Thai Time

So after nearly two weeks of living in this country, I've become aware of a few undeniable truths:


1) The music sucks. I'm sorry, but when I'm relieved to hear a "Prince" song playing on the taxi radio rather than the usual nasal-voiced Thai tunes that blast in the supermarket, you know something has gone awry.

2) The people rule. Despite a few farang-haters (see last blog post), I have been greeted with nothing but kindness since I got here. I've had people walk ten blocks out of their way to show me the cheapest hotels, spend an hour trying to explain to me what "stand-by hours" mean when buying a cell phone (it means "battery life." Duh?), and use up their own cell phone minutes to call EVA Airlines and ask where the hell my black duffle bag disappeared to. Seriously. There is a reason why Thailand is known as the "Land of Smiles", and I've been lucky enough to witness it firsthand.

3) There is absolutely no rush. Ever. "Thai time", they call it. Everything, from the people walking on the sidewalk to the line at the ATM, runs at the pace of a small Southeast-Asian snail. I thought the viejos (old folk) in Spain were bad, but DAMN. The Thai's are SLOW. I just don't know how it's possible. Sometimes I'm really afraid that I'm going to end up back at my apartment because the person in front of me on the sidewalk is actually walking BACKWARDS. It actually goes against the laws of physics.



So why is "Thai time" so relevant these days? Well. Remember the non-occuring political armageddon I wrote about? The Red Shirt protest that ended up being nothing more than an endorsement for the incense and candle industry? Yeah, about that... It seems they were just running on "Thai time" as well. It is anticipated that starting around 6 am tomorrow (Friday) morning, the city of Bangkok will be filled with hundreds of thousands of Thaksin-supporting Red Shirts protesting his recent conviction. And from what I've assessed, these people are not coming to light incense. Blockades are being placed, police are on alert, and classes are being cancelled. Even the sidewalks are slowly emptying of the slow walkers I feel like pushing over every day on my way home. Something big is about to go down in this city, and we'll see if it still feels like the "Land of Smiles" after tomorrow.


So there you have it. Three undeniable truths, plus some ominous language that is intended to make you all worry terribly about me and send me care packages in the mail. But seriously. This is history in the making, people, and I'll be bringing it to you from the front lines. So can you all send some good vibes this way and let's hope that "Thai time" makes this protest into one lonely red-clad man shaking his fist at city hall? Thanks and love.




-C