‘There’s something special about what the world looks like before sunrise. Maybe it’s the way the light looks. Maybe the earth spins a little slower, giving the dreamers a few more minutes of sleep. Or maybe I can’t really tell because I’m still asleep myself. Either way, things seem to make more sense and even if I don’t fully understand them, I’m less worried than I would be later in the day.

It’s a few minutes before 6am, and I’m sitting on the steps of a local market in Phuket, Thailand watching all of the wonderful people here weave through thick scooter traffic with a kind of grace I can only imagine. I must be dreaming, because I can’t believe I’m here. All around me, pots clang, vendors holler and a few children are playing what looks like hide and seek. I can’t even describe what I’m smelling, but it smells good, and the chaotic atmosphere is the best alarm clock. I’m drinking what I think is an iced coffee with condensed milk, but I’m not sure, and I don’t mind. In between the orchestra of automobiles, outcries of shoppers and praying monks, I spot someone in a similar state of mind. Leaned back in his tiny taxi, a man is catching a few more minutes of sleep before what I imagine will be another busy day in paradise.’

November, 2022 | Phuket & Bangkok, Thailand

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