It has been an amazing return trip for me and I believe Judy and Russ would use the same descriptor. We have learned and experienced so much in such a brief time that it is hard to fully share in this blog.
I want to comment about many things, but will limit myself to a few observations.
FOOD - The food is so different from the USA. The spices used, the types of food eaten, the variety of food, the difference in taste from Western Food, all combine to make this very interesting. All three of us have avoided Western food which is readily available in Bangkok and other large cities, but is harder to find in smaller cities. Judy's favorite is Green Papaya Salad. Russ and I agree our favorite Pad Thai - a noodle dish served with Pork, Chicken or Seafood. We all liked the soups especially Dum Yum and Tom Kaa Khai. The variety of street foods is amazing. Almost every corner has vendors with carts selling every fruit, juice, drink, and food possible. There are other vendors who set up night restaurants that majically appear at about 6 pm.....they haul in tables chairs, portable kitchen units and operate till late in the evening. By morning when you walk past this sidewalk area you would never know that just a few hours earlier there was a restaurant here.
People in Thailand eat out very frequently, or at least buy prepared foods at the market to bring home and serve with rice. In the homes we stayed in, evening food was virtually never cooked at home.
PEOPLE - Everywhere we met we found friendly, courteous people. The people of Thailand appear to be a gentle people---that is hard to believe when you see a Thai Boxing match. Buddhism is a central part in the lives of most Thai people. As you walk by store after store, you will see altars outside and inside. Often you will see the owner taking time to pray before the Buddha image or putting fresh flowers by the image.
Family is very important in this culture. Taking care of elders and very often living with elders is part of this culture. Respect for elders is of utmost importance and this also means students respecting teachers. Families do much together including partying. A Thai enjoys a good party with music, food and drink. Parties can occur for almost any occassion and any night of the week.
Industry and Business in Thailand differ from the US most significantly in terms of the amount of labor. Labor costs must be much less than the US as even stores have many, many workers, often not very busy. Even farming is not highly mechanized and requires extensive labor.
NATURAL BEAUTY - We often describe the USA as a beautiful diverse geography. Thailand, in a much smaller country also has great natural beauty with mountains, beautiful beaches and seashores, great productive farm lands, and natural reserves to preserve nature. It is a very unique land.
That is it from Thailand....We leave in the morning and will see you all soon.
Fred
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