Back Briefly in Thailand

Thailand looks different now. I’m back briefly to renew the Myanmar visa.

It’s stunning to see the elevated highways here. They go on for miles and miles. Probably they cost millions and millions. Somehow I can’t imagine the Myanmar government ever providing such infrastructure. Currently Myanmar people must be self-reliant in so many ways. Often they pay directly for generators to offset power cuts, for improvements in the roads that pass in front of their homes, for education, and even for defense if they are not the majority race, Bamar, or the majority religion, Buddhist.

Like lots of Westerners, Thais seem to have their heads buried in their devices. That day will probably come soon for Myanmar, but at the moment you can still look into people’s eyes and see a smile rather than the reflection of a screen. And speaking of Westerners, they’re everywhere in Thailand. After a month next door I’d gotten used to being a rare species.

Thailand feels constant. Having lived here a total of more than ten years, I usually know how to navigate and negotiate. It will take a while to get used to the Burmese, who tend to be more direct, and less likely to say what the outsider wants to hear. I’m also slightly less on my guard in Thailand. While the days of being very cautious about what you say in public places and in email messages are on their way out in Myanmar, there’s still a bit of unease in the air, especially since some weird recent reports of explosions. Nobody has claimed responsibility—were they trying to unsettle the government on the eve of its 2013 showcase event, the SE Asian Games? Sending a message about Myanmar taking over the chairmanship of the Association of SE Asian Nations? Or an ornery loner?