AYUTTHAYA - Is this Thailand or Paris?

Week 11
January 6, 2002 - Thailand/Malaysia
"Culture Shock"

Dear Thor:

I'm sitting in the Kuala Lumpur airport, and I have tears in my eyes. In a short few minutes, I say "good-bye" to Southeast Asia and head off to Australia.

I'm not sure that I'm really ready for this. After the past two months, I've gotten used to experiencing life that's a little rougher around the edges. The cold showers, rats, cockroaches, bum-bruising roads, and hard mattresses no longer seem so uncomfortable anymore. I also don't feel so strange being in a place where I don't understand the native language.

In return, I've gotten to meet some of the kindest and gentlest people in my life. When was the last time you used 'kind and gentle' to describe someone? How about an entire group of people? The people here are truly extraordinary. And the very fact that they don't realize it makes them even more special.

Everyday for the past two months, I've been blessed to see their spirit in action. For example, the waiters in Southeast Asia never expect tips…ever. And many seem embarrassed when you give them a little extra. Just the other day, I was leaving a restaurant with some friends and the waiter ran after us to return our money. We tried explaining to him that we didn't need the change - the extra money was his tip for excellent service. But he blushed and kindly refused it.

I don't know if I'll ever experience something like that in the Western world, but ready or not, I'm off to Australia. I've heard that they speak English there, and it's safe drink the tap water. That will be nice. I'll also be staying with my good friend Georgia, so I know I'll have amazing luxuries like hot water, towels, and electricity. I used to think these were necessities, but I've since learned they are luxuries. By third-world standards, I'll be living like a king.

But again I wonder if I'm ready. For example, I'm currently looking around the airport, and my jaw is dropping at its sheer newness. This steel and glass structure arches high over my head like a 21st Century cathedral to Modernism. I'm almost blinded by all of the high-tech lighting displays and interactive touch-screen maps showing me where I'm at and where my connecting gate is located. Is all this really necessary? In Thailand, they taped up hand-written signs to show me where to find my gate.

And the Kuala Lumpur airport has hundreds of these bright and shiny shops that make it look like a shopping mall. And the shops seem so…I dunno…clean. Like over there at the Tower Records - everything is lit up by fluorescent lights, and all of the CDs are brand new and wrapped in smooth plastic boxes. In Bangkok, I'm used to seeing people buying used or pirated CDs on street corners under a rain tarp.

And look at that food court over there! McDonalds and Pizza Hut and the 'Cheers!' Bar. What's with that? In the Nepali or Cambodian airports, I was just happy to find a sit-down toilet!

You know…as strange as it seems, I think I'm going through culture shock!

I had a little taste of it earlier this week. I explored Bangkok's Dusit Park and enjoyed seeing the green, open spaces. However it looked just like London's Hyde Park. The lawns were all neatly groomed and trees lined the sidewalk with precision spacing. The architecture was also all in the Queen Anne style, not Thai style. Later that day, I also visited the Siam area - home to Bangkok's high-end shopping district. I felt strange walking by the high-rises, the Mrs. Field's Cookie stands, and the myriad of westernized stores that cater to the Tuppies (that's Thai Yuppies).

My culture shock continued yesterday, when I visited the small town of Ayutthaya up north. It was my last day, and I wanted to see the REAL Thailand before leaving. But instead of seeing lots of Ancient Siam ruins, my tour started with a visit to the Old Royal Palace at Bang Pa-In. Ick, ick, ick! This palace could have easily been in Europe. There were Catholic churches, marble statues, and western style architecture. What's with that?

So I guess this entire week has sort of been a primer for me re-entering the Western world, and I still don't think I'm ready for it. I've wanted to see the exotic and rustic parts of Southeast Asia, but against my will, I've been dragged back into the comfy, orderly world of the West. And now that I think of it, why am I even going to Australia? Sure it's on my itinerary, but who says I have to follow it? Right now, I'd much rather see more of Malaysia or even Laos.

And the funny thing is that I'm walking around this high-tech, glitzy airport/shopping mall, hoping to hear The Song. You know what I mean - "I Love You Baby" by Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons. It's always signaled that a chapter of my journey was ending and another was beginning. And right now I feel torn. What should I do? I've walked by Tower Records and only heard rap-music. The airport's Musak system is playing Christmas songs. And all the TVs are turned to the BBC. (And I really doubt I'll hear The Song on the BBC!)

So maybe I should stay in Southeast Asia…

Or perhaps I've already "heard" The Song. It's literally been in front of me all along, it's just in a different form.

For example, this week I've seen sprinkler systems gently watering all of the tightly manicured gardens, and dozens of Thai people driving in rush hour traffic with their cell phones glued to their ears, and sparkly-clean, air-conditioned subway trains, and a home improvement store selling toasters and ceiling fans, and even a food court! And to top it off, I'm now standing in this colossal modern feat of architecture, which somehow deftly combines an airport with a futuristic shopping mall for the masses.

So maybe it isn't a coincidence that I've been constantly bombarded by Western images (and sounds) this week. Perhaps this is my sign…like a giant visual collage of western luxuries teaming up together to scream "I Love You Baby" at the top of their lungs.

Well…

I guess it is time for me to move on.

Speaking of which, the airline has just started boarding my plane. (Did you plan that?) So I'll write to you next week in Australia. My first stop is in Melbourne on the south coast of Oz.

As always, be well, be present. And Namaste!
Scotty