8/16/08

Krun Tep

Made it to Bangkok safely, no problems. When I arrived a the airport, I was overwhelmed by the plethora of yummy convenience store goods for a late night snack. At the Kunming airport in the departure lounge, there is one measly store. I felt like I had arrived in heaven. I always do. Got a grilled sandwich with bleu cheese and chicken. Yum. I went up to the departures area to catch a cab who could avoid the tollway fees. Sneaky, but I bargained him down to 300 baht, less then 10$ for a rip-roaring race to the pier on the other side of the river where Park has a top-floor place overlooking the Chao Priya River.

This morning, Park took me along to (yet another) mall for a ritual Starbucks and to the science class supply store. Beakers, model hydrogen cell car kits, mortars and pestles, plastic wombs with demonstration babies...everything I could possibly need, really. Then we took the klong canal boat to the shopping district. Park left me to fend for myself in the commercial jungle and I think I did alright. I found a great store with kitchy clever everything called Loft. Wind-up toys, silkscreened pillowcases, sheets of fancy paper, Design within Reach style doodads of all sorts.... I had a field day just looking. Then the bookstore for guilty pleasures (ie. People/Star/Us magazines) and a plethora of huge design coffee table books. I spent hours catching up on Britney and getting a huge dose of interior design. Ahhhhhhh.

When I noticed the clouds forming, I decided to start my trek back home. Walk to the canal boat, tuktuk taxi to the pier, river ferry across the water. It was the first time I made that trek alone! With no cell phone, I just had to trust my instincts and hope for the best. With not a single wrong turn, I was home in an hour. Park was watching BBC. Hearing English news, then turning it off, is so satisfying.

This is the scene from the apartment, overlooking the Golden Temple. Off to dinner down the alley to catch the end of the emerging pink cloud Disney Thailand scene. It is good to be back.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Why Lotus? Why Pine?

The lotus signifies the progress of the soul from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment.

The pine signifies longevity and endurance because of its green foliage year round. In both good and bad weather, the pine thrives year after year thus it also represents pure life and constancy in the face of adversity.

Yunnan Province is a mountain landscape created when the Indian Sub-continent crashed into the tropical lowlands of Burma. It is a place with hundreds of unique species and dozens of amazing topographies. When I walk the mountains of Yunnan, I breathe fresh pine air and marvel at the indigenous wildflowers. Yunnan is also the conduit through which Buddhism came to China, along the caravan trails from India. The lotus is a Buddhist symbol of purity and perfection. When I photograph these flowers, I am always captivated by their geometry and peace-inspiring colors.

my motto

Look well to this day For it is life The very best of life.
In its brief course lie all The realities and truths of existence,
The joy of growth, the splendor of action, The glory of power.
For yesterday is but a memory. And tomorrow is only a vision.
But today well lived Makes every yesterday a memory of happiness And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore to this day.

--from the Sanskrit