January 30, 2007
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Excerpts of Two Weeks in Thailand 2006
Two-Week Thailand Trip 2006
October 28 – THAT WRETCHED FLIGHT
The main objective of this trip is to attend a Buddhist ritual called Kathina at a temple called Wat Pa Tam Wua. We are traveling as a group of about 30 people. My mom organized this trip for the last two years. Most of the people are her circle of friends. Even though the flight is scheduled to leave a little after 5 PM, the travel agent told us to arrive by 1 PM to allow for lots of time to check everyone in. Most people actually arrived in a timely manner.
During the 13-hour ordeal known as the flight from Los Angeles to Taiwan, movies that were shown were Click, Hoot, Peaceful Warrior, and X-Men 3: The Last Stand. I could barely sleep, ate two disagreeable meals, and could not stand the smell of the airplane food. It was disgusting to me. Combined with a turbulent flight, it spelled trouble. I felt nauseous. Suddenly I my head was covered by a cold sweat. It actually felt good as it evaporated and cooled my head. I was telling myself to keep hanging on. Finally we landed. As we tried to exit the plane, the combination of walking, bumping into people and my own bag bumping into me was just too much. I whipped out the air sick bag so fast and out it came. My mom’s friend Jutaporn gave me a bigger bag. I used it and kept filling it up again and again and again.
Due to this flight being delayed, we were rushed onto the connecting flight immediately. I really wanted that time in between flights to relax and recover but that wasn’t going to happen. So we took off from Taiwan en route to Bangkok, Thailand. In the lavatory, I knew the worst was yet to come. That awful airplane food smell seeped through the door. I thought to myself, “They’re serving food again!?!?” I stayed a bit in the lavatory intending to come out once all food has been collected. Sensing that the odors were seeping in anyways, it was futile. I returned to my seat and tried hard to withstand the aromatic horror. I tried to play crossword puzzles, mah jong (taught to me by pooling tech Ken Doan), and listen to music. However it was too much. I snatched the air sick bag and kersplat!
I decided to make my way back to the lavatory. I just told myself, “If there is absolutely anything left in me, let it all out right now.” After vomiting four more times, all of it was out of my system. I inched back to my seat. My mom and her friends were concerned for me. I told them I was fine now. I watched The Da Vinci Code the rest of the way until we landed in Bangkok.
October 30 – THINGS TO DO, PEOPLE TO SEE
Due to crossing the International Date Line, we lost a day; thus, there was no October the 29th. My aunt Ting has a friend. He has a personal driver named Wanlop. My aunt asked him to pick us up at the airport. At 2:20 AM, we landed at Bangkok’s brand new Suvarnabhumi Airport (pronounced su-“One”-a-poom). I was astounded by the modern architecture and beauty. The walls were all window. The structure was unpainted metal beams, large gray sheets on the ceiling to match the beams, and white and purple lights. I was truly impressed. What’s really great is that it’s only a 15-minute drive to my aunt’s place.
At 3:30 AM, we arrived at my Aunt Ting’s place. She has a guesthouse and beds were already prepared for us along with a mosquito net covering both. I never so looked forward to brushing my teeth. You got to love it when your stomach acids seep into your cavities. Isn’t that lovely? Initially I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep once in Thailand because 4 AM here is 1 PM in Los Angeles. However, after what I went through on the planes, I was exhausted thus virtually collapsed on the bed and was out like a log.
On this day, my mother and I just took care of some Kathina matters, we visited my Aunt Tik in the hospital, and ate with Uncle Singto at an eatery called Took Lae Dee. It’s inside Foodland supermarket.
Uncle Singto dropped us off at Aunt Ting’s place. I felt real sleepy. I figured a brief nap from 6 PM for an hour or two should be refreshing. When I woke up, I thought it was the beginning of dinner time. I then came to the startling realization that it was 11:30 PM. I still ate dinner and then returned to the guesthouse to sleep some more.
October 31 – THE ONCE AND FUTURE “KING”
It turned out I could not fall asleep again. The sun came up and once again we had to prepare to see people.
Wanlop came by at 10 AM. He drove us to Vejthani Hospital. There we visited aunt Tik. She was in much better spirits than the day before. She spoke to us, and well wishes, and had a sense of humor. It was good to see and hear.
We then went to the Bank of Tokyo where Aunt Tim worked. We met up with her and had lunch across the street at a Japanese restaurant called Kikusui. My mother and Aunt Tim discussed further Kathina plans since Aunt Tim and Uncle Singto are also bringing up a contingent for Kathina.
We then asked Wanlop to drive us to Chachoengsao (pronounced Cha-cherng-“sow”) to a temple called Wat Sotawn. That is where we rendezvoused with my mom’s friends who rented a nine-seater van. Wat Sotawn is a famous temple noted for its Buddha statue. We did not stay long when Venerable Phra Pairoh said we had to take off.
We went to my mom’s friend Pimpa’s gas station. There my mom and her friends sat at a round outdoor table to eat and kill time. Pimpa wanted to show the place to Phra Pairoh. She was considering donating the place to him as a potential temple or meditation retreat. We waited…and waited…and waited. Finally the truck carrying Pimpa and Phra Pairoh arrived.
Pimpa then directed the van to a paint factory. The area was dusty and reeked of paint. It turns out that it belonged to her friend Somboon. Her house is also where the paint factory is. She had a nice home. Initially I couldn’t remember who she was though the name sounded familiar. As Somboon spoke to my mom and her friends, it then hit me.
A few years ago, Pimpa invited Somboon to Los Angeles. My mom and I, along with my mom’s friend Toom, took Somboon to Disneyland. Somboon did not enjoy her stay at all. She hated standing in lines, didn’t like the rides, and couldn’t stand the food. Despite my shelling out for her chicken tenders, she couldn’t even at least TRY it before proclaiming that she can’t eat it. We had to call Pimpa’s son Todd to take Somboon home. Once she was gone, I had my usual fabulous time at the Magic Kingdom.
Somboon however is a very gracious host. She treated us to a terrific meal heavy on seafood. The patongo (Chinese donut) there is the best I had ever eaten.
Afterwards we took off. We thanked Somboon for her hospitality. We then needed to make our way back to Bangkok.
My mother and I were dropped off around Wat Phra Kaew. The van then took everyone else to Wat Nakprok. I then hailed a cab to take us home to Aunt Ting’s. During the ride, my mom woke me up every time I fell asleep. She wants me alert in fear that the driver might be up to no good. He turns out to be an honest cabby. I did not appreciate my sleep being disrupted one bit. I was still jetlagged, too. It was close to impossible for me to stay completely awake.
And to think…a year ago, I went to work dressed as Elvis! If I weren’t in Thailand, I’d be at work dressed as either of the following – a hobo, the Phantom of the Opera, Stevie Wonder, Blade, or Darth Maul.
November 1 – WAT NAKPROK
Wanlop dropped my mother and me off at Wat Nakprok. We offered food for the monks for lunch. Afterwards, a bus took us to the Priest Hospital. It is in Bangkok close to the Royal Palace. It is a hospital that tends to ailing monks. We offered 200 bahts and new robes to all the ailing monks (over 200) in the hospital.
We left the hospital at around 4:30 PM. It took almost four hours to return to Wat Nakprok though the distance is not far. Uncle Singto took 2 hours to get here despite being only 10 km away. It’s all due to that infamous Bangkok traffic.
Once there, we waited a bit before food came. It was provided by On. He is the brother of my uncle Ton’s beloved Joon. Jutaporn’s husband Pradit also came. Both are also primary contributors to the Kathina to come at Wat Pa Tum Wua.
We then made an offering of robes and money to the abbot Venerable Settakit and the other monks at Wat Nakprok. There are many places in the temple carved out as 7-headed serpents (“payanak” in Thai).
That evening we slept at temple. Due to a lack of toilet paper, shampoo, and soap, I had to improvise. I snatched a roll of TP that I found. I then took hand cleaner and used it as my soap and shampoo.
It is nice that they have air conditioners. In the large room where the men slept in, the AC’s were set at 25˚C (77˚F). I thought to myself, “Ain’t no way in hell I’m sleeping at that temp!” I adjusted mine to 20˚C (68˚F). After completing a sudoku puzzle, I went to sleep on the hard tiled floor which was uncomfortable. I guess my body got spoiled by my comfy bed. When on my side, I used a pillow to cushion my ribs for some relief.
November 2 – SUPANBURI
I woke up at 5 AM. Knowing we were scheduled leave at 7 AM, I decided to complete another sudoku puzzle to kill more time.
After breakfast, we all took some photos of Wat Nakprok at different locations. Once my mom’s friend Busaba and her husband Suwit arrived, they joined the bus and off we went at 7 AM.
Phra Pairoh is taking us traveling to Supanburi, his home town. Though it was mentioned that over 40 provinces in Thailand was flooded, I didn’t really notice while in Bangkok. However on this bus ride to Supanburi, I saw the clear evidence of the floods. On both sides of the road, there were stretches where you didn’t see the base of trees. They seemed to just shoot straight out of the water. Other places, you only saw leaves but the trunk was completely submerged. Only roofs of some huts remained dry. Supposedly it hasn’t rained this heavy in Thailand in 11 years.
It’s a two-hour bus ride to Supanburi. In the meantime, the microphone was passed to different people to kill time. While someone was singing, I made a crack about her to my mom’s friend Rachanee. Rachanee then volunteered me to sing a couple diddies. I was really out of it so I limited it to just the Eagles’ Tequila Sunrise and Elvis Presley’s Are You Lonesome Tonight? I was going to throw in Michelle by the Beatles but I forgot the lyrics. I just didn’t feel like singing this time. Maybe it’s waking up at 5 AM, the jetlag, or my shoulders and thighs being sore from the hard floor. I don’t know. I guess the monks still thought I was good. I know I could have been better.
Sitting Buddha at Wat Parelai Flooding between Bangkok and Supanburi
First we stopped at Wat Parelai. There is a very large Buddha statue here. It is in a sitting position (like on a chair) and covered in gold.
Next, we went to Wat Mongkol. The large altar is shaped like a boat. The corpse of the former abbot, Luang Paw Sangwan is preserved here.
Phra Pairoh then directed the bus to the home where he grew up before being a monk. Lunch was offered to the monks. We also enjoyed a terrific feast including the best coconut ice cream I ever had. Inside, the monks (about 9) chanted and spread holy water. One of them is Phra Pairoh’s brother and it was his birthday. He passed out monies and other trinkets to the attendees. There were about 60 people present.
When then went to the Buffalo Village. The path to the arena for the buffalo show is adorned with beautifully-pruned flora. In the show, many buffaloes were brought out to show the different varieties. First there was the difference between an African and Asian water buffaloes. Then they showed the different Asian buffaloes – black, white, and pink though what is called white is basically brown. There is also a dwarf buffalo. Traditionally Thais consider buffaloes dumb animals. If you called another Thai a buffalo (kwai), it’s the equivalent of calling him an idiot and dem’s fightin’ words. It’s like in English saying someone was dumb as an ox. However this show demonstrates that buffaloes can be taught to understand human commands. When the narrator told one to lift its left front leg, it did. They did anything he told them to do – lift a leg, lie down, play dead, and even smile! When he said smile, they would lift up their upper lips and reveal those pearly whites to us. The narrator also stated that buffaloes are normally afraid of heights. However, these have been conditioned enough to navigate up and down a flight of stairs of about 8 steps. Lastly, a bunch of bananas were given to us to feed the buffaloes. I tried to feed every different kind I could and had my mom take pictures.
Buffaloes at the Buffalo Village in Supanburi, Thailand
Dwarf trainer and dwarf buffalo.
Feeding bananas to buffalo.
It was a lengthy bus ride back to Bangkok passing through Ayutthaya. We arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 7:30 PM. With the flight departing at 10:20 PM, we had plenty of time.
Jutaporn and her husband Pradit invited me to have dinner with them. I originally refused but my mom told me that she’ll be OK waiting and told me to go.
We ate at an eatery within the airport called Tate Café. I had the worst pork fried rice and chicken wings ever. If you blindfolded me and told me to guess what I was eating, I would NEVER have guessed chicken. Each wing was as small as my pinky. It made me wonder if they killed a quail, pigeon, or even a sparrow. The rice portion was so small; it’s like a rice pilaf side dish you find in the States.
We took off for the northern city of Chiangmai. Once there, that night we stayed at some rich person’s two-story abode. Once again, it was sheets laid out upon a hard floor. While the women clamored to find their sleeping space, Suwit and I found our own space. It was spacey and with our own personal bathroom.
November 3 – CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN…
We were up at around 5:15 AM. We had a breakfast of glutinous rice and fried pork. I then walked around to admire this estate and chewed the fat with some of the men.
At 8 AM, five 10-seater vans arrived. Riding in our van were monks Phra Vuttichai (Woody) and Phra Umporn, and laypeople Sarita, her Vietnamese friend Michelle, Tirada, and her teenage son Ping Pong. I’m glad our van was not packed like sardines. Sarita noticed the stress and wear that shown on my mother’s face. She is a masseuse so gave my mom a massage trying to relax her.
First we dropped off the monks at some temple to take part in its Kathina. After they were done, we then headed for another nearby temple called Wat Pawangsakang. My initial reaction was “What are we doing here?” It turns out my mom’s friend Pimpa is the main sponsor of Kathina here.
First thing I needed to do was use the john. That’s where it’s advantageous to be male. I did #1 and out I came. As for Michelle, she went in and ran out as soon as she went in. I guess the big bad spider scared her off.
As for Kathina here, first was the ceremonial parading around the altar for three loops. Then everyone entered temple where monks preached and chanted. Offerings were made followed by chants of blessing and spreading of holy water. I actually wasn’t inside the temple. I chose to use this opportunity to snap some photos. However, I knew what was going on. I could hear it.
Left to right: Busaba, Suwit, and my mother. Wat Pa Wangsakang
After the ritual was over, the locals were very thankful and appreciative of Pimpa and her contingent which is us folks from LA. Pimpa told us if she ran for mayor right now she’d probably win. Seeing the love they showered her with, I would have to agree.
At 10:45AM, it’s lunch time. We went to a local eatery called Krua Tangmiang. They had a big sign with Thai writing advertising about their “special menu”. It translates to ostrich, crocodile, rabbit, frog, and boar. I thought to myself, “I’ll stick to the not-so-special menu.” And that was what we did.
At noon, we headed out for Mae Hong Son. This is a trek through a mountainous jungle of over 250 km. The road turned left and right and it went up and down and left and right and left again and…well, you get the point. Fresh from the memory of my flight, my mom urged me to take a motion sickness pill. I did and it was good. It made me partially drowsy. After about five hours of swerving and hair pinning, our caravan stopped as one person begged to get out of the car. Yep, she lost her lunch.
Once she got back in, we chugged on. An hour and a half later, with the pill completely wearing off, I began to struggle. I got to the point where I grasped a plastic bag in preparation. I struggled for 30 minutes where I felt the airline moment was going to come when we suddenly stopped.
At 7 PM, we stopped at Wat GongGaw for dinner. I was so thankful to walk out of the van but still felt nauseous. I found a place to sit. Suwit came over to say “how you are doing?” and nudged me on the tummy. I quickly told him something on the lines of “Oh, please don’t do that!” Fortunately I didn’t hurl but I needed to sit still for awhile.
While the others ate away, I stayed away in my own quiet corner, away from the smell of food. I then walked here and there. I thought I wouldn’t eat at all this night. Phra Woody then came over and asked how I was doing. I told him that I felt nauseous. Phra Woody responded that since nothing came out, go ahead and chow down! I took his advice and it was a good one. They were serving what was told to me was a Burmese noodle called Kao Soy. It is flat yellow noodles smothered by a meaty broth. This place is so close to the Burmese border, it is no surprise that this delicacy would be present here. It was my first time having it and I must say I liked it.
After offerings made to the abbot of this temple, we headed for our destination, Wat PaTumWua. We arrived there at 8:30 PM. Unlike the other vans, our van’s left front wheel fell off the narrow bridge that spanned the small brook that runs across the front of the temple. We got out and removed the entire luggage. The drivers got together and finally came up with a plan and managed to get the van up and out.
The men and women stayed in separate lodging. Most of the people on our contingent were women. There were only about 12 men with five of us being the drivers of the vans. The others soon discovered that for a forest temple in the mountains, it had electricity, sitting toilets, and showers. They all commended how excellent their situation was. I already knew from my previous trip to Thailand. However we couldn’t get the hot water to work. Oh well, we had to settle for doing it Paul Newman style. You know…a cold shower!
November 4 – MAE HONG SON
Ordinarily, the diet at Wat PaTumWua is vegan. However the cooking staff was kind enough to fry us some eggs and I was ever so thankful. I also saw a couple armed soldiers at the temple. It reminded me that Thailand is currently under military control.
This is a day for sightseeing. It was pretty cool as usual here in the mornings. At 8:20 AM the monks showed took us to the ox cave. We walked across a wooden bridge that spans a trickling stream and came across a hill. There are stairs leading up this peak to the ox cave. The rails are sculpted into two serpents. We finally came across a level area where at the base of the peak were a statue of Buddha and images depicting various stages of Siddhartha’s life before becoming the Buddha. The monks explained that back then in these jungles were lots of wild oxen. They would come to the ox cave in order to safely give birth to their young. That was because the jungle was also full of tigers. There is also a stalagmite growing here. We could still see the water dripping onto it which created the stalagmite.
We walked along the path which snaked alongside the contours of the peak and came across a smaller area. There is a Buddhist shrine with a handful of Buddha statues. Nearby, venerable Umporn called me to see something. There was a small cave he found. Due to my portly self, I struggled to get inside. Once inside, it was pitch black. The monk said there are wonderful cave formations. When I used the flash from my camera, I was able to get a glimpse of it. I then took a picture. I hope it came out good.
One could see classic cave formations like stalactites and stalagmites. Getting out was tougher than getting in. After contorting myself into an uncomfortable position, I was finally able to exit the cave.
This photo was taken inside a small cave. Ordinarily in here is pitch black. However I managed to get my rotund self in here and used my flash to capture this hidden gem.
We all then moseyed onto a third cave. 24 years ago, a well-renowned monk named Yantra came across this place. He suspected something in this locale so he asked some locals to have the wall of this mountain dug out. It revealed this particular cave. The monks went inside to light the candles present within. There was another Buddha statue and deep inside looked like an open area that could serve as a dwelling. This was where Venerable Yantra practiced meditation for quite some time. Though he is no longer here at this temple, he asked Venerable Saiyud to look after this place; thus, Venerable Saiyud became abbot.
We came back down and waited for lunch. My mom’s friend Toom didn’t come with us originally and wanted to check out the caves so I took her back up there. Good thing that I am still relatively strong enough to keep going up and down and about. It was a decent workout. Some people remained up there to meditate. This place is quite ideal. It is quiet and far, far away from the hustle and bustle of urban life or civilization for that matter.
It is now 1 PM. The weather had gotten pretty hot but thank goodness it lacks the humidity of Bangkok. We boarded our vans as the monks took us sightseeing around the area. First we came to Fish Cave. In the cave is a subterranean river that eventually flows out into a river. There are lots of pluang hin fish that inhabit this particular area. They are fairly big.
The pluang hin fish at the Fish Cave.
Nobody eats these fish. Legend has it that a long time ago a man caught a fish here and brought it back home to feed his wife, kids, and himself. All died.
Another legend has it that before the man catching the fish, a monk once ventured to this area. He explored the cave here and discovered a crystallized skeleton of someone still in a sitting meditation position. Buddhists believe that when an arahanta (one bound for Nirvana) passes away, their bones become a crystalline thing called dhatu. Due to this, the cave is believed to be sacred thus folks believe the man and his family perished because they ate the sacred fish.
Next up we went to what is called Pu Clone. This area is known for their mud. Many believe this mud is absolutely wonder for skin. The women took advantage of this and had their face and/or their body covered by this mud all in hopes of beauty and that sort of thing. The men and I waited as we got ourselves a Coke and just chatted away. Honestly if I knew how long the women would take, I should have went to the nearby driving range. I’m no golfer but at least whacking some balls would be a terrific time killer. Finally the women were done. Most of their faces appeared whiter. One person looked ruddy (yes, I know what this word means now!). The thing is that this is not permanent. I guess it’s like for a few moments they feel all pretty and what not.
At 4 PM we arrived at Wat Phrataddoigongmu. This temple houses a Buddha relic (piece of Buddha’s dhatu). The architectural design is distinctly Burmese which is no surprise since we are quite close to the Burmese border. I know it’s called Myanmar these days but I’m used to saying Burma. Myanmarese isn’t a word is it? Or is it Myanmarian? Whatever. Around the main stupa are Buddha statues for each day of the week placed in indentations in the stupa. One would traditionally sprinkle fragrance and/or affix gold leaf onto the day of the week which one was born. As for me, that would be a Thursday. The stupa is all white and fairly tall; thus, to photograph it I had to stand quite away from it. Nearby was a little marketplace. While others were browsing and shopping, I went to the hillside to see the view of the valley and town below. It’s a nice view and I had Busaba take some photos.
View of valley below from Wat Phrataddoigongmu.
Burmese architecture. Wat Phrataddoigongmu Stupa at Wat Phrataddoigongmu
We returned to the temple at 6 PM. During dinner, a woman in the group traveling with us snuck some barbecued chicken into the temple and asked if any of us wanted any. Chicken never looked so sexy! Hey, I’m a carnivore at a vegan place. Any kind of meat brings joy and happiness.
That evening was the usual evening prayer. During a sermon by Venerable Saiyud, there was a blackout. The Karens (an indigenous people of this region) who inhabit the temple lit torches in the meantime for lighting. The sermon began before the blackout, lasted through the blackout, and continued since the blackout until I blacked out into slumber. Suddenly my mother’s friend Pramrudee (a.k.a. Pat) woke me up and said “Let’s go.” I heard that and back to the men’s quarters I went.
November 5 – KATHINA AND LOI KRATHONG
Today is the day why we came to Thailand this time. Today is Kathina at this temple. Today I finally get to wear the Thai formal shirt custom made for me for just this occasion since January of this year. It is Dodger blue in color which I will wear with my navy blue pants. The other men said I looked like someone important.
Most were dressed in their colorful Thai outfits worn on special occasions and this is most definitely one of them. There were hundreds of people who converged at the temple. There were also many Karens who opened up shops selling various items from clothing to food to useful items like bags. I didn’t see any of the renowned long-necked variety. At the main altar the monks and my mom’s friends were looking for her since she is the primary sponsor. I walked around looking for her. First, the ladies’ quarters but she was not there. I walked here and there and everywhere. Finally, knowing my mother, I went to the Karens vending area and there she was…shopping as usual.
Upper left: dancing children. Upper right: the band. Lower left: two men dressed as a deer. Lower right: boy performing a dance with two swords
Later my Aunt Tim and her husband Uncle Singto arrived with their contingent. I went out and greeted them. I took them to see my mother. Both agreed that my mother’s faced aged much between January of this year till this day. It is obvious how much stress she was under during this time.
After lunch, there was entertainment by nearby schoolchildren. They performed various dances accompanied by a band consisting of Thai musical instruments. Some wore costumes resembling animals like birds and fish. There was a boy who performed a dance with two swords. He was quite impressive.
The ritual then began. Kathina is the offering of new robes to monks. This takes place within a one-month period after the Asian monsoon. This venture turned out to be a tremendous success as the temple took in over one million bahts’ in donations. Our contingent alone accounted for 700,000 bahts. I was very happy for several reasons. I am happy to see this temple getting this money. It can be used for a great many things. It’s great to see how many people came out for this event. I am especially happy for my mother that all her planning and work over these two years were not in vain.
Right after the ritual, I changed out of my blue formal shirt to a traditional northern Thai shirt. I then bade farewell to the contingent because I was leaving them. I took off with Aunt Tim and Uncle Singto’s group.
Left: Me with my tailor-made shirt. Right: Me in my traditional northern Thai shirt.
It is once again the long winding trek through the mountains and jungles between Mae Hong Son and Chiangmai. We stopped a couple of times so that the driver, of all people, could relax and not lose his lunch. Later we stopped at a military-guarded checkpoint. There was a little shop there where we drank some water. A van of this contingent also stopped. One guy said that he looked at the signs and determined that we are moving at around only 5 km per 20 minutes! I thought “Egad! When will we EVER reach Chiangmai?” This trek is over 200 km long.
We stopped at a temple called Wat Namhu located in a region called Pai. It is renowned because of holy water. There is a Buddha statue here called Phra Un Mueang. One day the abbot found that top of the head was removable. Inside was water. The abbot didn’t think much of it figuring that it could have been from ceremonies like Songkran (Thai New Year) where water is traditionally poured onto it. He removed the water and replaced the top. Later (I believe the next day) the monk came back to remove to top and to his surprise it was once again filled with water. It turns out that everyday the head will fill with water. There are no hoses leading into the statue. It is said that to see if water will still appear, the statue was moved to a different location. However the location it was moved to crumbled down. The locals saw this as an omen that the statue had to be placed back to where it originally came from. Since then, the monk everyday would remove the water from the statue’s head and place it in a large urn where it would be filled with tap water. And that is the renowned holy water from this temple.
Me and Phra Un Mueang. It’s the small, orange clad Buddha statue seen here between the men in white and blue.
Because of my ailing aunt, I figured that I will get a bottle for her. Whether or not one wants to believe this water to be holy or not, I took the mindset that it couldn’t hurt and if it actually helps, then wonderful. I boarded back into the car. For those riding in the van, one person was passing out motion sickness pills.
Come nightfall, we arrived in Chiangmai. There we ate at Gang Ron Bahn Suan which translates to Hot Curry Garden House. The food is good. I even tried the fried larva. I was apprehensive at first. Once I took a bite of one, I found it to be crispy and it practically disintegrated upon chewing. It was also lightly salty in flavor. I think it’s a larva of some insect that lives inside of bamboo.
This day also corresponds to a Thai holiday called Loi Krathong. Normally Thai’s would light a candle and float it on a little floating thing on some body of water as means to thank the water goddess. In speaking to my mother via phone, that’s what she and her friends did at the temple that night. We on the other hand lit candles attached to something resembling a white plastic bag or lamp cover. Once sufficiently lit, we would release it and up, up and away it went. In the sky that night were many of these floating candles. Mine at first was stuck in a tree at the restaurant. Fortunately we were able to shake it loose before it burned it.
Lighting a kom loi. Up, up, and away!
That night everywhere you can see fireworks and hear firecrackers being set off. There is also the Miss Nopramat pageant held every Loi Krathong. I caught that on TV in my room at the Chiangmai Garden hotel. The women went shopping. The men played cards. I just chilled and talked to my mom on the phone.
November 6 – TEMPLE FUGIT
At 8 AM, we had breakfast at Garden View restaurant in the hotel. After all were done eating, we took off for a region called Lampang. There we visited Wat Phratartlampangluang. It is a large, old temple housing another Buddha relic. The structure and walls are made of bricks. It is said that it is good luck especially for those born in the oriental zodiac year of the ox to do merit. Hey, that’s me! Inside I prayed and lit incense and candles, sprinkled fragrance, and affixed gold.
Wat Phratardlampangluang – in front of the main entranceway.
There is a dark room housing a Buddha statue with a small slit facing the large stupa here. When you pull a white cloth where the light is shining onto, you will see an image of the stupa itself. There is another small room on top of some large steps where only men are allowed to enter (I am uncertain why). I wondered what it was. It turns to be a representation of Buddha’s footprint. When we pull a white curtain in front of the footprint and close the door, shone upon it is the stupa image but this time upside down.
Uncle Singto, me, and Aunt Tim. Wat Phratartlampangluang.We then took off and headed for a region called Prae. Here we had a fantastic lunch at an eatery called Patama. It was next to what I presume to be a manmade lake. I ate like there was no tomorrow.
In Prae, we went to visit a temple called Wat Phratartchawhae. This temple also houses a Buddha relic. This temple is white and newer looking compared to Wat Phratartlampangluang. I did the same things here as I did at Wat Phratartlampangluang.
Wat Phratartchawhae.
Next we went to the city of Pitsanulok. There is a lot of history here due to the past wars between Burma and Siam. The city also houses a Buddha statue which is a national treasure – the renowned Phra Buddhachinarat. This statue was conceived when the city was founded many hundreds of years ago. I have heard of this Buddha statue but have never seen it. We made it just in time before visiting hours concluded. Upon beholding Phra Buddhachinarat, I found it to be the most beautiful gilded Buddha statue I had ever seen. It is a sitting Buddha about four to five times taller than me. This is the shiniest, brightest gold I had ever seen. It looks brand spanking new but we all know that it is old. I regret however that the pictures taken of it by my camera does not do it any justice whatsoever. You’ll just have to take my word for it if you choose.
Still in Pitsanulok we visited a Chinese shrine called Hengjiu. Legend has it that two very large incense sticks (perhaps baseball bat-sized) were ceremonially lit. Once all was burned off, it left ashes that resembled two dragons. Believing this was a good omen, the Chinese around here erected this shrine. It is full of statues of arahantas and Chinese deities.
After dinner at Bahnmai (circa 8:30 PM), we had a very long road back to Bangkok. At last, Aunt Tim and Uncle Singto dropped me off at Aunt Ting’s at 1:40 AM
Phra Buddhachinarat. I wished the photo could
have come out better.
November 7 – BEING THERE
This day was used to rest up from all the sightseeing I did. I decided to do it at my Aunt Taew and Tik’s place. I took a cab and got there at 1:45 PM. I spent time talking to them since I only get to see them when I am in Thailand and told them of my travels up north and how the family is in Los Angeles. I finally left at 6 PM and returned to Aunt Ting’s place. There I had dinner and just relaxed the rest of the evening.
November 8 – TOURIST BY DAY, ROCK STAR BY NIGHT
Wanlop came over once again to be our driver. I chose to do some sightseeing today. Also accompanying me is the maid, Top. It’s basically whatever I wanted to see.
The first place we came to see is Wat Arun a.k.a. Temple of Dawn. It lies on the banks of the Chao Phraya River which cuts through Bangkok. I had always wanted to come here. It is well known and I had seen it from a distance when I was a kid. That sparked my curiosity of wanting to see it up close. From afar, it is already quite a spectacle. There are four stupas on each side of the main central stupa in the middle. All temples in Thailand have stupas but the architecture of the ones here are unique. The architecture is similar to Angkor Wat in Cambodia so I believe the style is Cambodian (I know it’s called Kampuchea these days but what I am going to say? Kampuchean? Is that even a word?). We got to scale a quarter of the way up. Up close it is very beautiful. It is covered with colored tiles. There are also statues of giants surrounding the main stupa. The four surrounding ones each house a Buddha statue. At first Wanlop was going to stay in the car but the beauty of the stupas drew him to join us. He became the primary photographer. The central stupa was difficult to snap a photo of due to its sheer height. I felt that this day has kicked off to a rousing start. It was also wise of us to come here first because of the number of times we went up and down the stairs there. At least we still had bundles of energy.
View of main stupa at Wat Arun from below. Corner stupa surrounding main stupa at Wat Arun.
Me and Top at Wat Arun.
Wat Arun
Wat ArunNext up was nearby Wat Rakang. This temple is not picturesque as Wat Arun or Wat Phrakaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha). People do not come here for the architecture. They come to pray to Luang Paw To. Luang Paw To was a Buddhist monk who resided here. After his passing, many Thais believed that he was an arahanta. Due to that, he was and still is highly revered. That is why we came to Wat Rakang. Here are statues of Luang Paw To. We prayed, chanted the Chinabanchawn (authored by Luang Paw To), affixed gold leaf and sprinkled fragrances to his statue.
Then we went to Wat Po, the largest and oldest temple in Bangkok. There are colorful stupas here at Wat Po. They also come in various sizes. The main attraction here is the reclining Buddha statue. It is a humungous statue covered in gold and 46 meters long. I had only heard of the statue but to see it in person was like “Wow!” Due to the confined space housing this massive statue, it was difficult to get a good picture. Also present were signs warning us to beware of pickpockets. I guess when one is holding a camera one tends to susceptible to these cads. The feet of the statue is adorned with mother-of-pearl into various Buddhist images. Each gate here at Wat Po is guarded by two giant statues. The giants here look Chinese, much different than the traditional Thai giants at Wat Phrakaew.
Reclining Buddha statue at Wat Po, Bangkok, Thailand. Don’t you love that blue sign (Please be careful of pickpocket)?
Some stupas at Wat Po.
Guardian Giants at Wat Po.
We had lunch at an eatery that is next to the Chao Phraya River. It was called Bai Po (meaning Bodhi leaf). We ordered seafood and it was good. As we ate, we saw ferries pick up tourists and take them up or down the river or to cross it.
Afterwards we went to Wat In (short for Wat Intharavihara). This temple is known for a very large standing Buddha statue. One can clearly see it from afar. To take a picture of it and me, Wanlop stood far away. My head only went up to the statue’s ankles. This statue was the brainchild of Luang Paw To. However Luang Paw To passed away before completion. It was finished after his passing. However there are numerous references to Luang Paw To here. There was also a holy water dispenser here so we each took a sip. We then came home. It was a terrific day of sightseeing. Top also had a fantastic time. Her daughter Wanjan kept calling inquiring where her mom had been.
Left: Me in front of Buddha at Wat In. Right: Me at foot of Buddha at Wat In
That night, we had dinner at a Japanese place called Akiyoshi. It’s a shabu shabu place where I ate with Aunt Ting, her three kids (Paega, Kongpat, and Songfang). Later, Paega’s boyfriend Dr. Adisorn (Dr. Uan) joined us. It was very tasty especially the one cooked in sauce as opposed to the simmering broth.
Afterwards, Kongpat and Songfang went home. The rest of us continued for an evening of my usual Thailand favorite – karaoke! We returned to the Major Bowl. It turns out that as an added feature, the machine will rate your singing maxing out at 100. Because this is Thailand, the number of English language songs is somewhat limited. I went with whatever I recognized and knew (mostly stuff before 1990). Here were the ditties I busted my chops at:
Song Artist
Tequila Sunrise Eagles
Desperado Eagles
Hotel California Eagles
With or Without You U2
Memory Barbra Streisand
Hey Jude Beatles
Yesterday Beatles
House of the Rising Sun Animals
Bridge over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkel
Top of the World Carpenters
Under the Boardwalk Drifters
Uptown Girl Billy Joel
Lady Kenny Rogers
Your Song Elton John
Pretty Woman Roy Orbison
Hello Lionel Richie
Runaway Del Shannon
Dream Lover Bobby Darin
Take Me Home Country Roads John Denver
Take a Look at Me Now Phil Collins
I scored a whopping 97 as my top score on House of the Rising Sun. That intimidated Dr. Uan though in honesty, he needn’t worry. He is a very good singer. We got home pretty late that night.
What a good day this was.
November 9 – PORT AND L’OPERA
Wanlop came over again to drive me around for another day of sightseeing. Since Top went with me yesterday, today the other maid, Pom, was to accompany me. However she wasn’t feeling well so Top went again.
Though the distance was not far, the traffic was bad. It took two hours to drive to our destination which was the longest, largest bridge in all of Thailand. It is located at Samut Prakarn near the port. It features four spires each topped with a gold conical top. From these four supports are yellow cables coming down each side for suspension. People are still waiting for the King to give this bridge a name. There are already bridges called Rama VIII and Rama IX. Due to that, the locals are currently dubbing this the Rama X Bridge. Wanlop explained that back then people from this part of town who needed to get to central Bangkok had to take an indirect route which took a very long time. Now with this bridge, the path is much more direct saving people lots of time. To view this bridge, we parked inside a temple called Wat Lam. Wat Lam had a nice looking stupa so we took pictures of it and the bridge.
The longest bridge in Thailand.
Wanlop told me of a fort only 10 km from here. It didn’t sound too far so I agreed to it. Due to road construction, bottlenecks, and flooding, it took an hour just to move 10 km. Finally we arrived at Phra Chulachomklao Fort. Completed in 1893, it was in preparation to thwart off European colonization. The fort was named after King Rama V (King Chulalongkorn).
At this fort is a ship called the HTMS Mae Klong. It was used by past kings for travels to foreign lands. It also saw military action against invading French battleships along with World War II. Now it is decommissioned allowing visitors to climb aboard and look around. So we did. We checked out the kitchen, living quarters, laundry, cannons, and telescope. Since this is at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, there is a nice cool breeze that made this otherwise hot day so pleasant.
Top: Mae Klong ship. Left: Cannons aboard Mae Klong Right: Yours truly at the helm
Also at the fort are the bunkers leading to the cannons. There are seven cannons here that normally are subterranean but can be raised when needed. We looked at the cannons, walked though the bunker and saw where they would have stored shells and other supplies and artillery.
Who wants some of this?
Lastly at the fort is a large statue of King Rama V. It is pretty large and black atop a white and grey pedestal. Due to time, we decided to have lunch here.
King Rama V
I told Wanlop and Top that in not too long I would return to Los Angeles. The one thing I have not done at all is shop. Specifically I was looking for trinkets I can give to people as a souvenir from Thailand. I also wanted to purchase the Thai movie Bangrajan. Also someone wanted a copy of The Protector in dubbed in English. Wanlop suggested a shopping area called Chatuchak.
Despite clever alternative routes by Wanlop, it still took an hour and a half to get to Chatuchak. This place was a large expanse of shops. However all were closed except those selling plants. Top inquired that found out that all the shops would be open on the weekend and that today was strictly plant day. However all was not a total loss. I did find a shop selling little dolls. Each doll is made from supposed a long string that is wound and wound so many times that it eventually shaped into a doll. I figured they would be great to give to girls so I got me a couple packs. Only as I left did I notice the name of the shop – Voodoo Doli. Hopefully whomever I had given these to don’t have any funny ideas.
Me at Victory Monument in Bangkok
So the girls are covered. I still needed to find stuff for guys plus the two movies. Top said that there were lots of shops at the Victory Monument. Wanlop dropped us off there. We scoured all this shops that encircled the Victory Monument. It honors those who have died in service of the nation. I did get a picture taken with it. I managed to find a bootleg VCD of Bangrajan. The shops around didn’t have anything else. Nearby were also two malls. Top and I tore through both malls to no avail. Since most of the clientele in malls and shops are women, things sold here tend to gear towards them. I evaluated my situation and realized I had one last ace up my sleeve when it comes to guy stuff. It is already 6 PM. Aunt Ting and the family were going to have dinner at a restaurant booked for 7 PM. I decided that it is best to be heading back.
At 7 PM, I just got back to Aunt Ting’s place. Everybody was already at the restaurant. I ran upstairs and did my darnedest to change into suitable attire since this place has a dress code. Also since this day was very hot, I had sweated up a storm sightseeing and shopping. Wanlop rushed me as fast as Bangkok traffic would allow to the restaurant. Finally I was here.
The place is L’Opera, the finest Italian restaurant in all of Thailand. Nobody gets in without a collar, nice shoes, and long pants (not jeans). I finally located my aunt and her kids and Dr. Uan. Present were her sisters-in-law Suchada (visiting from Rancho Cucamonga) and Chai and her friend. Also there were Dr. Yuthapong, his lady friend, and his son Art. Art and I had met only once when we were both a lot younger but we remembered each other. We got to talk quite extensively. In a separate room was Uncle Lek with some people who look like bigwigs.
I needed to pick up my mom at the airport so Songfang took me home. Kongpat stayed to draw people pictures. He’s blossoming as an artist let alone a sketch artist. Painting is his primary hobby.
At 11 PM, Wanlop took me to Suvarnabhumi Airport. Along the way I took several pictures. On this night, my mother and the rest of the contingent return to Bangkok. We took a couple of photos of the airport.
It’s so nice that the airport is only 15 minutes away from Aunt Ting’s place. That night, we began packing for my trip back to Los Angeles.
November 10 – THE JOURNEY HOME
The flight back to Los Angeles leaves at 12:35 PM. However I wanted to visit my friend Todd Nontavarnit. In the morning, my mother and I caught a taxi and went to Todd’s coffee shop, the Brooklyn Bridge Café. Our moms are best friends. Due to heavy traffic, it took like over an hour to get there. Due to the unfortunate time constraint, I was only there for all of ten minutes. I got me a hot chocolate. The place is pretty quaint. He says he’s had it for three months. I hope it’s successful. I wished I could stay longer since it’s not often he and I get to see one another these days.
My friend Todd Nontavarnit and his coffee shop, Brooklyn Bridge Café.
We then had the taxi take us to Aunt Taew an Aunt Tik. I bade them farewell. Like Todd, I wished I could have spent more time with them.
Back at Aunt Ting’s, I had pictures taken with Uncle Lek and the maids. Then it’s time to go. Wanlop dropped us of at Suvarnabhumi Airport. There I purchased a bunch of key chains. I finally got the guy stuff I was looking for. My mother and I also enjoyed a relaxing meal together. She wishes that I could be with her for the rest of her Thailand stay. I did not want to go back yet.
Wanlop took my mother back to Aunt Ting’s. I took off on EVA Air at 12:35 PM en route to Taiwan. In-flight movie was You, Me, and Dupree. Then it was 11 hours to Los Angeles. Due to my terrible experience flying here, I decided not to eat the airplane food. Instead I was armed with can of Pringles. On this leg they showed Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, The Break Up, and Cars. When I landed at LAX, it was 2:05 PM and it was still 11/10/06. For me, this day just seemingly wouldn’t end.
Normally I’m always glad to come back to Los Angeles. This time however I really would have liked to have spent more time there. Just another week would have done it. As you can see, Kathina and jetlag consumed most of my trip. It was still rewarding to be able to see all that I have. However next time I would like a greater balance between sightseeing/traveling and time with family and friends. A shortage of the latter left this trip feeling somewhat unfulfilled.
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