Turn one more corner

by Asya Manzoni (Netherlands)

I didn't expect to find Thailand

One day I woke up in an extremely humid room, mosquitos buzzing in my ears and smell of green curry coming from the kitchen downstairs. I took a cold shower and started walking through narrow alleys, up and down bridges, observing every little detail I could spot around me. I spent hours walking along this magic invisible line, letting the pure curiosity that was making my whole body feel full of energy and excitement guide me. After all, getting lost is probably what travellers know how to do best. It was the 8th of January and I had just randomly met an old travel friend in the huge melting pot of a city that is Bangkok. Smiles. I have never seen so many genuine smiles before visiting Thailand, every single one of them was filling my heart with pure joy. I could feel my happiness sparkle along with my steps, allowing me to see the magic line I was creating. Curiosity. Curiosity is probably the best quality of every backpacker and luckily I happen to have lots of it. My curiosity is what drives me to find the most beautiful places, to talk with the kindest people and to live the best experiences. That particular day in Bangkok is the living proof of all of this. Each stop made during the twenty-six kilometres that I walked that day left me with unforgettable memories. I remember vividly the dozens of sweaty, yet smiling, carpenters working on beautifully decorated doors in Pracha-Nauremit. Some of them simply sitting outside of their shop taking a break and enjoying the feeble rays of the morning sun on their dusty faces. I almost regret not taking more photos of them, at the same time I can still recall their smiles just closing my eyes. Going forward, I felt incredibly attracted by a particularly dull sound mixed with indistinct laughter. Even though the sound seemed to come from far away and be transported only by the wind, I realised how wrong I was as soon as I turned the corner. In front of me, everything turned red, red decorations, red fruits, red lanterns hanging from every single building. And Chinese neon signs, Chinese faces, Chinese smells. China Town hit me in such an unexpected way, I felt teletransported in a completely different country. I walked in ecstasy towards the dull sound that kept playing in the air and entered in the Leng Buai La Shrine Temple, where an inauguration was taking place. Hundreds of people were waiting in a messy line to enter and offer mandarines and yellow flowers to these massive gold statues. The smell of incense gently filled my lungs. I mixed with them, being the only white girl of the group and feeling incredibly grateful, special and thankful for my stubbornness to always follow my instincts. I spent more than an hour listening to their prayers, their loud exclamation and the whispers of the classy old ladies patiently waiting outside. One morning, just one morning for all of this to happen. I had no idea of what to expect next so I kept walking, I turned another corner and there it was; the smell of spices, not Thai ones, neither Chinese’s. I could have recognised that smell beyond hundreds: Indian freshly cooked curry. My eyes started wandering everywhere, there was no more red, rather green, violet and gold. On the other side of the street, a majestic white building was taking up all of the space available. And then a new sound, this time more harmonious, convinced me to enter the building, to silently climb upstairs to catch sight of a group of women. They were all dressed in Sari, talking and chopping vegetables. I spent the rest of the day helping them cooking, eating curry, naan, mango rice and sipping coconut sitting on the floor. I couldn’t understand a word of what they were telling me yet I felt each word gently enter my heart. When the sun went down, we sat and I prayed for the incredible day I had just spent. Then, I kept walking.