The earth is spinning a little faster everyday which vindicates my feeling that time is getting shorter everyday. To calm myself down from the stress of having to catch up with my tasks and shorter time, I would go to a temple for a quiet walk. The main hall of the temple usually has very peaceful calming vibes from the beautiful Buddha statues and remaining energies from monks’ chanting. Wat Samphraya is one of my favourite temples as it has interesting history and is located in the old part of the city, close by the river.
Whenever I had extra time, I would like to walk around the area outside the temple where most local people and their ancestors have been living there for over three to four generations. In the old days, most houses were built in teak wood as there were plenty of woods everywhere in Siam. The European influences on Thai culture and architecture have been very prominent among the rich and high society people almost two hundred years ago. Members of Royal families and high level civil servants would have brick houses with European architectural designs. So, houses became a status symbols reflecting the wealth, profession and educational background of their owners.
After a brief visit to the friendly monk, I quickly walked around the temple to take photos of the car park and main gate. I intended to check out the old European designed house which I spotted for the first time almost ten years ago. Some old people at the temple told me that some big houses near the temple belonged to high ranking military officers who were involved in the coup many years ago. But I could never find out more about these old military families; I wondered how their career and lives turned out when they got much older.
The old house seemed to have been abandoned many years ago. Once upon a time this house looked very elegant and lively with people and children moving about inside the house. I used to admire the classic design of the house and used to watch old European cars coming and going. There was a mysterious air of secrecy and protective privacy surrounding the house. The main gate would be always closed and opened only briefly to let cars going out. The present state of the old house made me rather sad and wondering what gate had befallen to this old military family. How people’s lives could change unexpectedly in this lifetime!
There was another old Thai house which belonged to high ranking family with connection with the government in the old days. That house was also abandoned with overgrown plants covering the whole garden. I couldn’t understand why people would leave their precious houses unattended and just left them to the force of nature and some daring thieves. They could have sold the house at very good prices and buy a new property in a more trendy location. It would take too much effort to clean up the abandoned house and too costly to renovate the old house.
I took photos of the relatively modern townhouses on my way towards the pier. These townhouses may be around eighty years old; they replaced the old wooden houses which had gone beyond repair and maintenance. I could spot a well maintained wooden house along this road. These local people seemed to be very fond of plants and gardening. Pot plants and hanging pot plants could be seen in front of their front doors. The day was getting humid and hot by the time I reached the pier. The river was rather aloof and reserved as if the water spirit was pondering on some serious issues. I thought they might be rather concerned with what have been taking place in the country.
Walking back to the temple, I noticed several new buildings which were the extension of the Bank of Thailand. These were modern buildings some were supposed to be the Royal Mint for all the coins circulating in the country. There were many CCTVs discretely positioned around these buildings. Some local people enjoyed having their outdoor life by bringing their own chairs to sit by the road for a chat with other neighbours.
They asked me what I was doing there; I told them I was looking for some content for social media. These days many YouTubers could be seen in temples and tourists’ spots. I was seen feeding some stray cats at the temple by some staff at the temple; but I couldn’t locate that video, though I saw a tall chap talking in strange English accent with his camera at the temple. Luckily I didn’t run into any youtubers by the river. So, these local people could be left alone with their peace and privacy in tact. These old houses and changing lifestyle made me realise that nothing could ever stay the same. Nothing could survive till eternity. So, my life is just a brief moment of the manifestation of some internal frequencies seeking to be one with the Universe.
Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.
Stay strong and cheerful.