I left Bangkok yesterday and didn't realize that the protest there was violent until I landed in Hong Kong and watched in BBC that two people died and hundreds were injured. I didn't see a trace of such thing when I was in Bangkok the past few days. I see Thai people as peace loving and have less inclination to violence. Ironically, maybe this is one way they'd do to achieve harmony and peace. On the lighter side, I notice that when beverages are serve in Thailand -- whether in Bangkok, Chiang Mai or Ayutthaya -- serves always put a chunk of ice on glasses. Perhaps the same practice is done in many other tropical countries and summer season of those located in temperate zones.
Streets are littered with quick serving beverage counters (such as shown in photo) attracting many followers. As I was waiting for Emporium Mall to open I stood at Phrom Phong BTS station exit and read the book I just bought the other night. However, I also can't help but notice the busy activity down the street. A couple prepares their own concoction of ice, milk, and some custom flavoring extracted from a container in their mobile beverage shop. The service is quick: it takes about three minutes to finish one order. But the queue (actually patrons surround the couple and not form a lone) is long and some of the buyers are catching up with office work.
To complement this morning beverage nearby stalls sell fish balls, sausages, and fried eggs to complete the Thai morning breakfast. The whole meal costs approximately 30 baht (1 USD ~ 32 baht; 1 HKD ~ 4.4 baht).
The night before I left Thailand, I met Petch and her sister Pat and we went to Ice Monster beverage shop after dinner. I was told that this idea originated from Manila. They serve finely crushed ice topped with fruits and syrup. This is an ideal destination for a humid night.
In Hong Kong, when you ask for water, you are typically served with a glass of hot water. When I was new in the city, I find it uncomfortable but I realized that having warm/hot water is better for health than the cold one. Ice is available to people who like water served lukewarm or cold.
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1 comments:
Thailand is a great country and Thai people are awesome and they do appear to be peace-loving. Scratch beneath the surface however and you will find that they are as prone to violence as any other nation. Family violence is rife, child sex abuse is commonplace, teenage gang violence, gambling, loan sharking, alcoholism, human rights abuse, you name it...all are part of Thai society. I'm not trying to put Thailand down, but beware of having a romanticised view of any people when you pass through their country on holiday.
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