This morning something funny happened. At an early six o'clock a strange sound woke me up. It was the sound of a key being shoved into a very close keyhole. One that is so close that it could be mine, I thought, when suddenly the knob above my head started to turn. Before the door opened more than a millimeter I reached up and closed it shut again. Then I heard a voice say sorry and soon after that the sound of some sort of waggon rolling away.
A second later another door was being opened and the moving waggon was audible again. It must have been the maid, I thought, but at six o' freking clock? I opened the door a bit, just as far as the chain would allow it to, and checked the sign that was supposed to say "Please do not disturb". Mine said "Please make up my room". Great. Somebody must have flipped it around while I was asleep. I felt angry at that somebody and a bit sorry for the maid, it wasn't her fault. Still, I went back to sleep.
I got up a few hours later and went out to catch a late breakf... to catch an early brunch. Yesterday I saw a nice smelling little street kitchen close to the hotel. The woman served only a single dish, fried noodles with lots of vegetables, egg and chicken, so I thought that's probably what she does best. I ordered a portion and took it to a shady spot in an alleyway across the street. It was great, but to be honest, I could barely make out the chicken.
Still it was a superb meal, I especially liked the nutty taste.
Strengthened by the goodness I walked southeast. Not that I knew where I was going, but that's where my eyes and my feet were taking me. There's a million small alleys in Phra Nakhon, full of beautiful little things to see. The buildings, the walls, even the trees seem to be filled with stories. I took a right at the Democracy Monument and walked along Thanon Din So. Normally I would try to blend in, try to look the least touristy I can, but not here, not a chance. I mean, there's so much to see that my head is constantly moving, from the streets to the sky, from the people to the porches.
Strengthened by the goodness I walked southeast. Not that I knew where I was going, but that's where my eyes and my feet were taking me. There's a million small alleys in Phra Nakhon, full of beautiful little things to see. The buildings, the walls, even the trees seem to be filled with stories. I took a right at the Democracy Monument and walked along Thanon Din So. Normally I would try to blend in, try to look the least touristy I can, but not here, not a chance. I mean, there's so much to see that my head is constantly moving, from the streets to the sky, from the people to the porches.
At some point, I think it was at the end of Th Bamrung Muang, I got to a ditch called Khlong Lawt. I crossed one of the many little bridges and found myself in the middle of a flee market. It was crazy, so much stuff, let me tell you that was Trödel on another level. But most of all, what I found out was that people, no matter in what country and what part of the world they live, basically tick the same way. They find joy in the smallest aspects of everyday life.
I think it really is the little things that matter. Things like a teenage kid sitting on the back of a truck, leafing through a box of DVDs, too busy to even blink. Things like a policeman sharing a table and small delicacies with a street vendor, talking to each other, sharing their stories, too. Things like an old man pushing a waggon full of heavy goods over a small mound, then letting go of the handle bar as the street is going slightly downhill. He smiles and lets gravity do the rest.
I think it really is the little things that matter. Things like a teenage kid sitting on the back of a truck, leafing through a box of DVDs, too busy to even blink. Things like a policeman sharing a table and small delicacies with a street vendor, talking to each other, sharing their stories, too. Things like an old man pushing a waggon full of heavy goods over a small mound, then letting go of the handle bar as the street is going slightly downhill. He smiles and lets gravity do the rest.
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