Queen Sirikit ready for take-off after a low key private visit to Schloss Fuschl in Summer 2007; the curtsies at the Red Carpet have been made; now it's time for a respectful wait until the Royal Aircraft is reaching the horizon.
Now, is your hard-boiled 'security driver' getting sentimental? A little badge, given to him by Thai securities on the second day of the visit is nearby at the bookshelve right now. They hardly spoke English, but the gesture and the words "for security driver" stay in memory.
Being on a protocol motorcade is an honor; it's about reliability, it's about those high speed convoys – you must never let a car get between yours and the one ahead of you, no matter what. Often this driving is only just minutes after hours and hours of waiting. It's about those few minutes that most colleagues love to do the job.
And there is something else: it is a strange and moving experience to see how the local Thai community found ways to get near their Queen who always was protected from summer sun by a black silk umbrella (what a picture). Without understanding the language it was clear that this was not an organized thing for the media; they just wanted to be near their Queen ...
Hum, what do you do in such a case as a sturdy democrat with a left indent?
You'd just look in awe and bewilderment, if you'd happen to be me ;–).
