traveling, not bumming.

[pai. thailand. taken and stitched by hc]

midway, my frantic temple touring and trawling thailand's towns ceased and i wondered what was the point. i love traveling- im not supposed to feel ennui like this. id felt like i needed a project, a grand question to fulfil, or at least some heavy weight cleansed. i felt on the periphery of local life, skimming along in my head. plus i wasnt spending much to feed the local economy. i was being the worst kind of tourist- detached, apathetic and not much help or fun.

and id missed you terribly, seeing a whole expanse of time to know you better ebb away with each day you couldnt join me.

then it slowly fell into place; when i stopped chasing meanings and striving for reason, and just let the people i was with and the place i was in touch me. it relaxed into a more primitive interaction, on their terms instead of mine. and things always crystallise toward the end, if you pay open attention. i started taking more focussed pictures, which now form the physical remnants of the trip, waiting to be unfolded.

got on, trusted your back.
the map proved a vague practicality-
the end is unpredictable, multitudinous,
the journey ungrand, until we relaxed-
a rainbow. two.
iridescent lights, it was silent but bold.
and that was a prime sight to be able to have
someone to turn to and smile and be in awed with.
stumbled and fretted along,
but managed rightplace/righttime.
taking measurements in the moments,
we're doing rather beautifully well.