I often have
to remind myself that Thailand is the size of France and I cannot travel
everywhere as quickly as I hope. So once we arrived in Bangkok, we took the BTS
Subway to the Victory Monument and searched for another seedy white van to take
us to Lopburi. The prices they were quoting us were more than what we read on
blogs online and our bargaining skills were failing us; so we bitterly agreed
to one van’s price and piled in. Squished, tired, and cranky, we dozed in and
out of consciousness during our ride out to Lopburi. FINALLY after 6 hours of
traveling (that should have only taken 2 ½) we arrived in the city of Monkeys.
There are monkeys everywhere - hanging from the
power lines and cockily walking the streets. They rule the city. These furry
tricksters congregate at the Khmer - a.k.a. Monkey - Temple. I am not quite
sure why the monkeys remain at this shrine and do not venture out to other
towns. Perhaps they have been conditioned to associate Lopburi with food from
tourists, or there really is a connection to the Hindu God from the legend;
nevertheless, Lopburi is a real life Jumangi game with troops of monkeys crossing
streets and jumping on people.
Immediately after we piled out of the van and
stretched our legs, a wave of uneasiness swept over me. The agitation faded
away once we were bombarded by a group of Thai girls promoting a brand and
giving us free food. It was lunch time, so why not. The girls with too much makeup and not enough
clothing asked for some selfie shots with us so we gave in and laughed about
how the day was turning around.
As we started to walk away, that uneasy feeling
returned in a sharp pain. Then all of a sudden a massive Macaque monkey swooped
over on the power lines and jumped into the middle of our group. He stole our
food and climbed on Mikaela. Once he reaped his rewards he sat on the stoop and
opened a wrapper like a human. Staring at us with a sly grin, this monkey with
massive balls knew he got his way with these foreigners.
We just wanted to see some sunflowers. The city of Lopburi gave off this devious
vibe and I was ready to escape Monkey Kingdom.
Startled, creeped out, and desperate to leave,
we asked these lounging motortaxi men how to get to the sunflowers. They
responded with “okay-krap, we get sunflower man”. Five minutes later a beat up Songtaew
pulled into the parking lot and a small man with a toothless grin and cowboy
hat got out. Here is the sunflower man. For a very fair price he agreed to take
us to and from the sunflower fields. We
happily said yes and thanked the toothless man, checking over our shoulder if
our big-balled bully was watching us.
This kind and charming man brought us to sunflower
field after sunflower field. He simply parked his truck and played some Thai-Latin
fusion songs and relaxed. There were no tourists, no shops, and no hawkers –
just some friends in fields of sunflowers. The sunflower man completely changed
our day and our attitudes. He gave us sunflowers and happiness.
After lunch from the cutest Thai family we
decided that it was time to officially leave Lopburi. Even though it was a
hassle to get to the town and we were paid an unwelcomed visit by an aggressive
monkey, the sunflowers made the trip worth it.
Our next stop was the ancient capital of Siam, Ayutthaya.
Thai
kindess was wrapped up with a bow and graciously handed
to us in Ayutthaya. We spent that Sunday biking around the ancient city and encountering
the most generous people. We started our morning with coffee at a lovely family
café and returned there three times in that same day. Our first stop was at the ruins of Wat
Mahathat. We crossed paths with a tall, dark man and carried a brief
conversation about how to enter the temple. That brief interaction fell into
our memory as we were consumed with the intense presence of the massive and
meticulously organized ruins in front of us. Once again, we beat the tourists
and were able to wander through the ancient temples and absorb the peacefulness.
As we unlocked our bikes we noticed a
wallet on the ground, right next to the spot where the tall, dark man’s bike
was parked. There were some dodgy men standing nearby and we didn’t feel right
about leaving the wallet so we searched the grounds and called out the name on
his ID, Roland, but to no avail. Our next best bet was to head to the next
ruins site and pray that he would be there. As we dodged traffic in our bikes,
a frantic looking Roland was peddling down the road. We flagged him down and
returned his wallet to him. We accepted his many thanks and just said we would
hope a stranger would do the same for us.
The day continued on and we biked around the
city, carefree and giddy like children. The last sight we hoped to see was the
Reclining Buddha statue. Every time we
looked up directions we were pointed in a different way. However, getting lost
did let us find a gorgeous park that reminded me of Central Park on a crisp
fall day. We traveled up and down this main road trying to find a hidden alley.
A bike race through Ayutthaya was taking place at the same time and we joined
it by default. Race participants cheered us on and took pictures of the crazy
farangs lost on bikes.
Finally we gave up and stopped at a bodega to ask for
directions. The store owners giggled when our faces showed utter confusion as
they explained to us in Thai how to get there.
A young man with a smoothie cart
stood nearby and watched this comical failure of an exchange of information.
Finally, he tapped us on the shoulder and motioned us to follow him. We had no
other option so we hopped back on our bikes and chased him as he weaved in and
out of traffic, dodged elephants, and passed the bike race - again. We stopped at an intersection and he pointed
to the alley we needed to go down. After several kòrp-kun-kah’s and waves we
attempted to find the illusive alley.
As we crept slowly on our bikes down a
quiet road an elderly man watched us. Perhaps many travelers get lost in his
neighborhood or he sensed our desperation because he pointed to another old man
on a bike whom I instinctively followed. He was silent and turned around a few
times but happily chauffeured us to the Reclining Buddha.
I was in awe. Not from the giant Buddha resting
on its side, but from the immense hospitality and friendliness we had
experienced that day. Out of the kindness in their hearts several strangers
decided to help us. We all noted that this rarely happens in America and it was
such a sad realization to have.
We returned to the bodega to thank the owners
for helping us and buy some of their goods. Rather than accept our words, they
handed us free dessert.
This generosity runs rampant in Thailand. They
simply want to share their love for their country with you – whether that is having
you try a new fruit at the market, a guided tour to a landmark, or background
music while you dance through sunflower fields.
Give them a smile and they give you their heart.
Thailand will give me days of being ripped off,
late buses, or canceled trains. However, the days when Thailand introduces me
to helpful strangers, generous vendors, and friendly drivers make up for any
battle.
We need to put good into the world to get good
out of it. The fruits of our soul are
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. Share these
simple yet treasured gifts with one another and this world will evolve to what
it can be – a shared place filled with people living in harmony.
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