The Rains Have Come Again

I think it's fair to say that we are well and truly into the rainy season now. The monsoons have arrived, and how!

a rainy evening along a canal near my school

 Buddhist Lent began on Vishaka Bucha Day, or Vassa, a few weeks ago (when I was on Koh Chang). The "Rains Retreat" has begun, and the monks have all returned to their home monasteries for a period of seclusion and meditation.

The heat of the summer has passed, and the Thai kingdom is covered by dark clouds and the constant threat of heavy tropical rain. There's a more somber feel over the region as the rains arrive and the summer slips away, but I like it. At least, it's worlds better than the hot season which has been oppressing me since I got back to Bangkok a few months ago.

I don't really mind the rain. Even if it's pouring out and I haven't brought my umbrella, it doesn't really bother me that much to walk in the deluge. There's something almost freeing about walking home down a deserted sidewalk in the pouring monsoon storms... as long as I can always return to my nice dry bed and a cup of hot tea in the evenings, I don't mind at all.