Charming Thailand

All pictures were taken by Mr. Curt Joyce.Thank you Curt for your amazing pictures and an unforgettable journey together through SE Asia!

Being home after a few months of travelling and seeing more of Gods beautiful land, I am ready to share some of my feelings and thoughts providing a glimpse into my time in SE Asia. As best as I can put my feelings, loves, heartaches, and realizations into words, the next few blogs are dedicated to my time away.

We arrived to Bangkok via New York. Going from one overwhelming and breathtaking city to the next was the perfect way to start the adventure. As with anytime you travel a good 24 hours in air time not to mention the travel time in between, you learn to hurry to wait, and then hurry once again. (Little did I know then that I would learn the art of this in SE Asia, as they seem to have this simple act down to an effortless tee )

We got into the bustling, mega city sleepy eyed and dragging our feet. As we were walking around, finally rested and able to comprehend the craziness around us, I saw new backpackers that had just arrived. I couldn't help but think that when you are in the middle of backpacking, feet dragging and exhaustion setting in, we all have that same look… the look of war victims. But it’s all worth it in the end, once you are able to put the pack down and rest your weary head for a bit, you will inevitably open your eyes with renewed energy, look around at the new beautiful part of the world you are about to explore, and smile to yourself forgetting the epic bus ride you just took or the indescribable journey that took many unforgettable hours. You now know that you are exactly where you are supposed to be.

So Bangkok it was. This massive city is filled with huge temples, amazing food, crazy roads, and monks everywhere. We stayed near Koh San road… the ever famous backpacker metropolis with lines of food carts, street vendors, and anything you can think of to buy. Although as fascinating as this area is at first, we quickly saw that the appeal fades fast. We soon realized why this is only a brief stopping point for most travelers. We decided to hit the road, travel by train, bus,plane, and motorbike all around this fascinating country… With beautiful culture, colorful people, and intriguing land, Thailand was the perfect place to start our epic adventure.

My first impressions of Thailand ranged from pure beauty in the enormous and vibrant temples, to dirty and nasty streets that were lined with garbage. As with so many of the countries I have visited, in certain areas cleanliness is lacking. You see things that will break your heart, wishing that you could fix it all. It is during those times that you feel helpless and useless to a solution, that you will inevitably be reminded of what truly matters.

The language barrier was larger than I predicted, English is spoken but scarcely, and the use of characters for letters made it nearly impossible for us to even guess as to what something means. But that is part of the appeal to me, travelling and seeing what is out there. Realizing that my normal is far unlike another’s normal, making me appreciate this world even more than before.

Buddhism is everywhere; this seemingly strange religion that I, unfortunately, really know nothing about. Seeing the passion that people overwhelmingly had for this religion, made me wish I knew a little more about it. I wish I understood what the big, fat, cute, and ebullient statue really stands for. As I settled into Thailand wishing I knew more of this religion, I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps ignorance could be better with this one. It would allow me to continue to look at what they are worshiping with unknowing eyes. It would enable me, in spite of everything, to only see the glistening shiny Buddha’s, monks in orange wandering the streets with smiles on their faces, and the glamorous temples that line the amazing hillside. But after this brief thought I decided that as with everything in this world, knowledge and truth always outweighs ignorance. And like most things, outer appearance means nothing over what is making up the inside.

As we continued to travel through SE Asia we learned more about this and many other religions. So many people in so many parts of this world are driven by such different and diverse religions. I am realizing that knowledge of these religions is important. It is important to know what it is that drives people, where their hearts lie. But even more important than learning of another’s beliefs, is to remember to keep your own ideas and beliefs on your God and your faith, unyielding and true. It is up to you to stand firm, uncompromising in what you believe in, and tell it to those that want to hear.

And so it was we started our journey learning and growing and seeing what people’s lives are like in this area of the world… Our journey with all its ups and downs has changed me once again with new found appreciation for what we have and what we actually need. I hope through these next few writings can express my heart and the beauty of what I saw along the way.