2.2.07

A LOVE STORY U WILL NEVER FORGET

He met her on a party. She was so outstanding, manyguys chasing after her,
while he was so normal, nobody paid attention to him.
At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him,
she was surprised, but due to being polite, she promised.

They sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything,
she felt uncomfortable, she thought, please, let me go home..
suddenly he asked the waiter: would you please give me some salt?
I'd like to put it in my coffee."

Everybody stared at him, so strange! His face turned red, but, still,
he put the salt in his coffee and drank it. She asked him curiously:
why you have this hobby?

He replied: "when I was a little boy, I was living near the sea,
I liked playing in the sea, I could feel the taste of the sea ,
just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the
salty coffee, I always think of my childhood, think of my hometown,
I miss my hometown so much, I miss my parents who are still living there".
While saying that tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched.

That's his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart.
A man who can tell out his homesickness, he must be a man who loves home,
cares about home, has responsibility of home.. Then she also started to
speak, spoke about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family.
That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story.

They continued to date. She found that actually he was a man who meets all
her demands; he had tolerance, was kind hearted, warm, careful.

He was such a good person but she almost missed him!
Thanks to his salty coffee!Then the story was just like every beautiful
love story, the princess married to the pr! ince, then they were living the
happy life... And, every time she made coffee for him,
she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that's the way he liked it.


After 40 years, he passed away, left her a letter which said: "My dearest,
please forgive me, forgive my whole life lie. This was the only lie
I said to you---the salty coffee. Remember the first time we dated?
I was so nervous at that time, actually I wanted some sugar,
but I said salt It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead.
I never thought that could be the start of our communication!
I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life,
but I was too afraid to do that, as I have romised not to lie to
you for anything.. Now I'm dying, I afraid of nothing so I
tell you the truth: I don't like the salty coffee, what a strange bad taste.

But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life! Since I knew you,
I never feel sorry for anything I do for you.
Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life.
If I can live for the second time, still want to know you and have you for my
whole life, even though I have to drink the salty coffee again".

Her tears made the letter totally wet. Someday, someone asked her: what's
the taste of salty coffee? It's sweet. She replied.

Pass this 2 everyone coz

love is not 2 forget but 2 forgive
not 2 c but understand
not 2 hear but 2 listen
not 2 let go but HOLD ON !!!!

12.1.07

大城( Ayutthaya )-Bangkok









輝煌歷史臻至顛峰,大城古都泰國文化發祥地

大城( Ayutthaya )距離曼谷北方約 100 公里處,自西元 1350 年至西元 1767 年,曾為泰國第二個首都,不但是年份最久的首都,在東南亞地區更是首屈一指,有四百多年的輝煌歷史,佛教精髓在此達到顛峰,並深植於泰國文化中。人們說素可泰是泰國第一個首都,也是泰國歷史古蹟的發祥地,而大城則像一個手藝精湛的雕刻家,當地的寺廟、皇宮及佛像的鏤刻,無不表現出莊嚴典雅的作品。因此,大城輝煌階段的藝術品,可說是經典名作,當時繁榮的景象,均被許多文獻記載喻為人間的天堂,而這段黃金時期,西方的文明也開始接觸泰國,大城是當時主要的貿易中心,也有許多國家的人來此定居,最具體的證據是區內散佈的葡萄牙村、荷蘭村與日本村可得到驗證。

大城位於湄南河、洛汶里河、巴洒河三條河流交會處的一座小平原上,距離海洋不遠,而且四周環繞著肥沃的稻田,是非常理想的行政和交通中心,因此西元 1350 年時由拉瑪迪波里一世( Ramathibodi I )正式建立為國都,在 17 世紀全盛時期,它甚至控制了整個中央平原和南方。遠東地區、世界各地的船隻都溯著湄南河而上,進行貿易往來的商業行為,當時人口超過 100 萬,其中包括印度人、中國人、日本人和歐洲各國人,可說是盛況空前,民生富裕。

雖然曾經絢麗萬千,但是大城的燦爛時期終有結束的一天,由於內部的衝突不斷,以及皇室宮廷的逐漸衰弱,使得西元 1767 年時,本城遭受緬甸軍隊的徹底破壞,就連寺廟大佛也難倖免,之後終於滅亡。還好達幸王在不久之後又光復了國土,把緬甸軍趕走,並於湄南河南邊建立了吞府,而拉瑪一世再遷都至曼谷,發展至今。目前大城所殘留的歷史古蹟,彷彿正幽幽地訴說著昔日耐人尋味的輝煌過往。

大城位於湄南河東岸,總人口約 9 萬,現在是泰國內地的商業中心。由於大城的 33 位統治者吸收了高棉天授神權的觀念,揉和婆羅門教的儀式,因此興建了許多壯麗美觀的宮殿和雄偉萬千的佛寺,如今觀光客可以見到大部份遺跡,就是建於此城市興起時的前 150 年內。大城更於 1991 年 12 月 13 日被聯合國教科文組織( Unesco )評定為世界級保護古蹟之一。

大城遺跡中有非常多的佛塔,想要一次遊遍需花很多時間,建議您不防挑選幾個最具代表性的寺廟參觀,像瓦崖差蒙空寺、 帕楠稱寺、帕蘭寺、帕席桑碧寺、拉嘉布拉那寺等。另外還有收集稀世珍品的國立博物館,拉瑪五世皇夏宮所在地的邦芭茵,位於湄南河下游的日本遺跡鎮等,也是很值得參觀的重要景點。