Mission accomplished! After three weeks in SE Asia seizing the best of the area’s offerings: Good people and good food, while experiencing a Hindu wedding in Malaysia, amidst 1st encounters with son-inlaw's family and their generosity and thoughtfulness. The wedding rituals were 1st encounters for me, offering quite a contrast to more familiar Christian ones! Love the cultural adherence to ‘tea time,’ found throughout Malaysia, where business pauses for the cause that refreshes and joins people.
My Elder Quest to Thailand profited much from the mindfulness of 'Kitty' (she’s a Thai native we met here in MS, who is the chef and co-owner of a Thai restaurant in Hattiesburg) provided in a journey far beyond my history thereof more than 42 years ago. My soul is filled with love and my spirit is buoyed in the integration process which should extend well into the future.
In Kuala Lumpur, we made multiple trips to city center, visiting the nat’l mosque, museums, and Petronas twin towers of int’l fame. Also did a day trip to historic city of Malacca. Malaysia is a Moslem country, presenting quite a different/moderate view of Moslems from those often depicted in the news, along with a rich mix of Indian and Chinese people, making for quite a diverse landscape. While Malay is the nat’l language, english is well engrained in most people in the cities.
In Thailand, we spent two days in Chiang Mai, one day in Bangkok, a trip to the NE, tracing my military stint in Korat and Sakhon Nakhon. Spent a day @ a resort center, recuperating a bit, and multiple side trips to various places I had not visited previous, including Kanchanaburi and Bridge over the River Kwai. Even rode an elephant in Ayutthaya, the old Capital city of years past, @ one point! Kitty’s family is in the Ratchaburi area, near the Floating market of fame.
A sobering piece of an Elder Quest is encountering history and discovering how everything has changed and become almost unrecognizable. Thailand was a truly 3rd world country 42 years ago, and nowadays coping with enormous grow and development as an emerging modern country. Many, many more paved roads, cars and other motor vehicles, making for far too much congestion for my accustomed ways in MS! One piece did not change.......the spirit of its people, who still touch the depths of my being with their unvarnished ways and generosity. It was in Thailand, those many years ago, I experienced validation of my humanity in special ways. It is also the place I discovered leadership abilities that have been carried forward.
One more piece.......Asians occupy 60% of the world’s population, making caucasians a minority. People of color reign!
Despite travel snafus on the return flight(s), it sure feels good to be home again, in my adopted residence in Mississippi!
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