The ultimate day, last of the Thai days of this journey.
I took the songtheuw to Wat Chalong, the main temple for this area. Wat Chalong is a large Buddhist temple, with spacious grounds and numerous individual temple buildings. It is also a stop for tour buses, several of which were disgorging sweaty batches of Russian Farang. I threaded past the larger groups, made my donation for merit making supplies, and slipped in with the Thai folks.
Basic Buddhist merit making, Thai style, works thus: for a donation one receives a flower, two candles and a small bundle of incense sticks. Approaching the temple, there are racks of burning candles on either side of the first stairs. One lights his or her candles, affixes them to the rack with hot wax, and then lights the bundle of incense. Smoking incense in hand, the merit-maker moves to the temple entrance and, holding the incense in between the palms, hands together and in front of one's face, asks for merit. I invariably ask for compassion for family, friends and fellow travelers first, and then for all sentient beings, of course. When the requests for merit have been made, the incense is placed into the large holders where all of the other bundles are smoking away. One enters to the center of the temple, prostrates to the Buddha or monk image, and places the flower in the bowl with all of the other flowers.
Etiquette is simple: never wear shoes, never point your feet at a Buddha image, always cover your shoulders and knees, and act like you would at your own church. Almost all Wats are open to everyone, as long as there is simple respect shown.
Leaving Wat Chalong, I hopped a moto-taxi for the twisty ride up the mountain to The Big Buddha, who resides on top. This huge alabaster monument is visible from most everywhere from Kata Beach to Phuket Town. It has been more than 25 years in the making and is still being tiled in Burmese Alabaster squares.
I donated 300 baht, which purchases a 80mm square tile. Messages are written on the back face by those who donate. Mine read:
"Peace - Love - Calm
Marco 29/3/13"
As I walked away from the donation table, under the gaze of The Big Buddha, I became very tearful. The weight of compassion and pathos and departure mixed together, pressing the tears from me. I am a very, very lucky being. Yet each time I face leaving Southeast Asia, there is less of myself to bring back.
I decided to walk the 8 kilometers back down to the 7-Inn, midday heat or no. I let the day sink deeply into me as I passed through the jungle hills, was given the two best bananas in the world by an old man, and slipped by the tourist attractions lining the road up the mountain. Through the trees I caught a far off glimpse of the Chalong Pier, where Jimmie the Scot had dropped John and I, landing next to the pier stairs in the tiny dinghy.
I had a coffee and talked to a young man from Northern Thailand, near Mae Hong Song. He is from a poor village and had to come to Phuket for work as a waiter. He was happy that I had been to the area he is from. I kept walking past the Bird World, the Monkey Show, and the Elephant Trek, gaining the flatland and a real Thai neighborhood. I had a fiery plate of Pad Kee Mao and continued on, sun beating down.
Now, sitting at the 7-Inn, I have showered and am still sweating through my shirt, even though I am lounging in the shade. The taxi comes at 6 PM. Then it is Phuket to Bangkok, Bangkok to Seoul, Seoul to San Francisco and thence to Seattle.
There will be lots of pictures to post once I am home. The newest photos are all on my camera, which means I would have to go find an Internet cafe to post them and that is just to much work right now.
Be well, play fair, do good if possible.
Marco
I took the songtheuw to Wat Chalong, the main temple for this area. Wat Chalong is a large Buddhist temple, with spacious grounds and numerous individual temple buildings. It is also a stop for tour buses, several of which were disgorging sweaty batches of Russian Farang. I threaded past the larger groups, made my donation for merit making supplies, and slipped in with the Thai folks.
Basic Buddhist merit making, Thai style, works thus: for a donation one receives a flower, two candles and a small bundle of incense sticks. Approaching the temple, there are racks of burning candles on either side of the first stairs. One lights his or her candles, affixes them to the rack with hot wax, and then lights the bundle of incense. Smoking incense in hand, the merit-maker moves to the temple entrance and, holding the incense in between the palms, hands together and in front of one's face, asks for merit. I invariably ask for compassion for family, friends and fellow travelers first, and then for all sentient beings, of course. When the requests for merit have been made, the incense is placed into the large holders where all of the other bundles are smoking away. One enters to the center of the temple, prostrates to the Buddha or monk image, and places the flower in the bowl with all of the other flowers.
Etiquette is simple: never wear shoes, never point your feet at a Buddha image, always cover your shoulders and knees, and act like you would at your own church. Almost all Wats are open to everyone, as long as there is simple respect shown.
Leaving Wat Chalong, I hopped a moto-taxi for the twisty ride up the mountain to The Big Buddha, who resides on top. This huge alabaster monument is visible from most everywhere from Kata Beach to Phuket Town. It has been more than 25 years in the making and is still being tiled in Burmese Alabaster squares.
I donated 300 baht, which purchases a 80mm square tile. Messages are written on the back face by those who donate. Mine read:
"Peace - Love - Calm
Marco 29/3/13"
As I walked away from the donation table, under the gaze of The Big Buddha, I became very tearful. The weight of compassion and pathos and departure mixed together, pressing the tears from me. I am a very, very lucky being. Yet each time I face leaving Southeast Asia, there is less of myself to bring back.
I decided to walk the 8 kilometers back down to the 7-Inn, midday heat or no. I let the day sink deeply into me as I passed through the jungle hills, was given the two best bananas in the world by an old man, and slipped by the tourist attractions lining the road up the mountain. Through the trees I caught a far off glimpse of the Chalong Pier, where Jimmie the Scot had dropped John and I, landing next to the pier stairs in the tiny dinghy.
I had a coffee and talked to a young man from Northern Thailand, near Mae Hong Song. He is from a poor village and had to come to Phuket for work as a waiter. He was happy that I had been to the area he is from. I kept walking past the Bird World, the Monkey Show, and the Elephant Trek, gaining the flatland and a real Thai neighborhood. I had a fiery plate of Pad Kee Mao and continued on, sun beating down.
Now, sitting at the 7-Inn, I have showered and am still sweating through my shirt, even though I am lounging in the shade. The taxi comes at 6 PM. Then it is Phuket to Bangkok, Bangkok to Seoul, Seoul to San Francisco and thence to Seattle.
There will be lots of pictures to post once I am home. The newest photos are all on my camera, which means I would have to go find an Internet cafe to post them and that is just to much work right now.
Be well, play fair, do good if possible.
Marco
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