Meditation and mayhem in Bangkok!

On my way home at last!  But not without a stop over in that most vibrant, bustling, colourful and yet...most sublime of south east Asian cities...Bangkok.  I never pass the opportunity to centre myself in the land of the free...Thailand.  It is truly remarkable.  All present thoughts however, must go out to the wonderfully resilient people of this noble country, for they are more than knee deep in trouble at the moment.  For a culture that has been built on, in and around water, (and the Thai's will be the first to tell you how important it is) there is just too much of the blessed stuff.  Despite great hardship though, I am most comfortably welcomed by those around me.  
You know despite what others say, I always manage to find peace here.  Unfortunately, the reputation of Bangkok suffers greatly from those who decry the noise, the heat, the pollution and the crowds, but they do not look any further than their air conditioned tour buses as they hurtle headlong to the beaches or the mountain resorts far north.  Bangkok has a sublime beauty that is not found elsewhere. A carefully tendered shrine just around the corner, the heavenly scent of beautifully crafted jasmine garlands always in the air and the patient smile of a street vendor always within sight...Bangkok is there to be savoured. Just as I am going to savour a refreshing Singha beer in a charming little bar in a tree lined Soi just off Silom Road.  Sublime indeed!