A Day Shane Would Love

“Wake up at 6, we go to temple tomorrow!” Awesome, I’m going to a Buddhist temple with my Thai family! Damn, waking up at 6 am on a Saturday, after hiking a mountain. It was definitely worth it. I groggily shower and change into respectable, yet cool, clothing. (In Thailand, the lightest, coolest clothing available is always best.) “We’re leaving at 7” which of course means be ready by 6:30, because we tend to leave ½ - 1 hour before the time they tell me we’re leaving. I’m not really sure where the mix up comes in, but it happens every time.

Anyways, the wat is just down the road. We walk in and immediately I’m getting stared at. Can you blame them? It’s not often a white American girl comes into a small temple in the countryside outside of Chiang Mai. We sit in front of the Buddha statue holding a small candle, flowers, and an incense stick. We wai, dip three times, and place our candles in with the rest of the row along the floor. The incense go into a jar of sand so they can continue burning. The two dozen incense already in there made the wat smell absolutely wonderful. We also place flowers, incense, and candles all bound together with string onto a triangular dish. Three are places, one towards each point. An additional bundle is placed on another plate. I forgot to mention that each of these were accompanied with a sprinkle of broken up popcorn. Then we go outside (or maybe this happened before the incense, I don’t remember) and give gifts to the monks. They aren’t actually there, but tables and plates are set up. I pour a little water into three containers, and place food and toiletries onto the plates. We take our seats in the back where there is space and wait. It sounds just like any other service might before it starts, quiet chatter going around, especially between all the women.

Females are not permitted inside this. In Lampuhn

A monk walks out and seats himself on a raised platform along the wall. This is done because commoners are supposed to be physically lower than monks and Buddha statues at all times and if the monk sits on the floor, there’s not much left but to lay down. So they sit on platforms. A man picks up a microphone and starts a chant in Bali. Everyone, myself included, is in a constant wai. Three more monks walk out and sit down along the wall with the first. During specific parts of the chant, and I don’t know which parts because I don’t know Bali, we place our palms and heads on the floor (or as close as one can get, depending on physical ability).

During one part everyone files out and places rice into bowls for the monks. I think there must have been two more monks hiding out somewhere because there were six bowls out. Anyways, we walk back in and sit down, and the chanting resumes. We pour water into little bowls in front of us and hold them up at face level. Then everyone gets up, walks outside, and leaves. I had no idea it was even over until someone poured out their water, hopped on their motorcycle, and sped out.

Fern on her second try with the wishing elephant

Later on that day we head to Lampuhn, the province below us. We visited many different wats, and some of them had multiple temples. They’re gorgeous, awe-inspiring structures. The builders take the time for every little detail, so the wats shimmer and shine with all the different glass. Mosaics, painting, or detailed woodwork line every inch of the wats. Outside of one there is a giant gong which you’re supposed to hit three times, so I do. In another there’s a small metal elephant statue with a ring on it. You make a wish and lift up the statue. The ring is only big enough for one finger and the statue is really heavy. I think the higher you lift it, the better sign it is that your wish will come true, but don’t quote me on that. It’s just a guess from Fern having to do it twice when the first attempt didn’t go over so well.

Also, Thai’s put a lot of stock into when you were born. The month, day of the week, date, and time of day are all important. I believe there are seven differently oriented Buddha statues for each day of the week, but again I’m working in some pretty constrained language barriers… so don’t quote me on that. Mondays is a standing Buddha with the right palm facing outwards, as if waving in Thai fashion (yes, the Thai’s do wave differently. Yet it’s not that different at all, just more structured. Picture someone with palm facing you, and the arm at a 90 degree angle from that. Then they rotate the hand back and forth as if on an axis).

A very ornate wat, in Lampuhn

We finished off the afternoon with some lunch and a trip to the market. My host mom graciously bought me a bracelet that I seemed to look at for just a second longer than everything else. I’ve noticed she’s incredibly attentive to me. If I yawn or rub my eyes a combined total of two or more times, I’m sent to bed. She feeds me often, asks if I’m thirsty, and always tries to keep the fan pointed more towards me. She also doesn’t speak any English, so body language is key.

So is charades… which I got to play with her today. Some Thai’s don’t wash their bras, socks, and underwear together with their clothes, and some won’t allow them in the washing machine at all (which is outside and we fill with a hose for the wash and rinse cycles. On the plus side, it’s hard to forget about your laundry when you’re forced to me so attentive! My dad would appreciate that, as I always forget my laundry until he reminds me of it). I wanted to do my laundry, so I grabbed a sock, a pair on underwear, and a shirt. I mimed putting the shirt in the washer, then held up the sock and underwear and mimed putting them in with the shirt, and washing them by hand. She pointed to the washing machine (yay, because that’s so much easier and less time consuming). Even without a common language, we can still communicate (sometimes) and I always know she cares.