I managed to sleep for 5 hours which is really good when traveling to Asia against the body clock. I had a meeting at 11am with a Thai manufacturing agent, Anucha. I sat in the lobby waiting and noticed a "kid" dressed in jeans and Black Converse All Stars looking around the lobby. I didn't know what Anucha looked like but I said to myself, well that's not him. But he turned to me and said Mr. Lombardi? He was surprisingly young (I'm guessing 3o at best) to own a company doing business in our industry. We sat and talked and he told me his story that he was an engineer but he grew up working in a small shop to support his family because his father died young. As he grew up, he went to college and bought the shop on mostly credit. Now he has plenty of work. His english was rusty at first (or I needed to get used to his accent) but after a while we communicated well. He impressed me with his knowledge and experience and open mindedness. Tomorrow when we visit his shop we'll see what I think. We are always looking for good low cost alternatives for goods we sell into China.
We had lunch at the mall next door. I told him to order for me as I wanted real Thai food just like he'd order. I had a kind of a shrimp with bean curds and rice dish that wasn't all that bad. Thai food in Thailand tasted the same as Thai food served in the USA-unlike China, where nothing tastes the same as the USA.
After 3 hours of discussion he joked that he needed to go because he left his wife shopping at the mall and he's afraid what she'll spend. I laughed that certain things in human nature are the same everywhere.
I went back to the room, took a 1/2 hr nap and went out for my sightseeing tour. I got a map from the Concierge and noticed that the US Embassy and a church named Holy Redeeemer were on the next street. Both those sounded interesting so I walked that way. I came across Holy Redeemer and sure enough it was Roman Catholic, complete with a Mary shrine (very simliar to the Buddhist shrines seen on every corner of Bangkok). The church had side doors that opened to almost give it a open air feeling. Good thing because it was 90 degrees and humid and no A/C. In the church was a young girl cleaning the altar while a man I assume was her father or grandfather did the stations of the cross. I watched the old man, kneel on the hard floor and move from station to station. I knelt in the pews and said the Divine Mercy Chaplet (since it was near 3:30pm) and then left. I always like seeing Catholic churches across the world. It's inspiring that no matter where the culture Catholicism exists. (see photo below of inside Holy Redeemer)
I then walked further down the street and came across the US Embassy. It was behind huge walls and hard to see so I just took a picture of the sign and walked on. As I walked past the gaurd gate a small young Thai lady in uniform approached me and asked to see my passport. She was very nice, but quickly said she noticed I took a photo of the Embassy and that was not permitted. I quickly showed he that the photo was just the sign, but she said it didn't matter, I needed to erase it while she watched. I noticed her badge said US Embassy security (she wan't packing much other than pepper spray and looked like a mall cop). I quipped that if this is the way they treat US citizens I'd hate to see how they treat insurgents. She smiled and said it's just the rules. I walked away shaking my head and thinking that no matter where you travel-law enforcement just live in another world from normal citizens. Sorry Rick but it's true. Too bad we need to be run by governments and their henchmen (politicians, armed forces, security agencies etc) or the people of the world would just get along fine.I tried to just forget that little episode, but I guess I didn't huh.
I wanted to go to one the big Buddhist temples that are well known in Bangkok. I noticed one called the Golden Buddha was right off the elevated train line. So I went up the steps and quickly figured out how to buy a ticket from the machine and off I went. This train system was extremely busy and reminded me much of New York's-expect very clean and no grafetti. The air conditioned ride with announcements in Thai and then English made it simple to use.
I got out and asked an attendant which way to the Golden Buddha and was quickly directed out to the street pointing that way. This area of town was much more humble-generally dirty with poorer looking people and street vendors everywhere. I quickly noticed a brand new temple was being constructed next to the existing temple that housed the Golden Buddha. I went up the stairs and noticed a large pile of shoes at the bottom of the steps. Getting the idea, I took off my shoes and went in. It was a rather plain interior with just a 20 foot tall golden Buddha at the end behind an altar. There was lots of incense and candles. Then, in walked a group of young girls in white school uniforms and what I think was either a teacher or a tour guide. I noticed she was speaking english so I wandered over nad listened to her speech. She said how Buddhists believe that when holy people die, God chooses them to come back down to earth as somewhat like a glorified being-a different form, usually gleaming (that's why gold is used) and purified to just their souls. She pointed out a picture on the wall of an old man that they believe was the human before he was sent back down as a Buddha. It's their belief that living a holy life was important so that they may someday become a Buddha. I pondered how that is not all that far away from our belief that saints are in heaven watching and praying for us. The same idea that living a holy life can lead to everlasting life with God. Anyway I was impressed by the few men dressed like Buddhist monks wandering around outside. As an aside, I read in the book Rediscovering Catholicism that Mahatma Ghandi, the great Buddhist leader, read the New Testament every day and believed it truly was the Word of God. When asked why he never became a Christian he said, "If I had ever met one, I would have become one."
Oh well, back to the trip...I scurried home to meet with Jon Dunn our Director from our UK office who was arriving tonight and we planned to have dinner together. We met in the lobby and both concluded that the Thai food was a bit much and we both missed good ol' Western cuisine. I told him, I'd seen an English Pub a few blocks down and he was thrilled. So we went, drank a pint of ale with a pretty bad course of barbacue beef sandwiches. Based on the food I've had in England, it was pretty authenic pub food, their food tastes bad too compared to the USA.
However it was a good light dinner discussion and he headed back to the hotel for the night.
I wanted to go to one the big Buddhist temples that are well known in Bangkok. I noticed one called the Golden Buddha was right off the elevated train line. So I went up the steps and quickly figured out how to buy a ticket from the machine and off I went. This train system was extremely busy and reminded me much of New York's-expect very clean and no grafetti. The air conditioned ride with announcements in Thai and then English made it simple to use.
I got out and asked an attendant which way to the Golden Buddha and was quickly directed out to the street pointing that way. This area of town was much more humble-generally dirty with poorer looking people and street vendors everywhere. I quickly noticed a brand new temple was being constructed next to the existing temple that housed the Golden Buddha. I went up the stairs and noticed a large pile of shoes at the bottom of the steps. Getting the idea, I took off my shoes and went in. It was a rather plain interior with just a 20 foot tall golden Buddha at the end behind an altar. There was lots of incense and candles. Then, in walked a group of young girls in white school uniforms and what I think was either a teacher or a tour guide. I noticed she was speaking english so I wandered over nad listened to her speech. She said how Buddhists believe that when holy people die, God chooses them to come back down to earth as somewhat like a glorified being-a different form, usually gleaming (that's why gold is used) and purified to just their souls. She pointed out a picture on the wall of an old man that they believe was the human before he was sent back down as a Buddha. It's their belief that living a holy life was important so that they may someday become a Buddha. I pondered how that is not all that far away from our belief that saints are in heaven watching and praying for us. The same idea that living a holy life can lead to everlasting life with God. Anyway I was impressed by the few men dressed like Buddhist monks wandering around outside. As an aside, I read in the book Rediscovering Catholicism that Mahatma Ghandi, the great Buddhist leader, read the New Testament every day and believed it truly was the Word of God. When asked why he never became a Christian he said, "If I had ever met one, I would have become one."Oh well, back to the trip...I scurried home to meet with Jon Dunn our Director from our UK office who was arriving tonight and we planned to have dinner together. We met in the lobby and both concluded that the Thai food was a bit much and we both missed good ol' Western cuisine. I told him, I'd seen an English Pub a few blocks down and he was thrilled. So we went, drank a pint of ale with a pretty bad course of barbacue beef sandwiches. Based on the food I've had in England, it was pretty authenic pub food, their food tastes bad too compared to the USA.
However it was a good light dinner discussion and he headed back to the hotel for the night.
No comments:
Post a Comment