At a young age of eighteen, New was living the life of a teenage boy diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. With his life hanging by a thread, he realized that it was too short to be spent on memories that will only result in melancholy, and so he chose...
We arrived Doi Inthanon just in time for lunch, so the sun was directly pointing at us when we left the bus. I searched for Tawan among the crowd of seniors that swarmed the parking lot, but I couldn't find him with the amount of people blocking my view. I decided to stray from our class and took my own tour of the whole place. At first glance, it seemed like one of those typical parks you go to every weekend, but upon closer inspection it radiates an aesthetic that sets it apart from the other parks that I'd been to.
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The park stood on top of the highest mountain in Thailand, and looking at the view at the peak of the mountain is a breathtaking activity. Below me, a sea of mist rests that almost completely blocked the view of the trail, and above is where the sun's situated, so near as if I was only a few steps to touching the gigantic star. There were countless of trees in the vicinity, each one being unique and attractive in their own way. I took a 360 degree turn and scanned the whole place, entirely captivated by the sight that stood before my eyes. The flora of the park was so healthy and plenty that it extended to the distance my eyes were able to cover, and the chilling temperature seeped into my clothing amid the sun's direct rays.
As I rose my hands in the air and let the cool breeze take over me, I closed my eyes and let nature entice me with the melodies from the birds that chirped on the trees. My sight was temporarily disabled, but my ears were completely working as the breeze whispered gently into my eardrums. The rustling of the leaves from the trees sounded like water flowing freely on a stream filled with pebbles. The chirping of the birds sounded nothing like the music I listen to, but they were nevertheless very pleasing to listen. And it didn't stop there.
The fragrance Doi Inthanon was a blessing to my olfactory senses, as it gave off a smell so fragrant, I felt like I was standing in the middle of a sea of flowers. It made sense, as countless of flowers were situated on the land below me, and the smell the give off is something I had not encountered in the city. It was a relief for someone like me who grew up with the smell of smoke from cars and fumes from tons of foodcarts outside my place.
I let myself take in the beauty that stood before me, and wondered if that was how a real paradise looked like. With my eyes still closed, I thought of the day where my existence fades into the surface of the earth as I ascend to a place where I'll be free of all the pain that I bear. Countless of people have given descriptions as to what heaven looked like, and they all shared the same word--paradise.
"It looks surreal, doesn't it?"
I opened my eyes and turned around to see Tawan behind me, carrying a camera on his one hand.
"Smile for me babe", He said as he raised his camera and positioned himself to strike a photo.
He didn't need to tell me to smile as my lips curved automatically at the sight of him. As he clicked the button and captured a picture of me standing on top of Doi Inthanon, the flash snapped and after that I saw the paradise people had always talked about.
