Leaving Questions Unanswered...

Seeing that the resent surge in hits from Thailand ISPs has subsided, perhaps it is safe to once again come out to play.  Tempests in teacups, disgruntled detractors, all hopefully faded to nothing more than an unpleasant memory.  I am sometimes drawn to see what lies beyond my field of view.  To venture on foot or by vehicle, even metaphorically, to explore what lies around the bend.  Often one has a very good idea ahead of time, what is there, but to see it first hand does lend a measure of authenticity and veracity. 

With 30 plus years in Bangkok, one might safely assume that I have had a smattering of experience with expat circles.  I thought it perhaps presumptuous on my part to assume, however, that my observations were universal.  I therefore set out to see if expat fauna of the Rai differed from that of the Big Mango.  Not unexpectedly, I found evidence of the usual suspects.  Ranging from the dregs to the do-gooders, they were not hard to spot, even with the variance in dress code afforded to this less than urban environment.

As the pot was stirring recently, over I know not what, emails were exchanged that I naively thought were addressed to one individual.  I opted not to use the bully pulpit of my blog and instead resorted to emails that were promptly forwarded to a half dozen other individuals.  A more sophisticated approach would have been to use the bcc: function in the letterhead of the email.  That way, I would have been none the wiser.  Subsequently they had me at a disadvantage, knowing what I was saying while I knew nothing of what they were discussing amongst themselves.  It all leaves me wondering what could possibly be in it for me, to revisit a repeat engagement. 

In a round about way this got me reexamining my readership and from whence it comes.  The majority are from English speaking countries, and many but not all, have some sort of Thailand connection.  The total number of countries represented is impressive and some seem to use translations.  I often wonder how well my words cross from one language to another.  I am clearly not someone who picks his topics from news services or other bloggers and therefore I post at irregular intervals.  That leaves me wondering why there are so many of you who click so regularly on my page.  An RSS feed, set up in one of the many Readers out there, would surely be more functional and alert you to any new postings.  Some seem preoccupied with downloading every picture I post, to which I do not object.  But then again, one does wonder what is being done with them. 

The software which is supposed to tell me who you are and where you are from, leaves me with many more questions than answers.  While many of you have been in contact there is an equal number who still lurk in the shadows and keep me guessing.  Perhaps that is as it should be.  The urge to answer all questions and remove all mystery could lead one down the path to a dreary, less colorful tapestry of life.  So part of me wants to know, while another part of me does not.  If recent events are anything to go by, perhaps it is best to leave some things to the realm of imagination.