Eye in the Sky: morning alms ritual

Showing posts with label morning alms ritual. Show all posts

Monday, July 16, 2012

Moon River Sunrise & the Morning Alms Ritual - Ubon Ratchathani Tales

The night before leaving Ubon Ratchathani had been a relaxing one. In fact, I was able to watch television before bedtime. I tuned into a music channel called Sabaidee TV which featured an atrocious line-up of old school Thai ballads. For a while there, I thought I was stuck in 70's melodrama where music videos had familiar, albeit recurring story lines: a couple is usually seen flirting and smiling, then sometime in mid-video, they fight, they grieve, then make up. It's a pretty consistent narrative thread. And oh yes, these had really gorgeous people. Thais are indeed some of the world's most beautiful, and they know how to show them off in movies, music videos, TV shows.

FRIENDLY THAI

In the morning, I woke up as early as 5:30 AM because I wanted to catch the sunrise over the Moon River. I swiftly hopped into the riverside and waited for the sun to gradually raise its head on the horizon. This took forever. I noticed a girl doing her morning run, carrying her iPad with her. She smiled and I greeted her with a "hello". I should have said "Sawasdee". She stopped and we talked. "Our sunrise is beautiful, isn't it? " I couldn't agree more with her, but she added, "A few weeks ago, this promenade was submerged under water. This place was waist deep!" That really surprised me. Her name's Pak, a sales rep for medicine. We exchanged emails. She even invited me to visit more temples - as my guide! It was very inviting, but I had a plane to catch in a couple of hours. But true to the warmth of most Thais, Pak is a glittering example of Asian hospitality. She took my photos through her gadget, and I took hers with my camera - then we said goodbye. Thank you, Pak. Kapkun (khob khun) krap.

MORNING ALMS RITUAL

Meanwhile, I noticed the monks from the nearby temples begin their morning alms ritual. There are 3 or 4 temples near the riverside promenade so the ritual was easy to catch. As customary, I followed one set of monks around to observe the ritual. Nothing much is different from their Lao counterpart, except that the Lao people actually kneel by the roadside when giving their "gifts": bread, rice, food, fruits, noodles, candies, even flowers. This set was a considerable number too. I tailed them until I felt I had enough photos. On my way back to my hotel, another set of monks was making their way back to their temple. They were carrying huge bags of goodies. Wow, I was amazed! All that in a few hour's "work". In fact, they even had an assistant to help them carry their stash. These monks will take these gifts back to their temple and share their "harvest" with the rest of monkhood.

Back at the restaurant, I found a seat close to the entrance, directly facing the road outside. I called the waitress who informed me that since I had a twin room, I could order a meal for two people. Though not particularly hungry, I wouldn't miss the chance of finding out what constituted breakfast at Sri Isan Hotel. I ordered one American Breakfast - egg, ham, sausage, bread with jam - and another Asian Set - which turned out to be a chicken soup with rice, not dissimilar to arroz caldo, although this was really "sabaw" than porridge.

After breakfast, I hastily checked out. I prefer getting to the airport early. This has advantages because it allows me to check out the airport facilities, plus it avoids unnecessary rush to check in. Everything gets leisurely. Besides, I love observing people. I asked the front desk to call me a taxi with meter.

The ride to the airport took a ridiculously swift 15 minutes. The meter marked 42 baht; I gave 60 baht for gratuities. I was smug because the fixed rate from the airport to my first hotel (Krungtong Hotel) was 100 baht. Sri Isan was farther by 2-3 blocks and I only had to pay 42 baht for that? Isn't it cool? I am easily pleased, you see. :)

Ubon Ratchathani Airport is small. It used to station U.S. forces, but has since been made the base of the Royal Thai Air force. it has also been turned into a commercial airport. Upon my arrival, I noticed that there were very few operational counters, but then the airport has limited services. One counter services Bangkok, the other was Chiangmai. They also didn't have web check-in services. Gate 3 services Air Asia flights.

After checking out the limited shops at the airport, I proceeded to the pre-departure area. On public television, they were showing the Korean hit, "Boys Over Flowers". I chose a seat and relaxed. My flight leaves at 9:30 AM. This will take an hour and ten minutes to sandbag city.

Bangkok, here I come - again!

This is the Eye in the Sky!

My new friend Pak who was jogging with her iPad.

Morning alms ceremony in Ubon Ratchathani.

Each one gets something in their bowl.

When everyone's been given, someone is assigned to lead a "blessing" ritual, which is kinda like a chant or a prayer.

Another set of monks were coming home with a huge stash. The early bird catches the worm, indeed.

But they aren't done yet.

They even had an assistant help them carry their stash with them.

Two sets of breakfast at Sri Isan Hotel.

Beautifully prepared, but a bit on the bland side.

A candle wax display at the hotel lobby.

My taxi ride to the airport.

Check in at Ubon Ratchathani Airport.

Pre-departure area.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Exploring Don Khong - North of the Bridge

Last night, I had an epiphany. Why it would come at a dour moment when I was testing the mosquito net in my room was dissociative. Or maybe nets trap thoughts the way pinholes in eye exams give clarity to vision. My mind just wanders. For this trip, I have been roving around quite a bit, moving into new towns almost on a daily basis. If I stayed two nights, I hardly saw my room. Being idle is a curse when you’re plying the roads in solitary splendor. I knew I had to somehow kick back and stay put, smell the roses so to speak.

Thus comes the dilemma of what to do on my second day in Don Khong. I had the option to see Don Det and Don Khone then head back to Muang Khong for the night before taking my ride back to Pakse on the day that followed. To be honest, this option had been crossing my mind for a couple of days now. I wanted a day not quite dictated by my guide books and printed manuscripts. After all, there were plenty of things to discover outside a written document. I could not completely abandon my itinerary but this day had to be ruminative and new; an experience that goes beyond my planned itinerary.

I waited for dawn until the sun peeped its golden head rendering royal luminescence across the Mekong. Like most days, it was a sight to behold; an affirmation that life renews vigor and affirms the beauty of a place we call Earth. It was also nearly time to indulge in my new pastime - stalking the monks during their morning alms collection. Not quite 6, but there was already adequate sunlight to truly appreciate Wat Phuang Kaew which I dimly saw last night. I saw monks getting out of the nearby temple and prepared myself for the daily spectacle which has fascinated me ever since. Like what transpired in Champasak, the locals would spread small mats in front of their dwellings. They'd sit on them as their legs endure the weight of their body. When the monks see them, they'd give away food stuff and gifts at each of the monk's alms bowl, then the train of holy men would queue up and chant some prayers for the faithful. The locals meanwhile bow down their heads. Quaint scenery really.

I managed to follow two sets, but after a while, it was time to head north. By this time, the sun had bathed bright orange hues across wooden domiciles; the fields nearby kissed by the golden rays as though the heavens have waxed poetic. Don Khong in early daylight seems more alive than Champasak. From the row of guest houses fronting the river, I walked further. feeling fancy free than ever before. In fact, it was one of the few times I was gallivanting on shorts instead of jeans and a few kip in my small pocket.

Upon reaching the village of Ban Xieng Wang, I noticed the stark power of the sun over-illuminating the very green foliage around me. A bamboo grove lead to a clearing by the riverside and an old woman was carrying a pail full of whathaveyou's. The number of houses have dwindled. There was a wooden bridge I had to cross. Finally, I arrived at the temple grounds of Wat Jom Thong, the oldest temple in the island, famed for its cruciform floor plan. This was built sometime in the 1930s. It was deserted, and if it invoked the spirits of the past, its history lent a lot of character on nagas guarding doorways, sculpted wooden arches and a parade of varied sized Buddhas. I've decided to feature Wat Jom Thong and Wat Phuang Kaew on a separate post to give them the spotlight that befit them.

That early morning, I'd gone ambitious and decided to look for Phu Khian Cave (Tham Phu Khian) - the Green Mountains Cave. There's an elaborate description of direction in LP but this somehow concluded with "get a guide". That doesn't help much. After asking a few people about the "tham", someone eventually advised me against it. It's "very far", "dangerous", etc. As I am not exactly a spelunker, after several tries to head into nowhere, I gave up. But this lead me to an inward road, bigger than the pathways along the river. It was a highway without much transportation in a landscape sprinkled by farm lands and shanties. I must have walked for 5 kilometers heading north when I realized the scenery looked identical. Was I headed to the village where a postman grew up and moved on to become a President of the country? Nah, that was too far to walk. So I headed back.

Along the way, I saw children - some still drowsy, others brimming with wide infectious smiles. It felt good to be alive and privileged enough to witness these simple, albeit glorious slices of humanity.

I walked back from the highway to the riverside road. I noticed a beautifully assembled building. A new guesthouse perhaps? I headed to Souksarn Restaurant for breakfast, but decided to have one at Pon's River Restaurant. Its signage outside still amused me: "Pon's Liver". I ordered Sweet and Sour Pork with rice at a pricier 35,000 kip and 10,000 kip for rice.

An elderly monk starts his day collecting alms.

After my meal, I tried the Tourist Information Center near the bridge for some maps of the island but for the second day since my arrival, its doors were still shut. I once again headed to Wat Phuang Kaew. Though I didn't need more kip, I decided to change a few dollars to local currency at the Agricultural Promotion Bank near the temple. It had very few customers, one of them was carrying 5 thick wads of paper bills. Hmmm. Who would need that much money in Don Khong? Was she a guest house owner? How else does a Lao earn that much in stuporous Khong Island? I was of course immersed in playful reverie since it took the bank clerks forever to finally entertain me despite paucity of customers. I also noticed how belabored their method was. They inspect every bill and painstakingly record every serial number on a ledger. And if I were to exchange $100 bill to local tender, this would take forever. And it did. Elsewhere in Laos, it wasn't this tedious and painstakingly slow. They were always fast no-frills transaction in Money Changers. This was a bank, yet they seemed ill prepared for such transactions. Weird. Sad thing is, this could be the only place for money changes thus there were no other options.

I walked back to my room and blasted the AC to maximum cool. Unlike most days when the sun was up and I'd be painting the town "blue", I decided to take my slumber. I wasn't going to tell the day that I've turned it into a night. And I surreptitiously slid under my pillow and slept the morning through like I've never slept before.

This is the Eye in the Sky!