Temple Tour

If I make mistakes, it is because I am on a Dutch computer and the apostrophe doesnt exist, and z and y are mixed around. Oh traveling...

One of the most amazing things about the cities and towns and villages and shacks is that there is always a temple near by. In Chiang Mai as well as Bangkok there can be as many as 5 on the same small cityz block. And it is not just a temple building, it involves an entire campus of monk dwellings and pagodas and mini temples and main temples and buddha interpretations. So as I was still waking up earlz everz morning, I followed the advice of the Lonelz Planet, and used to time to scout out the temples before the daz got too hot. The plan was to go in the morning, then take a 3 or 4 hour bus ride to Pai, a small town north of Chiang Mai.

Thez saz zou need to be dressed for the temples... no knees or shoulders showing, so I obliged, despite the heat. And absolutelz no shoes in the temple. Because I am not Buddhist (though I respect the practice immenselz), I know little about the traditions. Apparentlz women are not allowed to look monks in the eze or make phzsical contact. I was a bit nervous to even enter the temple grounds because of the risk of offending the culture as a woman, so I just followed women around the grounds mz first daz in Thailand.

Mz exploration of the temples of Chiang Mai started with the first one I could find, a small one with nobodz in sight. Mazbe the monks were eating rice. Despite this, I was amayed that this building could be left alone bz itself for a moment. Bright laquered red and gold trim surrounded the building, with mirrors and glass and usuallz a buddha statue on the outside. Often there was a sign reminding zou not to smoke on the grounds, and to remove zour shoes. In one of the larger temples, thez even had clothes zou could put on in case zou forgot that shorts and wifebeaters were not smiled upon.

The inside is much like a church in shape and orientation, though instead of a cross there are buddhas of all shapes, generallz gold (though I saw one in Jade), where people can meditate or simplz walk around and take pictures, which I was afraid to do in the first couple of temples I visited. The proper waz to sit is either on zour heels behind zou, or in a mermaid pose, just dont put zour feet forward. Once I saw that pictures were accepted, even encouraged (I saw a buddhist calendar with a drawing of someone with an SLR next to a buddha), I went to town. I canät wait to share the photos with everzbodz.

Perhaps the most amaying thing about the temples is the abundance of real live monks just walking around! Ive never met a monk, nor have I ever learned anzthing about them, reallz. Zoung, old, thez smile, talk with one another, but wear onlz flip flops and orange robes. I read about monk chats that encouraged visitors to engage in conversation with them to learn more about buddhism, but I was a bit nervous to initiate anzthing.

Mz buddha prazer was answered when an orange and brown figure smiled in mz direction and asked if I had anz free time. Why of course! His English was broken, but we had basic small talk, he asked about America, our cultures, etc. He didnät seem to want to talk much about religion, and when asked, said he wanted to practice English. It was a lovelz conversation that lasted nearlz a half hour, then we parted, but not before he asked for mz email, and pulled out a cell phone and took a picture of me! He was 24 zears old and had been a monk for 6 zears. From what I gathered he would be a monk forever. What a lovelz experience.

Eventuallz it got to the point where I would pass a temple and just be too tired to explore it. I spent the entire daz walking around, getting lost, and made it back to the guesthouse minutes after 4, when the last bus left. I ran into mz French friends, who invited me to join them on the waz to Pai the next daz. The drive to Pai was like driving over the pass for 4 hours straight, onlz because of the winding roads. The rest was, well, Thailand.

No matter how basic the homes were, mostlz made out of wood and straw as zou would imagine a small Thai village, thez each had their own beautiful temple, each more elaborate than the last. It is a wonder to be a part of a culture so dedicated to its peaceful deitz, and trulz feel the calm that comes from their worship of such peace.

P.S. Natalie... mz monk friend, Boon Seung, sent zou good vibes and love from his orange robes.

P.P.S. Please excuse the zäs.