"Breathing concentration is one of the best subjects upon which to meditate, which appeals equally to all."
-Buddha Abhidhamma: Forty Meditations, Kaysorn Suttajit Chunprapaph
Two Days in Bangkok
The two days in Bangkok went by fast. After a twelve hour train ride from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, I stepped off the train realizing I didn't book a hotel for myself. Low on cash and nowhere to go, I was able to book a cheap place near the airport. Little did I know, finding the way to the hotel would be an adventure.
Long story short, just use the metro/trains that run through Bangkok for transport. It is simple, easy, and cheap. I ended up riding on the back of a bike with my luggage which dropped me off at a random location in the city, nabbing my 300 Baht, and leaving me to my own demise. Luckily, I was near the city trains and took that to the station closest to my hotel. Ignoring the local drivers, I ordered a car on Bolt (Thailand's Uber) to take me the rest of the way for 50 Baht.
Hotel Na Siri
The area around BKK airport is pretty dead. That is due to the fact that BKK airport is on the edge of Bangkok City. The hotel is run by a few old Thai folks and has a restaurant on the first floor. It was pretty good and pretty comfortable for the price that I paid. (around 1500 Baht for three nights) Even with this part of town being pretty dead, I found some places to take photos and eat. The local Amazon Cafe and 7-Eleven became the spots for me to get snacks and drinks. I ordered rice, grilled pork, and veggies from the local street vendors... who were nice enough to understand my broken Thai.
Besides eating simple snacks and street meat, I did manage to edit some videos for my Youtube which were scheduled to upload. I slept well at the hotel. The feeling of adventure was slowly fading as it sunk in... I'd be going home.
Long Flight Home
I could complain about having to repack my luggage in the airport due to Qatar's strict rules. Or complain about how I had to rush from flight to flight. But, I won't. I'll simply say it was an exhausting 40 hour adventure in the air. Bangkok. Doha. JFK. LGA. Minnesota.
What a pain.
Arrival
Thankfully, my mom picked me up for the airport and took me home. Minnesota. A place I never thought I'd call home. I don't even know where I'll call home next. Jet Lagged. Sleep Deprived. Body Aching from travel and lugging around three bags by myself. I stayed up as long as I could before passing out at 6:00 pm. It was good to get some sleep that wasn't in a sitting position.
Exhausted as I may be. My dreaming mind already began to think about my next moves. Find a job. Find a gym. Train. Work. Save money. Study new skills. In order to pull off the life that I wanted, I'll need some new talents in order to get money while living abroad. So, that is the plan for the next few months.
I have so many goals that I want to work on. My more intelligent self now realizes that I can't work on everything all at once. I can only prioritize a few things at a time and conquer those. Relaxing would be what a normal person would do after such a grand adventure; but I have to get back training and to work. Time doesn't stop and I have a lot of things I want to do.
Reflecting on Everything
Even though I make my life sound super busy; I still have lots of time to do my favorite pass time... think. Right before I left Chiang Mai, I was able to meet up with two Kung Fu buddies from Maling. JD and Terina (thanks for visiting me!) had just started their travels in Thailand as I was getting ready to leave. Talking with them made me realize how interesting life really is.
Everyone from the "Cripple Crew" that trained in Maling during 2020 had gone off on their own path. JD and Terina went together to Spain. I went home and worked but my passion never died. Most of the others just went home back to normal life... while some were like me. Pursing their passions. Maling might have taught us all Kung Fu; but through that training we were led to the next steps in our lives.
From what I hear, most of us have stopped our Kung Fu practice... but have picked up other passions.
Maling Mountain brought out this passion for travel and training. I originally wanted to train hard and become a Warrior Monk of Shaolin. As I've learned and experienced more, Becoming my own kind of Warrior is the goal. My love of Kung Fu still lies within my heart; but I've learned what it takes to be a real warrior.
For me, part of my "warrior path" is through Muay Thai and Grappling. Competition. The daily grind of training and life. Not letting the obstacles you face dampen your spirit. Making the difficult choices needed to continue along your path. This is all apart of my own "warrior path".
One day, I'll return to China in order to complete my Kung Fu training. Now, my eyes are set on Thailand... the place where competition and challenge await.
📿Johnny
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