Thailand vs. Philippines (Redux)
I've just returned from a semi-annual ten day trip to Thailand. I go largely because I have some good friends there, because I enjoy Thai culture and because I love the food. I found, at the conclusion of this most recent trip (as was also the case with my last trip) , that I was more than ready to come "home" to the Philippines, and was (again) surprised at my reaction. Part of my desire to get back doubtless stemmed from missing my lady, but that doesn't account for the entirety of my anxiousness to get back here.
I have tried to analyze why this should be true. I find the Thai culture infinitely more interesting than the culture here, and the food is-in my opinion-infinitely better. The transportation infrastructure of Bangkok and its environs beats this country by several orders of magnitude, and the discrepancies will increase in this area over time. The only rationale for my reaction that makes sense to me comes down to the character of the people. Thais are unflaggingly polite, service oriented and generally charming, but I believe these traits constitute a type of professional veneer; that is to say it's not entirely genuine. Conversely, Filipinos-again at least the sample I know-are, I believe, more genuine in their interactions with foreigners; or maybe they're just better actors.
Whatever the case, I'm somewhat amazed at my tendency to miss this place after an absence of almost two weeks. I'm still figuratively scratching my head in wonder.
GE