Putting labels on people is a task that rarely works. To say someone is a night owl or another is an early bird for example is often convenient but not always correct. Sometimes we simply have to change our internal clocks or an opportunity arises that compels us to be different.
Patong beach at night, or for that matter many other places in Asia fulfills a certain stereotype of these places. Phuket as well as at any beach town one can expect to see a certain kind of way of life. One which is dedicated almost completely to an endless stream of tourists from places much colder than this.
Here in Patong beach the streets seem to be always crowded but the chaos is accentuated by the night itself, and the cocoon of darkness.
Shopping may be the number one activity at this time of the day.
Everything is for sale, either in little shops with fluorescent lights or places that are familiar to hungry people around the world.
No matter where you live or where you come from you will probably end up at the money changer.
Your food can come from many places. Though you need to be a little braver to eat from a street vendor.
And if you are looking for courage a street bar may be where you find some.
Inside you might find more than you bargained for.
By day Patong beach is a much different place.
So many nationalities mixing with the sand, the surf, and a hot bright sun that has yet to find a cloud.
There is no question why they come here. By cruise ship, by plane, and sometimes falling gently out of the sky.
This scene is not for me though. I prefer wandering down surprising little streets.
To seek out the new and the unexpected.
I will return to the beach again, but long after the sun worshippers have gone to bed. I try and leave my room around 5:30. Quite some time before the sun comes up.
It is not a long walk from my room and then down a short road.
The only ones who are always awake or at least a little are the dogs who live at the spot where I go to walk.
I take off my sandals and then jog along the line of the wet sand.
It is simply my favorite thing, all peace, all solitude, all opportunity to find my own stillness and maybe reveal some new portion of my own inner realitiy.
By the time I finish my trip up and down the beach, no trace of my presence will remain.
By the time my circuit is complete the sun will just start to push its brightness up into the sky. I will swim for a while and then I will return back to the world that nearly all of us recognize. One that is there for the use and enjoyment of both the night owls, early birds, and the whole flock of humanity.
Patong beach at night, or for that matter many other places in Asia fulfills a certain stereotype of these places. Phuket as well as at any beach town one can expect to see a certain kind of way of life. One which is dedicated almost completely to an endless stream of tourists from places much colder than this.
Here in Patong beach the streets seem to be always crowded but the chaos is accentuated by the night itself, and the cocoon of darkness.
Shopping may be the number one activity at this time of the day.
Everything is for sale, either in little shops with fluorescent lights or places that are familiar to hungry people around the world.
No matter where you live or where you come from you will probably end up at the money changer.
Your food can come from many places. Though you need to be a little braver to eat from a street vendor.
And if you are looking for courage a street bar may be where you find some.
Inside you might find more than you bargained for.
By day Patong beach is a much different place.
So many nationalities mixing with the sand, the surf, and a hot bright sun that has yet to find a cloud.
There is no question why they come here. By cruise ship, by plane, and sometimes falling gently out of the sky.
This scene is not for me though. I prefer wandering down surprising little streets.
To seek out the new and the unexpected.
I will return to the beach again, but long after the sun worshippers have gone to bed. I try and leave my room around 5:30. Quite some time before the sun comes up.
It is not a long walk from my room and then down a short road.
The only ones who are always awake or at least a little are the dogs who live at the spot where I go to walk.
I take off my sandals and then jog along the line of the wet sand.
It is simply my favorite thing, all peace, all solitude, all opportunity to find my own stillness and maybe reveal some new portion of my own inner realitiy.
By the time I finish my trip up and down the beach, no trace of my presence will remain.
By the time my circuit is complete the sun will just start to push its brightness up into the sky. I will swim for a while and then I will return back to the world that nearly all of us recognize. One that is there for the use and enjoyment of both the night owls, early birds, and the whole flock of humanity.
1 comment:
Another lovely comment on the experiences you encounter on your journeys (both inner and outer!)Sherry
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