by her grace

I was out walking near Lumphini Park on this Sunday afternoon in Bangkok where the humidity seems to have dissipated to a more tolerable degree after yesterday's brief rain shower.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar sound - a sound that drives my body to reflexively start walking in rhythm with its beat.  It was the sound of drums.  Upon closer observation, it was a full drumline - snares, basses, quads, cymbals, and all.  This immediately transported me to my high school years when I was in the marching band for four years and fantasized about participating in a drum corps.

Moments after this brief reverie, the beat ceased, and the sound of a full brass ensemble began playing Amazing Grace.  Dear mother of god, I had to find out if this was indeed a drum corps in the middle of a park in Bangkok.  I think outside of the United States, there may be one corps in Japan; encountering one in Thailand would be a huge surprise.

I sought out a woman nearby waiting for the bus and recalled my excellent skills at Pictionary to convey my desire to find an entrance to the park, as there did not seem to be one around me.  She had to ask another woman who consulted her little girl.  Finally, I was given the direction via a hand gesture that would have been interpreted in Pictionary as "that way," so I dashed off while marking time to Amazing Grace.

Moments later, I discovered, after speaking to two staff members of this corps, that this was Siamyth, an up and coming drum corps for mostly teenagers.  Today was their final rehearsal before auditions next weekend.  For the next fifteen minutes, I relived my marching band days with these two gentlemen, as well as my regret in not having had the talent to participate in a drum corps.  They were equally excited to have found a drum corps enthusiast from San Francisco and to engage in conversation discussing the Cavaliers, Blue Devil, and Santa Clara Vanguard without any explanation as to who or what they are.

It was a hot and less humid afternoon in Bangkok.  I did not visit a temple to witness Buddha in gold leaves.  I did not sit in a bar to experience Bangkok's infamous night life.  I did not visit a multi-story shopping complex to take advantage of the latest sale.  I simply listened and watched some teenagers do what they loved.

And I had fun.  Lots of it.