Monday 22nd November 2004
That quote is written at the top of the menu in the Lotus Seed restaurant on Thanon Rambhuttri, Banglum
phu, which is where I ate tonight. As I read it a feeling of inexplicable joy came over me. The waitress must have seen something in my face because she bounded over to take my order with a playful joy and enthusiasm herself and was pleased as punch to recommend the green curry with Shrimp, emphatically pointing it out on the menu. I explained to her that the quote I had just read summed up my week perfectly and her face lit up. It is a real privilege to experience the Thai smile first-hand and every time I do, it always has the same magic. The Land of Smiles it certainly is!
I really wish I had my guitar with me now. I can feel the music in my hands just ready to burst out. Oh, just to recap, I went to Nonthaburi today and I got lost. I was walking around for ages getting more and more buried in the Thai suburbs. I thought I wasn't going to make it back at one point. The looks I got when I found myself walking around, the only Westerner in sight. I felt a bit vulnerable for a while, but I think it was safe. I was surprised at the apparent novelty of a western face in what is an area of the capital city!
