After the Meo Hilltribe and Coffee House that puts Starbucks to shame, we went to another Temple. This temple has a name with about 14 different words, Sompop tried to explain it to me, but it just went over my head. This temple is a huge gold, bell looking building. Buddhists walk around the base of the temple 3 times during prayer. Everything is done in 3, one for the Buddha, one for his scripture and one for the monks. There were a few young monks taking in the view and it is polite to ask permission before hand to take their photo. Sompop asked for me and they agreed.
The bells outside are to be rung if you wish, also each time w/ a prayer. Each bell also has a different tone.
I feel I need to explain my ugly pink shirt. I had to throw away clothes as I travel bc I am hard on my clothes and needed t-shirts. When I went to the night market in Chiang Mai, I looked for shirts. Most shirts are Asian-size, not Holly-size or American size for that matter. Little people here. So the only shirts I could find were these ugly pink and white and a blue one just like it. I have since thrown those out too bc they are too loud and feel I draw attention. Plus, the dye already left it's mark on my skin, bra and hands......
In order to make a donation to the temple, you can buy a brass bell and write your name on the little dangle and hang it from the overhang. Of course I did this.
The row of golden Buddhas show different poses that correspond to days of the week. There are more than 7 bc I guess there are 2 poses for Monday. I don't know why. Anyway, Sompop asked me what day I was born in order to figure out which pose was assciated w/ my birthday. I didn't know the day so we looked it up in some ancient sanskrit book and I was born on Tuesday. The pose that is associated with Tuesday is the reclined/sleepy pose. I thought this was funny bc I do sleep alot and have always required more sleep than most bears.
Another activity besides ringing the bells and hanging the brass bell chime, I shook a canister full of bamboo sticks. They are the size and shape of chopsticks, you kneel before Buddha and pray and shake this open-ended canister. The sticks are numbered and they correlate w/ your fortune. So you shake until one stick falls out, look at that number and go to the cubby to get your fortune. Number 3 fell out, my fortune said, "Listen to your elders. Wait for your lover." Okey-dokey.
One thing I cannot conform to is removing my shoes in public restrooms, "toilets". (Americans are the only ones so far who call it restrooms, the rest of the world refers to it as TOILET) Temples and public parks want you to remove your shoes, not at airports or hotels...but I just can't do it. The sanitary conditions here are questionable as it is, I am not going to be barefoot in wet toilets. Speaking of, boys can pee standing up. Girls can't. That would be soooooo beneficial here. And many times you have to buy toilet paper outside the restroom....
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