Other than that, we did a little more sight seeing. We tried to get all of that done before Lyle left on Friday. We had dinner for his birthday at the Riverside Restaurant, was lovely!
Mum and I visited the school that Paige teaches at. I had to meet those kids, I'd seen video's and pictures of them for a year and meeting them was just delightful. What personalities, wow!
We finally did the temple visit. Very beautiful. Very commercialised. The monk? The monk in the temple we went into was texting and talking on the cellphone. >_#! My eyes squinted in confusion. I can only imagine what my face did. Sometimes, I clearly an't control myself. It's almost a reflex. I've been told that my facial expressions give me away. Far as where my thoughts are. I find that very disturbing because if I'm saying nothing, it means that I don't want someone to know what's in my head. Which also means that I'm being betrayed by my own face. -_-
I imagine a monk, right? And immediately following that image? Is a further imagined story of an extremely basic, simple life that they lead. So now it's your turn! Imagine, if you will, my surprise at finding out that it's not that way. I can't tell you how I thought they communicated? But I can tell you that I didn't know that they used wordly things like that. Here's why I was so taken aback! Lyle went in before me, the monk called him, said a blessing for him. It was his birthday and his goal for the day. Go Lyle!
So I go to kneel next. I then see a guy rush pass me with things. Like soap and other stuff that he's obviously donating and the monk completely forgot about me sitting there. While the guy is setting the stuff out on these gold trays? Monk pulls out his cellphone and starts texting. This is when the squinting started. That's the moment right there. Meanwhile, I'm still kneeling. Praying. Shifting. 'Cause time is passing and my knees are not twenty-one years old. Annnd I'm kneeling and I'm kneeling some more. I wanted a blessing. He then makes a call, the guy is still setting up this stuff. After another 5 minutes? I changed my mind about the blessing and walked out. It didn't mean anything to me anymore. Coming from him. We walk back around and on our way out, I then see them chanting over the donation while other people are sitting and waiting.
Not. Nice!
But hey? At the end of the day, who am I to judge when messages need to be sent and calls need to be made? It's not as if they're able to run down Doi Suthep mountain in a hurry. It's not exactly a small hill! Plus that just may be how they do things. Donated Lux soap bars comes first. Or something. Walking up to the temple, there is a boatload of stairs, strained my calves for three whole days after that! But that's not what's important! What is important is that it seems as if, here? Everybody works. From the youngest to the adultest! There are these little kids as you walk up the stairs, the cutest little girls ever! I took some pictures with them and them I'm teeth talking to Lyle very softly about, "Lyle, what do I do now? Do I give them money?" Just then the little girl stretches her hand out to me and says, "Put. Money." Question answered!
The next day, we saw an elephant show up in the mountains. Those elephants play soccer and basketball and paint pictures and act the fool too! I was amazed at first but then after I thought about it on our way home, I don't know anymore how to feel about that because I noticed that sharp thing on the stick that the handlers were holding. They didn't poke them. Then! But I do know that Dumbo didn't tumble outa his mum's vagina talking about, "Aaaaaaah, I think today?! Ima paint me a scenic picture with paint, a paintbrush and my trunk!" I mean? Do elephants know those words??? No! They have to be trained and I know that some cruelty accompanies that.
I think that was the last bit of sight seeing that we did.
Here are some pictures.
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