A Thai monk on Dutch wooden clogs

A young Thai man dressed in vivid saffron robes, bald head and shaved eyebrows disappears among the crowd of rowdy English passengers. Even through the noicy din that rules the departure lounch of any airport in the world, despite the rowdy semi-drunk English passengers, I can clearly hear the typical sounds of his yellow Dutch wooden clogs on the tiled floor.

For a short moment I`m mystified. Thai Buddhist monks are supposed to live a life of austerity, poverty to the max, a plain and simple life dedicated to the worship of Lord Buddha, dedicated to finding the righteousness in their earthly ways to live their life by, maybe hope for treasured enlightenment and a ticket straight to Nirvana.

So what is this young Thai bloke doing here so far from his native soils and on Dutch wooden clogs no doubt bought in an Amsterdam tourist shop?

I shift my attention to the English lagerlouts who are in front of me in the queue waiting to check in and loudly discussing their unquenchable thirst for cold Chang beer much stronger in alcohol content than that weak good for nothing catpiss they serve in English pubs - their words, not mine - , their cherished experiences with Thai Hot Mommas they met during earlier trips.

Two young blond haired ladies in faded blue jeans pushing a airport provided trolley with enormous backpacks whispering to each other in German, discussing places to stay in Bangkok found in the blue colored Lonely Planet guide on Thailand.

A tall man in his early sixties, short greyish beard and a massive beer belly, already dressed in a pair of hawaii type shorts despite the cold of the Dutch winter, is smiling broadly at me while his young Thai lady-friend - not even half his size despite her high platform shoes - high heeled shoes you know, Thai women call them platform shoes - and probably in her mid twenties, gives me modest but friendly stares reminding me of the thousands upon thousands of mixed race couples I have met during my previous trips to Bhumipol`s Kingdom.

Usually older European males with local Thai ladies, much younger and practising a docile female behaviour, holding hands shyly with him like young couples in love, willingly serving a role of Love-You-Tender in exchange of what to him is a hand-out and to her a small fortune.

Destitute can do that to you!!!

written by  heraclio on April 1, 2009 from Amsterdam, Netherlands
from the travel blog: Farang Chronicles.
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