First Impressions

The first thing I saw as I walked off the plane in Thailand was a sign as long as the walkway between the plane and the terminal that declared "Long live the King". In Thailand it is punishable by law to make any defamatory remarks against the King. Not that these people would anyway. It seems that have a genuine love affair with their King. Every Monday is "King Day". All over Thailand you will see people in the yellow King shirts with the royal emblem on the breast pocket. A far cry from the shirts in the states adorning our leader with sentiments like "President poo-poo head" or "Save the world, kill yourself".

Another thing that stood out from the get go was the Buddhist iconography. Whether one of it's many images are depicted on murals, art, souvenirs or you see an actual Buddhist Monk, you know you are someplace entirely different than home. The predominate religion (90%) of Thailand is Buddhism. One of the main teachings of Buddhism is to walk the middle road. The best place to be is not too poor or too rich; too fat or too thin; have too much or too little. What you get is a feeling of happiness, generosity and peace! Everyone here has been more than helpful. People are always smiling. It is a wonderful culture to explore.

Now, on to a rather funny first impressions. Our first spot was a beach town. I thought it was so nice how they put a small hose with a sprayer in the bathroom to wash your feet. I love clean feet! Hmmm, then at the next place we stayed another sprayer for your feet. Yes, it finally clicked that the toiler paper in the room was really a western amenity. The Thais don't actually use it! It was a funny moment when I came out to tell Jill what I had discovered. Of course it was not news to her! Duh.