Four thoughts from Bangkok

To some extent big cities are big cities, at least partially independent of location and culture. Sometimes that makes them feel less special, more forgettable. But the shared energy of major urban communities is what’s so unmatched about them. The relentless pulse of a city as sprawling and somewhat chaotic as Bangkok both feels similar to that of cities halfway around the world and like a unique strand of that communal energy that you can only tap into right there.

The interconnectedness of the world and the increased ease of travel means a complex, diverse smattering of peoples and cultures in major cities everywhere. You travel and in some ways, you can always find threads of home, no matter how far, and in other ways, you’re always a tourist, discovering the new and the different, no matter how close.

There’s something about tiny moments shared in tiny corners having the power to feel so deeply fulfilling, the depth of that fulfillment exponentially exceeding the size of the otherwise inconsequential moment. Sitting in a shoebox of a sushi joint situated on a tiny alley in a seemingly massive city, a mostly empty room aglow with Christmas lights and soundtracked by holiday music, two specks of humans tucked away across the world eating sushi and sipping miso soup and drinking beer. Tiny moments in tiny corners managing to sear themselves into your mind for what you hope is forever.

It’s 5:30 PM and there’s a steady stream of people climbing up the final few stairs to the 61-story high rooftop bar overlooking Bangkok. The sun’s slipping away with increased pace to match the increased volume of groups finding a space to occupy on top of the building. There are all kinds of languages swirling around, there are families and couples and girl squads and bros being bros, 20-somethings and a few elderly. We’re all here chasing the same thing — a good sunset, beauty, time with loved ones, a cold drink on a hot day, full presence. A recurring theme of the past 11 days: different yet the same. Billions of totally unique individuals and yet a universal chase.

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