The Heart & Soul of Thailand ~ Long live the King!

When I was thinking about Thailand I had to stop thinking about what others had told me, I had to remove myself from all the books, all of the pictures I have seen just so I could focus on what was going to come or came my way.

On the plane I had dreamed of colors, bright colors, When I landed I just followed the white light, the white out of clouds meeting the sun meeting the pollution, the heavy dank air was more damp, more humid then I thought. As I walked through the streets my feet always seemed to be in water, as I was zigzagging on the street on the side walk. The water was hot the pace of my walk slowed as water drip-lets  sprayed up the my legs as I walked. I smelled ash, I smelled fish sauce, I tasted sweetness in my mouth that I could not describe.  I was in Bangkok. I was lost in thought, I was lost in the sites, I was lost in music but most of all I was just lost.

This part of journey started days ago, months ago, years ago when I was first thinking of South East Asia.  It was then that Thailand began to resinate in thought, it was then that I that I thought that the path of NYC was going to take me here, but instead I ended up in Vietnam. I have returned to South East Asia,  I have listened to my inner voice and now Bangkok it is.

Like a child walking with out a parents hand to guide them.  I snaked along main roads and back roads, in and out of Wats, it lead me to meet a few amazing people, it lead me to more then a few monks, it lead me here atop one of the most spiritual journeys up to the sky, up high over looking the city of Bangkok, it lead me into a 50 foot Buda which lead me another flight of stairs and under 4 huge bells, or chimes, it lead me to sit beside myself. I sat quiet, I sat under the umbrella of the most perfect peaceful reflection of the golden sun. I was content, I am content, I am awake I am in deep thought, I am thought less, I am just here I am under the hot sun, I am under no obligations to do anything, I am here to find self, revive my chi & explore life....

After a long pause, after a long break in my day, after I have drank more then enough water to drown a few seals.  I am up again, I am refreshed, I am over watered and ready to be drained & have every last drop of water purged out of my body. 

For some reason I just don’t care. I don’t think about anything my mind is blank, I have slowed down, I have stopped thinking and I am barely even breathing, I am connected to semi chipped large stone step that I followed.

The silence the quietness is perfect, the craziness of Bangkok is below me but I hear nothing. I begin to realize that I am not alone, I realize I am one of the millions people before me that have walked, hiked and climbed,  that so many people have done the exact same thing before and there will be many others that will follow, that will feel, that will repeat my every step in every way that I have. This is the journey.

                                                                            

                                    

Bangkok took a hold of me, it gave me inner peace, Bangkok gave me a new walking pace, Bangkok gave me exactly what I needed & then I left. That was 5 weeks ago…  I give you pieces of what I saw along the way…. 

From foods I’ve eaten to roads I’ve crossed, to parades I’ve marched in, to signs that popped out in front of me, to the ever blooming lotus flowers & water lillies, to chefs that I ve met, to the djs that controlled the vibes in the clubs or on the streets, to the Thai police & security guards that always allowed me safe passage into or behind the walls. To stepping over the left over dirty dishes that piled up in the street markets, to the discarded coconut shells that lay on the sidewalk , to the street vendors that made me try everything. (beetles, larva, worms, frogs, dried fish, dried fruits to whatever was on a BBQ) 

To all the people that made me laugh, made me feel at home, who made me take a step back in order for me to focus on the bigger picture, (* pun intended) Bangkok was / is just the beginning. So much more to tell, so much more to show... ""With that I say More Time""

I say please and I say thank you… Long live the king!


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