When you're young, it's easy to say you'll be back again. If you really love a place or an activity your enthusiasm may well carry you back to it. With time on your side, all things are possible and you rarely feel a sense of permanent parting.
I recently realized that we're at the point in life where we have to acknowledge that we won't return to everywhere we go. Sometimes you can't venture down the same road twice and no matter how fond of a place you may be, it can end up a one-shot deal.
As we have moved through our year-long journey, we've earmarked a few places to return. Others we said goodbye to for good.
"Do you think we'll return here, or is this goodbye?" I asked last night in a taxi.
"Here? Will we be back here? Yeah....we'll be back here. Of course we'll be back here again. Love, you're practically fluent - you have to keep that. You can't just let that go," Emily said.
Naturally, I liked hearing that. At the same time, Thailand has long been a place I don't prioritize, if I had to let it go, I would. It doesn't really make sense. I speak the language and love learning it. I also love the people, the food and many of the conveniences. It owns a special place in my heart. Thailand is great.
Only I'm just not in love with it.
When I was here at age 24, I was enchanted by Thailand. Everything was new and so different. The almost unchecked freedom it allows - people can really do almost anything they want with minimal if any repercussion - was astonishing. It was a world of beaches, crazy vehicles, phenomenal food, interesting language, intriguing culture, gargantuan chaotic cities and it had no bounds.
For these reasons, Thailand was, and remains a favorite of young travelers from around the world. It offers a strange sort of absolute freedom with a giant safety net. It has beaches that match your imagination and tropical jungles out of a child's storybook.
I still enjoy it, but the thrill, the fascination, the mad passion is gone.
Thailand and I have become like old friends who are happy to see one another and invariably enjoy the time, but who don't have a closer relationship despite it.
Yet we've spent a lot of time here this trip - 17 days in February, 1 in May and 10 in June, making Thailand one of our longer visits. We enjoyed Bangkok and the beautiful island of Koh Samet. We enjoyed Thai life and the relative ease of being here.
I always learn new things in Thailand - especially through language, because it reveals how a culture thinks and operates. In part because it was where I started living abroad and really traveling, Thailand makes me think and reflect. I use it as a barometer and a marker. From Thailand, I can see where I've changed, where Thailand has changed and how Asia as a whole is constantly evolving. There's so much about the world we know nothing about at home and to which we can so easily remain oblivious. Sitting here, all I have to do is look around, ask questions and check the news. There are so many facets to our world.
All that said, Thailand hasn't changed me. It hasn't left an indelible mark the way India and Turkey did. It also hasn't left me with a warm longing for a beautiful lifestyle the way Bali or Greece did. Thailand just is.
And that's fine. I would never want it to go changing for me. "Don't go changing, Thailand. Stay classy..."
"You never feel the shock like the first time," Emily said. "We could be dropped into some remote part of Africa and think 'Oh, how pretty,' and 'Look, there's a lot of despair here...' It just doesn't surprise us anymore."
That's true. It doesn't make things less beautiful, sad, tragic or worthy of compassion - it just doesn't astonish us anymore. It's all a part of the world as we know it. Thailand with its bizarre vehicles made of carts and mopeds, people selling food along every road, pickup trucks with benches for public transportation, spectacular malls, lack of personal space and magical ability to suspend germ theory no longer amazes. In fact, in a strange way, it sort of warms my heart.
Today marks 10 days left of the trip. We fly to Hong Kong, our last stop. We never thought this day would come and are sort of shocked by it. Back to the first world for good. No more developing countries. No more undeveloped countries. No more potholes, street food, incredible prices of lack of rules.
Hong Kong won't afford us any privileges for being foreign and to be honest, it won't care if we're there. Hong Kong is a very busy SAR with more important things with which to concern itself. It's time for our reacclimation to the "real world" - or more accurately, our world.
Fortunately, we have two weekends in Hong Kong and can enjoy it thoroughly as it deserves. I purposefully wanted one of the best for last.
The other day, I came to the realization that this is very likely our last time in Thailand under the reign of Rama IX. Who knows exactly what will happen when he dies. There are many theories and most expect some chaos and power plays. Because he has reined for more than 60 years, no one remembers a Thailand without him. He's so ingrained in the fabric of this nation that I can't imagine what it will be like without him. There's something a little sad to me in that thought. Neither the movies or this country will ever be the same.
For such a part of the world so different from our own, Region 3 has been so easy. Partly, it has to do with familiarity - especially on my part. It also has a lot to do with how much development and economic advancement there has been here. But perhaps most of all, the socially cohesive, mostly tolerant and rich cultures of this region make it so easy to be a foreign visitor. We have felt safe and welcome at every turn and in several cases allowed to share in little pieces of wonder and paradise.
One last flight on Air Asia, one last stop and this particular adventure comes to a close. But until then - and always - there's Hong Kong.
Sent from my iPad
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