You come to in a Cambodian coffee shop.
Behind the counter,
A barista makes a beverage.
The environment is calm,
Relaxing and peaceful.
You feel at rest.
A few women talk in the background,
Conversing over their coffees,
And you sip on yours,
Enjoying the wonderful flavour.
Now you take your coffee and go outside,
Sitting down at a table.
Here you watch the people go by.
They go at a different pace here,
Always relaxed,
Never in a rush.
They're constructing a building over the road.
The sounds of the hammers are surprisingly comforting though.
Rhythmic,
Metrical,
Measured.
A small child talks to his mother,
And there are those hammers again.
Their thing.
A motorbike starts up and drives away.
You listen keenly to a conversation between the locals.
What an interesting dialect,
You think.
This is Cambodia in motion.
After sitting at the table for a while,
Watching the people go by,
You now decide to walk into the town centre.
The journey there is pleasant.
You stroll through long,
Wide streets with buildings bouldering you on either side.
And now,
Here in the city centre,
You find a scene that's a little busier.
The traffic,
A consistent flow,
The chatter of voices,
Ever present.
You lean up against the wall and take it all in.
It's a wonderful place,
That's for sure.
The aliveness is reassuring.
You're here in amongst it all,
And the vibe is strong.
The city is breathing,
Moving,
Animate.
And as you continue to observe,
You feel yourself being hypnotised,
Lulled into a sense of security and peace.
Your heart feels warm for this place,
With a love for Cambodia.
In the distance,
You hear a curious sound.
You're not quite sure what it is.
An insect of some kind,
Presumably?
You think it's been here before.
You're only just now noticing it.
Where has Cambodia been all your life?
It really is the place to be.
Just the right balance between busy and serene.
It's a rare find,
Indeed.
A bus arrives to pick up some of the locals.
You wave at the driver.
That sound,
Though.
What is it?
You wonder if anyone else can hear it.
Just as you start wondering about the noises,
You suddenly find yourself closer to them.
Curious,
Indeed.
Perhaps you're hearing cicadas?
Cicadas and frogs?
Hard to say.
Whatever it is,
It lulls you further,
Into a sense of peace and tranquility.
You're floating through a field of sound,
Supported by the vibrations.
How did you get here so suddenly?
You don't remember walking closer to the sounds,
So how did that happen,
Exactly?
It was as if your curiosity alone brought you closer to them.
Which doesn't make sense.
How can thought alone move you?
You ponder on this for a while,
Peacefully,
Soaking in the environment,
Until eventually,
You come to an inevitable conclusion.
The only conclusion that makes any sense.
You must be dreaming.
Of course.
You reality shifted here,
And so,
Relishing this new revelation,
You decide to transport yourself to yet another new location.
This time,
Outside a holy temple.
And just like that,
You're there.
A new scene.
A dream transition.
Wow,
What a place this is.
You think.
Very lively.
Traffic,
Drums,
The sound of singing,
Those children.
This is,
Quite literally,
Music to your ears.
And all the while,
Your lucidity remains active,
Making an already gorgeous scene,
That little bit more gorgeous.
You look around,
Taking everything in,
Reminding yourself periodically that you're dreaming,
That you reality shifted here.
A lovely ending to that song,
You think.
Bravo,
Bravo indeed.
Another transition,
You now find yourself,
Removed from the city,
Away from the hustle and bustle of the temple,
To a suburban area of Cambodia.
It's evening,
And the dogs are barking.
You wonder what they're saying to each other.
Something,
Surely.
The humans aren't up to much.
Everyone must have gone to bed.
The only sounds that remain are the dogs,
And the cicadas,
And the occasional squeak of a door,
And the occasional bit of rustling around,
And the occasional bike going by.
Everything else has simmered down,
As you lean into this night time vibe.
You give thanks for the opportunity to explore this wonderful country through a lucid dream.
Being able to reality shift like this,
Truly is a magical thing.
And now,
You find yourself,
In silence,
Hushed,
And at rest,
Waiting for the next dream.
In silence,
You keep lucidity at the forefront of your mind.
Perhaps you're between REM cycles,
Or perhaps a new scene is about to emerge.
Either way,
You wait here patiently for it,
In no rush,
At total peace,
Lucid,
And happy,
And grateful.
