Beijing: The Thai Couple

The Thai couple sits in front of us on our Beijing tour bus. Well, I should say the husband does, the wife has since moved to an empty seat in the back where she uses the extra space to store her things, and, I suspect, to get some respite from her husband. They are Chinese-Taiwanese in ethnicity, but immigrated to Thailand for business a few decades ago. The husband is in the imitation jewelery business and makes cubic zirconia rings and knock-off Tiffany's necklaces. Despite the fact that his livelihood is centered around creating fakes, I find him to be one of the most genuine people on our tour. He and his wife are my favorite people to observe.

The husband is a slight man, light on his feet and quick in his actions. He is the most extroverted person here and enjoys going around to every table during mealtimes to propose toasts with Chinese beer. His personality itself is like a fizzy drink with all the elements of his inner life eventually bubbling up to the surface and popping in exuberance. Riding in a car for long periods of time has a sleep-inducing effect on everyone; everyone, that is, besides this small man of great energy. While we doze, he alertly scans the passing scenery outside the window, snapping pictures at things that seem interesting. Sometimes he stops to ponder for a few seconds, then pulls out a map with great urgency to stare intently at the lines and symbols. Sometimes it all becomes too much, and he turns around in his seat and gravely says to my father, "I believe we are driving in a NW direction. Look here on this map I bought at the hotel..." After a few moments of conversation his wife, the calmer of the two, glides over to whisper something in his ear. Afterwards the husband gives us a quick nod and turns around to study his map alone. No doubt she just told him to settle down and let the others get some rest!

My favorite thing about the Thai couple is the contrast between the husband and the wife. She is a pretty, elegant lady of very few words. She, too, is small, but unlike her husband her moves and words are slow and deliberate. She doesn't use excessive emotion; her features are cool and restrained like polished stone so unlike her husband's animated visage. After reigning in her husband's great love for social interaction, she returns back to her seat, crosses her legs, and falls asleep. I appreciate her unimposing sophistication in this city of loud talking and literal and figurative pushiness. Like her husband she is a person of inner warmth, hers being of a more subtle and introverted variety. When I sit next to her during meals she tells me which dishes are the best tasting, and once she gave my father and me two white-fleshed peaches to eat during a show.