Today I was standing at the Pattaya street corner of Second Road and Pattaya Tai, a block down from where two Thai police officers gave me a 2,000 baht fine a while back for my coronavirus mask slipping down (while I was jogging).  Now I could see both of them down the street  in their khaki uniforms with epaulettes, and even waved to them.  They were positioned with some thought in mind--A Bangkok Bank ATM machine was catty-cornered across from them and their small kiosk. 

I was about to head their way and exchange pleasantries, when two burly bearded men wearing white dishdashas and tightly wound black turbans walked gruffly in front of me.  They  looked grumpy and glared at me (picture the Ayatollah figure) as they pushed past—but I made eye contact and smiled at them.

They both stopped momentarily and warmly smiled back at me. I held their attention with engaging comments (particularly about my trip to Afghanistan a few years back). I mentioned my friends from Kandahar and how they too wore the black turbans of the Taliban.  'You are Taliban?'  I asked.  They seemed puzzled (suspicious) but continued the conversation with me anyway.  ‘Yes, we are,’ they replied in broken English with a Pashto tilt (not so proud it seemed).  To keep the conversation going I offered them shawarmas (gyros) from the vendor standing just a few feet away and they readily joined me at a small table nearby (We were on the edge of the Muslim quarter).  ‘Not recruiting I hope,’ I smiled, taking a bit of a chance.  But they both became charming and laughed at my humor.  ‘Just the crazy believers, and the ones who look angry,’ they replied, laughing together.  The roasted lamb was sliced thinly off the vertical broiler and sandwiched between folded pita and slathered with creamy white cucumber sauce and was well-received by my hungry friends. I opted for a falafel and we conversed for a good half hour munching away.  And after we finished eating and stood up to leave, my two new friends bade me an ‘Allah Akbar’, with a twinkle in their eyes. And just as I did in Kandahar with my Taliban friend there, I responded, 'Shalom', with a smile in return. There was a momentary pause, and then we all broke into laughter, departing from each other happily.

It's a funny world.

I hope my new friends enjoyed the brief respite and those delicious-looking  schawarmas. And my company as I did theirs.

Shalom :-)