We enjoyed the company of new friends; a graduate student from Duke University with her 6 year old twin girls, a Duke Philosophy Professor and a South African woman with red curly hair. We shared a great lunch at Banana Leaves; Alex ordered great food and we all shared the entries. I enjoyed a delicious chocolate/banana smoothie… I now need one everyday but at 70 cents a pop, why the heck not??
We made our way to Doi Suthep; which is the most famous Wat in Northern Thailand. The Wat is high-up in the jungle and has a remarkable view of Chiang Mai. I live by the mountain clear out to the west or is it east? Anywooo I live 30km out of the city. The ancient story tells of an elephant that carried the Buddha’s shoulder bone on its back and traveled the forest until it reached the area on which the temple now resides.
The Temple has about 100 long steps up to the base of the Wat with amazing dragons coming down the staircase. When we made it to the top, we took off our shoes and explored as much of the complex Wat as possible.
There are several sets of Buddha’s that are organized according to the days of the week. Each day has a Buddha in a different position; the day of the week that one is born is how it is determined which individual Buddha represents them. I was born on a Saturday; my Buddha is the one with 7 serpents. Ralph informed me that Buddhism is one of the only religions that have serpents serve as protection. I am now in search for a Saturday Buddha pendent with a delicate gold chain.
The Wat cannot be described by pictures or words; it was a very moving, spiritual temple. There were several people worshiping and lighting insence at the Way. There are two rooms with massive shrines of several Buddha statues in all different sizes and stones. They have several different elements to the shrine and there are several pictures of the King and Queen. As I sat on my ankles, the proper way of sitting, I said a sincere pray with my palms together, bent over and touched my head to the floor. When it was my turn, I turned to my left and sat in front of a Monk. He started a beautiful chant, the language barrier made the words even more intriguing. He picked up a bamboo stick that contained several shoots, dipped into the wholly water and then splashed it on my face and hair. This is how I received the most sincere blessing from a Monk I may never see again. I have been contemplating my views and beliefs about religion since this experience.
I wondered around the Wat and took a lot pictures. I am reading a book titled, Buddha. I have several questions and I am lucky enough to have Ralph to ask, this was the perfect time to learn more about this ancient religion. This semester in Thailand, I am writing my research paper on religious influences on politics. I find this topic extremely intriguing. The first pilgrim setters came to America for religious freedom; we have “complete separation of church and state” except in Utah. Buddhism is inescapable in Thailand; school, business, homes it is virtually everywhere one looks. Thailand has the ultimate respect for their King and Queen; pictures can be observed in every home, business, signs on the side of the road and at every Wat. All of the calendars observed thus far have been of the King or Buddha.
Wat kitty, skinny little thing!
After the Wat, we went to the Chiang Mai Zoo and Aquarium. It was fun to see all the fish and animals but the heat made it difficult to enjoy. The constant flow of sweat running down my body makes it hard to concentrate. The animals were a little more alert than at home but basically it was no different from American zoos. We dropped our friends off at the apartment building they share with Ralph and headed to the market. We went to a lovely market that sells every imaginable animal part. We found some delicious meat on a skewer. My first personal rule in Thailand, NEVER under any circumstance ask what kind of meat you are eating while eating!! My second personal rule in Thailand, ALWAYS ask interns as many questions about shady food to avoid!! It is the only way to survive! I find it amazing what I eat when I have been eating about 800 calories a day since Monday and there is no sign that my calorie intake will increase in the near future. The meat was tasty and the sticky rice was not boring. We got dried fruit to share and I got a fresh pineapple juice, so yummy. At this market, I experienced my first Durian aka I wanna throw up cuz it smells like rotten garlic, onions, soaking in dirty socks from my HOT boyfriend in Iraq. Sorry Chase but it’s probably true, you probably have funky socks! The fruit is so gross and it’s slimy!! Side note: I later found out it’s my Thai Mom's favorite fruit and makes her so happy. She loves her children more than Drainan but she may possibly love it more that her husband!! Pukey fruit!
We ate in the back of the rod-deng; it was so fun and refreshing. It was one of the many moments when I start smiling and say I love my life!! I cannot believe I am in South East Asia and experiencing so many simple experiences that are changing my views about my life and the world I thought I knew.
We arrived at the Night Safari in Chiang Mai and were immediately approached by the prettiest baby tiger. The tiger, I like to call him Kitty Kat, was on a chain leash and was biting a stick. His master was nice enough to let us pet the Kitty Kat and he rolled around on the grass. Stanley, got bit by a fish at the aquamarine and got swatted by the tiger!! It was an intense moment but luckily his man purse protected him from the little ol’ baby’s massive paw! Once again, I got this smile on my face and was loving my life!! My internship paid the high price of 250bu ($7US dollars) to get me into the park.
This attraction is truly better than the happiest place on earth Disneyland! Immediately we ran into a baby elephant wearing a beautiful zebra outfit. The elephant did tricks for us and we got to sit on this leg. I was loving this massive creature!! As most already know the elephant’s name is Dolly. We got a special kiss from Dolly! We then walked around a small lake and saw all different kinds of wild life. The most memorable exhibit was the turtles! They were making funny noises and were rockin each other! Alex was particularly amused by these creatures! I could have spent a lot more time observing the creatures and animals but we had to get back to ride the safari bus. As luck would have it, we missed the bus and got to see an amazing laser light show over the lake. I am so glad we missed the bus because we got to stay 2 hours longer to wait for the next bus. There are 2 safari bus rides; the first has less fierce animals. The buses are open on the sides and the darkness of the night made it feel like Jurassic park. The animals are just yards away from the bus or roaming in front of it. The man killing animals are behind an invisible electric fence and are almost too close for comfort. Two huge tigers started fighting on their back paws as we drove pass; it was the highlight of the bus ride. I was worried about getting home late to my family because I have a curfew of 10:30pm and my babies don’t like to sleep until I get home.
Sunday, I was up and ready for church at 7:30, getting up that early feels natural and the rosters in my yard makes it hard to sleep. Stanley and I rode the rod-deng into Chiang Mai. We met the other interns at the church. The church was not different from the church at home except the language barrier. We have the option of wearing headphones to hear the missionaries translate the words into English. I preferred to listen in Thai. We went to an English Sunday school lesson; there was about 10 American’s in the class. Relief Society, at home is so boring and true for Thailand as well. The most passive American woman I have ever seen taught the most boring lesson but maybe she was just nervous. I was laughing because her object lesson back fired. Anywoo, we met with the branch president afterwards and I told him I do best in primary.
We enjoyed another delicious lunch and it cost 20bu haha I love this place! We then found a delicious bakery so I bought my babies some treats and enjoyed a sweet cake. I then saved Stanley’s life by punching him in the gut while he was choking and he never has said thank you… kinda rude! I then enjoyed an internet café for 2 hours and barely had time to check and respond to all of my emails. After that, Stanley, Kimi, Sondra and I then explored Chiang Mai. It was about 5pm and we were waiting for the Sunday market to start, when we used a restroom and found out it was a Thai massage business. we negotiated a price of 250bu (about$7US) and I have never experienced a better massage! Kimi and I were in the same room, we took turns showering. The shower and AC in the building was worth the $7 dollars. We put on these comfortable, huge pants that tied at the waist and a light cotton shirt. The Thai women then came into the room and got on the bed and proceeded to use her whole body to massage and twist mine. I LOVE Thai Massages!! After the massage, the Sunday market was in full swing. All of the items are handmade by Thai people. I didn’t purchase a lot because I want to see everything before I start buying special gifts for myself, family and friends. I did buy my second waffle snack; its waffle batter mixed with different fillings or fruit cooked in different shaped irons. I ate a banana waffle on a stick at Doi Suthrep. At the market I enjoyed a fish with chocolate filling for 5bu. After the market I hurried home, so I wouldn't upset my mom and so I could be well rested for school.
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