Season 3 episode 9. Our Asian Journey Part 1
In April and May we traveled in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam. 3 1/2 weeks is really just enough time to get a taste for the major cities, countryside and cultures. So rather than get into the detailed day to day activities I hope to communicate to you the experiences that touched us most.
BANGKOK DAY AND NIGHT
Early morning at Arun Wat,
The temple of the God of Dawn.
sparkling ladies pose in rented dazzling dresses
with spectacular multicolored ceramic towers rising above them
In the Grand Palace
Oppressive heat and excessive tourists
Hindu past and Buddhist present
Ramayana walls and the Emerald Buddha.
The Choa Phraya river bus escape
passing riverside markets and monasteries,
shabby wooden houses with hanging laundry,
wedding parties dining in shady parks
The museum of many beautiful Buddhas
The brightly lit luxury shoppers’ paradise
Big money capitalism and buddhism
Its all side by side, riverside
Ayutthaya’s many stupas,
honoring death
burial places for kings and families
More buddhas, some with silk shawls
Many headless.
At night the food markets explode
bright lights, crackling sounds of frying foods
Steam cookers carrying exciting smells
tropical fruits expertly sliced open
Smelly, tasty Duraans, delicious Mangosteens.
the hustle and bustle action never ends.
LOCAL VILLAGE DELICACIES
Families passing down
skills and traditions
generation to generation.
Melting and drawing sugar
becoming angel hair candy
then wrapped in crepes
Catching tarantulas,
Deep frying with spices,
crunchy treats
freshly pressed out
steaming rice noodles,
served in delicious broth
silk worms and lady bugs,
stir fried, for the daring ones
Mekong river weeds,
pressed, dried and flavored
sesame seeds and spices.
Laotian snacks.
LAOS - LAND OF A MILLION ELEPHANTS
Now more saffron robed ones
than grey skinned ones.
Early morning as the sun rises
We join the local ladies
scooping sticky rice
into lines of monks’ bowls,
the giving of alms,
the receiving of blessings.
We find ourselves in a temple
behind the chanting monks
sitting with a big furry dog
contentedly listening.
Harmonious echoes of scriptures
kept cool by whirring fans,
feeling the peace and love
Buddha brought here.
After visiting the cave of 1,000 Buddhas
We meet the great grey skins.
We ride on the elephants.
Through forests along streams.
Then we offer our elephant
fingers of green bananas,
each one gently held in his trunk
smoothly placed into his large mouth.
Kassandra connects head to head,
eyeball to eyeball;
Sweet Tears are shared.
Yes, dear one,
We will remember
our duty to protect you
and your kind,
and to protect our shared planet
for all creatures.
©martinStrasmore2023