We drove the 15 KM up the windy mountain road in a car with little-to-no suspension. Each time we came around a curve the wheels would push up against the car to make the most un-settling screeeech Id ever heard. We stopped at about 5 KM up to pick up a monk who was hitchhiking barefoot to the top of the mountain, most defiantly headed to the same location as us Doi Suthep temple. Gavin climbed into the back with us girls to offer the front seat to the man who’s skin was drawn with deep wrinkles and who’s body was heavily draped in orange. Dario turned the key and the car lurched forward traumatized even more by the added weight. I was certain the engine was going to give up and we would go hurtling backwards off the side of the mountain. However, we did have a monk in with us, so if we did go flying, it would just be some cruel joke by the universe. When we arrived, I let out a sight of relief, the next climb was to be done by foot, independent of sketchy mechanics.
We made our way through vendors and tourist hungry merchants before climbing up 100s of stairs to finally reach the temple. I cannot describe this place because I could never give it justice. It is just a mass of beautifully architectured gold, mosaic mirrors, status and bells, surrounded by all sorts of greenery, set on top of the world, which you can see miniaturized below. We rang the entrance bell to let our Buddhas know we had arrived, and did the ceremonial prayer (as best we knew how). I lit my candles and placed them with the rest. I held my incense and flowers as I knelled down in between Nora and Gavin, closed my eyes and began to pray.
As I knelled before the larger-than-life golden Buddha I completely lost awareness of time or place. The only thing that I was conscience of was my heart begging for illness to leave my family and the only think I could feel was an endless stream of tears running down my face. I don’t know how long stayed but when I opened my eyes Nora and Gavin were both gone and all the surrounding sounds and light rushed in. I turned to see them both standing behind me patiently waiting. Nora gave me her warmest loving smile and Gavin gave me his shirt to wipe up my tears and misplaced make-up.
We then performed another Buddhist ritual in which you take a long wooden cup that holds about 25 wooden sticks. You hold it on an angle in which the sticks threaten to fall out and shake. Eventually one falls out and you pick it up, to find a hand-written number. Mine read #13 so I rushed over to take the piece of paper nicely stacked in the thirteenth slot and read it. There were three lines. The most important saying this…. “Asking about illness, It’s already recovered from illness” Its silly that a piece of paper could give me piece of mind, but for the few moments after reading it I felt an enormous sense of relief. I have now found a Buddha that I like to pray to more. Right off the main road in Phrao up into the hills there is a long set of about 200 stairs with two dragons slithering down the sides as railings. At the top there is no fancy temple, no tourists, no one at all just a young golden Buddha set in the middle of some old broken down stones. And I can sit for a minute a pray for you dad, well, I guess its more selfishly for me so I can keep you and be with you in my mind, even if I’m a million miles away. Even when I can’t get up all those stairs I say a little prayer when we pass in the car on the way to wherever.
After Nora arrived we spent a week in Bangkok and Rayong filling our tummies with Thai treats and being spoiled by hot showers. It went by quickly and soon it was time to go back up North. We exited the Chaing Mai airport at 10pm to see our token Italian amico standing in tight black jacket, white scarf, and pointy white leather alligator shoes. He was on his phone clearly trying to convey a thought in a mix of broken Thai and heavily accented English. Gavin has found a good friend in Dario, in which he can blabber on in Italian for hours with. Dario who once owned the company Kappa is now here in Thailand creating for himself a completely new life. At the age of six, due to his family’s wealth, he had been the target of an attempted kidnapping, after which he grew up surrounded by 6 body guards. He inherited the company when after his father passed away, and originally came to Thailand to work on Kappa’s Asian market. However, when he decided to stay and live a simpler life here, his family cut him off from his money and the company. Now, on his new quest for happiness he has found Buddhism in which he is thoroughly devoted. His attitude is completely down-to-earth, you would never have guessed his background until he randomly spurts out traces from his old life such as “Back when I used to party with Guy Richie” or “I called the president of Ferrari to ask him about my new clothes line”.
My days here have been so full of love and madness that it has be almost impossible to find a minute to write. But finally a minute has found me. I am lying here in our little hut half naked completely drenched in sweat with the fan blowing nothing but hot air on me. It couldn’t be hotter. Our water pump still doesn’t work so we have been using a cleaned out garbage can filled with water and a giant ladle as a shower and as our only cooling device. We have been stressed because our visa is quickly running out and we need to leave the country by March 9th to have it renewed…debating driving to Burma or Laos but if you re-enter into Thailand by land you only get 15 more days, as opposed to 30 days if you fly in. So we finally settled on flying in and out of Malaysia…and now I have some time to add a couple posts
Last week we started after-school soccer with the kids, this has now turned into after-school soccer, badminton, volleyball, and double dutch. When the kids hear our motorcycle pull up the drive they run up and grab hold of whatever new toy we found at the local market before the engine stops. The kids are so tough half of them run around in flip flops or barefoot. Which is impressive because the field is full of, in place of grass, sharp weeds and rough terrain. We seriously need to find a lawn mower in this town. Gavin runs drills with them and teaches them new techniques while I have to work to keep up with the lot. I go back and forth from playing soccer to double dutch while he runs around with them until the sun sets and we all have to go in, covered in mud, for dinner. After the first day of playing, two neighborhood kids showed up to join in. Now there seems to be a new player showing up each day.They all ran around calling us Farang for a while but they are finally starting to get our names. Last night Gavin surprised all the older boys with soccer jerseys from ManU, Chelsea, and Barcelona. Since there was no sizes small enough for the little kids we made them little bags full of candy and stickers…
18 cheeky kids, 3 staff members, Gav, and I piled into the back of two pick up trucks. We went drove and met the rest of the warm heart staff and their families this little outdoor restaurant. The restaurant serves 5 things, sticky rice, salted fish, bbq pork, water, and beer. I talked with the grown ups a while before realizing I would rather be running around with the little ones. So I drank with the adults and ran around in circles with the kids, which left me quite dizzy. All 40 of us ate and sipped chang beer with ice (Thai style) and when we thought our bellies could take no more we packed the trucks full of kids and drove to 7/11 for ice cream.
I spent the morning at a community conference about AIDS prevention. The meeting was run by a monk at a temple down the road from my office. I then went to meet with the local rescue squad….at another temple (of course). The team consisted of eight men, each with his own rough demeanor, tattered clothes, patches, and scares. I talked with them for a while with Nian translating, as they poked their head out of their wait room to puff on cigarettes. There squad house was a 10ft by 10ft room with 6 beds stacked to the ceiling and thick clammy air. Contrary to their rather intimidating presence they were welcoming in their own akward way. After snooping through their ambulance supplies and drilling them on their EMS system I eventually asked the big question. Would they be willing to volunteer their time and come up the mountains with me to train the tribes people in Emergency care?…they said YES!… however first I need to send a letter to their boss (welcome to Thailand bureaucracy).
…the best part is They have a four wheeler that will actually get us up the mountain in one piece…
I guess I found my team for the next month!
