Wallowing in the River (Part 1)
The great Chao Phraya River, forever roaring from the pages of Khu Kam (forever a Bie fan) The wooden canoe glided over the vast river, ashen-hued from the cumulous monsoon clouds casting over the lofty skyscrapers. Behind the acacia shades yonder, the golden stupas of Wat Arun glimmered, bearing the glorious vestige of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. The smoky smell of cassava fuel emitting from the canoe, woven with the pungent petrichor carried from the river's lush banks, followed the widening ripples. " Sawadeekha ," I whispered while tossing the bread crumbs to the schools of catfish wallowing in waters, following a Thai tradition of praying for good luck. As soon as the first bread crumbs were tossed, the fish gathered like frenzied crowds. The lithe catfish tracing their whiskers, the plump carps snapping the largest crumbs, along the plump basa fish splashing their silvery tails, sketched an endlessly vivacious life portrait in the waters. Just a sudden, I returned to my...