Story of a trip to southern Thailand. Buddha likes Fanta.

by vittoria elia (Italy)

Making a local connection Thailand

The south of Thailand hides delicate beaches, with turquoise water, small uninhabited Eden in the middle of the sea, among stacks full of vegetation. They appear timid, almost as if they wanted to hide from the weed tourism that crowds those magnificent places. They have always been there in an unchanging and unpronounceable beauty that have not felt the need to adapt to progress, because they simply don't need it, places like this don't even need man probably. Arriving in Thailand, I immediately noticed curiously the multitude of religious altars, in front of which the locals leave offerings of food and drinks daily. As far as religion is concerned, this custom, I wondered if Buddha really liked those numerous offerings of plastic bottles, strictly with straw, containing red orange juice. This was also perhaps not one of the strongest signs of the loss ofa millennial identity? I wondered how a Thai had come to the conclusion that Buddha could like that modern sugary drink, isn't a glass of water better for the good Lord? I couldn't help but conclude that Buddha likes orange juice. Thailand is therefore a land of strong contrasts, where scruffy modernity slaps tradition yet is a magical place that is capable of moving. The Thailand I was looking for and the thrill of a trip to a distant land, is enclosed in a memory as simple as it is profound. One afternoon, wandering with my reflex intent on looking for the best perspective for some shots, I came across a cliff, found absolutely by chance but seemed to be there just for me. Difficult to reach, hidden by dense vegetation after a beach full of swings that magically hung from the trees, I decided to continue climbing among the rocks. I felt I had to continue, the sweet sound of the calm sea near sunset, attracted me and suggested that besides the mangroves I would enjoy a show out of this world. Without paying any tickets, my promise was kept and in no time, moving branches and going around trees full of curious monkeys, I found myself on a cliff fiery with the orange red of a sunset so beautiful that it could have been considered illegal. That sight caused me high, adrenaline and happiness. From that side of the world the sun is different, the scent of the air is sweet, fruity and in that magical place I was able to enjoy those positive vibrations that only the East can give. I wondered when it was the last time a place had excited me so much that it made my eyes shine. The answer was ... never! nothing before that moment had given me so much. I had suddenly become jealous of that discovery and wanted to make sure that no one else could share it with me at the time. At that precise moment, I needed solitude. Too many cackling people of the past few days had tired mineears that in that moment decided to stop hearing but to start listening, after all it was the purpose of my trip. You are wondering what I heard, if that place gave deafening silence, this is precisely the difference between listening and hearing. Trying to listen I noticed the sound of my happy breath, the sound of the calm sea that caressed the rocks below me, the sound of the sunset, the day that greeted welcoming the evening I perceived it, I felt it and I liked the mood. I didn't lose heart, I set my camera by laying it on the tripod and I took some shots that still today, looking at them, I can hear the same silent noises that gave the journey the sense I was looking for, my change began right from that sunset secret. When I left the cliff it was dark, and I was afraid of falling, I used the flashlight of my cell phone until the lights of the nightlife made their flashes shine on my steps, to guide them and return to the beach, which a few moments before had attracted me to himself.