Thailand - Day 5, Chang Mai, Monk talk

 

Still not well - constant coughing, little sleep, low energy - I opted to sleep in and enjoy the hotel while the others

left for a morning of

shopping at the market

for fresh ingredients for their

cooking class.

They then ate the dishes they had prepared. All photos by Ammy.

 This was part of the tour that I was really looking forward to but did not feel it was appropriate to cough through a cooking class and was preserving my energy. My hope is that at a future date I can get together with Nic and Dave and Mark and Emma and learn from them as I do love Thai food and would love to cook it.

I joined up with the group again

for the

Monk chat.

We met with Pra KK (Pra meaning 'monk'), He has been a monk for 30 years. Is a "forest monk" from the countryside so wears a dark coloured robe, city monk robes are orange but the head monk  can determine the robe colour for the monks at that temple.

He outlined the basics of Buddhism and wrote it out on a white board.

After that we had a Q and A period and asked about anything we liked about Buddhism and monkhood. He then lead us in a brief movement meditation. It was very interesting and seems like such a peaceful and sustainable philosophy.

When I got closer to this vehicle I realized it was a school bus. The children at this school, run by monks, wore the orange robes.

Thai education in the past began with temples as educational areas. The Buddhist monks were the instructors for the offspring of the villagers, and villagers enrolled their offspring to be disciples of the Buddhist monks in the temples to receive education. The Buddhist monks conducted education on the doctrines from the Pāli Canon, the Pali language, the Thai Language, and elemental subjects. Later, education management evolved from performing within the temples. In some areas, the Buddhist monks in the local donated some land from the temples to build a school that conducted education for students within the national curriculum. In addition, some temples had built schools for the education of Buddhist monks. These schools administered education on Dhamma, the Pali language, and secular subjects related to the national curriculum of ordinary students. Later, Thai Buddhist monks became knowledgeable and played the role of instructors for local schools. In addition, the Buddhist monks also sponsored scholarships for both secular and priests. Until now, Buddhist monks persisted in dedicating and involving in Thai education.from thaijo.org

Black-crested Bulbul, I think.

Thailand - Day 4, Chang Mai.

 Bangkok airport is huge and busy and the 14 of us dutifully followed Ammy, with her red hat and raised hand (sometimes holding her phone, sometimes a water bottle) through the check in, security and to the food court to have lunch. Periodically, during the course of the day she will do a quick head count. It must be very challenging with larger groups.

It was a short, just over an hour, flight on AirAsia, to Chang Mai and a smaller airport. We then drove directly to dinner in the home of a local family.

I had to add in this photo from the morning. I am not sure where Mark took it but I suspect it was the first temple, the one I missed.

We drove through the city of Chang Mai to the outskirts and went into a group of homes, occupied by different generations of the same family. They promote and continue the traditional way of life and share it with tourists.

We were greeted by Pat who described his family and their living situation. On our chairs was a piece of woven cloth and Pat taught us how to tie it around the waist and discussed its use in Thai culture.

Pha khao ma (ผ้าขาวม้า) or Thai checkered cloth is a traditional textile widely used all over Thailand. Wherever you venture in this country, it’s virtually impossible to miss the distinctive sight of pha khao ma. This rectangular woven cloth, measuring around 75 centimeters wide and 125 centimeters long, has a unique colorful checkered pattern that sets it apart from other traditional textiles. Each province also adds its own creative twist to pha khao ma, resulting in exclusive patterns and colors that reflect the unique  preferences of the local communities. In terms of the material, although dyed cotton is most widely used, some places also weave the cloth with unbleached cotton, polyester, acrylic yarns, or silk, depending on the style and purpose of the cloth.

 Sometimes called loincloth, pha khao ma, whose soft cotton texture is suitable for hot weather, is traditionally used to wrap around the waist as a sarong. Or if they already wear a sarong, Thai men often tie pha khao ma tightly around their waists as a belt, or just drape it across their shoulders when they are out for work in the field and put it to various uses such as wiping away sweat, shielding their heads from the scorching sun, creating a makeshift fan, warding off insects, or even acting as a bandage in case of injuries. Additionally, this versatile piece of fabric can be worn as pants by wrapping it around the waist, folding it up, tucking the tail under the legs, and securing it at the back. For women, pha khao ma can be folded and wrapped around their torso, transforming into a strapless top. It can be also be used to carry a baby or dry after a shower. From Thailand Foundation.Org

Then we all made a flower bouquet

 

to offer to the spirit of the house.

Next we were off to walk around the garden where they grew fruit and herbs.

Next we learned about their growing and drying of leaves for "Thai cigars" and Mark "took one for the team" and tried a puff.

At this point I bowed out and Ammy walked me to minivan where I slept for over an hour 

while the rest of the group had

the traditional Thai meal.

In order to save Amelia from my coughing all night and potential contagiousness I booked a separate room for the 3 nights in Chang Mai. It was a lovely hotel and I had a balcony overlooking water, a huge bed, a lovely deep bathtub and mature foliage all around.

Thailand - Day 4, Ayutthaya Temples and Pagodas

 After a lousy nights sleep we were off on another busy day. Everyone on the tour was very kind, offering up all sorts of medications and lozenges. I just clarified with Ammy, about how I could bow out of some of the activities if my energy did not hold up and she was very accommodating. We were to visit 3 temples in the Ayutthaya Unesco World Heritage Park which served as the capital of Siam from the 14th to the 18th Century. I stayed in the bus while the others went to tour the first one. The bus driver and his partner were so kind, using google translate on their phones they asked if I wanted the AC left on and did I need anything.

I did get out of the bus and walk around at the next area.

Ammy told us of the history of the area but I was a bit out of it and just remember that the temples and pagodas here are mostly Hindu architecture but that some were added to and adapted to Buddhism.

I really just wandered around enjoying the totally different architecture from anything I had seen before

It was hot and the air quality was not great but the buildings pulled me forward.

Its a huge area of ruined pagodas and temples, walls and statues.

Built of brick but evidence that they had been elaborately

decorated.

Every where I turned was a photo I wanted to take but could still not do justice to the place and its history.

Littered with parts of Buddha statues.

Just like in the Greek and Roman archaeological sites, more stones with no home.

We all walked around to the other side of this tree

to see the roots growing around the Buddha statues head. We had a group picture taken there but I can't find it on our WhatsApp group or I would post it. Ammy takes lots of group photos.

I didn't walk any further. The others continued exploring.

I found an unoccupied bench in the shade and tried to sketch but

the heat was definitely not conducive to watercolour. However it was very pleasant sitting there, absorbing the location and doing a little people watching.

Some of the statues were also made of brick and then encased in another material. This is the legs of one in the foreground and body of another in the background (before anyone thinks this is a strangely configured Buddha)

We got back in the bus and the next stop was an active Buddhist Temple.

Running out of steam

I didn't take a lot of pictures inside.

There was a lot of gold and silver leaf.

 I went outside to wait on the group, slipped my shoes back on and found a place to sit in the shade and watch the comings and goings.

People would buy a handful of sticks (incense I am assuming) and be given a laminated page. They would light the sticks from a candle, blow them out so it was just smoke, slip their shoes off and read from the page.

 

Most then hit the gong 3 times before entering the temple. A google search resulted in the suggestion that  hitting the gong is for good luck. 3 times for happiness, good health and strength.

Back on the bus and we were headed next to the airport.