A tricycle with a diesel engine.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTgMVqIAH_7/?taken-by=meadeslense

As we careened down Bangkok’s labyrinth of corridors at speeds of 30-35 mph in our tuk-tuk, I realized Carol and I were sitting on a jump seat in the back of motorized tricycle. It’s funny how I wouldn’t have entertained the notion of riding in such a contraption back home, yet here I was, throwing caution and care to the wind without a second thought as we turned a corner sharply, one of our wheels lifting up off the road. After 10 minutes, we paid our driver about $5 and embarked down one of the crowded streets of Chinatown.

It was a feast for the senses. Street food carts loaded with items, most of which I can honestly say I didn’t recognize. Wall-to-wall people jostling for a place in line to sample the delicacies of various raw fish, crustaceans, oysters, meats of unknown origin, among other items, that were ready to be prepared upon ordering. The smells ranged from spicy deliciousness to belly-busting rancid. I, for one, was not willing to take a chance on food that had been exposed to the elements for who knows how long, given that it was 85 degrees and 90% humidity at 8:00 at night. Carol agreed, so we began to wander down the web of streets and alleyways that comprise Bangkok’s Chinatown.

We happened upon a traditional Chinese tea shop and while we browsed among the barrels full of various types of loose leaf teas, we noticed this strange fish swimming in a small aquarium on a nearby table. It was medium in size with what appeared to be a huge brain of equal size growing on the outside of his head. Carol pulled out her camera and began snapping photos of it while I stood in awe, marveling at this apparent freak of nature. I quipped that the next time that I thought I had lost my mind, I had to look no further than a tea shop in Chinatown.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTlKlJKAgfl/?taken-by=meadeslense

From that point on, Carol’s photographic instinct took over and she began taking photos of all things Chinatown. The well worn face of an elderly woman selling fruit, steaming pots of birds nest soup, a couple, dressed alike, in the midst of an engagement photo shoot of their own, an abundance of neon lights shining brightly. By slowing down and absorbing her surroundings, she was able to see the beauty in the mundane, the extraordinary in the ordinary. It made me wonder how to quiet my mind and actually SEE the significance of what we all look at in our everyday life.

Maybe the trick is envisioning it through the lens of a camera.

 

**A huge shout out to the mad photography skills of my newfound friend, Carol Meade. Please check out her talent via her Instagram Feed at meadeslense