Looking back at my three months in Thailand, one of the most outstanding features of this country
is the vibrancy and richness of color. Having lived previously in Chicago's urban environment, my entire wardrobe was predominantly black and grey. The rare color was a splash in a scarf or piece of jewelry. And most city dwellers dressed in the same colors. So my visual landscape was also mostly black and grey. The Chicago skyline does have beautiful architecture and some variance in building color, and on a sunny day, the sky and the lakefront provide color. Not to minimize the beauty of Chicago, but color is not one of its prominent attributes. In Chiang Mai, there is color everywhere. The lush nature during rainy season bursts with richness and brightness. The abundance of temples glisten and shine in golden splendor with carpets and flowers of many hues providing color to further enliven the golds of Buddha statues and pillars. The food stands that line the streets, display fresh fruits and vegetables as part of the landscape. The red trucks and blue Tuk-tuks add to the color of the street scenes. And the beautiful fabrics that elephant pants, skirts and tops are made from adds yet more color and pattern. The colors are not orchestrated in a planned and well thought out manner. Part of the charm is that everything is random and not planned as part of a whole. Details and planning are evident in each individual food stand or shop or temple, but the overall layout appears to be pretty ad hoc. Each burst of color seems to be its own visual miracle, like the flowering bush in the graphic. That bush is right outside my door, and I watched its blossoms unfold and grow more vibrant day by day. There are certainly plenty of grey and black cars and people wearing dark colors in Chiang Mai. But with so much more color available for the eyes, it is the color that stands out and captures my attention. I've been wearing elephant pants of assorted colors and patterns since I got here. I even wear two different patterns at times - quite unusual for me. And I love the color! It feels so alive and full of energy and joy to me. Not sure how well it will go over in Chicago land, but I plan to continue wearing my elephant pants and sharing color with the world. Sending You Love from Chiang Mai, Thailand. Thank you for taking this journey with me! If you haven't signed up for the blog post updates, please do. I also welcome you to leave a comment below or post one on my BestYOU facebook page. Sharing your thoughts is a gift to all of us! Comments are closed.
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