Posts
January 28, 2014 – Heading
south in Thailand
Thailand border with
Malaysia
Day 12 - Distance biked so
far: (1,092 km)
I picked a good time to head south in Thailand as this time of year
the winds come from the northeast and I am cycling south. That combined with
the flat roads has meant a good introduction to cycling after a year off the
bike.
As you enter most cities in Thailand large photos of the King greet
you. Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej is now 86 years old and is the world’s
longest serving head of state, having ascended to the throne in 1946 at the
tender age of 19. The King has a residence in the City of Hua Hin, and this is
the scene as you enter.
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| Entering town |
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| Temple on the Mount |
Here is a view of the riverfront on the Gulf of Thailand.
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| Waterfront in Phetchaburi |
One of the things I do every evening when I get the chance in Thailand
is go out to eat at the night markets. They have an incredible variety of food and
drinks that are both delicious and cheap. In every town you can see stalls set
up with plastic tables and chairs nearby for people to eat. Most people in
Thailand eat out every night so the markets are often bustling with activity.
In Phetchaburi, I went out to the market and strolled around while a band was
playing nearby and the Oceanside promenade was full of people sitting in small
groups enjoying the evening. The atmosphere is similar to a fair but occurs
every night. Here is the night market.
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| Night market |
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| Dinner time |
As I continued south I ran into a travelling Monk on the side of the
road. The Monk was foreign (he is from England) and was in the midst of an
8-month walk to the north of Thailand. He explained to me that 2,500 years ago
Monks did not sit in the local Wat and smoke cigarettes all day but would
travel around the country and meeting people. It’s interesting to note that in
the Christian world, Jesus and the disciples did the same, walking to the
people instead of waiting for the people to come to them in our present day
churches. The Monk was pushing a cart and most of the contents were books. He
explained that Christians have the bible, Muslims have the Koran and Theravada
Buddhists (the form of Buddhism in Thailand) have 45 books making up the Pali
Canon. Pali is the original language the books are written in so he also
carries 2 dictionaries allowing him to translate between Pali and English. He
is carrying 47 large books in his cart so I was going to suggest that he buys a
Kindle to cut down on his weight but thought it inappropriate. Besides, it is
unlikely there are Kindle versions yet.
He stops when he is tired and carries a western style tent to sleep in
or just enters a Temple or Wat. Monks in Thailand do not carry money and
receive food from the public on their morning alms walks and he is no
exception. He receives food from the public as he walks. He has been walking
since October and will end in May and will be barefoot the entire way. Those
Monks are tough.
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| Marching Monk |
There was a few times while cycling that I could swear someone was
watching me. Here were 2 large statues staring down on me for miles.
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| Someone is watching me |
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| Someone else is watching me |
I often take pictures of signs that have been loosely translated from
the native language into English. In most cases I can make them out but this
one was a little tougher. The funny thing about this sign is that the first 9
Rules were well written and easy to understand but Rule 10 had me a little
confused. It reads, “Prohibit lead the thing departs a waiting room by break
off to torn, if, arrest 3 times of thing that price.” I just made sure I didn’t
break or tear anything.
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| Reading between the lines |
I stopped my bike one day to eat a snack at a roadside stall. Here is
a typical lunch and they always come with a side helping of vegetables,
particularly cucumbers and limes. Delicious.
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| Snack time on the road |
I pulled up to a small truck on the side of the road and nearly had my
head slapped. I hadn’t noticed these 2 guys who were waiting to inflict damage
on anyone keeping their head down. The
owner talked to me and said to be careful they will bite and to prove it rolled
up his pant leg to show me a series of large bite marks that had been repaired
by surgery. There is a Monkey Training School nearby so maybe they failed out
and now have to be sent home. I told them both that they should be in school
but they just hissed at me.
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| Monkeys on board |
In 2012, I spent 10 days at the Suan Mokkh Buddhist retreat to learn a
little about their beliefs. It was a silent retreat where we could not speak for
the entire period. The 4:30 am wake up calls, sleeping on cement with a wooden
pillow, eating 2 vegetarian meals per day and absolutely no contact with the
outside world took some getting used to but the experience was wonderful. The
retreat is located in a beautiful and peaceful setting and they allow people who
are not part of the retreat to visit and stay overnight. I stayed for 2 nights
and set up my tent beside a small pond.
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| Camping at the Monastery |
The founder of the retreat is Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, who died in 1993 at
the age of 87. He is revered in Thailand for his wisdom and his teachings are
the cornerstone of the retreats. When I
was at the retreat a recurring theme appeared to be the potential dangers the
world was facing in terms of its constant chasing of material goods. He felt
that the attempts to seek happiness through the acquisition of material wealth
are going to lead to many problems in the world. In Thailand, if you spend time
in the flashy malls of Bangkok or witness the constant chasing of the latest i-phones
and i-pads you can see Buddhadasa’s message falling on deaf ears. In America,
the prosperity preachers that are so popular today are also teaching against
the bibles clear commands. The idea that God wants you to be rich is certainly
a stretch and requires more than a little tweaking of the bible but it is a
message people want to hear because it fits in with their desires. I think that
in terms of materialism, both Buddhadasa and Jesus would be disappointed in the
direction the world is heading.
Here is a sign at the front gates that summarize his teachings and
give a small insight into his thinking.
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| Buddhist retreat |
The first resolution is to understand the heart of your own religion.
By this he means the substance and not the form. Going to church, bowing before
statues or crossing yourself are the outward signs that have nothing to do with
the heart of religion. The outward signs of religion are easy to follow and
look good but if you don’t understand the heart of your religion it is of no use.
The second resolution is to try and understand the main principles of
other religions. Buddhadasa clearly understood that if people understood the
true meaning of their own religion and the basics of others, it would lead to
less conflict and more acceptance of others. He then places the warning about
materialism and rates that as one of his 3 most important resolutions.
The Suan Mokkh retreat is an active Wat with many Monks living on the
grounds. In the morning I would hear the bells ringing at 4:30 which for them
was a time to get up and for me, a time to roll over, go back to sleep and be
thankful I was just a guest. The Monks have daily chores like everyone else and
here is one picking up his dry laundry.
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| Monk hanging clothes |
Near my campsite was a Suan Mokkh style toilet. It was just a round
building with a toilet inside but it had an interesting sign in front. The
toilet was large enough to allow Monks to spend some time in there “meditating
on the abhorrent.”
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| Toilet at Suan Mokkh |
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| Sign in front of toilet |
The grounds are beautiful at the retreat and there are different
meditation halls surrounded by forest that make for a very peaceful setting.
Here is a typical building.
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| Meditation Hall |
On Saturday January 25th, the 11th day of my
trip, I passed the 1,000 km mark when I was in southern Thailand about 100 km
from the Malaysia border. I hope to take a photo and state my location every
1,000 kms.
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| 1,000 km |
The Angel House orphanage in the Philippines received a new child a
short while ago. This baby boy was abandoned at birth and sent to the
orphanage. Boy A is a temporary placement right now as David and his team is
required to search for one or both of the parents. If they cannot be found or
do not want the child, he will be put up for adoption. In the interim, Angel
House will ensure the boy gets medicine, food and a lot of love and attention.
As we go about our busy days it is easy to lose sight of the kind of work
places like Angel House accomplish every single day. David and his staff care for
the children every single day.
If we can reach out and raise awareness of the Orphanage, we can help
to ensure this little boy gets a chance at life where no chance existed
before. If any of you belong to a church
or know of anyone who might be interested in adopting a child from the
Philippines, please forward the link to Angel House Orphanage and get in touch
with David. You can also help by just spreading the word to as many people as
you can because someone out there would love to care for him or one of the
other children desperately looking for a home.
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| Boy A |
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