Old chicks and sweet Jello

So this evening after my nap, I set off into town again to try and find the river and perhaps grab some street food along the way. Needless to say I got lost. Very very lost. I was walking down this dark road which just screamed Dodgy as F##K, and as I was walking along I got that awful feeling of dread in my tummy. There were men gathered on the street corners, who would stare as I walked past which obviously made me feel very uncomfortable. It was at this point when the little voice in my head told me I shouldn’t be here, this isn’t safe and is a really silly idea to continue...

So I carried on walking looking for the next ‘main’ road to turn onto (or just any road with street lights and human life) and as I walked down this pitch black road, I came across a small street. This street was almost alley like and was bathed with golden light - a huge contrast to the dark surroundings of which I stood.

Beautiful yellow lanterns hung from a canopy, burning candles and incense filled my nose. Old ladies dressed in white were gathered outside what looked like a small modest Buddhist temple. I walked towards the light and through the crowd of old ladies and found they were serving food and chatting away among themselves. I walked through and past and eventually found the river. It was a dead end however, so I couldn’t walk along the bank and had to turn back through the crowds. Anyone I made eye contact with I greeted with a wai and smile, until one tiny old lady approached me and asked me if I wanted to join. I asked her what they were doing and why they were dressed in white, to which she replied they had just attended a celebration of the late king at the temple and were now dining together in memorial. She grabbed me by the hand and dragged me to the front of the food queue where another old lady gave me a bowl filled with syrup, beans, dried fruits, some weird-as-hell jello stuff and sweet noodles. I then spent the next half an hour eating and chatting with the old lady and her friends, telling them of my plans and learning about their religion and late king. I offered to make a donation to the temple but she wouldn’t have any of it, instead she pointed me in the direction which I should walk in order to get back to the main square. By the time I reached the main strip again I was grinning from ear to ear at the unexpected hospitality and kindness I had just encountered.

Lesson number 2: no matter how dark life may seem, there is always a light close by waiting for you to walk towards it. You've just got to be brave and keep going...

No doubt my mum will be having a heart attack as she reads this, but please don’t stress mum. Tonight was a wonderfully positive encounter that probably would never have happened had I been either male or with a friend. So I am counting tonight as a blessing and am happy that I took that wrong turn into the darkness...

#feelingblessed