Rhythm

Sometimes the journey has a rhythm of its own. And for each the way of sensing the place also changed. The north of Thailand was made at three different tempos. Each of them painted different traits on the northern Thailand.

Andante - Ayuthaya

It was a response to a quasi-challenge. The day I arrived I heard: Ayuthaya is impossible to be done on foot. The Uncle Scrooge in me and my curiosity then led me to give up the idea of renting a bike, and i decided to explore this beautiful temple city by foot. And geography helped me. This tourist town is flat and a natural island in the middle of the river.

And if the ancient and touristic temples are the big attraction, I found that the smile of people and the small details of daily life equally attractive . Instead of fast moving between locations, I saw the contours of the temples turn into flowering trees. These changed into narrow streets, wooden houses and alleys, to be extended into big avenues. Here the features are broad and the rhythm of a main artery. Once again the lines are blurred in another temple degraded by time. I follow these lines to the confusion of a peaceful part of the city across the river.

And I follow my andante rhythm... sometimes almost an adagio when the heat leaves me breathless. But when a salesperson gives me directions to my new destination, my pace quickens a bit. Changes to an allegro, as we try to communicate and I learn a few words of Thai. I say goodbye with a smile, a smile that was a reflection of the one on the face in front of me.

Alone again, again walking. I follow the contours of this city. And after crossing the river those contours transform into gold ... gold from roofs of the temple, gold fromtheandante sunset that hides behind the landscape.

Gravissimo - Chiang Mai

And sometimes the pace is so slow it seems to be on a stand still. This was how I saw the tourist capital of northern Thailand. A small town, consisting of many Wats and a impeccable historic center. Exept the temple atop the hill, everything was done almost on a standstill mode. I walked without haste through the night market and rest of the temples.

I decided to stay here for sometime to do my writing and from the sit out in front of a cafe I saw this city. One of which was at the door of the old town. Here I saw the traffic flow. Tourists going in front of me, and from time to time, locals with the traditional Chinese hat. I remember a beggar who asked me for a cigarette. Tanned from a sun that does not spare anyone, and with a t-shirt and used shorts on, he politely asked for a cigarette,something that I never refuse. And then money, something that I never give. Days followed with the same routine, accompanied by smiles. I carried on with my writing, he carried on with his begging.

Another cafe’s sit out was at the center of the city - halfway between the door and the main Wat- the voices around were more international. I like to observe other foreigners, their way of communicating with their surroundings. Some smile, extremely pleased with their journey, others indifferent and arrogant, , ammending their travel check-list in a dry manner. In the background, the cafe staff follow their routine of taking orders and quick breaks. Spent so much time there that it created a complicity of its own. One small converstion with one of the staff members and it made me feel at home.

Presto - Chiang Rai

Just one night. This was my Chiang Rai. My pace was high. A beautiful sunset upon arrival. The desire to find a place to stay. A quick visit to the night market, full of smells of the foods, sounds of the music of stalls selling DVD's and colors of the crafts sold here. I wanted to catch everything. The sounds, the houses and streets. The faces and the smiles on them. I was there for just a few hours. Not enough to describe a place. But this was a more real and alive city than the others. The following day, while bidding a goodbye to the city, my heart still followed apace so different from what I felt in the previous cities.