Thailand

If you escape only once to Thailand, then make sure it is Ko Phrah Thong, the Island of the Golden Buddha. Here Muslims invaded and blew up a rock formation, believing that a golden idol was hidden beneath. How naive of the thieves not to realize that the heavenly manifestation of Buddha is nature herself.

And there she is, wherever you turn, particularly when you are alone. In the otherworldly light of pre-dawn, with trees displaying themselves as haute couture design against the colorful dress of the heavens, she meets you there. Against a sky plied by hornbills, with turquoise Asian fairy birds and bright yellow orioles darting among the palms, and drongos in the savannah displaying their spectacular double-spotted tails. In the sea, which mimics the air, with colorful angelfish and exotic Moorish idols. On the beach, with whimsical shells that brim with life, captivating for hours.

When nature is so in command, she brings her disadvantages. The tsunami was merciless here, dragging 13 to their death in a tangle of arms and legs held tight by the mangroves, which can be recalled in the local narrative, “Out of the Blue.” Impermanence and suffering are teachings of the golden Buddha.

In our better time, you will never sleep so soundly as here, with doors and windows thrown open to the night air and the haunting calls of the wild permeating your dreams. And dream you will, especially of Chiang Mai, where perhaps you recently fought the exhaust of tuk-tuks in the over-developed but magnificently wat-filled city. There your days were replete with monk chats and blessings, massages by pretty little Thai prison girls, and learning how to make pad thai. Remember when you jumped off the cliff at the Grand Canyon of Chiang Mai? Dream on, traveler, dream on.

Here’s my photo essay on Thailand.