Epic adventure

Completely epic day, too tempting to buy more internet and blog about it before being away from the web for quite some time. I guess internet/blog is somewhat of an addiction.

I waited around all morning for Alex to get back to go on our day trip to the animistic temple to see the Shaman. What was an 11:00 meeting time turned into a 1:15 departure, which frustrated me a little, especially while dealing with s sprained tendon in my ankle and all the other things that decided to go wrong in my body this morning. When Alex finally showed up, he announced that this was going to be more of a journey, because he didn't actually know the name of the temple, there are about 15 temples in Lampoon and we were just going to have to go and ask around. We could be successful or we may not find anything. Simon, Brittany and I were completely on board for whatever happened.

We took the first of many songtaos to the bus station where we were told we could catch another songtao to Lampoon. Turns out it wasn;''the bus station but some random bridge where we could catch the next songtao. Apparently shit moves around in Thailand a lot. We hopped on an incredibly full songtao, so for the first time on the trip I got to stand on the back of a moving truck and just hold on to the bar. It was pretty exhilerating. I stood on the back like that for the hour long ride and watched chiang mai dissappear behind me into more a rural Thailand. That songtao dropped us off, where we began to walk around and eventually found a temple and began to poke around. (I can't exactly remember the order things happened in) but we soon ended up in a pretty big monestary that was also a school that was full of young preadolescent monks who had a very fearful curiosity of us. We were absolutely the only white people around, and Brittany and I were the only women around for quite a ways. They seemed to keep at least a 15 foot radius from us, so whenever we approached to ask one a question they would back away and maintain their radius, however, they seemed to want to keep that distance and watch us, especially when we went into the temple to make an offering, they all crouded in the window to watch us.

Alex eventually found someone to ask, where he found the name of a temple which was out first lead. We took to the streets to find another songtao. As Alex asked the driver to take us there, the driver conversed with some locals around who seemed bothered by the fact that we wanted to go to this temple, and gave us much contrasting information. Thay all loudly debated in Thai for awhile who knows what, likely where this place was or if we should even be allowed to go there, they didn't seem to like the idea of westerners asking about it, but somehow, and I don't understand howm their opinions seemed to change rather abruptly and they all decided to be helpful. The next songtao took us further out of town, and dropped us off where we needed to walk around and seek more information. Alex found someone to talk to again at another temple, who told him where the place was, but told him that it likely wouldn't be open and we should go earlier in the day, and that it was another 30k out of town. We all debated what to do, and Alex called Peg to see if it would be possible to take us tomorrow and have us go to Mesat later than everyone else, Peg said no to that idea and told us to just interview people around. It wasn't a very thrilling idea, and we all felt a little discouraged. We collectively made the decision to go to the place anyway, because we only had today, and we felt like we needed to try anyway, even though it wasn't likely to be fruitful. The first songtao offered us a price that was way too high, and didn't seem to want to take us, so we decided not to take it. I think we were all feeling fairly discouraged and just walking around rather aimlessly at that point when we found another songtao. This one offered to take us for 600 baht, still quite a high price, but he seemed more willing. We had already spent so much money on transportation to make it that far, and Alex told us we could only do it if we were willing to throw down our own money to go. We all were pretty willing to throw down 100 baht each to take the chance, and all got in and took off.

Alex fell asleep on the ride, and as he did so the driver, who knew we were students and took a personal investment in our success, stopped 3 times to ask localsd for directions and advocate on our behalf. It was quite amazing of him. The songtao took us forther and further out into the middle of no where until finally we found the place. There was absolutely no one around, and the songtao driver went in first and likely found a monk and told them what we were doing there, and they let us in. We went up stairs where we met a monk whon was covered in traditional tattoos who was sitting there preparing ink for ritual traditional thai tattoos. You could feel this guy immediatly, sitting there without a shirt on in a room covered in shrines and sacred objects of all kind mixed with random junk, his torso and arms completely covered in traditional thai tattoos (I don't think monks generally go around with their chests uncovered) At first he seemed to wonder what we were doing there. The songtao driver, surprisingly enough, was a big help at explaining what we were doing there, he soon seemed pretty open to talking to us and answering our questions. he answered our questions aboutn the purpose of the tattoos, and how they are done and the rituals involved. Brittany asked what was in them, and Alex seemed to have some trouble translating. He said it was something from the stomach of monkeys or tigers. Lion bile. We asked him how he got it, and he told us apparently it wasn;t that hard to come by he just paid people for it. He also showed us some of the other minerals and roots that go into the dye, and showed us the lion bile in liquid form. He took a little bit on his finger and tasted it, and then gave us a cap full to examine, and seemed to motion that we could taste it, We all kind of looked at each other about this one. I have to admit (which I shouldn't) that yes... I tasted tiger bile. The tiniest finger full had a powerful bitter taste, and I could feel its effects for some time, having no idea exactly what it would do to me. It almost made me feel a little buzzed, and I could feel it in my stomach for a little while. Woah.

He then, after answering more questions for us, took us into another room and showed us the toold involved, and let us look through a book of drawings he had done of traditional tattoos. He said normally a monk wouldn't even let a woman touch these things, it would be very bad energy. He said however, it didn't matter if someone was strong enough, therte wouldn't be a curse because he was strong enough, and he understood that we were students and seemed to feel comfortable sharing with us what wouldn't traditionally have been shared. The information is very sacred, and can't really be learned anywhere, it is something passed down from teacher to student in a very ritualistic, sacred manner. It was a huge honor for him to share with is, and show us those things. I learned a huge amount of information that would not have otherwise been available to me in any circumstances. It was an incredibly sacred experience. He, at the end, gave us all little tiny ganesh statues which he had blessed. He handed mine to me, and sort of laughed about that, because apparently monks aren't really allowed to hand things directly to women, and vice versa. This monk, however, seemed to be incredibly powerful, and had a huge spiritual presence.

After we left, I had a huge feeling of disorientation like I usually would after a really sacred experience, I was in total disbelief and awe about what had happened. One of the things he said about the tattoos is that they were very good luck, and spiritual protection, and it made him happy that he was helping people. After getting one, someone could be hit by a car or fall into water and be ok. Someone could shoot themself in the head and the bullet wouldn't reach their brain. I think the tiger bile had that sort of effect on us as well. Alex, while leaning out the window of our songtao on the way back to talk to the driver, dropped his ganesh statue on the highway. Our driver stopped on the side of the road, and he ran out to go get and and managed to find it, and neither it nor the box had been harmed.

We then went to traditional thai barbique, where they have a ton of raw meat buffet style, and you have a little traditional stove.bbq on your table and grill up the meat yourself and have yout own broth and add in all your ingrediants. We all gorged ourselves on delicious food. It was a pretty damn incredible day.