A very good friend from Bangkok came for a visit and I proudly showed her the prettiest areas of Banrai, not noticing that as we went along she became increasingly tense and fell more and more quiet as I pointed out gorgeous scenery and breathtaking panoramas.At one point I stopped the car at the base of rolling hills that were covered with a multitude of trees and lush foliage in soothing shades of green. I urged my friend to get out of the car to take a better look, but this city person had had quite enough of my nature appreciation tour and said in an exasperated voice, "I've seen trees!".
"Yes, you have," I said, "but not these particular trees! Aren't they great?".
She threw a box of tissue paper at me and we laughed.
Here's a saying: "If two people always agreed on everything, then one of them is unnecessary."
Back in Bangkok one day I was in my car on Sathorn road waiting for traffic lights to turn green. Traffic was very heavy as it always is and at this particular intersection i's not uncommon for the red light to stay on for several minutes (I once timed it at a record 12 minutes and 34 seconds).
I was close enough to the intersection to see the traffic control officer in his booth. As soon as he switched traffic lights and turned the ones facing me to red, he picked up a newspaper and leaned back comfortably to read it, looking like he was just relaxing on a beach. I prayed that the article he was reading wasn't too long and then asked myself how I would sum up my feelings of impatience and frustration at that very moment in a few words.
The words came to me right away: "I've seen cars!".
Photo location: Banrai, Uthaitani province
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