What a month it has been! So much has happened and yet so little too. I have been to Thailand many times, but never before have i felt so welcomed, so happy and really fully appreciating all it has to offer. Thailand is such a different culture to Europe, and even India although there are many similarities, especially on the spiritual front. Whilst i have been here i have really maximised my opportunities to really enjoy all it has to offer, in particular the food, which im sad to say i may have gone a little bit overboard on. I think it's safe to say that i have put on around 5Kg, and barely fit into my swimming shorts any more. Oh dear, i am going to have some work to do when i return to India tomorrow!
As i get ready to pack my bags and have my final meal i feel it's a great time to write about some of the things i have experienced here. This time Thailand has touched me, and even deeply affected the way i look at certain things and had made me really look at the differences between our cultures and reassess some of the things that i believe in. As many of you will know, Thailand is a country with many freedoms in terms of how people live their lives, but it also has many very strict rules and restrictions on things like free speech. There are certain things one does simply not talk about here, so much so that you do have to be very careful to show respect to certain people and things. Three notable examples are Buddha, Monks, and The King of Thailand. The punishments for breaking many laws, including drugs are so severe that you may even get the death penalty for breaking them. That is scary stuff and used to be one reason why i was always a bit nervous about being here... not that i had any intentions to break their laws but more because it could happen by accident. After one month here in Phuket I think i have changed my mind and suddenly feel like i really appreciate the knock on effects of having a culture with limited free speech!
I cant hardly believe i am saying that really, as a total Anarchist it doesn’t really make sense.. but really i am comparing the culture and life to Western life and how things are for the people who live here. I wrote about this recently at length on Hive, suffice is to say that I think there are some really positive effects of having a culture that is free to think what they like, but they should keep their personal opinions about things to themselves. The thing is, whilst there are example where it is, how shall say it, undemocratic, or very seemingly controlling, i now see it as a part and parcel of a culture that has different priorities, and this way of being is reflected in so many ways in the Thai culture and in daily life. This is place where people are very respectful, not only of their King and Gods, but also of each other. This is something that is truly wonderful to experience if you are used to Western world. The concepts of free speech also mean that everyone is all to ready to criticise each other, put each other down, judge each other, and generally there is a feeling that people work very hard to 'fit in' with the status quo for fear of being ridiculed or put down. I find many people in the west to be quite rude to each other, whether it is total strangers, friends or family. I know most people don’t see it as a problem and are quite used to it, but i have to say its not something i enjoy.. and i find it quite sad when i see people kicking off, even here on Hive, with extremely judgemental and rude comments about someone who posts something they don’t agree with. This freedom of speech thing really does have its downsides, and im not even sure if much good really came of it. Maybe people should just keep their opinions to themselves, what good does it do to tell someone what you think about them anyways.. I don’t think many people have changed (and why should they) just because you have a different opinion about something).
Anyway, that is a loaded topic, suffice is to say that I have a new found perspective on certain things, and have made a personal decision to share my opinion much less than i used to, especially when they are controversial or can cause people to get upset or feel criticised. I find the Thai culture to be so peaceful, happy, joyful and just a darn nice country to spend time in.. im Sure i will be back soon enough!
As some of you may have noticed i also did a Vegan Restaurant tour whilst i was here, and managed to visit a few restaurants to check out how eating can be here as a vegan person. I am not vegan, but i don’t eat meat that much, and try to steer away from dairy. I have to say, i have never seen such an amazing and varied choice of restaurants. Just in Phuket alone there must be over 100 places that all serve really amazing healthy vegan food and often at very cheap prices. I guess its a response to the people who come here, as these days many young westerners are vegan and so they have to cater to them. I also noticed that many of these places were located right next to very hard sports and fitness areas, like Thai Kickoxing. It also seems that people who are trying to get strong and fit are also taking to a Vegan diet. It is clear that it is possible to be VERY strong and muscley and fit whilst eating a plant based diet. No surprise there really, but to be able to do it you do have to eat the right kind of food! A balanced vegan diet is not easy to sustain, and these restaurants are really inspiring and have showed me so many great dishes that i can make at home.
COVID took its toll on many small businesses here and you can see quite a lot of shops and restaurants did shut down during the pandemic. Nevertheless, there is still a lot to do and enjoy here and things are picking up again Personally speaking I think things are much more in balance now with quite a lot of tourists but the places is not deluged with people, and the beach has so much space for everyone to enjoy without taking over the place or causing too much mess and pollution. The Thai people still look happy to me, even though im sure they have really struggled to survive this. I think they have a strong family unit here, and they find ways to survive without becoming destitute. I feel like the West has suffered much more in terms of mental health, and when i was in Portugal for A year an a half it was clear to me that people were really struggling, suffering and really having a hard life.. not enjoying their daily life nearly as much as it seems people do here.
All in all, i am SO happy i decided to come.. It was a last minute decision to book my flights and spend a whole month here, and the time really has flown past. There has been almost no drama or negative experiences, and i have basically just been in a good mood the whole time! I say Almost, because there was one thing, one pretty terrible thing that did happen to me.. but i don’t think i want to talk about it. Lets just say that I now have a new found understanding and empathy for women who have suffered sexual abuse, and also never reported it. I understand so much more the terrible and life changing damage that abuse can have on people, and how little support there is for those that have had to endure it. I am fortunate that what happened to me was dealt with so incredibly by the Thai people that i am humbled and have healed well from what i can only call a pretty traumatic experience. We live and learn, and I have also learned how easily i can be taken advantage of, and how i must learn to enforce my boundaries! Anyway that’s a whole other story!
So, thank you Thailand, it has been amazing.. Thank you to the sun, sand and sea. Thank you to the universe for the abundance that has made this whole trip possible. And of course, thank you to you, for being here and reading all of this! Much love, and next post from INDIA! I will be headed straight to a special Ashram in Rishikesh that i helped to build their Earthship at. Its a very special place and i will spend some time with Yogi Amitram in his meditation cave and temple, as well as cooking some GOOD Ayurvedic food and eating properly again. I definitely got to get in shape again!
I leave you with some fun photos of my time here.
