Out and about ...

Strolling around the Buddhist temples in different parts of some cities of the world where I have been, including Chinatown in New York, a city where everything happens at the same time, they sleep, rest, eat and work at the same time one and another, with all their work and marketing gadgets on the streets in sight and that serve them for both.

They are always walking very fast, there are crowds of people who intertwine their paths without even looking sideways, they just look at their watches and literally dive into the Subway.

It was the end of July, in the 90s, other times in my life, I remember that it was very hot and as we were kicking around the city all day, well, the custom there was to go drinking soft drinks with ice in a big glass and a straw, so they sell it to you on the streets in food trucks, coffees, ice creams, and so richly hey!!

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We were in Chinatown, the origins of New York's Chinatown and everywhere, but everywhere, they have their Buddhist altar and relics, always on high, Buddha has to be higher than them. Every day they make their prayers, rites, requests, etc., They are very religious, but in a very natural way, as one more task, preserving their culture even when they live in North America.

My place to rest and regain strength, was when I visited the temples of Chinatown, after walking around the city all day, heat, lots of noises, people, tuk-tuks, bicycles, taxis at a thousand miles per hour, vans, stalls, markets, more people... and I went into the temples, which are everywhere, and the mess is over, it's like you're in another world and it's cool.

I threw myself on my knees on the floor, looked at what was there, felt the smell of incense, very good in the air, and the Buddha, to close my eyes and rest. And boy, if it worked, it was my trick to keep that jog in the city, huge, for a week and then to travel to other cities in the country for a month.

I really liked the food in general, very rich and stimulating, they prepare food everywhere, street stalls, in the markets; on the sidewalks, it smells like coconut milk, ginger, chili... Vendors gather at the markets, stroll through Chinatown with their carts, park wherever they can and get cooking.

Chinese, Thai people really like food and eating, they don't usually have a kitchen at home, and they do it on the street, it's their way of socializing, and they don't have schedules, they eat when they feel like it, so you can find them at any time of the day and almost at night.

And they know that their favorite dish is fresh and freshly cooked. Every stall buys and cooks what they sell in a day, and the leftovers don't exist; the competition is so strong that few stalls could survive if their food wasn't good enough for the demanding palate of their clientele, themselves, haha!

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There are no menus, you indicate the ingredients you want, and the cook prepares it to your liking such as soups with prawn ravioli, egg noodles of various sizes with marinated duck, bamboo, with pork, fried noodles with seafood, rice with prawns and cashews sautéed with curry, rice noodles sautéed with tofu, peanuts, green onions, bean sprouts, garlic, pepper and fish sauce, with a little lemon and crushed peanut.

I remember a soup with all the flavors, chicken , lime, mushrooms, garlic, soy,! Salty, spicy, sweet and sour, and with coconut milk, besides, haha, they use it a lot there, freshly squeezed fruit juices, and the sweet mango with coconut milk rice, and for less than a few $$$ you can get your fill.

Where you see that there are more people, is the sign, there you put yourself, and warm if you do not want it very spicy.

Everything is impressive, isn't it? Well, if it was impressive, fascinating life, and adventure, also whenever possible whenever I can, I always like to get to know other countries and walk around the iconic and non-tourist sites of the city I visit.

Janitze.