Authors: Ben Ruhe
Date Submitted: August 31, 2003
Article Type: Journal

A foreign observer at the royal kitefighting tournament in Bangkok recently found himself participant instead of observer. Standing in the middle of a dense crowd observing the action overhead, he watched as a Chula engaged in mortal combat with a Pakpao. A siren was sounding loudly, whistles blowing, spectators shouting in excitement. Suddenly there was a swishing sound just overhead and a plummeting kite slammed painfully into the shoulder of the farang (Westerner). In a reflex move learned from playing baseball as a boy, he made an instinctive grab and pulled off a neat two-handed catch of the two-foot Pakpao. Shouts and laughter from the surprised crowd. A team member came charging up to claim his kite and when he got his hands on it noted with surprise it was undamaged. Merriment continued over the farang’s mysterious plucking of the kite from thin air. The kite was now handed back to the visitor to hold aloft for victory photographs. An authoritative Thai man arrived, positioned himself directly in front of the visitor, and did an enthusiastic double thumbs up. More cheers. LOS—–Land of Smiles.

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