Close Encounters of the Bangkok Kind

The stray cat approached and began confidently rubbing against my ankles as if we were acquaintances of long-standing. Normally when wandering around Bangkok I carry something to feed street dogs and cats, but I had nothing to offer that afternoon.

I desperately wanted to give the beautiful friendly cat a meal, so after playing with it a while, I walked quickly to the nearest 7-11 (there's always one nearby in Bangkok), bought some fishballs and rushed back to where I had left the cat. Amazingly, he was still there and happily began to gorge on the fish.

Most of the people walking by smiled at the cat enjoying his meal, but one did even more to show his approval. A shirtless, barefoot older man shuffled up and paused in front of us. Catching my eye, he grinned toothlessly. In that moment I felt a connection; I sensed his shared joy in my simple act of feeding this stray animal and I smiled at the magic of Bangkok.

At which point I noticed that the man was peeing his shorts. Once finished, he trudged off. Sometimes the magic can be a bit elusive, even in Bangkok.