Then Came Healing.

Since the start of summer, stress has just been too much and it was all too overwhelming. I was in the brink of falling apart, loneliness and insecurities enveloping every inch of my body. When that happens, depression is nearby, biding it's time, simply waiting. It can be triggered by a simple argument between Chris and I, a phone call from my sick Mom, or something as innocent as a trip to the weighing scale. So when we suddenly found a day of nothing but free time, I couldn't think of a better way to spend it than watching the sun set. You might be thinking, what good could it possibly do to me? It heals me, believe it or not. Nothing calms me more than seeing the pure, unadulterated sun setting in the horizon. The expanse of colors it creates and everything else below it takes my breath away. Beautiful does not quite cover it... It's calming, soothing and it makes me, dare I say, hopeful about life in general. It takes me out of that uncomfortable limbo, away from the maddening self-hate and bitterness I feel. There is a certain element of realization it brings, to look at the positive side and not dwell on the negatives. It gets me to think that all that is waiting for me at the end of the night is another day... only better.


Pictures taken at Jecheon, around 6:30 pm Korea time.

I hope everyone else is fairing better than I am. You all stay positive alright?!

At Sundown.

Bangkok proved to be a difficult feat. It involves a lot of agonizing long walks that felt more like running a marathon rather than walking. Although there are plenty of buses, taxis, and "tuk-tuk" (the ubiquitous tricycle taxi we all know of), you still need to walk for long hours, more so, if you're on a tight budget. On the days when I didn't have to strain my leg muscles, I'd say it was pure bliss as I got to appreciate the surroundings more.

Bangkok is known for it's canals and rivers - they sometimes call this place Venice of Asia. During my stay, I found out that taking a boat is the best way to discover many wonderful places, but it's not as easy as what it seems to be. As warped as it sounds, their boat system is as complicated as a subway's. There are color coded flags, complicated pricing, and many piers and different platforms. But once you get a grip of their labyrinth system, you'll see it's the most comfortable way to get around. I enjoyed the ride as it also showed a different side of Thailand - something you don't usually get see in travel books and catalogues.








And here's where it took me. They call this place "Wat Arun" - Temple of the Dawn. It's a Khmer-style tower surrounded by 4 smaller ones. It looks really good from across the river when you could see the magnificent structures in full view. The climb to get to the top is verrry steep, but it's a great way to get a bird's eye view of the city. It got dark as soon as I reached the top so I didn't get good pictures. Just to give you guys an idea, you could see the city's skyline, the villages, and the Grand Palace. But expect a throbbing leg pain after as a result.

As night time falls, the beauty and splendor of the place doesn't fall short. It is as equally beautiful as it is during daytime. Here's how I capped my 2nd day in Bangkok.

Here's to Fall!

A change of season brings with it great anticipation over all that is fresh and different. Now that the summer heat is long gone, and Autumn is once again upon us, I look forward to more ethereal escapes and creating wonderful memories that will last a lifetime.

Like no summer sojourn is complete without a trip to the beach, no Autumn travelogue would prove fit in topping off this memorable season without photos of trees glazed with vivid hues of fiery reds, crimsons, and golden yellow colors.

Here's to Autumn, and to a lot more enchanting memories to come!

Autumn Travelogue: Sunrise in Chuam

Daybreak came bringing a kaleidoscope of subtle colors into the skies, hinting a glorious morning. We were sleep-deprived, and barely running on little energy, but we managed to wake up early, eager to see the spectacles of sunrise in Chuam. We visited this place before, but we came an hour too late, so the trip had been uneventful. This time around, Chris wanted to make sure that our next trip is going to be anything like that.

There was a sense of urgency as he drove like a maniac, skidding and swerving as though the timetable for us to get there is incredibly short. But as I predicted, all the hurrying was in vain. We were there early, and had ample time to collect ourselves, and relax as we take in the magnificent view of the sea, the rock formations, and the skies. Everything looked appreciably different from the last time..

The air was cold and moist against my skin, but in a way, it was also refreshing. It was still dark and the only illumination came from the skies.

This was our first glimpse of the sun.

It's amazing how time seemed to have stopped, and with it came a churning jumble of inexplicably good feeling.

As it moves it's way up, high above the horizon, the clouds slowly changed color.

The bright, golden rays settled, basking everything in warm, golden yellow color. It was one rare occasion where I actually enjoyed the warmth of the sun against my skin.

When the sun was at it's peak, and barely visible thru the throngs of cloud, we decided to go. Simple as it may seem, but for us, it was an amazing experience having to witness this kind of thing.

To get to the car, we had to pass a small village. It was still on the early part of the morning, and the villagers seemed to be in slumber, unaware of the herds of photographers and tourists marveling over what has just unfolded. Part of me envies them. They are so blessed for they could see this spectacular phenomenon every waking day of their lives.

One with Nature.

By no means could I call myself a decent photographer. First, I don't own a decent camera. The one I've been using is ancient and very much abused. Second, I drink way too much coffee, and perpetual tremor goes hand in hand with that. Third, I'm simply bad with angles. But even with all these reasons, I still love taking photographs.

I once considered buying a DSLR and turn this hobby into a full-blown vocation. I did save up for it, but then I changed my mind. I keep on thinking, I should buy one only when I'm absolutely sure that I could earn from it. But given the three reasons I enumerated above, that's highly unlikely.

When I went on a trip the last time, I got to commune with nature. I saw some pretty interesting things, and I thought it would be nice to post the pictures here (just don't mind the angles, and the fact that I obviously lack the talent).