Eating
by the river is not the same as eating by the seaside.
When you go to a seaside restaurant, your gaze extends
into the vastness of the salty water and your imagination
wanders to exotic foreign places that lie beyond.
Gazing into the ocean gives you a glimpse into infinity
and creates a feeling of your own tiny irrelevance
on a cosmic scale. Then there are the other sensory
perceptions of the ocean. The rhythmic sound of the
waves is like the earth's heartbeat, and the salty
breeze against your skin feels purifying, as if the
ocean is reaching out to you and reclaiming that part
of you that belongs to nature.
Gazing
over a river is a more subtle experience. Rivers are
peaceful to observe, perhaps because their water demonstrates
the principle of eternal change, as is exemplified
in the expression that "you can never step into
the same river twice." Herman Hesse's Sidhartha
demonstrates the use of rivers for teaching spiritual
lessons.
Perhaps
rivers evoke a peaceful feeling because humanity throughout
history, for its survival, has had to be near bodies
of water, for sustenance, for transportation and basic
human needs. Being by a river provides some kind of
feeling of security, like eating a satisfying meal
and feeling full.
When you gaze at a river you do not think of foreign
lands and infinity, you think of the next town and
the transience of the moment. A river does not overpower
you like the ocean, and you do not bask in the awe
of a river.
Rivers do not provide the holiday sun and surf experience
that an ocean does and are often part of the mundane
routine of the people that use them to complete their
daily tasks. People dress more politely by rivers
and are more reserved.
The
best excuse to sit by the river or ocean-side and
daydream is to go to a restaurant located beside it.
Bangkok,
now a city of concrete and metal, is a city of waterways,
and was once considered the Venice of Asia, with canals
(klongs) serving as major points of transportation
and commerce. The klongs all connect to the major
waterway, the Chaopraya River, which in turn leads
to the Gulf of Siam.
The
klongs and rivers are still used, but in the dense
urban areas of Bangkok, many of the waterways have
become black with soot, sewage, and other pollution.
Nevertheless, pockets of beauty still exist and it
is still possible to sit and dine by a scenic river
location, or observe traditional river life in Bangkok.
If you find yourself stuck in Bangkok, for business
or other reason, going to a riverside restaurant or
resort can help you relax and get things in perspective.
