A conversation : A train ride to the Death Railway, Thailand.

Place : HuaLomphong Train Station.
Time : Bangkok morning
Journey : To the Death Railway

.....and there I was like a kid, overtly excited on a train to visit the famous Death Railway. I took a seat by the window and adjusted my camera to catch Hua Lomphong's 'residents' from the inside of my train window. Gosh..have I heard so much of the Death Railway and there I was finally on my journey. But my brief enthusiastic self was in for a rude surprise which can only come from Thais.

Opposite me, an arm's length away, two Thai ladies found their seats. As *chivalry is relayed in various expressions, I gave them a quaint smile and ignored them completely for I knew my sudden arrival at their opposite end disturbed their lone sobriety. 
* in Thailand, there is no such thing as chivalry. It' all about the hands clasped together with a Japanese bow 'sawadika or sawadikap."

One looked at me and immediately whispered to the other - **India. My quick sensed bionic-ears picked up the echo of their rude sentiment but chose to ignore it totally. I ain't Indian. Why should I bother? 
** In Thailand, as it seems India or Indian simply means ugly, dirty, smelly and worthless. 

Anyway, I could hardly hear the roar of the train engine as both ladies made their presence known to the entire coach by laughing and cackling uncontrollably. I don't know if they were making fun out of me or were into their lady talk curses. All I could do was sit back and enjoy the ride to the Death Railways. Nothing could take away the pleasure of travelling on a diesel powered locomotive. 

The two ladies could never stop their Thai blow horn conversation which I'm sure was far louder then the decibels measured from the locomotive. With a gentle forward jolt, the train moved out from Hualomphong. I sensed a feeling of animosity leaving me when both the ladies in a sudden went silent. It was bliss but only for a while. Ten minutes into the ride, one excused herself and left her seat while the other got busy rambling thru' her knapsack. Then, the rambling one ... 

Thai 1 : "You go Kanchana"
Me like an aimless urchin nodded with a simple yes but minus the Indian helicopter head-spin of course.

Thai 1 : "I go Kanchana"
I nodded my head and said okay.

Thai 1 : "Where you come from?"
Me : "Where!...Hmmm...Bangkok"

Thai 1 (puzzled) : "You come Thailand work or business"
I answered with a heavy accent : "Am a tourist here in Thailand. Am not here for work or business"

Thai 1 got a bit quizzed and looked harder at me. A while later Thai 2 came back with a well powdered face and smelling a million bottles of cheap perfume. Thai 1 quickly gossiped what had transpired to Thai 2 and both took a harder look at me. 

This is the part I easily get annoyed and go ballistic.

Thai 2 asked : "You India?"
Me : "No, I'm very much human."
At that very moment, my mood flung out of the window and I wished the two planks go with it. The last thing I wanted is me being an experimental lab rat. 

After half an hour or so Thai 2 interrupted,

Thai 2 : "When you come Bangkok?"
Me : "Two days ago."
Thai 2 : "You like Bangkok."
Me : "No."

She went completely silent and so did Thai 1. And for some few minutes, all I could hear was the sound of the diesel locomotive racing thru' the outskirts of Bangkok. I decided - if I'm going to be 'India' to these two 'tom-yams' on this Death Railway trip, I might as well see, look and behave like an Indian. All the same time, something told me both the morons knew I ain't what I'm suppose to be either. 

They still weren't satisfied. The questioning resumed.

Thai1 : "You come one person."
Me : "Yes."
Thai1 : "Where you go?"
Me : (Totally annoyed) "Where the train is going - Kanchanaburi."
Thai1 : "I know."
Me : "Then why ask?"
Both ladies :"Hmm!"


That one question got them both rattled. Abusive and curse words in Thai darted at me like bulls eye aimlessly, that much I can say. The conversation turned sour and it was all for the better. I can swear from the looks on their faces, the two ladies must have wished me dead. I also got to know by way of reading countless blogs, it seems its perfectly okay for Thais to curse and swear at Indians. Buddha will pardon them. I developed a new hatred and acrid animosity against the two drift-wood sitting in front of me and did I care - NOPE.

After a few stops out of the noisy blue, Thai 2 asked : "You come from India?"
Again the same 'India' question. This time with a dirty and spiteful face I answered, "Yes, I'm from India. Do you have a problem with that?"
Me again : "Do you work for the Police?"

Immediately, the questioning stopped. Not a single question ever. Along the way up to the end of the journey, all they did was check their cell phones every 3 minutes, laugh and cackle like geckos, ogle at everyone and anyone walking down the aisle of the train and eat and drink mercilessly. I can say lots of women talk and gossips were exchanged between them.

And one other thing I couldn't help noticing - they ate their packed chicken wings like hyenas tearing away into its carcass.

And I? - got back my quiet time, read the Bangkok Post, and enjoyed the rest of my trip to Kanchanaburi. I never did ask nor raise any question to them. In fact, I never did look at their faces ever after that. Something I learned to live with interacting with my "God-forbid"  neighbours.

On the hindsight - the entire Q and A revolved around me being an Indian or no. This is the length of hatred the Thais have over Indians. 

What have the Indians done to the Thais to the extend so much hatred is poured out?

I really need to ask the Indians.