Thailand

Dear friends, stalkers, and rambling readers:
I'm back in China now, getting over the peeling after effects of a light sunburn, and remembering a lovely two week stint in the tropics.
I want to go back to Thailand. Almost as soon as the steamy air hit me walking off the plane, I felt like I was back in the Philippines. The sensation continued all week- though there were certainly noticeable differences, the coconut trees and pineapple fields, the buildings and rest stops along the road, the look of the people, even the laid back attitude you could feel in the air reminded me so much of the first Asian country I left my heart in that I had flashbacks.
Among the first things that hit a visitor arriving from China is the cleanness. It's not quite up to western standards, of course, but even in Bangkok, the horizon is at it's normal distance, and not shrouded in gray haze. The streets are a notch cleaner, the waterways generally don't have a flotilla of trash in them, and the people seem to have some appreciation of natural areas. Even the medians of the roads are decorated by an impressive array of landscaping, including innumerable topiary elephants, birds, and beasts.
The second thing a visitor notices is that the Thai are indeed religious in all respects. Unmistakably Thai temples, crusted with more elaborate gold and carvings than a wedding cake has frosting, jut up regularly, and virtually every home or business has a miniature model, a spirit house, perched on a tray and column like an elaborate bird feeder, somewhere about the premises. They are some of the most distinctive structures you'll see, downright beautiful, in fact, yet to a Christian, also so disturbing in the generations of spirit worship they represent.
The third thing that strikes a visitor is how incredibly seriously the Thai take their royal family. Their level of respect is everything but worship. At regular intervals, the bridges over the highways feature elaborate, gilded frames, holding portraits of the royals surrounded by fantastically Thai relief. Schools and public buildings feature life size or larger pictures as often as not, and even in home and businesses, you'll see memorabilia from clocks to fans featuring their images. One day a week, it's even customary for everyone to wear yellow to honor them, and yellow shows up on everything from trashcans to waiting shed roofs as well. China's favorite color is red, Thailand's is yellow.
The reverence is not without some grounds, either. Thailand is one of the freest and most stable countries in Asia, and the king, quite elderly now, has done a pretty good job of bringing progress to his country.
The natural resources of Thailand are also impressive. I got to spend a lovely day on a postcard perfect beach collecting shells and sipping tropical shakes, and hiked through a national park to a waterfall, and swam in the clear, cold pool below. The food is good, though incredibly hot. When everyone 20' downwind of an open air kitchen starts sneezing and coughing uncontrollably, beware! Thai heat also has the unfortunate trait of being very delayed, so you don't notice it until you've eaten a couple of bites, and then...! Survival tips for those who still have taste buds: milk and to some degree, sugar counteract the heat, and "pet mai" means "not hot". Use that phrase often. Even then, like an American cook might assume that someone who wants food "not salty"would still like a tiny base level amount of salt, you will still get plenty of heat.
For travelers headed through the Bangkok airport, I'd also like to pass along another useful tip: skip the expensive little food shops. Go all the way down to the bottom floor, face the glass wall, and go to your left as far as you can go. Hidden away down there, you'll find the Magic Food Point, a food court where the employees all go to eat. Buy tickets at the desk, and then trade them for whatever strikes your fancy. For 35-45 baht, you can eat a nice Thai or Chinese style meal. Save a few baht for the isa chai at the drink stand. This orangy colored milk tea tastes wonderful, and provides a nice dairy antidote to the heat of the other food.
Sometime while in Thailand, you must also try a fresh golden mango. I hadn't had one in 3 years, but it was everything I remembered. Just be prepared to deal with dripping sweet juice!
For the potential tourist, I'll add a couple of other notes: A reasonable number of people speak English, especially in tourist areas, and they are as friendly as their reputation claims. Though airfare is high, once you get into the country, the prices are great. You can eat about anywhere for a dollar or two, and everything else is also low. Plan plenty of time for traveling- nothing in Asia happens fast, but you can get about anywhere by bus.