“Dreams come a size too big so we can grow into them.”
It’s been two months since my departure from the states and to be honest, I’ve never felt more alive. The fact that I have never traveled outside of the United States besides Canada is surprising but altogether liberating. All my life I have been a girl who has dreamed of adventures. When I was young I would tie up bed sheets with necessities such as food and the occasional gadgets to guide me in my journey. I would get lost in the California valleys as though I was traveling the world in search of something great. Today, I worked hard to get where I am always striving for the next best thing and taking every opportunity that comes my way. But this opportunity, the chance to study in Bangkok is one I will never forget because this is the beginning of a new chapter. Do I dream like I am living, or am I living like I dream? This journey marks not only a new dent in my archive but it’s bringing me to discover myself, something I have been anticipating for quite a while now.
I have discovered nature, beauty, love and loss, friendships, culture and so much more. I never realized how big the world actually is, and I need to discover all of it. I want to discover all of it. I want to capture all of it through my lens and take it all in through my lungs as well. Despite the struggle to keep my head above water at times, I always remember to enjoy what is around me. The universe is so beautiful.
And so my journey starts here. An assortment of words, feelings, quotes and of course…pictures.
International students make a toast to starting the semester off studying in Bangkok, Thailand at Thammasat University during dinner at Bombay Blues, a local Indian restaurant located on Soi Rambutri.
Thai sweets and assorted nuts at a market near the Wang Lang Pier on the way to Thammasat University.
A variety of fresh fruit shakes wait to be prepared on Thammasat University’s Tha Prachan Campus. Tangerine, pineapple, dragonfruit, melon, apples and many more are blended together making a flavorful breakfast guaranteed to start your morning off right.
Fresh sushi at 5 baht a piece comes to a total of 25 baht averaging less than 1 USD, for a complete meal. Pictured above is fresh eel, shrimp, salmon, squid and octopus all with rice.
A local food stand near my apartment on Arun Amarin, near Pinklao, fried fish is available every afternoon during lunchtime.
On the ferry boat from Wang Lang Pier to Tha Prachan, a monk sat across from me and some friends. He glanced at us for a moment, nodded, then continued to gaze out at the water while we drifted along the Chao Phraya River.
During a parade in Chinatown, one of the musical performers pauses to give a pose to the camera.
Wat Traimit, 'Wat' meaning Temple in Thai, near Hua Lampong Railway station and Chinatown contains “The Golden Buddha,” a 5.5 solid gold Buddha statue to give prayer to for those who enter the Wat.
A day spent at Chatuchak Weekend Market, frequently called J.J. Market, covers 35 acres containing 5,000 vendor stalls. The market offers a wide variety of products including household items, clothing, Thai handicrafts, religious artifacts, collectibles, foods, and live animals. Above, a young man performs for the crowd music played on a traditional Thai handcrafted hammered dulcimer.
Wat Pho, also known as The Temple of the Reclining Buddha, is a Buddhist temple in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok, located in the Rattanakosin district directly adjacent to the Grand Palace. Its official full name is Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn. I attended this temple on a field trip with my classmates for our Thai Traditional Medicine class seeing as Wat Pho is also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage establishing a school for traditional medicine and massage.
Wat Pho is one of the largest and oldest wats in Bangkok and is home to more than one thousand Buddha images, as well as one of the largest: the Reclining. Made as part of Rama III's restoration, the Reclining Buddha is forty-six meters long and fifteen meters high, decorated with gold plating on his body and mother of pearl on his eyes and the soles of his feet.
Gold plated Buddha statues surround the entry ways to Wat Pho.
Puang-Malai, a Thai flower garland, are virtually seen everywhere in Thailand since it is used as a traditional welcome gift and as an offering, can be purchased at almost every street corner from many street vendors who spend their days putting these beautiful flower garlands together.
Wat Laung-Phor-Boat-Noi memorials, where ashes are kept sacred behind a marble stone plaque in memory for those who have passed away.
To see me through my travels in city of Bangkok and much more throughout Thailand and it's surroundings, follow me on Flickr; Thailand Collection.
