Sixth Sense

In Thailand it's not a question of whether or not ghosts exist. It's more a question of how many ghosts are in the room with you now - and are they good ghosts or bad ghosts.

As for me, I've never seen a ghost, but have always thought I would like to - just to prove, once and for all, whether or not they exist. Seeing is believing.

A while back, I had this conversation with Nuch's dad. He was telling me that through deep meditation you can sensitize yourself to the presence of wayward spirits. Then, he asked if I had ever seen a ghost. When I said no, he asked if I would like to see one. Being a true skeptic, I would normally have said yes - just to call his bluff, but with the sincerity of his tone and the casual way in which he asked, as if he had just offered to show me his prized model train collection, for a moment it was quite possible that ghosts really did exist, and there was no way I wanted to encounter one. So, meekly, I replied, No Way.

Concerning ghosts - you may have heard about the fire at the Santika Pub in Bangkok. Fireworks or Pyrotechnics used as part of the New Year celebration set the ceiling on fire, which quickly engulfed the entire building. 60 people died tragically.

I read in the paper that 3 days later, teenagers were going to the site of the fire to take pictures with hopes of capturing the return of lost souls. You see, it usually takes 3 days before a soul knows it's dead. If the death was unnatural or untimely, the ghost that arises may not be ready to go just yet and may choose to linger a while longer.

This is apparently what has been captured in the photo below. In the middle there's a woman standing on the roof, and to the left is a man peering out the window.

Believe it or not.

Here's a smaller version with a clearer picture of the burnt out pub.