This morning, here in Bangkok, I went early to the Embassy of the People's Republic of China to apply for a tourist visa. Thinking I would be first in line given the early morning hour, I arrived to find an orderly queue of >30 people. But what a joy to be on a continent where there is order and no jostling for space. Even bustling crowds of 300+ Thai office workers exit the subway in perfect lines to approach a bank of turnstiles. Someone smiles at me, giving a non-verbal cue that I should go ahead. How wonderful to experience a culture so patient and peaceful!
One can readily see here in Thailand the effects of living in a country that has a comparatively peaceful history (save for a secessionist movement in the south and a border dispute with Cambodia in the northeast).
After six months in Liberia, I'm back in a land of sidewalks, saffron-robed monks, surfaced roads, hot water showers and Starbucks. I'm thankful that I can rest my weary head on a down pillow and stretch my long body out on an 8" thick Sealy mattress, albeit disconcerting to sleep without the ubiquitous mosquito net over my head.
I plan to spend this week working my "checklist" of medical appointments, books to read, international newspapers, cinema, chamber music, cafe latte and preparations for the journey ahead. I'll grab a little time at the beach next week before traveling overland into Cambodia to visit friends made when I lived there some years ago.
With thanks for the safe journey that brought me here.
