Revelations

Taking A Risk

/ betstravelsabout / 5 Comments

What constitutes a risk you might ask? For me it’s about doing something that could be done on the spur of the moment when suddenly I get a notion that this seems somehow right. I guess you would call it a knowing that comes from inside you and not from the outside as on a dare lor because someone has said you should do this or that. For some people taking a risk could be carried out after considerable thinking about whether they should do this on not. That would be called a calculated risk. I think that most people tend to risk something by doing a lot of research and questioning on whether the risk should be taken. I have discovered that the more I think about doing something that could be risky, the less successful it has turned out.

A risk to my mind is doing something new which you haven’t done before. There is usually some fear attached to it. It could be something like jumping off a diving board into the water for the first time or climbing a mountain. Or how about crossing a street in Viet Nam where the rules around traffic and giving way to pedestrians are non-existant. I have been to this country and will never forget the first time there in Hanoi when I had to go outside my cozy hotel room and face the main round about in the centre of the city to get to the nearest coffee shop. As I waited with a couple from Britain on the curb hoping the onslaught of motorbikes would slow up and give us a chance to cross, it finally dawned on me that I had been warned about Viet Nam’s chaotic traffic but never did I think it would be like what I saw. Finally, I looked at the English couple and said, “Shall we go”? They looked at me in agreement. We stepped out into the traffic and just kept walking but keeping our eyes looking forward to the curb ahead. To our amazement, the traffic seemed to gracefully manoeuver their way around us allowing us to reach the other side safe and sound.

This was a risk to my phyical body and one I won’t forget. When I think about what risk is all about, I realise I’ve taken many in my life. In fact, doing anything new could be called a risk. My most recent risk was one I took last August when I volunteered to take on the responsibility of managing the community garden where I live. This garden was founded about fifteen years ago by a woman who saw a vacant piece of land which she wanted to make into a community garden for the residents and a nearby elementary school. Last year she decided to retire after suffering various health problems forcing her to neglect the garden. Unfortunatly, no one responded to her reaching out for someone to take it over for her. Since I was renting a plot there, I took the risk of saying that I would try to fill her shoes. I have to admit I gave it about a week’s thought before I made the committment. I had no idea what lay before me which is probably a good thing. If I had known how much of my time it would take to get the garden back into shape, I probably wouldn’t have taken on the responsibility. Now as I look back over the last eight months, I am happy to say that it’s been successful for me. I have learned how wonderful it is to work with a team of gardeners which has given me a useful purpose for being here on this planet. I feel like I am helping this community to pull together. Four of us who have formed a committee are working hard as a team which is more than enough to say in all honesty that taking the risk when no others would has paid off in spades for me. I have learned more about myself and others than I ever could have by taking the risk of reviving a dying community garden.

Daily writing prompt
When is the last time you took a risk? How did it work out?
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My Main Complaint

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I really don’t think I am much of a complainer but, hey, I am not perfect nor is anyone else on this earth so we all will find something to complain about. I would say that the thing that really gets me upset and puts me into the complaint mode would be my cell phone.

I have a Samsung- Galaxy 12 which can really drive me crazy at times. It has become my main camera for taking the pictures for my blog posts. Someone stole my trusty old Canon digital a few years ago and ever since I have been struggling to understand the camera on my new phone. It’s so sensitive to the point that if I don’t hold it the correct way, it simply won’t take the picture that I so desperately need such as people pictures. It’s embarrasing to keep my people grinning so valiantly while I wrestle with focussing my picture. I can’t help complaining about it and sometimes cursing it to the point I want to throw it away. I had a Zen phone before which never gave me this problem. Sorry Samsung, but that is the truth. I have consulted their manuel which I don’t find very helpful most of the time. What this all boils down to is that my complaint is almost always got something to do with my devices. The companies that make them keep coming out with new versions which are supposed to make our lives easier. I can’t accept this for one moment. I see it all as a way to lure us into buying the latest model so they can make more money. To make matters worse, they don’t even give us a proper manual that fits the model we might have so we are left having somehow to figure it all out on our own. Friends who have Iphones tell me I should switch over and get one of them. I would consider that suggestion if I had an Ipad or MacIntosh but I am hooked into Microsoft on my computer.

Could that would solve my problem? If anyone has experienced this problem with incompatible devices, I would appreciate hearing from you.

Bloganuary writing prompt
What do you complain about the most?
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A Resurgence for Tourism in Thailand?

/ betstravelsabout / 4 Comments

Despite the strife and discord throughout our world these days, Thailand is either ignoring it or is coping with it better than most western countries such as Canada or the US. At least that is my impression since I’ve been back to the “The land of smiles”. The two weeks I have been in Chiang Mai, for what is now my fifteenth time, have given me the time I needed to see if those impressions are true or not. 

As some of you may already know, Thailand was once two separate Kingdom’s….Lanna in the north and Siam to the south. Lanna is actually an older dynasty than Siam dating back to its founding in 1296. Over the years amid many wars with their Burmese neighbours, Siam gradually incorporated Lanna into their kingdom which they called the Northern Provinces. In 1949 Lanna officially became a part of Siam which was then named Thailand. Although united physically by land, the Lanna culture still thrives in the north especially in Chiang Mai. One more interesting little tidbit is the meaning of the word Lanna: “Land of a million paddy fields”. After all Thailand is one of the world’s largest suppliers of rice so this translation is aptly named.

The north and the south remain quite different in many ways because of their past history. Bangkok has always been the capitol of what is today Thailand. The Royal dynasty makes their home there, the seat of their government too, and it has a much larger population. It is the centre of Thailand’s  manufacturing and big business, thus, attracting more people who want to work and live there from all parts of Southeast Asia. Add to that, it is nearer to all those gorgeous beaches and islands that have made Thailand such an attraction for tourism.  

With this smattering of history and culture for those of you who have never visited Thailand and would like to, I hope you have gained a bit more valuable knowledge about what makes this country so special. Now back to my story about my fifeteenth arrival to Chiang Mai over two weeks ago which is indicative of the kindness of the Thai. First of all,  there were staff planted in various strategic places to meet me when I got off my plane to direct me in the direction I needed to go to fetch my luggage. I suspect it did have something to do with a sticker saying I was a senior. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful welcoming touch. When I reached the carousel, there was my bag just waiting for me. What a relief since the thought of not finding it there is always on my mind. My first task before looking for a taxi or shuttle is to always buy a  plan for my cell phone which this time took all of ten minutes if not less. I also had enough baht with me so I didn’t have to go to the ATM for money. However, the icing on the cake for this tired traveller was to have the owner of the hotel where I am staying there to greet me. As soon as I settled into her car, I could feel the fatigue and anxiety which had built up after two nights of flying over here just melt away. I definitely felt like I was coming home. In case anyone reading this is looking for a wonderful place to stay where you will be treated like family take a look at it on http://booking.com. Look for Ban PongPhan and discover what this family offer for an enviable  9.5 rating.

Yes, I am happy and so thankful to be back and settled into the  welcoming Thai culture. Their smiling faces and their courteous ‘weis’ {hands together at the heart with a head bow} along with a friendly greeting of ‘sawadeeka’ is a great start which we ‘farangs’ {foreigners} learn the first time we visit. I should, however, mention that theThai really are masters at putting on a brave front or saving face as they call it. It’s the Asian way but it’s also important to them because so many depend on our tourist dollars. However, the truth is that behind those smiles that I keep referring to, not just in this post but others I have written, the reality is that it’s often a cover up for much emotional turmoil within them which has built up over the centuries. Men today are showing the worst of this by resorting to violent acts of all kinds. The truth is coming out as reported recently in the newspapers of the increase in acts of violence and murder which are becoming every day news items moreso in the south than in the north. Unfortunately, women are the target of the men who might be a father or a husband who drinks too much so are speaking out and saying to them, they’ve had enough. I wrote a post last year about Thai women entitled Impressive Thai Women which addresses this change occurring with Thai  women.

Tourism has morphed into one of Thailand’s important money makers over the years and all the signs are there that they are counting heavily on its future.  However, there is another dark side to this silver lining which is, I am sorry to say, showing its ugly head as evidenced in the latest news. The Chinese recently uncovered one of those dark spots which resulted in an order from their government not to travel to Thailand this year. Apparently the story is that many young Chinese men wanting to have the freedom that Thailand can offer them along with a good salary decided to apply for those good paying jobs being offered here, only to find out when they arrived that it was all a scam. They found themselves being forced into menial jobs instead. Naturally this has left a bad taste with them so the government has discouraged them from coming to Thailand as a tourist.

Enough of what is hidden behind the smiles and kindness of the Thai people which is what they are famous for and has attracted so many of us over the years. Sure they have their faults, but no one that I know can honestly say that they’ve been mistreated by a Thai person. More than likely, it’s been some tourists whom I have seen mistreating them, especially the tuk tuk drivers. I have learned to smile to all the Thai I meet and once that is done, chances are I won’t be bothered by them. Of course, there are always some very cunning and brave Thai who will try to lure you into going on a shopping spree instead of taking you to your destination. This is an old ploy long used in the big cities like Bangkok. I have personally never experienced this in Chiang Mai. In fact, when I return it’s always a surprise to me when they seem to recognize and even remember where it was they first met me going back to several years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Chiang Mai – Post COVID

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” I love your toenails!” 

Walking in the only sizeable park in Chiang Mai which just happens to be near where I am staying, I heard a soft voice say, “I love your toenails!” It was dark, around six o’clock, so when I turned around to hear where the voice came from, there was a small woman with long, gray hair and glasses. She didn’t fit the image of most Thai women in their 50’s or 60’s, but I figured that strange remark must have come from her when there was no one else around. Why would she say that I wondered? After a moment’s hesitation, I realized she was looking at and pointing to my newly painted toenails which I had recently painted as an accompaniment to my summer sandals.

Recovering from her unexpected compliment, I felt she wanted to continue the conversation so I immediately got one started by asking her some questions. We continued to walk together for about ten minutes covering such subjects as her family, what she did for a living, children and husband…typical things one talks about with those who are native to the country you are visiting. Somehow in that short space of time, we landed on what was going on in our world today. This really got her talking… much of which I had difficulty understanding. We had entered into the realm of philosophy which can be a difficult topic to address when speaking to someone with an entirely different language. It’s something I’ve never been able to do with any Thai person in all the times I have visited this country. Continue reading →

A Little Piece of Heaven ?

/ betstravelsabout / 6 Comments

When I begin to feel the stress of everyday living, one of the best things I can do is to get outside and head for either the beach or the trees which are both only a fifteen minute walk from my house. I’ll bet that anyone who lives in a the city might think that quite wonderful and be envious. I agree that it is, but I have a terrible confession to make… I don’t do this enough. Why is that when I am retired and only have myself to care for? Could it have something to do with not having enough time, or might it be a bit of laziness, sometimes forgetfulness, or some other lame excuse? Regardless for what the reason is for my not getting in touch with nature more often when it’s right at my doorstep, the one thing I am certain of is that when I make time for a walk in nature, I return home feeling invigorated and more at peace. And, yes,I am more motivated to write about it on my blog.

Continue reading →