Yorron's travel blogs:
- THE JOURNEY WITHIN: Using unfamiliar destinations as... 2007
- Blogless travels 1982
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Rising Happiness
Entry 11 of 47 | show all | print this entry |
It feels like I'm the only tourist left in Sukhothai.
In the past three days all hotels and guesthouses in Sukhothai were fully booked, as pilgrims from all over Thailand and the rest of the world flocked to the "Cradle of Thai Civilization" (as the local tourist authority kept on announcing) to celebrate Loy Krathong. While the festival is celebrated all over Thailand, three cities (Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and Sukhothai) hold the most elaborate celebrations and therefore become major attractions. Hundreds of thousands of tourists descended on this otherwise mellow city and turned its traffic into a Los Angeles highway.
By 11 AM this morning almost all of them were gone. Except me.
What I thought was a simple eye infection turned out to be Bacterial Conjunctivitis. Fortunately, the lovely guesthouse I'm staying at (River House, a traditional Thai teak house on the river bank) is run by a sweet Thai/French couple who were kind enough to take me to the local eye doctor. The doctor spoke good English and the visit to her modern air-conditioned clinic was very pleasant (200 baht for the visit and the medications). She warned me that what I have is a serious case of Bacterial Conjunctivitis and that I should go to an hospital if it doesn't heal in a few days.
The following 12 hours were especially interesting for me as I observed my mind: The idea of maybe loosing an eye was an unfamiliar challenge to me. At first I noticed that I was concerned about my looks. In the past few days I saw several locals each missing one eye. They did not look very attractive . . .
Then I questioned whether I'd be able to be happy being blind in one eye and not so visually appealing. When I realized that the answer was positive I was especially joyful and for a few hours enjoyed the beautiful festivities all around sans one eye.
A few hours later I begun feeling sadness for the possible loss and found out that intending to be happy regardless of circumstances is one thing. Having an uncontrollable feeling of sadness wash all over you is another.
My original plan was to leave Sukhothai today and head towards the islands. Last night it occurred to me that it might not be a good idea to be on an island, so far away from a hospital. Since my bus/boat combo ticket was already booked and paid for I felt obligated to follow the original itinerary. This morning, however, it dawned on me that I can do whatever I want and that staying in Sukhothai for a few more days and even a week can be something I can really enjoy. I love the place I'm staying at, the old city's ruins are fascinating, the new city's pace is kind of mellow, so why not stay?
I realized that I can be happier if I just allowed myself to relax. Breath in. Breath out. Do nothing. Relax. Welcome happiness. Welcome joy. Welcome gratitude. Bliss.
I'm glad I have this eye condition challenge/blessing and glad to realize that my relationship to time and "to do" lists stands in my way to happiness. This is certainly one of these "undiscovered truths" I've set myself to find out on this journey and I'm happy to discover it. I look forward to seeing how the next few days unfold.
How appropriate it is to realize this in a city named "Rising Happiness". Sukhothai.
P.S. After writing this entry I walked around town and saw a few more tourists. I'm not the only farang here afterall.
Where I stayed:
River House guesthouse
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