Apr 15, 2010 02:23 PM
14916 Views
Recently I visited Thailand. Our plane landed in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. Absolutely amazing place. First of all I couldn't believe that I was actually abroad!! I took everything in with an awestruck expression on my face and my mouth hanging wide open, okay maybe not literally, but you get my gist. I was simply blown away. Now people tell me that I observe a lot, be it people, places, things or just whatever and I agree completely.
So there were a few things which I noticed and even though I tried hard but I just couldn't stop myself from comparing that city with India. First thing I noticed right away was the cleanliness quotient. The place was just so neat. No littering, no spit stains on the walls, nobody relieving themselves on the roadside. All this made me ponder. Why can't our India be like this? I am sure anything is achievable if we are determined enough. But then the answer presented itself to me Loud and Clear, we just don't care! As simple as that and as shocking too.
The shopping areas there are just so immense. Can you believe, a shopping mall has five floors only for parking cars? Inside the malls, it's a whole new story. Hundreds and thousands of shops. All on one floor. Amazing, eh? Anyways the next thing I noticed was this. If you get tired of shopping you need a drink right? Well over there you don't get aerated drinks. instead you can take your pick from ice tea to cold coffee, fresh juice to drinks made from leaves(!!). Plus the price is reasonable. Isn't that great? Do you get all that here? Not unless you can part with loads of cash!
The beaches there are absolutely free from litter and the water is clear blue, breathtaking! The most unsettling comparison which I saw was this. The power of a smile. Being born and brought up in India I've learnt that while walking on the road if you happen to make eye contact with another person. You simply ignore and look away, as if that person does not exist and you were just, oh I don't know, looking at a tree! But in Bangkok people actually smiled at you! Total strangers, smiling at you for no other reason than just to be friendly. It creeped me out at first and the first few times I actually turned around to see who they were smiling at!! When I came home smiling had become a habit which I did without thinking. But I forgot I was in India and when I tried to smile at people I got mixed reactions, ranging from absolute shock, bordering on horror to disgusted looks, who the hell you smiling at kiddo? I felt bad then and naturally the habit soon died out!
It's already been two weeks since I came back but I miss the place so much. Not the food, but everything else. My first trip to pardes!.
