I’ve been to several countries around the world, but time and time again I’m reminded of just how much I love Thailand–and why.
The land is beautiful, the food is delicious, and the people are incredible (they don’t call it the Land of Smiles for nothing)!
Case in point:
I’m currently on a press trip to Thailand, largely because of Go! Girl Guides and our guidebook to Thailand. So far, we’ve had an incredible time, but our days are action-packed, and there’s very little downtime (I swear I’m not complaining). Yesterday, I decided to venture out into town to run some errands during the 1.5 hour break we had between sightseeing and dinner. I set out, got myself a tuk-tuk to drive me all around town, and figured I’d be back in no time.
Except 10 minutes before I’m supposed to be back and ready for dinner, I got stuck in THE WORST traffic, and all of the roads around me were blocked because the Queen was in town. I was panicking– I hadn’t told anyone I was dashing out, and here I was, stuck, about to miss dinner and get everyone worried.
The tuk-tuk driver was a total sweetheart and did everything he could for me, but he was out of minutes on his cell phone so I couldn’t even call. I had no choice so I did something drastic: I flagged down a random guy on a motorbike and asked (begged) if he’d drive me to the hotel as fast as possible.
This guy wasn’t a taxi driver, he was just an average Thai guy, but he didn’t hesitate. Maybe it was the look of sheer stress and panic on my face, or maybe he was just curious about me. Either way, I hopped on and we took off like the wind.
Now– I wouldn’t ever recommend doing this, but I was in a pinch. He seemed like a really nice guy, and I went with my gut, but halfway down the road I realized: wait a minute, this guy could totally take me to his friend’s garage where they’re waiting with whips and chains…. but that didn’t happen!
Instead, he started talking to me about his life, asking me questions about my life, my hometown, my friends. He refused to take any money that I offered to him, saying he was happy to help. And we made it, just in time!
I LOVE THAI PEOPLE. This is just one of many encounters I’ve had with complete strangers who treat me with nothing but kindness and love in this country. This is why I am so happy to be here, and why I will continue to return.
This trip has been amazing so far and I’m loving every minute. Follow along on Twitter, #ama
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I love Thailand too, had a great time there too. Everyone does, heard many stories of great times and wonderful people and hardly any bad stories. 🙂
Love this and love these random acts of kindness that we experience in our travels.
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