Kap khun ka Thailand

It has been over a month since we came back from Thailand and it now feels right to create this post. After two months in the beautiful kingdom that boasts of the full traveller experience, I can only bow down in gratitude! KAP KHUN KA...the words I heard over and over again from the mouths of smiling Thais and by month two, I found myself reciprocating in kind. It is difficult to capture what time spent in Thailand means, almost impossible really! And so then...silence and gratitude seem to be the only true expression and description.

However, a traveller cannot but come home carrying the fragrance of her travels and I am no different. I bring back so much and even the memory fills my heart with joy.

First, its patience! Whether it is at traffic lights where Thai motorists wait patiently for the lights to turn green before they move (Bangkok being the only exception to this practice) or in queues that seem endless and slow, this country and its people earned my respect over and over again. There are so many instances that as an Indian, I was very sensitive to notice.

We were at a small airport in Surat Thani where the airline announced an hour's delay on a late flight. Imagine our shock when not one passenger turned irate, no one stormed the desk or began to argue vociferously with the staff. And as it turned out, the delay was under an hour and the airline was able to make up time in the air. And so we landed about 5 minutes after expected arrival time.

In another instance, we went to get petrol at a filling station. There were maybe six cars, about 5 motorcycles including us and a big truck. There were two attendants only as it was a non-peak time. Again, imagine my surprise, not one person hustled the staff. Everyone is waiting, talking on the phone, buying coffee and trusting that they will be served in turn. And sure enough, we were fuelled up and out of there in under 10 minutes.

I could go on and on because there were almost daily experience of how patience makes the entire ecosystem work with harmony. As an Indian, I am not the best at waiting. I could offer many reasons like population, heat, etc and after Thailand, none of them hold stock!

Not a week after we came home, we were traveling in India for a wedding. When we began our journey back home after the festivities, the flight was set for an ungodly hour of 11 pm. Five minutes before we began to board, the flight was cancelled. The destination airport had an accident on the runway and the airport had been closed for repair. Normally, this would set me off in a panic - I would be looking at other flights, berating the staff (maybe politely but still...) and keying up Urja too. This time, I looked at Urja and said: Remember what happened in Thailand. We decided to sit put and wait for instructions. As it turned out, the airline booked us on the flight of our choice the following day and returned our luggage in quick time. Soon, we were back in the city and in a hotel room readying for sleep.

In all my ears, this has been my calmest experience with travel plan disruption because I was able to find that calm within me. And model patience...aah! And for this gift that will now always stay with me...Kap khun ka!