Hey there!
Currently reporting from Chiang Mai! I got back from my little journey up in the mountainous valleys of Pai yesterday, and I have a lot on my mind so I just felt like spilling some of those thoughts out onto this blog post and hoping that something will stick. Bear with me here!
So first off, Pai. It was wonderful! It was a lot different than what I was expecting, but even though I didn’t make it up there in the ideal season, the scenery was nonetheless absolutely gorgeous. The mountains are massive, and you just feel completely immersed in nature no matter where you are. The air was super clean as well, which was a nice break from the smog and pollution of Bangkok.
But to me, I think that I will always remember my trip up to Pai for other reasons than the mountains and the lakes and the sunsets and the canyons. More bittersweet, but perhaps that is the way it should be. I have been going back and forth on this paragraph for quite some time now, and I think I will just leave it at that, because I’m not sure if I’m ready to divulge what I want to say, probably because I need some clear head-space in order to process everything myself.
But I will say this:
I think I learned a lot on this trip, and looking back on my time here in Thailand holistically, I think that I have grown quite a bit as a person. I have been in situations that I would never have been involved in back home, and this has forced me outside of my comfort zone quite a bit. I feel like every new challenge that I encounter, however, is for the best, even though I may not like it at the time. Travel has really taught me that not everything (or everyone) gold can stay, but this is what makes it all the more precious and special. Shit, that’s what makes this entire life more precious and special. I have always thought that it was such a cliché, but this feeling of vulnerability, this knowledge that the rose-colored glasses can shatter at any minute for whatever reason, this feeling of uncomfortable yet inevitable impermanence, that’s what makes the journey of life that much more exciting. Because of this trip, and the events that occurred during this trip, I know that I will come to appreciate the prior moments that I was so lucky enough to have experienced even more, and not take it all for granted like I think I had been doing.
Am I making sense? I hope I am.
But enough about that! I will be meeting up with some friends tomorrow for the Songkran holidays, and I am super excited about it to say the least! I cannot wait!
Best,
Jae