The last two weeks have been a mish mosh of events. It has been a combination of cultural experiences, while trying to live in some sort of normalcy in Bangkok. After Cambodia, I decided that it would be good to start working out again. After I hurt my knee in New York, I kinda used it as an excuse to put off the work out routine. Well, it's four months later, and after submerging myself into many delicious food adventures from New York, Chicago, Thailand, to Cambodia, I decided it is time to take it easy and work on the waistline. Although, I must confess that I am addicted to mango sticky rice. I dream about it everyday. I have also indulged in the fried chicken with sticky rice and papaya salad that is sold every 50 feet on the side walk; this is also something that I should probably cut from the diet, but it is so. so good. And finally, the fried spring rolls...for only 6 baht each, how can you not want to eat four a day? Well, I am exaggerating...I've had them once a week, but even that is a lot of fried food when you mix in the fried chicken. After indulging in yummy, super delicious food, and seeing that the result is an expanding waist line, I decided to hit the gym. For the last two weeks, I have worked out for a couple hours a day, but aside from the gym, the Bangkok adventure has been about what happens after the workout.
On Monday, November 2nd, we floated our worries away on a little banana leaf boat decorated with flowers, candles and incense. The Thai people celebrate Loi Kathrong, or the Festival of Lights on the night of the 12th full moon, which means that the dates changes from year to year, but is typically celebrated in November. It was originally a Buddhist ceremony, but is now celebrated throughout Thailand. The candles are a way to honor the Lord Buddha and the "floating away" of the banana boat leaf symbolizes the release of all the anger and worries of the previous year. It is a way of starting anew, which is always nice.
We began our Loi Kathrong celebration with dinner. Carla, Lisa, her husband, Federico, and I had a traditional Thai dinner at the local bar, Winks, and then headed to the festival. We each had our own offering and took a moment to cast off our negative energies and bad luck down the river. The most interesting part of the experience was the homeless individuals that took to the river and collected the money that was placed in the offerings. They were shivering, and yet they were turning over offerings to collect the change. It is quite striking when a traditional Thai holiday is treated so lightly by the less fortunate – it puts things into perspective.
Later that week we attended a Tango concert in the city. TANGO…dios mio. We were invited to the live show at the Siam Cultural Center by the embassy of Argentina. The concert was absolutely amazing. It was alive! I sat next to our friend Shirley, from Queens, NY, and after each song we turned to each other and simultaneously released a breathless “wow.” The most memorable part of the concert for me was the moment when I realized that I was in Bangkok listening to the most beautiful tango I have ever listened to in my life. In that instant I realized that it did not matter what country I was in and that what mattered was the moment and the experience. I have been very lucky to experience Thailand through my friends: through Carla that has been here for nearly five years and building her fashion career, for Lisa and her husband that are simply taking a chance in life and seeing what Bangkok has to offer, or for Shirley and Krystal who have come to teach and purposefully take themselves out of their comfort zone to try something different. Taking this time off has allowed me to strip the layers of stress and worry and really look at how I hope to life my life. I feel lucky and happy to have my Bangkok familia with me throughout my Southeast Asia trip. Thank goodness for them and this experience...and so it's back to working off all the yummy food adventures.
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