I was annoyed at first. I couldn’t find a little-known temple in Nan, so I popped into a little grocery store for a snack and directions.
Both men in the above photo pointed in opposite directions. But they quickly showed as muchThai grace as the temple I searched for had.
I showed them my map and they studied it for what seemed like several minutes. Both chattered and pointed in various directions. I pointed to the general area that I thought the temple presides in. After we reached a consensus, one guy offered to drive me there on his motorcycle.
We whizzed down narrow roads lined with stilt houses in softly colored woods.
He actually didn’t live in Nan, and had rarely been there. But he was still quick to reach out to me and take the time to learn the temple’s location.
I had just explored the graceful forms of Thai art at Wat Phra That Chae Haeng. Thai wats’ statues and buildings seem to exude benevolent energies that embrace people who pay their respects. Whether you buy that or not, many locals do, and their behavior reflects their beliefs.
What began an an annoyance for me turned into fun for both of us. Thailand’s landscape is like this–you can have lots of spontaneous meetings with locals that are as lillting as Thai art forms. Both reinforce each other, and they encourage Thais to assume that reality hangs together in fun, little acts of kindness and art that doesn’t confront.
Thai culture gets a big thumbs up from me!
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