Traves Tangents

  I felt that this little chap needed a post of his own. It is a urinal, given the size, for a boy. One takes the head off, and…hem…’fills’ it via the neck. No wonder it looks outraged.

  Jim  Thompson was an American designer… …who after a distinguished military service in WWII… …made his home in Thailand. (This is a home built for any spirts displaced when the house was built) He more or less… …single handedly rebuilt the Thai silk industry… …and after he disappeared in mysterious circumstances in the late 1960s… …his house became a museum… …housing his collection… …of South East Asia art. The house is stunning, but what moved me is that many of the pieces he collected are broken… …he clearly saw the beauty.. …in the imperfection. As I went round… …I thought about… …how much… …I’d have liked to meet him.

Today we headed out… …on the water…  …for a little boat trip. We saw lots… …of interesting houses… …including this pink palace… …many, many beautiful… …temples… …and the largest Buddha in Bangkok… …which is still under construction. We stopped for a rest… …and a wander at The Artist’s House… …where we fed the fish, but not the pigeons… …and treated ourselves to some coconut milk. It was lovely to see a different side to the city… …and I am left wondering what was happening with this bear. A big thank you is due to Yu Leng’s friend Kevin, who suggested this trip.

  This is quite a hard thing to write about. Despite the heat, the crowds, the noise… …there is some thing so serene, and majestic about this depiction of Buddha. The temple that surrounds him is stunning… …as is the surrounding… …temple complex… …shimmering in the sunlight. What stays with me… …is not the beauty… …but the serene statue. It’ll take a while to process.

  Today off to play tourist… …at the Grand Palace… …which glittered in the sunlight. There was just… …so much to see… …both large… …and small. Grand… …blissful… …peaceful… …beautiful… …stunning…. …absolutely stunning.