Ah, yes, the Thai Smile. I'd read about it, heard about it, but what should I expect? What was all this damned cheerfulness about? And what were they smiling about, hmmm? Within minutes of stepping off the plane at Bangkok airport I'd encountered my first Thai Smiles, and they continued, day after day, hour after hour.Thai people smile constantly. When they greet (with a little 'wai' and a little bow) when they make a sale at a stall, when they say goodbye and on every occasion in between. Naturally, our western sensibilities make us suspicious. They call it the Land of Smiles, but hey, what have they got to smile about? Is the friendliness genuine? Or is it forced, the smile hiding gritted teeth?
You only have to be here a short while to realise that the smiles are, in fact, quite genuine. But unlike in the West where we smile "about" something, Thai smiles have no underlying reason. They simply smile. And yes, as a rule, they appear to be very happy and contented people.
Theirs is a lush country with an abundance of food, rain and shopping malls. They are natural hosts and love having us to stay in their beautiful country. I quickly learnt that the smiles were warm and genuine and found myself smiling back. It's infectious.
|I've often thought smiles were infectious and aften get a class of children to all smile at each other and me before we start the day or afternoon!
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