You know it's going to be quite the year when you awake on New Year's Day to a cryptic message and a picture of a particular view. A clue to follow, a bit of intuitive guidance, and sheer determination lead you to him.
He takes you up a steep, narrow incline to visit a tucked away spirit house--the outside, weatherworn from wind and storms, the inside, full of incense ash and melted candles. You light an incense, walk down to the water's edge, and say a silent prayer.
By the end of the day, you've made your way to a secluded, hidden beach cove where you write poetry about rocks and puzzles and the movement of water. A challenge to write about the mundane, the ordinary objects of our everyday world without incorporating flights imagination or secret metaphors, leads to new kinds of magic.
Blink and the Lunar New Year passes. Somewhere in the heart of Chiang Mai a small village awaits your arrival. In this village is a pastel game shop, a museum of colorful batik fabrics, a picturesque garden restaurant and café, and a library filled only with books on art and cooking. The Alice in Wonderland vibe is strong. It is the year of the rabbit after all. How far will you follow? Chase rabbits, sakura blossoms, and river swept shoes. Fall through holes, lament to flowers, heal through the surreal.
Blink again and it's February. Friends leave the city and others arrive. You're just home from an evening of hunting down a specific brand of champagne when a message comes through. White Rabbit? At the entrance you wait for him. From here, he leads you through a surreal, maze like abandoned warehouse of tattered toys and cluttered rooms to the tiny, dim speakeasy. You cross the threshold into the classy, dreamlike atmosphere. The door shuts behind you, a clear divide between two worlds.
Are you, dear reader, following the rabbit this year? Where has it led you so far?
