THE PASSAGE TO INDIA Francis Lobo My return to India from U.S.A. was by Thai Airways, which gave me a paid stop over at Bangkok --- while I was a guest of the airlines at the hotel, I had to pay for a visa to leave the airport & entry tax to re-enter, with charges for a photograph, city tour, tips & trinkets it became quite a tidy sum. During the tour of Gems & Jewelry International you were greeted by charming Thai girls who educated you on stones, the making of jewelry & kept you engaged till you picked up something for a loved one back home. India can learn a thing or two on tourism & sales from the Thai girls.
During the long journey over the Pacific I saw more movies in one trip than I saw in a full year in school in the 40s. The topics ranged from how to pretend that you are a winner when you are actually a chronic loser [valuable tips for me considering my past performance & forecasts for my future] to how leopards protect themselves & their loved ones from predators like lions & hyenas by hiding in trees. One can learn a lot on how to succeed & survive by watching TV & animals. I have wondered why people are always having a shower when I call. I got the answer in Thailand Your importance is measured by the baths you have --- only they spell it BAHT. I understand that Thailand has embraced the Free Market. I walked the glitzy malls at the airport with exquisite perfumes, exotic eatables & exciting apparel but nothing was free --- I had even to pay for water. The free market is a myth. At the perfumery store they had all the famed products --- Estee Lauder, Christian Dior, Loreal, Yves Sant Laurent, Elizabeth Arden --- It took your breath away --- You had to sniff any perfume you showed some interest in. But dont think that the Thai interest in humans is only Skin Deep. As you leave the shop you are greeted by a collection box, which reads Donate Generously for Tsunami Victims. Further down another collection box reads, The Quality of Mercy is not strained. A mother is explaining to her son the meaning --- mercy & compassion are not extinct, there are still some strains of it left in some human beings. It is not ethical for me to tell the fascinating story of the Sukhothai Traimit Golden Buddha & deprive the tourist guide of her earnings in doing so. Its weight of 5 tons of pure gold could probably pay off the entire debt of India. In some religions it is a practice to give a relic to the devotees who visit the shrine --- a piece of clothing of the saint or something. I would have appreciated a relic in the form of a piece of the Golden Buddha. The Thais have perfected the art of the Massage --- you can have it specially for the face, the hands, the shoulders, the whole body, for relaxation, rejuvenation, detoxification [whatever that means] slimming, the whole package. The charges range from 1,500- 5,000 bahts & could last from1-3 hours. There are also special rates for Sex Massage. To encourage customers there is a TV screen showing live what is going on inside --- only of the normal massage, of course. Again India can learn from the Thais --- money for money, tourists would prefer a massage any time to a lesson in yoga. I had heard so much about Indians leading the Economic Renaissance of the 21st Century. Like the American movie celebrities I wanted to show my appreciation to our men on the front line studying & earning in foreign lands. I greeted this guy, From which part of India do you come? No, I am from Pakistan. This couple was speaking Bengali. You are from Bengal? No, we are Bangla Deshis. From my little understanding of Tamil, I was certain this family was from Tamil Nadu. Wrong again. They were from Sri Lanka. I consoled myself --- even Christopher Columbus made the same mistake thinking that people who behave like Indians are Indians. I was embarrassed on a couple of occasions on entering toilets to find women who were not up to speed on how to operate gadgets like aircraft toilet doors. I was reminded about the seniors in Santa Monica, who have to be accompanied by lovely young attendants to unscrew the caps of pet bottles, tear open plastic bags or rip apart tetra packs so that they could get at the contents. Technology has its down side. At the Departure Control in Bangkok there is a sign, Sorry for the Inconvenience. We are upgrading the new system Technology is moving so fast that even a new system needs upgrading!
