Control your naughty monkey mind

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Chanting in the International Meditation Retreat [photo monkchat.net]

The Mahachulalongkornrajvidalaya Buddhist University of Chiang Mai offers free (*donations suggested) meditation retreats Tuesday-Wednesday overnight. We attended, assessment: professional, somewhat informational, however creepily cult-ish.

The brand-spanking-new Meditation Center, located in the middle of nowhere a half-hour from town, is what I would imagine a Scientology conversion compound to be like. A tall white fence around the perfectly manicured lawn cloisters a squeaky clean assembly hall, dormitory, dining hall, and watch tower (why? why is there a prison-style watch tower?). The landscaping and architecture is too modern and too sterile, leaving the atmosphere of an insane asylum which, when coupled with forty foreigners uncomfortably wearing sexless matching white pajamas with enforced silence, freaked me and many others right out.

Lessons were hit or miss. Before going to the Buddhist-meditation-crazy-person-spaceship, a very intelligent Cambodian monk lectured on the fundamentals of Buddhist philosophy for almost two hours. His interesting and informative discussion of morality, social code, and Siddhartha's life were a highlight of the experience. From the University campus, the forty bewildered Caucasian monkeys were squeezed into four vans and blasted off to another universe.

The five monks with one master gave lessons on the general drift of Buddhism, but I found the analogies and anecdotes un-fulfilling and generic. The way in which the master monk approached his teachings felt more like a missionary attempting to convert his tender flock of foreigners than an educative session on the techniques of proper meditation. That being said, we were introduced to sitting, standing, walking, and laying meditation. Walking meditation was conducted like a slow called dance with exaggeratedly long pronunciation of directions over loudspeaker, "Staaaaaaaaaanding. Staaaaaaaaaanding. Staaaaaaaaaanding. Intending to walk. Left foot gooooooooooooooo, stop. Right foot gooooooooooooooo, stop..."

Practicing walking meditation in creepy white robes.

The master compared the goal of meditation to controlling a wild monkey, "Your mind jumps here and there, thinking about the past and future, just like a naughty monkey going from tree to tree."

If you are interested in experiencing this for yourself, the course is offered each Tuesday-Wednesday from Wat Soun Dok in Chiang Mai. The food is not half bad. More information on the Meditation Retreat Workshop page of monkchat.net

Northwest Thailand Mae Sariang and onwards

Interactive Google Map

Mae Sariang - Mae Hong Son - Ban Rak Thai (Tea Village) - Ban Namrin - Manora (Karen Village) - Pai - Chiang Mai. Details and photos to come later.

Some may say this might be your last farewell ride

Minsk Motorcycle, "The Ox"

As our time wraps up in Thailand, we are taking one last farewell ride on the Ox. The road is going to take us straight north through the mountains to the northern tip of the country, Mae Hong Son followed by a 100 degree turn to the East and back down to Chiang Mai before returning to Mae Sot 2 weeks later.

I spent an inglorious few hours neck deep in bureaucracy trying to figure out what becomes of the Minsk when we fly away June 19th. Eventually, the people in grey conceded and told me the truth, "Just leave, its not a problem. If they press you for answers, tell immigration you plan on returning." In May when I left Bangkok for Indonesia there were no questions about the bike, so I am willing to believe that when I leave again there will be no problems. The only question that remains is "Who gets the Ox when we go?"

Chiang Mai Postcards

Postcards from Chiang Mai

Chiangmai, Thailand

Chiangmai far exeeded my expectations, it is an amazing city. The most striking characteristic is a moat and wall circumnavigating downtown, 1.3km to a side, containing a walkable, vibrant community that values coffee shops, rasta bars, live music, and cobblestone streets. Before coming, a friend dismissed Chiangmai as a European city in Thailand, which holds merit. The streets are littered with expats who are traveling through or have made a home here. Personally, I am happy to be around engaging, interesting Europeans as well as Thai, and am not turned off by the quanitity of white folk.
In many ways, Chiangmai takes Bangkok's positive aspects and squeezes them down into a managable space. Chiangmai has an extensive night market, the best sunday market I have experienced, and terrific nightlife. There is a large variety of venues including an Irish bar, sports bars, reggae joints, holes-in-the-wall, and fancy businessmen clubs. Afterhours, Club Spicy and the Caravan Bar (a caravan in a parkinglot) keep the parties going until sunrise.
During the daytime, a dramatic horizon line of mountains is a background for a skyline of four to five story buildings and numerous golden steeples. Trekking, tubing, and elephant riding in the country side supports a healthy eco-tourism industry.
My initial reaction was "Wow, I am quitting my job in Mae Sot tomorrow and moving here." After considering this romantic option, I decided to not burn bridges with committments that I have formed in Mae Sot, but rather make the best of living on the border while there, and try to line something up for Chiangmai for some future time.