Bangkok to me is like a Malaysia we never had. Country of abundance of opportunities and riches tapped at as optimal as you can for a developing country. Thailand is plague with corruption as with every other developing country searching for its own identity. It serves to view the world as alien but important, yet break away from constaints of its own weakness.
Thai people are resourceful and at the same time manage to remain humble. They may stand at its own two feet, yet know very well that the world is their oyster, exploring the outer world is never an option. Thailand, just like China, has as many Thagalog-translated English book. People in Thailand loves to read, and they love their language. Just like China they see English as a supplement, never a compulsory.
Maybe because this country is so homogenous, most of the people are Thai-descendents, although the Han Chinese are the biggest minority in the country, you can't seem to differentiate one from the other. Neither can you identify the resistance against assimilation from the ethnic minority. Everything seems to gel so well when you see the Chinese. Maybe that's because everywhere you go, there always seems to have Chinatown( in Thailand they call Yaowaraj). You never heard of Malaytown, spotted in any countries.
Thailand is religious yet they know modernity is the solution to country's progress. Merging the wealth-effacing mantra of Buddhism and poverty-reduction economy theory, Thailand is an understated progress story. The last time I was in awe of well-organized cityscape was when I was in Jakarta. The lines are firm, the architectures are modern and they all mix up so well in preparation for developed status.
Thailand is a country of wonder and humility. I learn so much from it.
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