Pagoda And the Monk

She woke to the sound of her alarm.  Confused, she hit the snooze button. Where am I? She thought.  Then it hit her.. she was in Thailand and she'd set the alarm early to go to the pagoda.  She grumbled to herself and rolled off her hard wooden bed.  She was hoping the early start meant a better attitude for the day.  She turned off the alarm and walked into her bedroom careful not to wake her room mate.  They were sleeping in the living room where it was cooler and she didn't want to cause a ruckus being up so early.


She got dressed and put on sweat pants and a flannel shirt over her t-shirt.  At 6am the air was still fairly cool and the ever pervading humidity would mean damp air cold air on thirty minutes motorbike ride down to the village where the pagoda was located.  She walked into the kitchen, took a swig of apple juice and thought Its going to be a good day.  This is going to be great. She grabbed her bag, found her keys (which took a little longer than expected), walked quietly through the living room and hopped on her motor bike that she had affectionately named Hank. She revved the engine... it sputtered and died. Great. Damn bike. She revved it again... and a third time and then the motor whined and turned over.  She popped it into first gear and headed out the "driveway".  The drive was a mix of mud and crush porcelain pieces which were there to keep the bikes from getting stuck.


She hit the first road and kicked it into second and then third gear.  She stayed slow through town and smiled at the early risers who were setting up at the local market.  Even riding that slow the air was crisp and she was grateful she had thought to dress warmly.  She took a left, got on the main highway and kicked into top gear.  Her motorbike didn't have speedometer and even if it did she didn't know which signs denoted a speed limit anyway.  Within a few seconds she was driving steadily south with the cool air in her face and the small town of Phrao behind her.  As she drove in the valley she passed rice fields that just seemed to glow they were so green.  The low lying valley was surrounded by mountains and those mountains were shrouded with clouds and fog.  Being here sure has its perks she thought.

The first mountain she needed to get over lay in front of her and as Hank and her began to climb it she went into a misty fog that was so dense it was almost raining.  She crested the mountain and came down the other side zooming out of the fog into the next low lying valley.  The sun was rising over the mountains and the reflection on the still water of the unplanted rice patties was perfection.  She smiled to herself and kept driving.  20 minutes later she passed the white gate dedicated to some famous monk (a story for another day) and slowed, a kilometer down the road she pull over into a grassy yard. 

The pagoda steps came from out of nowhere and swept down the side of the mountain.  The blue dragons which graced the massive railings swooped down and easily chased away the evil spirits from the place.  The staircase and the pagoda itself were ancient but the dragons and the steps had been newly renovated in past years.  The blues, red and yellows were brilliant in the morning sun.  She breathed.  Took a few pictures and started her ascent. 1, 2, 3, 4....  she counted.  She had a small bet that there were over 150 steps. She stopped halfway up and took a breather, the valley lay below her and it seemed so still.  She continued up.. 265, 266, 267. 267 steps!  At the top centered between the dragon railings was the pagoda as old as this place could remember.  A golden Buddha at its center smile peacefully down at her.  To the right there was housing of sorts for the monks who lived there and other buildings surrounded the pagoda-  like some sort of protection from the outside world.

The place was silent and it seemed all the monks had left for morning alms.  So she walked up to the pagoda and sat in front of it and began to pray and meditate. I pray for peace, I pray that I am happy, I pray that I am safe, I pray that I am loved. She said it over and over again- a meditation she had been taught a few weeks ago.  And every time she said it she changed "I" with the name of someone she loved.  It felt like she'd been there forever when she finally stood and saw the monk staring at her inquiringly.  I guess they don't get many white girls praying at the pagoda at 7:30 in the morning. She laughed to herself.  "Sawadii Kaa" she said and she bowed deeply.  The typical Thai greeting made formal for monks with her hands pressed together at her forehead and her bow deep.  "Sawadii Kap" he responded "Do you speak Thai?" she paused "Neetnoi" (very little) he responded "Ahh.. the other monks in town." she smiled "It's ok, I'm here to pray" and sensing what she said he smiled and went on about his business.  She looked at her watch- she thought she'd been there for half an hour... it had been ten minutes. Well, I'll get better at it with time.  Progress before perfection. And with that she walked slowly down the steps, got on her bike and started thinking about breakfast.