Wayne Duckworth
Jul 20, 2017 · 5 min read

Chiang Mai Magic and Unique Perspective.

Photo: Wayne Duckworth — Soi 7 Siri Mangkhlajarn, Chiang Mai

Every day life here in the city of Chiang Mai inspires me and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to spend time here. I often take photo’s on my smartphone as I wonder around he city and with simple views like this who wouldn’t be inspired.

Chiang Mai a Creative Writers Perspective

A few days ago I glanced up and saw this pretty awesome view ahead, one of the streets a minute walk from my apartment and it took my breath away or at least pulled me away from my smartphone where moments before I’d been greedily searching for a social media high on Instagram or Facebook.

Like an addict craving a fix I’ve recently found myself in ‘desperate need’ of an awe inspiring photo, a cute animal video, funny meme or mostly enlightening quotes from sages of old and new Rumi, Osho, Sadhguru or Thich Nhat Hanh to prick my heart into full awareness or challenge my very existence.

I love deep perspective in drawings, paintings, architecture and nature, maybe because I enjoy the feeling of space around me and I can see ‘more!’ I’m hungry for colour, light and shadow, shape and texture — I want more.

On one level this search has me fulfilling a need to look everywhere for meaning, signposts to guide me to a more expansive existence and to open up into the infinite. Then process those expereinces and ‘report back’ in my writing, but the very design of social media has me contracting and grasping for more, more, more. More likes and comments but that’s a whole different post. Urgh!

Moments before I’d been in bliss at the Shewitkhontammada Coffee House off Soi 9 where I had been with a friend deep down a rabbit hole whizzing around on a current of flow searching for new ideas about individual ‘perspective.’ Exploring how each of us have our own unique view point, a specific tint, rose or any other on our lives, which based on many factors and through our eyes, other senses and experience we see ‘same same’ but different.

This is my view and experience of the magic of Chaing Mai -

Letting go and feeling safe.

Life in Chiang Mai as a writer bestows on me many blessings, including wonderful supportive and creative friends, the Thai culture and Buddhist foundations are mostly always gentle and accepting of all the many ways humas can express their identity and this is the top of my list for reasons the 2nd largest city in Thailand is a spiritual and creative home for me.

This open and gentleness that the Thai people exude (at least the ones I’ve connected with) is something I had a sense of but could not articulate until I’d been in the city for a few months and I realised with such a humbling beauty that this makes me feel safe where ever I go in Chiang Mai, apart from the occasional mangy street dog.

In fact I actually feel welcomed by most of the Thai’s I have daily exchanges with, and the ones I have become friends with too. Though it is the ferang (non Thai’s) who are wary, distant and tense in my experience. I am a Highly Sensitive Person and feel subtle energy and so this is a gift for wrting but also ‘interesting’ in every day life.

It’s a revelation to me that strangers can be kind and warm and engaging, the the opposite I’m afraid to say in my experience of UK, though there are exceptions to that too inlcluding my lovely friends and family and yoga students I taught there. In fact I actually realised I felt very unwelcome and even unsafe, daily in the UK, (a subject I want to explore more) but I’m just as responsible for my feelings too. I regularly felt exhausted after poping to the shop for a litre of soy milk. Now I feel energised and able to shine (well mostly!)

Sunshine is the food of Wayne!

Besides the delicious variety of food here for all quirks of eating habits including being a veggie, the weather is someting every day I give thanks for. The sunlight is so deepling nurishing and healing for me and generally having a thermostat set low, the extra degrees make me feel alive and able to inhabit my body. The regular Vitamin D boost is a tonic too.

Doi Suthep, my mountain…and yours too!

My simple studio apartment is on the 6th floor and situated perfectly for me on the edge of the Nimman area, and close to the Old City and Santhitham areas. Although I don’t have a balcony I look out to an awesome and most beautiful view over the roof tops to the Doi Suthep mountain and temple perched on top.

The mountain has differing roles for me, it’s just a great view, it reminds me of how small I am in the big scheme of things, so there’s a humbling quality and awe of nature. It also is the equivalent of Shirley Valentines ‘wall’ at home or ‘rock’ on the beach and I can have a great chat with it and it’s wisdom is profound! Doi Suthep is also a symbol of grounding and being connected to the Earth and when I get a little too much out of my body and in my head from writing and I feel like an iconic Dead or Alive song ‘spinning around,’ I can tune into it’s very earth bound powers, it grounds me too. The golden temple floating on top reminds me of my connection to other realms and my spiritual side on the days when I feel stuck in the mud and too primal.

Nimman and it’s inhabitants.

Nimman is a smallish cosmopolitain area of tourists (mainly from China, Korea and Japan) travellers, Ex-Pats, Digital Nomands -I can talk about DN’s another time (fro all over the world) local Thai people and so even in the rainy season (approx April to September), there are still enough people around to make this area vibrant, exciting but relaxed and chilled. (more about Nimman soon)

Loving our own perspective, it’s unique.

As creatives whatever medium we choose we can document what we ‘see’ in infinite artistic and creative ways, our own unique perspective. In certain states of awareness we can ride ‘flow’ and be fueled by a cosmic consciousness of ideas and inspiration. When channeled through my two eyes and heart I can see and document the view of the street ahead of me (with a filter here) just like photo above and of course this subjective piece of writing. Through your eyes you would shine a different light on the view.

We all have our own unique, valuable and infinitely awesome perspective. I’ll show you mine if you show me yours!! ;-)


Adapted from a micro-story first published on Instagram.

I’d love to know your thoughts and feelings, please leave a comment down below.

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