Yesterday was filled with Thai culture. I woke up fully intending to do laundry but at the last minute decided to travel up the mountain to the temple at the top of Doi Suthep. "Doi" means mountain in Thai. At the top of this particular mountain there is a Buddhist temple that is frequented by monks and loyal Buddhists trying to earn merit. The trip up the mountain was pretty uneventful although Kalena and I did get to enjoy the trip from the "trunk" of the Land Rover with the seats that face sideways and where the air con does not reach. Needless to say we were not feeling very good by the time we reaching the top of Doi Suthep. Once at the top we had to walk a little ways to get to the base of the temple stairs. While climbing the stairs I noticed several young Thai women hiking up the stairs in very high and uncomfortable looking shoes. Once at the top we paid the foreigner entrance fee and started to look around. We were reminded to keep our heads below the monks and images of Buddha, to take off our shoes before entering the temple, and to not have any public display of affection while in the temple. As we walked through Joel explained a little bit about Buddhism to me and I just felt sadness for the people crowding around the monk hoping to receive merit to weigh against their sins. I was also burdened for the little boy monks who were there to earn merit for their mothers (who cannot really make enough merit for themselves), to receive an education, to be fed, or a combination of all of the above. They are part of the reason we are here, to help those boys be able to receive an education in a much better place. We walked around the temple for awhile and then hiked back down. Kalena and I braved the ride down the mountain again in the way back of the car. We noticed many of the young monks walking down the mountain barefoot in the hot hot sun. Our vehicle seemed to get overheated because the breaks ceased to work very well towards the bottom. We did make it safely and even got dropped off at the grocery store for lunch (while Joel took the car to be fixed).
That night my co-teacher Daniel and his wife Noelle invited all of us teachers to go to Khum Kantoke for a traditional Northern Thai dinner and show. The location was gorgeous and we had a great time. We sat on the floor at low tables, but there was a pit under the table that you put your legs down in. They brought us delicious mixed vegetables, beef curry, fried chicken, pork skins, spicy sauce, fried bananas, and some other unidentifiable but delicious things. The show included Thai singing, dancing, and instruments. It was entertaining and a good experience. At the end they even convinced two of my co-teachers and one of our volunteers to join them in dancing. After dinner we all gathered outside to watch them light these lantern type things (kind of like small hot air balloons) that they released into the sky. The whole evening was very enjoyable and a nice glimpse at Thai culture.
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