I landed in Hanoi late on the 5th Sept and the taxi driver kindly taught me a few words of Vietnamese on the way. He also offered to take me for 'Lady Boom Boom'; ‘No, no; Sleepy room room’. The hotel was grand but had no lift so I had to climb 4 flights of stairs before I panned out in a heap.
I was staying in the old quarter so the following morning I took a wander to get my bearings. The streets were manic...with mopeds/cars/truck/cyclos, even laundry, and an array of cooking stalls...the sidewalk a constant obstacle course. I eventually made it to the liquid centre of the old quarter, a big-ass lake which is famed for having magic turtles that make an appearance every year or so. Most think this is just a publicity stunt but stories of legend are still told and one of the Turtles mummified bodies is on display.
You could spend all your time just wandering aimlessly as there is always some shop/restaurant/conman/park/French cafe to help you pass the time (The French left a strong cultural influence behind them). Later I went to see a water puppet show (http://asiaforvisitors.com/vietnam/north/hanoi/waterpuppets.html)...a sort of oriental punch and Judy. Good fun but full of Japanese tourists who are too busy taking photos to actually watch the performance. I gave them my Teacher look of disapproval...they took a picture of me!
The Vietnamese themselves are generally less friendly than the Thais/Loase. Also, the street traders were more direct, as in ‘you have money, I don’t, give me some’. Even after a deal was struck they seems unhappy and hard done by. Some lad wanted to put new rubber soles on my well worn flip-flops, and nearly cried when I wouldn’t let him.
That evening I was in my Hotel when I heard a meelee down stairs, 'our kid' must be in I thought i.e. my mate Jon had arrived to find the hotel was booked out even though he had a reservation. After some banter Jon moved Hotel and we met up with his friend Steve who had flown in from his base in Manilla. Jon, Steve and I would travel Vietnam together. After a few beers we began to realize that 2 weeks in Vietnam just simply wasn't enough and decided to visit Halong bay, Hue, Hoi An and HCMC. ‘Hue’ is pronounced ‘whay’ not ‘Huw’ I was informed over the laughter.
In Hanoi we went to the Ethnology museum which 'simulates life in the provinces' of Vietnamese ethnic minorities but also has an excellent history of the communist style distribution of food and the ranking system they used to decide who got what. The higher up in the government you were the more you got. Local tribe cultural exhibits celebrated a simple but rich agricultural life.
Later we when to a high-rise ex-Pat club that has Karaoke, lead by a troupe of Filipino girls, and Salsa dancing. Jon wasn't feeling well but Steve loved it and stayed on Salsa dancing in to the wee hours (he used to own a salsa club in Beijing). Early next morning we set out for an overnight on a Junk in Halong bay.
Halong Bay is a dense cluster of 1,969 monolithic limestone islands. The views are stunning and we had gone for the higher end tour so the accom and grub was good. We chilled on the boat for the day and went swimming at sunset in open water. The water, the weather, the scenery, time itself, was perfect…I took a moment. The sight of the mature gay German couple in speedos was the only, erm, crack in my serenity.
The tour guide, a young lad of 21, tried to get a singsong going later but failed miserably. He could only sing romantic mushy stuff and was literally ‘wrecking our buzz’. They only sold spirits by the bottle on board, and a request for just a measure lead to involved discussions on the art of customer service, one of Steve’s favorite subjects. I had another beer and we all retired to listen to the air-conditioning motor for the night.
The following day we did a bit of canoeing. Jon, being the anarchist that he is headed off in the opposite direction to the guide as soon as he hit the water. I followed behind. After an hour of exploring we started heading back to the boat…followed all the way by the guide whistling at us. Apparently he was trying to get our attention. We had words when we got back to the boat…cultural differences be damned, you whistle to get a dogs attention. He smiled and totally missed the point…I warned Jon that I may need to be restrained if he did it again. ‘Pet hates’ travel with you I guess.
After a quick lunch we headed back to Hanoi and then straight for the airport for our flight to Hue. It’s a nice enough city with a restored Citadel and a few noteworthy Emperor tombs. Jon was still sick so finally decided to go to the hospital. An ould boy from the Hotel took him down, which is just as well because the Doctors spoke better French than they did English. They tested him for half a day, gave him a truck load of drugs and sent him on his way.
The nightlife in Hue is not up to much but we did visit a few bars. We had a run in with a few cyclo drivers who didn’t know the difference between 8 and 80…until after the trip! In true scam fashion we paid them to get rid of them. Nice place but forgettable.
From Hue we bussed it to Hoi An, a beautiful old World Heritage town just minutes from the sea. It is famed for being the back drop for ‘The Quiet American’ starring Michael Caine. Here we kicked back, swam in the pool, got some clothes made, perused art galleries and got to know the locals. Steve, a serial networker, discussed business ideas with the local owner of a Salsa club. We went out to visit an undeveloped stretch of beach he owned and went for a swim. Later, I gave a lesson in Irish dancing to the girls working behind the bar…after 3 Mojitos. I did some Salsa dancing but it wasn’t pretty.
While on the beach we met a Aussie, Dave, who’s missus ran a Tailor shop, one of about 100 in town. He gave us loads of tips on were to eat and discussed his latest film scripts. (he was writer who had come to Hoi An for solitude and stayed for a woman). His wife/partner kindly kitted us out in shirts and trousers for a few hundred dollars. (After 2 washes they are now looking kinda filmsy! Buyer beware!)
On the final day we headed off to the Angkor ruins My Son (pronounced Mai San). We had stayed out too late the night before so were late for the minibus and poured ourselves onto the bus. We arrived at the ticket office only to find Jon had no dosh and I was 10,000 dong (80 cent) short for the two. In disbelieving laughter we begged the money off some nice English couple. The tour was good but hot and sticky, so a sit down to watch a traditional dance show was welcome relief. Jon had been to Cambodia so this was a Lego land version for him so we decided to chill at the café and wait for the bus…the others went out to see more ruins. We were approached by a persistent driver whose job it was to ferry people out to the entrance, eventually we went with him, ended up in the wrong place, missed the tour minibus, and got stranded 60km from Hoi An. Jon went mental; nobody wanted to know and insisted it was our fault, and a taxi would cost us 50 dollars. Eventually I talked nicely to one of the tourist office women who asked a few Vietnamese tourists, who were heading our way, to give us a lift. For 200,000 dong (15 dollars) they agreed.
In their jeep was; Mum, Dad, daughter, her husband and his friend; son and driver. We shared the back seat with the Dad who was wantin to be practicing his English. His daughter lived in the States and he was moving there next year. He was ‘a very important man’ in a Co-op bank and had no idea now they would survive without him. We had a 2 hour chat with him and the family before safely arriving at our hotel. It was a bizarre and wonderfully surreal experience. Then we had our picture taken with all the family before retiring to the pool; it had been a memorable day.
Next day we flew from Danang to HCMC, de Capital. A nice hotel, a sauna+massage, a few drinks and the first day was over. The following day we went to see the War Remnants museum.
Currently Vietnam has a Tiger economy and an infrastructure better than Irelands. The past wars and invasions by 5 different nations is not forefront in their minds. However, Ho Chi Min is still the ‘number one top man in the whole of Vietnam’. They have a deep resolve to succeed, no doubt born from years of struggle. The War Remnants museums recount the horrors of war in pictures from photographic journalists from around the world. Especially shocking is the exhibit covering agent orange and napalm victims, but not as harrowing as pictures of the massacres. I had to retreat to the children’s art room for fear of being overcome with sadness. I couldn’t cope with the thought of it let alone imagine what it was like to live through it. They remember the past but strive for the future; a remarkable people. This doesn’t mean I’d like to start a battle cry against the Americans; both sides lost themselves to the violence.
Another testament to the ingenuity of this nation is the Cu Chi tunnels. 270km of underground tunnels that was used by the resistance during American occupation. Digging holes or having dens is part of every young lad’s childhood (or should be) so the tunnels appealed to the ‘kids’ in us. We excited climbed down into the (widened) tunnels. At one stage Jon’s broad shoulders got him stuck but a quick shove sorted that out. We crawled to the kitchen and had green tea and some nutty rice squares like the soldier boys used to. A reconstructed village near by and a holy shrine to local casualties combined to make it one of the most engaging outings of the trip.
It was around this time I got an email from home, my Mum had been taken into hospital suffering from dehydration, ring home now. How serious is this ‘dehydration’? From that point on I just wanted to get home. My flight home was still a few days away. I flew back to Bangkok with Jon while Steve flew back to Manilla. We spent 2 days pounding the street, hanging out, mostly playing pool and chatting to the ladies. Finally on the 20th Sept I boarded the plane with a strong yearning for home and a certain anxiety for what I might find.
Yours Homewardboundly,
M.
“If an ass goes travelling he will not come home a horse.” Thomas Fuller
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Monday, September 3, 2007
I'm a VIP
We arrived in Luang Prabang around 6pm. Correction, we were dropped 12km outside the town, but luckily a tuk-tuk driver was waiting for us, and even luckier still he knew exactly where we should stay. A place nearly 2 kilometers outside town. After a few recriminations we arrived safely on the main drag and checked into Phousy (Pussy) III guesthouse. I doubled with Brad so the place cost 2 dollars each. Bargain.
We went in search of Keith’s girlfriend. It will give you an idea of the size of the town, to report that we found Claire after less then 10 minutes. We ate a great dinner and had a few Beer Lao’s before struggling wearily back to the Guesthouse.
Luang Prabang is a beautiful town with a great market and full of friendly tuk-tuk drivers who will make sure you never run out of marijuana. After an excellent breakfast of pancakes and omelets we headed out to Kouang Si waterfall. The waterfall is huge and fast flowing and there is ample opportunity for swimming in pools that spread out along the river below it. We spent a few hours swimming and jumping off swinging ropes. I managed to nearly take my hand off on one of the rope knots on the first go…me finger is still sore. Nearby there is a Tiger enclosure with an impressive creature who was saved from poachers, unfortunately the rest of her family where not so lucky. Beside this another enclosure has small black bears that were busily foraging for food as we walked past.
Later we ate at The Lao Lao bar and drank an assortment of cocktails. We met a few lads who were on the way up to do the Gibbon experience and bombarded them with stories of our heroic adventures; I told the Acid story over a cocktail called ‘Phorn Star’. At one stage singing of ‘It’s Long way to Tipperary’ was muted, but I interjected that it was a British Army marching song and that we didn’t have much call for singing it at home. We went back to talking about Gibbons.
Next day I headed off early to Vang Vieng on the VIP bus. VIP in Laos means that you don’t have to push start the bus…it starts all on its own! For the next six hours I was thrown back and forward on my seat as the driver maneuvered through roads similar to the ‘Glen of Aherlow’. The stops were at huts on the side of the road…the toilets the nearest bush. I had a call of nature so I stepped up to a bush too. When in Rome.
After I arrived in Vang Vieng I hired a Tuk-Tuk and went straight out to the Organic farm to get started with the volunteering. I got a free glass of Mulberry juice and Bob (a Laos native) explained the set-up. It was all a bit confusing but I would take the advanced English class for 2 days while another long term volunteer, Gee, was on a visa run. We taught in schools for 1.5 hours in the morning and then in the evening there were 2 hour long lessons; one for young kids; the second for adults.
I spent the rest of the day settling in and trying to prepare a Lesson Plan. I found it hard as I was out of practice. I slept well but woke the following morning slightly nervous…my usual reaction to vagueness. I meet two other volunteers, a couple; Benoit and Nicole from France and South Africa respectively. They filled me in on how things worked and more on what to expect. Neither had been a teacher before but Benoit, I discovered during my time there had a great aptitude for it, or more accurately a great way with people.
The first class was with students from 8-16 years old with varied levels of English. I got through my lesson plan in 40 minutes (word opposites and adj/noun structure) and struggled to fill the rest of the class. I repeated games and reviewed words until the end. At least I knew the level of the class for tomorrow...and what a class. We covered the concept of time. From time of the day, to days of the week, to yesterday/today/tomorrow, unto last year/this year/next year, on to past/present/future tenses of 'to go'. I told them the sad story of when my dog got knocked down by a jeep, last year; a fabrication, but they found it rather funny. The Laose tend to laugh at most things. They all shook my hand after the lesson and thanked me. I was delighted with mesell.
The next day Gee was back so I would be teaching the younger ones...3 to 8. I did body parts and, inside/outside and sang head-shoulders-knees and toes. The class was more like teaching on Koh Phangan and I left the class drenched in sweat...you have to be a lot more energetic in order to keep their attention.
Each evening Benoit (in Gees absence) gave a class to the adults. This weeks topic was a discussion on going out to dinner. All the other volunteers sat among the students and helped explain words and corrected pronounciation. The students were really eager and it was challenging to explain some words but nice to be teaching people who really wanted to learn.
On Saturday I decided to go Tubing on the river because that is what one does in Vang Vieng. It was a pleasant enough experience despite the fact that I fell in and ruined my mobile phone. I was befriended by a barman who worked in a riverside bar and spent 20 minutes practicing conversational English with him. On the river I meet two girls from Vientiane who quizzed me repeatedly on why I was tubing alone. In the end I told them that the others hadn't shown up.
Later I headed down to the Smile bar with Matt to meet the rest of the volunteers. The bar is on a island on the river and has hammocks and loungers...we spend a grand olde evening talking about family, books and the second world war (2 of the volunteers were German girls). Did you know that in France 'The A-Team' is called 'L'agents Du Riske!' and that BA is called Ba-ra-cu-da? I charmingly laughed coffee through my nose when told this.
I had decided to leave the following morning and bumped into Matt at brekkie (a Mulberry pancake to die for!). Matt is an editor and a recovering alcoholic. He is writing a book in the form of a blog, hoping to publish it when he finishes travelling http://aroundtheworldin80aas.blogspot.com/. I must admit I thought he was a very stoic personality when I met him first but as he talked about his experiences and view on life I couldn't help but admire him. I'll buy his book when it is published.
I got the VIP bus to Vientiane early that afternoon. They had to push start the bus! And that's where I am now...laid up with a cold and trying to get my Vietnam visa and flight to Hanoi sorted. Vientiane is not a terribly exciting place but does have a great array of international restaurants and bookshops.
My mate Jon is having a ball in Cambodia...pity I won't get there this trip.
M.
We went in search of Keith’s girlfriend. It will give you an idea of the size of the town, to report that we found Claire after less then 10 minutes. We ate a great dinner and had a few Beer Lao’s before struggling wearily back to the Guesthouse.
Luang Prabang is a beautiful town with a great market and full of friendly tuk-tuk drivers who will make sure you never run out of marijuana. After an excellent breakfast of pancakes and omelets we headed out to Kouang Si waterfall. The waterfall is huge and fast flowing and there is ample opportunity for swimming in pools that spread out along the river below it. We spent a few hours swimming and jumping off swinging ropes. I managed to nearly take my hand off on one of the rope knots on the first go…me finger is still sore. Nearby there is a Tiger enclosure with an impressive creature who was saved from poachers, unfortunately the rest of her family where not so lucky. Beside this another enclosure has small black bears that were busily foraging for food as we walked past.
Later we ate at The Lao Lao bar and drank an assortment of cocktails. We met a few lads who were on the way up to do the Gibbon experience and bombarded them with stories of our heroic adventures; I told the Acid story over a cocktail called ‘Phorn Star’. At one stage singing of ‘It’s Long way to Tipperary’ was muted, but I interjected that it was a British Army marching song and that we didn’t have much call for singing it at home. We went back to talking about Gibbons.
Next day I headed off early to Vang Vieng on the VIP bus. VIP in Laos means that you don’t have to push start the bus…it starts all on its own! For the next six hours I was thrown back and forward on my seat as the driver maneuvered through roads similar to the ‘Glen of Aherlow’. The stops were at huts on the side of the road…the toilets the nearest bush. I had a call of nature so I stepped up to a bush too. When in Rome.
After I arrived in Vang Vieng I hired a Tuk-Tuk and went straight out to the Organic farm to get started with the volunteering. I got a free glass of Mulberry juice and Bob (a Laos native) explained the set-up. It was all a bit confusing but I would take the advanced English class for 2 days while another long term volunteer, Gee, was on a visa run. We taught in schools for 1.5 hours in the morning and then in the evening there were 2 hour long lessons; one for young kids; the second for adults.
I spent the rest of the day settling in and trying to prepare a Lesson Plan. I found it hard as I was out of practice. I slept well but woke the following morning slightly nervous…my usual reaction to vagueness. I meet two other volunteers, a couple; Benoit and Nicole from France and South Africa respectively. They filled me in on how things worked and more on what to expect. Neither had been a teacher before but Benoit, I discovered during my time there had a great aptitude for it, or more accurately a great way with people.
The first class was with students from 8-16 years old with varied levels of English. I got through my lesson plan in 40 minutes (word opposites and adj/noun structure) and struggled to fill the rest of the class. I repeated games and reviewed words until the end. At least I knew the level of the class for tomorrow...and what a class. We covered the concept of time. From time of the day, to days of the week, to yesterday/today/tomorrow, unto last year/this year/next year, on to past/present/future tenses of 'to go'. I told them the sad story of when my dog got knocked down by a jeep, last year; a fabrication, but they found it rather funny. The Laose tend to laugh at most things. They all shook my hand after the lesson and thanked me. I was delighted with mesell.
The next day Gee was back so I would be teaching the younger ones...3 to 8. I did body parts and, inside/outside and sang head-shoulders-knees and toes. The class was more like teaching on Koh Phangan and I left the class drenched in sweat...you have to be a lot more energetic in order to keep their attention.
Each evening Benoit (in Gees absence) gave a class to the adults. This weeks topic was a discussion on going out to dinner. All the other volunteers sat among the students and helped explain words and corrected pronounciation. The students were really eager and it was challenging to explain some words but nice to be teaching people who really wanted to learn.
On Saturday I decided to go Tubing on the river because that is what one does in Vang Vieng. It was a pleasant enough experience despite the fact that I fell in and ruined my mobile phone. I was befriended by a barman who worked in a riverside bar and spent 20 minutes practicing conversational English with him. On the river I meet two girls from Vientiane who quizzed me repeatedly on why I was tubing alone. In the end I told them that the others hadn't shown up.
Later I headed down to the Smile bar with Matt to meet the rest of the volunteers. The bar is on a island on the river and has hammocks and loungers...we spend a grand olde evening talking about family, books and the second world war (2 of the volunteers were German girls). Did you know that in France 'The A-Team' is called 'L'agents Du Riske!' and that BA is called Ba-ra-cu-da? I charmingly laughed coffee through my nose when told this.
I had decided to leave the following morning and bumped into Matt at brekkie (a Mulberry pancake to die for!). Matt is an editor and a recovering alcoholic. He is writing a book in the form of a blog, hoping to publish it when he finishes travelling http://aroundtheworldin80aas.blogspot.com/. I must admit I thought he was a very stoic personality when I met him first but as he talked about his experiences and view on life I couldn't help but admire him. I'll buy his book when it is published.
I got the VIP bus to Vientiane early that afternoon. They had to push start the bus! And that's where I am now...laid up with a cold and trying to get my Vietnam visa and flight to Hanoi sorted. Vientiane is not a terribly exciting place but does have a great array of international restaurants and bookshops.
My mate Jon is having a ball in Cambodia...pity I won't get there this trip.
M.
People are broad-minded. They'll accept the fact that a person can be an alcoholic, a dope fiend, a wife beater and even a newspaperman, but if a man doesn't drive, there's something wrong with him. Art Buchwald,
Friday, August 31, 2007
Gibbons on Acid
I left Chiang Mai on the 22nd Aug. The day before I had lazed around the city wandering through local markets and bookshops, stopping off every so often for a coffee or a banana shake. Chilled isn’t the word!
The journey to Chiang Kong, on the Laos border, was 6 hours but regular stops meant it was painless enough. I got talking to a Thai lad who was an assistant architect in one of the northern towns. He didn’t like it much but had to support his mother and sister so he was glad to have a job. I gave him one of my cream jam biscuits.
I stayed the night in Chiang Kong in the Bamboo hut guesthouse in a small ‘rustic’ attic room. The place had a very eccentric owner with a wife who makes the most delicious whole meal bread I have ever tasted. The Mekong river ran right past the guesthouse so I spent about two hours just watching it. It only takes 5 minutes to cross it but the sheer volume of water is impressive…it looks for all the world like brown liquid lava…it exudes a brute force.
Early the next morning I went through customs and arrived in Huay Xai, Laos (after paying a dodgy 100 baht photocopy charge on the Thai side). Got mesell signed into the Subaidee hotel (Hello hotel) and went to sign up for the Gibbon experience. The girl in the office was decidedly unhelpful and pointed to the brochure if I asked any questions. A bit of a mystery tour then!
7am the next morning I met all my fellow Gibbon chasers -2 Israelis, 3 Parisians, 2 Canadians, 5 English agus me fein! After an instruction video, a two hour drive and a 4 hour walk; we got to the START of the hike! The weather meant that we would be hiking 6-7 hours. It was muddy and steep and leech infested…deadly stuff! After reaching ‘base camp’ we had to decide on who would go into the separate tree houses. I was to share with the 3 French girls. They seemed nice enough but there English was only so-so. Well, my French is fairly non-existant! (Where is Paddy Clarke when you need him!).
So we got on our harnesses and set out for Tree house three (everybody pissed themselves laughing when I said this). Our Tree house was an hour away – zipping and walking so it was after 6pm when we arrived. The tree house was deadly and stuck out over the jungle canopy giving great views. It would all be worth it, tomorrow…hunger and tireness dulled our senses.
At dinner (which arrived in stacked tins) I talked a bit to the French girls about France and Europe and the nature around us. Sometimes we struggled with understanding but we laughed instead of getting frustrated. We retired under of mossie blankets around 9pm.
What happened next is a story I’ll tell ye fully over a pint but in short...
One of the French girls headlamp blowup and leaked acid into her eye which swelled up like a balloon, and caused surface damage to her eye. Being isolated in the jungle with three scared and one injured girl was an unforgettable experience. But we got through it and next morning the guide arrived at 6.20am. It took me 20 minutes to explain that the girls needed to get out of the jungle to seek medical advice. All the guides are Laos are currently in the process of learning English; most are between 18-20. The girls left to face a 7 hours trek out. I wished them ‘Bonne Chance’. I am still waiting on an email to find out how they got on. I zipped over to Tree house one to join the others and to relay the story.
The rest of the day was spent hiking, zipping and looking for Gibbons. I saw one in the distance but some saw a family up close. 8 of us were staying in Treehouse 5 that night and arrived just before the heavens opened. We zipped a little in the evening but mostly made tea and coffee, ate and chatted. There were no shortage of stories and the odd shot of Lao Lao (local paint stripper) was had. No exploding headlamps that night.
Day 3 we had to trek back out…and it was still raining. The mud track had become streams and the streams had become rivers. The leeches owned the jungle. It was hardcore but everyone dug in and maintained high spirits…looking back it was the best trekking I have ever done. We trekked for 8 hours and the relief of seeing a road, and a shop, and a jeep was indescribable.
Later we all checked into the same hotel; I was sharing with Keith (who had left his girlfriend behind in Luang Prabang), and we all went to an internet café to share photos/videos and then had an Indian and a few shots of Johnny Walker. Nice fun folks…although the Aussie guy was a nutter…he is the lad holding the bottle of Johnnie Walker in the picture. The most common question he gets asked is ‘How are you not dead?’.
Next day I had planned to get the slow boat but Keith needed to get back to his missus ASAP and another English lad Brad wanted to get to Luang Prabang quickly so we got the speedboat, which takes 6 hours; not 2 days like the slowboat. In the Lonely Planet it says ‘…you do this a your own risk…’. We have just been in the jungle for 3 days, bring it on! (Oh ya, could I have a helmet and lifejacket please).
Have to go…Tubing down the river in Vang Vieng today. Will update blog again in Vientiane.
Home in 20 days and counting…
Mike.
A timid person is frightened before a danger, a coward during the time, and a courageous person afterward.
Jean Paul Richter
The journey to Chiang Kong, on the Laos border, was 6 hours but regular stops meant it was painless enough. I got talking to a Thai lad who was an assistant architect in one of the northern towns. He didn’t like it much but had to support his mother and sister so he was glad to have a job. I gave him one of my cream jam biscuits.
I stayed the night in Chiang Kong in the Bamboo hut guesthouse in a small ‘rustic’ attic room. The place had a very eccentric owner with a wife who makes the most delicious whole meal bread I have ever tasted. The Mekong river ran right past the guesthouse so I spent about two hours just watching it. It only takes 5 minutes to cross it but the sheer volume of water is impressive…it looks for all the world like brown liquid lava…it exudes a brute force.
Early the next morning I went through customs and arrived in Huay Xai, Laos (after paying a dodgy 100 baht photocopy charge on the Thai side). Got mesell signed into the Subaidee hotel (Hello hotel) and went to sign up for the Gibbon experience. The girl in the office was decidedly unhelpful and pointed to the brochure if I asked any questions. A bit of a mystery tour then!
7am the next morning I met all my fellow Gibbon chasers -2 Israelis, 3 Parisians, 2 Canadians, 5 English agus me fein! After an instruction video, a two hour drive and a 4 hour walk; we got to the START of the hike! The weather meant that we would be hiking 6-7 hours. It was muddy and steep and leech infested…deadly stuff! After reaching ‘base camp’ we had to decide on who would go into the separate tree houses. I was to share with the 3 French girls. They seemed nice enough but there English was only so-so. Well, my French is fairly non-existant! (Where is Paddy Clarke when you need him!).
So we got on our harnesses and set out for Tree house three (everybody pissed themselves laughing when I said this). Our Tree house was an hour away – zipping and walking so it was after 6pm when we arrived. The tree house was deadly and stuck out over the jungle canopy giving great views. It would all be worth it, tomorrow…hunger and tireness dulled our senses.
At dinner (which arrived in stacked tins) I talked a bit to the French girls about France and Europe and the nature around us. Sometimes we struggled with understanding but we laughed instead of getting frustrated. We retired under of mossie blankets around 9pm.
What happened next is a story I’ll tell ye fully over a pint but in short...
One of the French girls headlamp blowup and leaked acid into her eye which swelled up like a balloon, and caused surface damage to her eye. Being isolated in the jungle with three scared and one injured girl was an unforgettable experience. But we got through it and next morning the guide arrived at 6.20am. It took me 20 minutes to explain that the girls needed to get out of the jungle to seek medical advice. All the guides are Laos are currently in the process of learning English; most are between 18-20. The girls left to face a 7 hours trek out. I wished them ‘Bonne Chance’. I am still waiting on an email to find out how they got on. I zipped over to Tree house one to join the others and to relay the story.
The rest of the day was spent hiking, zipping and looking for Gibbons. I saw one in the distance but some saw a family up close. 8 of us were staying in Treehouse 5 that night and arrived just before the heavens opened. We zipped a little in the evening but mostly made tea and coffee, ate and chatted. There were no shortage of stories and the odd shot of Lao Lao (local paint stripper) was had. No exploding headlamps that night.
Day 3 we had to trek back out…and it was still raining. The mud track had become streams and the streams had become rivers. The leeches owned the jungle. It was hardcore but everyone dug in and maintained high spirits…looking back it was the best trekking I have ever done. We trekked for 8 hours and the relief of seeing a road, and a shop, and a jeep was indescribable.
Later we all checked into the same hotel; I was sharing with Keith (who had left his girlfriend behind in Luang Prabang), and we all went to an internet café to share photos/videos and then had an Indian and a few shots of Johnny Walker. Nice fun folks…although the Aussie guy was a nutter…he is the lad holding the bottle of Johnnie Walker in the picture. The most common question he gets asked is ‘How are you not dead?’.
Next day I had planned to get the slow boat but Keith needed to get back to his missus ASAP and another English lad Brad wanted to get to Luang Prabang quickly so we got the speedboat, which takes 6 hours; not 2 days like the slowboat. In the Lonely Planet it says ‘…you do this a your own risk…’. We have just been in the jungle for 3 days, bring it on! (Oh ya, could I have a helmet and lifejacket please).
Have to go…Tubing down the river in Vang Vieng today. Will update blog again in Vientiane.
Home in 20 days and counting…
Mike.
A timid person is frightened before a danger, a coward during the time, and a courageous person afterward.
Jean Paul Richter
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Just some photos and videos
Eh up,
Haven't had time to write blog becuase of all the time it has taken to upload video and photos. Will blog soon.
I'm currently in Vang Vieng (Laos) volunteer teaching for a few days. Gas craic.
M.
Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2391057562839449300&hl=en
Photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/mikedugganjnr/GibbonExperience
Haven't had time to write blog becuase of all the time it has taken to upload video and photos. Will blog soon.
I'm currently in Vang Vieng (Laos) volunteer teaching for a few days. Gas craic.
M.
Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2391057562839449300&hl=en
Photos: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/mikedugganjnr/GibbonExperience
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Northern lights
About 10am on the 11th Aug I had my first coffee in 12 days. It was a sensory delight. I smelled it for a full minute before drinking the first sip and fondled the cup shamelessly. The locals glanced briefly at this strange farang behavior but they tend to pay little attention in Phun Phin to us because we are just passing through and they don't want to sell us anything. It was a nice change and the town is quite pleasant. I spent two days catching up on sleep, emailing and over-eating with the town going about its daily business.
On the 13th I flew to Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand, via Bangkok, which took most of the day but was painless enough. I had pre-booked the Hollanda Montri guest house for the first 2 nights based on Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree forum advice. The rooms are big and the all women staff are a real family unit and are a laugh a minute. They said they are charging 10 baht a compliment and they give me one at least twice a day so I'm well in debt.
After Suan Mokkh I am still in a routine of in bed early and up by 7:30am each morning, so was up and at them on the first morning. I decided to rent a push bike and take a look around the old city. The bike was only 50 baht and the day was cool so I set off with my map and a bottle of waher and proceeded to get completely and utterly lost...you see they have a moat, a canal and a river. I can distinguish the difference now but initially i ended up 6 km out of town before I reached a landmark and turned back...and before the Ladies start throwing there eyes up to heaven sighing 'Men!', I did ask for bloody directions but people just smiled and pointed in the directions I was was going. Street signs are posted about every 2-3 miles so not of much use.
Anyway, I got to Wat Phrat Singh, took a few pictures and meditated for 30 minutes. Then I had a bite to eat in the courtyard and was interviewed first by the owner to see if I was a 'respectable citizen' and then by his good friend, the Director of Law at the local university. Because I was a teacher I was cordially invited to visit the Queens Thai Silk clothes factory which was only open for 4 days every year and entry was by invite only. He explained the options for a Gentleman like myself...long shirt, pants, etc...OH, and my I could order for my family and get it sent to Ireland...I listened patiently for 30 minutes and nodded in all the right places. I went no where near the place.
Instead I went to the hospital; Chiang Mai Ram. The ants in Suan Mokkh had created a wound that got infected and needed attention. The hospital is state of the art and has more staff then the White House. I was ushered around the place by efficient nurses in white and blue fitted uniforms and eventually met with a Doctor. My experience of Doctor's has been good but they always have an air of confidence and slight superiority about them. I know I always have the urge to be more childlike during visits. But this Doctor was the meekest most mild mannered man I've ever meet. He ordered a lab test. I relaxed in the lobby listening to The Coors for an hour and then was fetched by a nurse to see the Doctor again. I had a fungal infection that would require oral treatment with Itraconazole, which my body will slowly be absorping for the month. Sorted. BTW, don't get the infected area wet. Hmmm.
I next three days I had organized a 3 day trek. Now I had looked into organised treks and eco-trekked and all sorts. All seemed a bit touristy and had quiet large groups. Also I was still feeling the effect of the retreat so decided to go with a private trek. I met with Sunny who's card I found at the Hollanda Montri and explained my story. He did me a good deal and I booked this trek, http://www.thailandsunny.com/trekking/trekking_tours4.html, but without the elephant ride (I was going to the Elephant Conservation nature park in a few days and knew this was an unnatural activity for the elephant).
The trek was fantastic. The first day we hiked for 3 hours and stopped along the way for an hour to visit a friend of the guides, Chai-nee. We had Jack fruit cut down from the tree outside and I put plasters on my Leech wounds...they just would stop bleeding. The little feckers drop to the ground and attach to your shoe and climb up till they hit skin...apply some anesthetic and then suck away. I sucked away on the Jack fruit and was determined to show Chai-nee that all this blood was of little concern. He talked to his friend about the drop in Mango prices and the two gobsheens up at the clearing that had 20 dogs now and nothing to feed them. He had killed one the other day for trying to steal from one of his traps (so I guess that makes 19). Soap opera of the jungle.
That afternoon we stayed on the outskirts of a Karin village and bathed in the local river and then ate with the family...one Mr. Yalo Kano. They were Catholics and blessed themselves before dinner and has a picture of the Virgin Mary handing in the corner. My guide prepared a farang stew with potato and pork so I wouldn't have to eat the spicy stuff but I did anyway...bamboo soup, and some chicken rice dish that nearly blow the socks of me (it had gotten quiet chilly at this stage so I had Primark's finest on me). We had some local tea, and banana leaf ciggie to round off the evening and lights out at 8pm. Each village has solar power due to a year 2000 project, so they turn on one light for about 2 hours in the evening.
The following morning the first cock crew at 4am and then they all joined in about 5:30am. I got up around 6am when it was light. The following day was pretty much the same except we ended up in an elephant camp at the end of the trek. I explained to Chai-nee my conversation with Sunny but all he kept saying was 'it is all included', 'elephant happy for you'. So I got on the elephant, who was called Dumbo. That makes two of us mate.
The next day was rafting back towards Chiang Mai. There was Chai-nee, myself and another Karen tribesman manning the bamboo raft. It had rained heavily the night before so the river was quiet high and some of the rapids were well, rapid! I nearly fell in twice. Once my pole got wedged in between two rocks and I struggle to release it before I was out of reach. I failed and got a few scratches for my troubles. The same thing happened to Chai-nee a while later and got half dragged in, so I didn't feel to bad at all by the time we got to back to the jeep and the last leg of the journey back to the hotel. I was wrecked so had a bite and 2 beers and dreamed of the jungle for about 10 hours.
The following day was the Elephant Nature Conservation Park, but I'll let you read about that if you wish at http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/ or see the video at http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0510/feature5/video.html
Suffice to say that I felt real guilty about riding the elephant, but had a great day hanging out with them and the other animals at the park. Eco-tourism at its best!
Today I hired a Motor Bike and went for a drive up to Doi Suthep mountain to a famous Wat and to the Kings winter residence. (I also stopped at the Zoo but just to see the Panda bears). It was mostly Thai up there and I mingled and acted respectfully to Buddha and the King. I had an ice-cream on the way down and stopped at an Italian bakery for some 'ocaccia col formaggio' and arabica coffee. It was simply divine darlinks!
Tomorrow I have no plan. Just going to wander around the old town and maybe visit the local children's orphanage if they answer my messages. The guest house told me about it when I mentioned I had volunteered as a teacher.
Onto Chiang Khong and Huay Xai in Laos on the 21st/22nd then doing The Gibbon Experience from there. http://www.gibbonx.org/.
Have arranged with my mate to meet up Jon, a Brommie, in Vietnam on the 5th Sept, so the last 2 week I'll have company. Things usually happen around Jon so it should be interesting.
Here are some more pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/mikedugganjnr/SuanMokkh
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/mikedugganjnr/ChiangMaiTrekking
Hope all is good with everyone,
M.
“It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple.“ Rabindranath Tagore
On the 13th I flew to Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand, via Bangkok, which took most of the day but was painless enough. I had pre-booked the Hollanda Montri guest house for the first 2 nights based on Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree forum advice. The rooms are big and the all women staff are a real family unit and are a laugh a minute. They said they are charging 10 baht a compliment and they give me one at least twice a day so I'm well in debt.
After Suan Mokkh I am still in a routine of in bed early and up by 7:30am each morning, so was up and at them on the first morning. I decided to rent a push bike and take a look around the old city. The bike was only 50 baht and the day was cool so I set off with my map and a bottle of waher and proceeded to get completely and utterly lost...you see they have a moat, a canal and a river. I can distinguish the difference now but initially i ended up 6 km out of town before I reached a landmark and turned back...and before the Ladies start throwing there eyes up to heaven sighing 'Men!', I did ask for bloody directions but people just smiled and pointed in the directions I was was going. Street signs are posted about every 2-3 miles so not of much use.
Anyway, I got to Wat Phrat Singh, took a few pictures and meditated for 30 minutes. Then I had a bite to eat in the courtyard and was interviewed first by the owner to see if I was a 'respectable citizen' and then by his good friend, the Director of Law at the local university. Because I was a teacher I was cordially invited to visit the Queens Thai Silk clothes factory which was only open for 4 days every year and entry was by invite only. He explained the options for a Gentleman like myself...long shirt, pants, etc...OH, and my I could order for my family and get it sent to Ireland...I listened patiently for 30 minutes and nodded in all the right places. I went no where near the place.
Instead I went to the hospital; Chiang Mai Ram. The ants in Suan Mokkh had created a wound that got infected and needed attention. The hospital is state of the art and has more staff then the White House. I was ushered around the place by efficient nurses in white and blue fitted uniforms and eventually met with a Doctor. My experience of Doctor's has been good but they always have an air of confidence and slight superiority about them. I know I always have the urge to be more childlike during visits. But this Doctor was the meekest most mild mannered man I've ever meet. He ordered a lab test. I relaxed in the lobby listening to The Coors for an hour and then was fetched by a nurse to see the Doctor again. I had a fungal infection that would require oral treatment with Itraconazole, which my body will slowly be absorping for the month. Sorted. BTW, don't get the infected area wet. Hmmm.
I next three days I had organized a 3 day trek. Now I had looked into organised treks and eco-trekked and all sorts. All seemed a bit touristy and had quiet large groups. Also I was still feeling the effect of the retreat so decided to go with a private trek. I met with Sunny who's card I found at the Hollanda Montri and explained my story. He did me a good deal and I booked this trek, http://www.thailandsunny.com/trekking/trekking_tours4.html, but without the elephant ride (I was going to the Elephant Conservation nature park in a few days and knew this was an unnatural activity for the elephant).
The trek was fantastic. The first day we hiked for 3 hours and stopped along the way for an hour to visit a friend of the guides, Chai-nee. We had Jack fruit cut down from the tree outside and I put plasters on my Leech wounds...they just would stop bleeding. The little feckers drop to the ground and attach to your shoe and climb up till they hit skin...apply some anesthetic and then suck away. I sucked away on the Jack fruit and was determined to show Chai-nee that all this blood was of little concern. He talked to his friend about the drop in Mango prices and the two gobsheens up at the clearing that had 20 dogs now and nothing to feed them. He had killed one the other day for trying to steal from one of his traps (so I guess that makes 19). Soap opera of the jungle.
That afternoon we stayed on the outskirts of a Karin village and bathed in the local river and then ate with the family...one Mr. Yalo Kano. They were Catholics and blessed themselves before dinner and has a picture of the Virgin Mary handing in the corner. My guide prepared a farang stew with potato and pork so I wouldn't have to eat the spicy stuff but I did anyway...bamboo soup, and some chicken rice dish that nearly blow the socks of me (it had gotten quiet chilly at this stage so I had Primark's finest on me). We had some local tea, and banana leaf ciggie to round off the evening and lights out at 8pm. Each village has solar power due to a year 2000 project, so they turn on one light for about 2 hours in the evening.
The following morning the first cock crew at 4am and then they all joined in about 5:30am. I got up around 6am when it was light. The following day was pretty much the same except we ended up in an elephant camp at the end of the trek. I explained to Chai-nee my conversation with Sunny but all he kept saying was 'it is all included', 'elephant happy for you'. So I got on the elephant, who was called Dumbo. That makes two of us mate.
The next day was rafting back towards Chiang Mai. There was Chai-nee, myself and another Karen tribesman manning the bamboo raft. It had rained heavily the night before so the river was quiet high and some of the rapids were well, rapid! I nearly fell in twice. Once my pole got wedged in between two rocks and I struggle to release it before I was out of reach. I failed and got a few scratches for my troubles. The same thing happened to Chai-nee a while later and got half dragged in, so I didn't feel to bad at all by the time we got to back to the jeep and the last leg of the journey back to the hotel. I was wrecked so had a bite and 2 beers and dreamed of the jungle for about 10 hours.
The following day was the Elephant Nature Conservation Park, but I'll let you read about that if you wish at http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/ or see the video at http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0510/feature5/video.html
Suffice to say that I felt real guilty about riding the elephant, but had a great day hanging out with them and the other animals at the park. Eco-tourism at its best!
Today I hired a Motor Bike and went for a drive up to Doi Suthep mountain to a famous Wat and to the Kings winter residence. (I also stopped at the Zoo but just to see the Panda bears). It was mostly Thai up there and I mingled and acted respectfully to Buddha and the King. I had an ice-cream on the way down and stopped at an Italian bakery for some 'ocaccia col formaggio' and arabica coffee. It was simply divine darlinks!
Tomorrow I have no plan. Just going to wander around the old town and maybe visit the local children's orphanage if they answer my messages. The guest house told me about it when I mentioned I had volunteered as a teacher.
Onto Chiang Khong and Huay Xai in Laos on the 21st/22nd then doing The Gibbon Experience from there. http://www.gibbonx.org/.
Have arranged with my mate to meet up Jon, a Brommie, in Vietnam on the 5th Sept, so the last 2 week I'll have company. Things usually happen around Jon so it should be interesting.
Here are some more pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/mikedugganjnr/SuanMokkh
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/mikedugganjnr/ChiangMaiTrekking
Hope all is good with everyone,
M.
“It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple.“ Rabindranath Tagore
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Suan Mokkh Part 2 - There's a Pixie in me head
Did I ever tell you; I kilt a man? Well, not a man exactly, but a pixie. Eric was his name. On a holiday in New Zealand one of the girls had bought a 2 foot tall pixie from 'The Lost Gypsy Caravan' in the Catalans (a wonderful caravan filled with inventive automata and art). The four of us travelling had immediately projected a personality onto Eric changing him from inanimate object into a travelling mascot. One morning soon after I arose from my bed, little knowing I would soon commit a crime - of unmindfullness. I walked to the kitchen sleepily and decided to have some cornflakes. I opened the cupboard and saw something move on the worktop and fall to the floor. Eric had been perched there for the night. I don't remember much after that...trying to piece Eric back together...telling Edel that Eric was 'dead'...seeing disappointment slowly turn to acceptance. The group accepted that it was just one of those things, but the point of telling you the story is this; everytime I find myself being unmindful I think of Eric and it again strengthens my resolve to be mindful. It's a hard thing to do. You need some mental triggers like this. So if it is any consolation Edel, Eric is alive and well in my head.
Back to the monkey tree. So you are trying to quieten a thought. Thinking of Eric above had made me think of being 'put away' in prison, then of the phrase 'sitting like Buddha in a ten foot cell', a line from a Bob Dylan song. Suddenly the tune was in my head. My friends will know that I'm always humming a tune; have a pension for singing in the shower (thankfully Morag never minded); and am never shy if called on for a song. Think of yourselves; how often have you arrived into work and had the last song you heard on the radio running through your head for hours? This was dangerous ground for me. How now would I meditate? I reacted stongly and tried forcefully to push the song out off my mind. All the other monkeys in the tree saw this and went, well, literally apesh*t. Dylan, Shakira, Black Eye Peas, Green Day, Black Betty all played in my head over the next hour. Finally my mind quieted and returned to 'The Hurricane", after a bit of walking meditation. I managed to finally rid it from my mind, by imagining Boyzone singing the song (sorry Bob!), and this worked a treat.
Another example of this is childhood memories-which I often like to turn over in my head. One particular memory came strongly; 'The Flying Kiwi', a go-cart my brothers, and I, had built and test driven down Mannions hill (some might remember the TV show 'The Flying Kiwi'). My brother Dave had ended up under a stationary car at one stage but at that age you just bounce off, and have another go. The point being, if you are not very careful all your happy childhood memories will come flowing back because this pleases the mind...breath-in breath out does not.
While all this was going on we did have to go about the business of daily life. Living together in dorms of 20+ men. Bathing by pouring water over ourselves, lathering up, and pouring water over again. Washing clothes in tubs. Checking our rooms for scorpions and snakes. Also we were chanting Pali(Buddha's language) verses and generally trying not to entertain ourselves by reading, writing and idle thoughts such as above. It was a silent retreat so there was no talking and a lot of people walked around in a zombie state...trying to do everything mindfully! By day five 10 of 55 people had left. I considered leaving myself - but there were some benefits for all this effort and seemingly masochistic behavior.
You gain control of your own mind, your thoughts. Also you gain a deep concentration which brings with it a sense of satisfaction and well being. You have the ability to have crystal clear thoughts, be focused, and objective. You gain a greater understanding of the breath and how it effects your body. How short breathing usually accompanies anxiety/fear and long breathing accompanies calm and peaceful thoughts. You can identify how you feel in each moment, and being to live in the moment. The Buddha says 'Life lasts not long, Death lasts a long time"; Happiness is this moment - breath-in, breath-out. How often have you told someone to take a deep breath if they get over excited. It's like that, but in mediation, you get deep connection between body and mind.
On the 4th day I was doing the morning reading. Now, I've done public speaking before but it unnerves me. In Buddhist terms, it causes me suffering or Dukkha. I decided to do a case study. I didn't really think about it at all until the evening before and then it began. The reading was six pages long and read like a country western song ('I do suffer so I do'). What if I got nervous and messed up; what if I was late; what if I accidentally tripped and head-butted a monk...yada-yada; so I detattached myself from it. I had a tight feelin in my gut but no corresponding emotion to go with it. The reading went fine and afterward there was a strong feeling of relief that it was over. I detached myself from this as well. This has been a pattern of behavior/feeling for me in numerous things that are outside my 'comfort zone'. Of course I had learnt to deal with this stress in my own way; we all experience these emotions. Understanding and controlling these emotions, now the mind works in these cases; this is very empowering.
On the 5th or 6th the tone of the talks started to change subtlety. We were no longer being educated on Buddhism but being treated as 'Dhamma friends', believers of the true nature of things. At this point my defenses went up a bit - maybe the mother was right and they were trying to covert me. As I say, it was stuble and maybe not their intension. The fact of the matter is I do not have a nililistic bone in my body (although Buddhists hate this word they can't fully dis-own it). I belive there is a place in life for strong emotion - true love, beautiful sunsets, the buzz of skiing fast, the joy of seeing Kilkenny finally lose an All-Ireland (sorry Richie). Also Buddhism has been called an atheist faith because they don't believe in God in the traditional sense (they don't see it as worthy for discussion -Dhamma is God), I was brought up to believe in God, and whatever issues I may have with my own faith, I still do. So no need to worry Ma, unless they drug me and lock me in room 216, they won't be converting me. I eyed the chocolate soy milk at tea with suspicion.
So anyway we continued learning how to become familiar with the breathing, particularly the long breathing which would bring us to the next step of total concentration and connection of mind and body, the ability to form and manipulate mental objects, and finally to start to see the true nature of world ('It is your mind that is moving'). My effort lagged-possibly because my defenses were up or because I really wasn't seeking Nirvanna. Day 9 was a completely silent day given totally to meditating. I used this and returned to my own agenda.
Meditating to clear my mind, I thought about life, my own plans, short and long term; how I had found myself here; what I was going to do to earn a crust when I returned home to 'normal' life. The silence was great, the distractions few making it easy to think and do a bit of mental house keeping.
Overall I found the retreat very beneficial and they did impress on everyone how simplifying your life can help you achieve a calmer more positive attitude. The wisdom I take with me:
- Possessions owe us not we them
- Be thoughtful kind and forgiving, it will make the world a better place
- Live in the moment, happiness is now not a plan for the future
- When you talk to someone treat them like they are the most important person in the world (i.e. full attention)
- Do your best in everything you do, and do it with loving kindness
- Be mindful
Learning about a different religion sometimes made me feel like I was back in first class preparing for First Holy Communion. In fact the 5 percepts of Buddhism are not unlike the Ten Commandments, with the references to God ommited. It was good to revisit the foundations. Only briefly, while chanting, did I feel like I was worshiping a false God but I searched my conscience and it was clear.
On the last night the group shared insights. I was so tired from sleeping on a concrete bed that I didn't have the energy to share but some of the retreatants did; mostly US or German. One lad was gay so segregation didn't work for him. On the second day he took off his glasses and practiced 'Blindfullness with breathing'. A good few couples had come on retreat together - one on their honeymoon! For some it was their 2nd or 3rd retreat and they were recharging their spiritual batteries. Others had experiences that I incorporated in the main blog-not everything I talked about was experienced directly by me.
Suan Mokkh is an idyllic place with beautiful wildlife and beautiful people. I admire the monks and nuns for their commitment to what they believe and the selfless way they share their time and wisdom. I also admire Buddhism for it religious relativism (I think this is the right term); they want to make the whole world a better place to live, at least the ones I met did, and will work with everybody who is like-minded. I am like-minded.
Peace man,
M.
"Living a truly ethical life in which we look to put the needs of others first and provide for their happiness has tremendous implications for our society. If we change internally, disarm ourselves by cutting to the root of our negative emotions, we can literally change the world."
The Dala Lama
Back to the monkey tree. So you are trying to quieten a thought. Thinking of Eric above had made me think of being 'put away' in prison, then of the phrase 'sitting like Buddha in a ten foot cell', a line from a Bob Dylan song. Suddenly the tune was in my head. My friends will know that I'm always humming a tune; have a pension for singing in the shower (thankfully Morag never minded); and am never shy if called on for a song. Think of yourselves; how often have you arrived into work and had the last song you heard on the radio running through your head for hours? This was dangerous ground for me. How now would I meditate? I reacted stongly and tried forcefully to push the song out off my mind. All the other monkeys in the tree saw this and went, well, literally apesh*t. Dylan, Shakira, Black Eye Peas, Green Day, Black Betty all played in my head over the next hour. Finally my mind quieted and returned to 'The Hurricane", after a bit of walking meditation. I managed to finally rid it from my mind, by imagining Boyzone singing the song (sorry Bob!), and this worked a treat.
Another example of this is childhood memories-which I often like to turn over in my head. One particular memory came strongly; 'The Flying Kiwi', a go-cart my brothers, and I, had built and test driven down Mannions hill (some might remember the TV show 'The Flying Kiwi'). My brother Dave had ended up under a stationary car at one stage but at that age you just bounce off, and have another go. The point being, if you are not very careful all your happy childhood memories will come flowing back because this pleases the mind...breath-in breath out does not.
While all this was going on we did have to go about the business of daily life. Living together in dorms of 20+ men. Bathing by pouring water over ourselves, lathering up, and pouring water over again. Washing clothes in tubs. Checking our rooms for scorpions and snakes. Also we were chanting Pali(Buddha's language) verses and generally trying not to entertain ourselves by reading, writing and idle thoughts such as above. It was a silent retreat so there was no talking and a lot of people walked around in a zombie state...trying to do everything mindfully! By day five 10 of 55 people had left. I considered leaving myself - but there were some benefits for all this effort and seemingly masochistic behavior.
You gain control of your own mind, your thoughts. Also you gain a deep concentration which brings with it a sense of satisfaction and well being. You have the ability to have crystal clear thoughts, be focused, and objective. You gain a greater understanding of the breath and how it effects your body. How short breathing usually accompanies anxiety/fear and long breathing accompanies calm and peaceful thoughts. You can identify how you feel in each moment, and being to live in the moment. The Buddha says 'Life lasts not long, Death lasts a long time"; Happiness is this moment - breath-in, breath-out. How often have you told someone to take a deep breath if they get over excited. It's like that, but in mediation, you get deep connection between body and mind.
On the 4th day I was doing the morning reading. Now, I've done public speaking before but it unnerves me. In Buddhist terms, it causes me suffering or Dukkha. I decided to do a case study. I didn't really think about it at all until the evening before and then it began. The reading was six pages long and read like a country western song ('I do suffer so I do'). What if I got nervous and messed up; what if I was late; what if I accidentally tripped and head-butted a monk...yada-yada; so I detattached myself from it. I had a tight feelin in my gut but no corresponding emotion to go with it. The reading went fine and afterward there was a strong feeling of relief that it was over. I detached myself from this as well. This has been a pattern of behavior/feeling for me in numerous things that are outside my 'comfort zone'. Of course I had learnt to deal with this stress in my own way; we all experience these emotions. Understanding and controlling these emotions, now the mind works in these cases; this is very empowering.
On the 5th or 6th the tone of the talks started to change subtlety. We were no longer being educated on Buddhism but being treated as 'Dhamma friends', believers of the true nature of things. At this point my defenses went up a bit - maybe the mother was right and they were trying to covert me. As I say, it was stuble and maybe not their intension. The fact of the matter is I do not have a nililistic bone in my body (although Buddhists hate this word they can't fully dis-own it). I belive there is a place in life for strong emotion - true love, beautiful sunsets, the buzz of skiing fast, the joy of seeing Kilkenny finally lose an All-Ireland (sorry Richie). Also Buddhism has been called an atheist faith because they don't believe in God in the traditional sense (they don't see it as worthy for discussion -Dhamma is God), I was brought up to believe in God, and whatever issues I may have with my own faith, I still do. So no need to worry Ma, unless they drug me and lock me in room 216, they won't be converting me. I eyed the chocolate soy milk at tea with suspicion.
So anyway we continued learning how to become familiar with the breathing, particularly the long breathing which would bring us to the next step of total concentration and connection of mind and body, the ability to form and manipulate mental objects, and finally to start to see the true nature of world ('It is your mind that is moving'). My effort lagged-possibly because my defenses were up or because I really wasn't seeking Nirvanna. Day 9 was a completely silent day given totally to meditating. I used this and returned to my own agenda.
Meditating to clear my mind, I thought about life, my own plans, short and long term; how I had found myself here; what I was going to do to earn a crust when I returned home to 'normal' life. The silence was great, the distractions few making it easy to think and do a bit of mental house keeping.
Overall I found the retreat very beneficial and they did impress on everyone how simplifying your life can help you achieve a calmer more positive attitude. The wisdom I take with me:
- Possessions owe us not we them
- Be thoughtful kind and forgiving, it will make the world a better place
- Live in the moment, happiness is now not a plan for the future
- When you talk to someone treat them like they are the most important person in the world (i.e. full attention)
- Do your best in everything you do, and do it with loving kindness
- Be mindful
Learning about a different religion sometimes made me feel like I was back in first class preparing for First Holy Communion. In fact the 5 percepts of Buddhism are not unlike the Ten Commandments, with the references to God ommited. It was good to revisit the foundations. Only briefly, while chanting, did I feel like I was worshiping a false God but I searched my conscience and it was clear.
On the last night the group shared insights. I was so tired from sleeping on a concrete bed that I didn't have the energy to share but some of the retreatants did; mostly US or German. One lad was gay so segregation didn't work for him. On the second day he took off his glasses and practiced 'Blindfullness with breathing'. A good few couples had come on retreat together - one on their honeymoon! For some it was their 2nd or 3rd retreat and they were recharging their spiritual batteries. Others had experiences that I incorporated in the main blog-not everything I talked about was experienced directly by me.
Suan Mokkh is an idyllic place with beautiful wildlife and beautiful people. I admire the monks and nuns for their commitment to what they believe and the selfless way they share their time and wisdom. I also admire Buddhism for it religious relativism (I think this is the right term); they want to make the whole world a better place to live, at least the ones I met did, and will work with everybody who is like-minded. I am like-minded.
Peace man,
M.
"Living a truly ethical life in which we look to put the needs of others first and provide for their happiness has tremendous implications for our society. If we change internally, disarm ourselves by cutting to the root of our negative emotions, we can literally change the world."
The Dala Lama
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Suan Mokkh Part 1 - Yis are all ignorant so ye are!
Suan Mokkh is a Buddhist forest monastery in Surat Thani province, just down the road from Chaiya town. They have been running 10 day silent retreats for ‘farangs’ for over 20 years now and are featured in the Lonely Planet (a dubious accolade most seasoned travelers will tell you).
The retreat runs from the last day of each month until the 11th of the following month; July 31st – 11th Aug in this case. Before registering you have to read a 20 page booklet that spells out what to expect and asking you to put aside whatever beliefs you have until the end of the retreat i.e. keep an open mind. After a short interview you receive a room key and directions to the dorms – men and women are segregated.
I was in room 216 in a dorm with 50 odd rooms laid out around a square courtyard. The room was 10 feet by 6 feet with a concrete bed, wooden pillow, mossie net and candleholder. The similarities to prison were unsettling at first.
The daily schedule ran like this:
Day 1-8:
04:00 Rise and Shine
04:30 Morning Reading
04:45 Sitting Meditation
05:15 Yoga (Hata variety – prepare for sitting cross-legged all day)
07:00 Dhamma talk and Sitting Meditation
08:00 Breakfast and chores
10:00 Dhamma talk
11:00 Walking or Standing Meditation
11:45 Sitting Meditation
12:30 Lunch and chores
14:30 Meditation Instruction and Sitting Meditation
15:30 Walking or Standing Meditation
16:15 Sitting Meditation
17:00 Chanting and Loving-Kindness Meditation
18:00 Tea
19:30 Sitting Meditation
20:00 Group Walking Meditation
20:30 Sitting Meditation
21:00 Bedtime
21:30 Lights Out
Note: The start of each activity is signaled by the ringing of a bell.
Schedule for days 9-11 would be given later in the week. As you can see from the schedule, the emphasize is very much on meditation specifically ‘mindfulness of breathing’ (An-a-pan-as-it-i), or using the breath as an object of concentration.
On the first night I got very little sleep. The concrete bed and wooden pillow ground flesh against bone and I rose at 4am to face a 17 hour day with 2 hours sleep. Despite this I was eager to find out what was in store for the next 10 days.
So, we would be learning:
- Dhamma
(a) the state of nature as it is,
(b) the laws of nature,
(c) the duties that must be performed in accordance with the laws of nature, and
(d) the results that are derived from the fulfillment of such duties
- Chanting (Praise to the Buddha and teachings of same)
- Sitting and walking meditation
An-a-pan-as-it-I requires hat you identify the in-breath and out-breath points i.e. the tip of the nose and the navel (or there abouts) and visualize a tube running between these points. Once this is achieved oyu simply ‘chase the breath’ between these two points – you can physically feel the breath at the tip of the nose on the in breath and the movement in the stomach when you chase the breath in. Again you can feel the breath on the tip of the nose on the way out.
And what’s the point of this you may ask? Well that brings me to the Dhamma. The Buddhists believe that most humans are ignorant. (I know one or two like that says you!). That’s not an insult in their book though, merely a fact. To clarify, we are lead by our feelings and desires causing internal suffering (greed, ill-will, delusion were the grouping of defilements/pollutants). This comes from the idea that of ‘me’ and ‘I’ or the human ego. You must control and remove the ego to achieve Nibanna/Nirvana- the aim of the monks.
You do this by controlling the mind turning ignorant contact into wise contact.
To illustrate this:
Johnny Ignorant and Johnny Wise are both sitting on the couch and wondering what to do for the evening. Their minds are bored and need entertaining. So Johnny ignorant looks up movie listings, calls the girlfriend and then goes to one that interests him (and her!) and pops in for a pizza on the way home cause he has a hankering for pepperoni. He has a whiskey night cap to relax the mind and heads off to bed. The keys words here are 'bored' and 'hankering' or craving.
The 5 senses and the mind make contact with the world and feeling arises making us want things – sensual pleasures (also ill-will, lethargy/fear qualify here).
Johnny Wise however has trained the mind and studied mindfulness, leaving him no time for a girlfriend. He thinks of the movies and pizza and identifies it as a craving feeling -unwholesome greed, so he ignores it or throws it away, there by stopping the cycle of greed (I need/I want). Also his mind is calm because he doesn’t have past memories or thoughts of the future running through his mind – happiness is this moment not a goal for the future. He meditates a lot and is mindful of everything he does (did I mention he doesn’t have a girlfriend).
But wait, it gets better. Once you start to get rid of the illusion of ‘I’ or ‘me’ i.e. your ego, you then get rid of the labels you put in the world. A mountain is no longer a mountain- you see the world as it truly is. I don’t fully understand this as apparently it has to be experienced for understanding but let me give you this to ponder:
The wind was flapping a temple flag. Two monks were arguing about it. One said the flag was moving; the other said the wind was moving. Arguing back and forth they could come to no agreement.
Zen happened by. “Howru Boss, what do you thing?”
Zen said "It is neither the wind nor the flag that is moving. It is your mind that is moving."
There we go, clear as muddy water.
But back to the first step to Nirvana – mindfulness of breathing. Step 1 is to do as I’ve said before and chase the breath. This is usually grand for the first few minutes and then the mind breaks in with a thought: “Sh*te, I think I left me room key in the jacks” or “”I wonder what’s for dinner” so you get distracted. Don’t get upset they tell you, just go back to the breathing. Like a baby who is eating, they get distracted then look back and see the spoon and just think “food”. Just go back to it and think “Breath-in; Breath out”.
So you go back to the breathing for another 5 minutes but the mind is getting bored now and throws “I love a pint right about now" at you.” You finally after hours of practice manage to push these distracting thoughts from your mind and concentrate for a full ten minutes and are very happy with yourself. You congratulate yourself in your own mind and think it was like the time you got an 8 letter word in Countdown; on a day you skived off work. Actually you had been on a savage session the night before and couldn't be bothered going in. What was the word again?....hold on…NUTS!...Breath in Breath out. And so on, with the mind getting ever creative in distraction because you are boring it to tears.
Of course for the lads – some more then others – one of the biggest distractions is sexual thought. Studies suggest that nearly all men, 91 per cent upwards, fantasize (I looked that up on the web-I used to be and IT professional don’t you know!). Once thoughts are under control images start flashing in the mind to distract you. This can be hard to control but Indian sages had a great way of dealing with it in the last century. Contemplation on decaying dead corpses. Severe but apparently effective. (As an aside, the Suan Mokkh spiritual centre has the skeleton of a former Miss Chiang Mai on display. She donated it to them to show the impermanence of all life).
Ill-will is another favorite distraction. Anger about a past argument or unfinished business from past events will settle in the mind and are buggers to get rid off. I think this is probably because these memories tend to harden over time and become the scar tissue of our memory. The solution – loving kindness meditation (no guffawing down the back!). This type of meditation was thought to us by a Chinese lay woman who must be one of the sweetest people on earth. She taught us to forgive our enemies, forgive ourselves and to spread loving kindness to the world’s people and all its animals. Then to love the whole of the natural world. This type of meditation produced a surprising amount of strong feeling of well being and calm and did seem to soften the hardened feelings of ill-will.
Of course you had to be careful to thread softly the whole time so you would upset the monkeys in the tree – an analogy for the mind. More on this in Part 2 tomorrow.
I’m going for a beer now. Maybe two.
With Loving-Kindness,
M.
"The thought manifests as the word
the word manifests as the deed
the deed develops into habit
and the habit hardens into character.
So watch the thought and its ways..."
the Buddha
The retreat runs from the last day of each month until the 11th of the following month; July 31st – 11th Aug in this case. Before registering you have to read a 20 page booklet that spells out what to expect and asking you to put aside whatever beliefs you have until the end of the retreat i.e. keep an open mind. After a short interview you receive a room key and directions to the dorms – men and women are segregated.
I was in room 216 in a dorm with 50 odd rooms laid out around a square courtyard. The room was 10 feet by 6 feet with a concrete bed, wooden pillow, mossie net and candleholder. The similarities to prison were unsettling at first.
The daily schedule ran like this:
Day 1-8:
04:00 Rise and Shine
04:30 Morning Reading
04:45 Sitting Meditation
05:15 Yoga (Hata variety – prepare for sitting cross-legged all day)
07:00 Dhamma talk and Sitting Meditation
08:00 Breakfast and chores
10:00 Dhamma talk
11:00 Walking or Standing Meditation
11:45 Sitting Meditation
12:30 Lunch and chores
14:30 Meditation Instruction and Sitting Meditation
15:30 Walking or Standing Meditation
16:15 Sitting Meditation
17:00 Chanting and Loving-Kindness Meditation
18:00 Tea
19:30 Sitting Meditation
20:00 Group Walking Meditation
20:30 Sitting Meditation
21:00 Bedtime
21:30 Lights Out
Note: The start of each activity is signaled by the ringing of a bell.
Schedule for days 9-11 would be given later in the week. As you can see from the schedule, the emphasize is very much on meditation specifically ‘mindfulness of breathing’ (An-a-pan-as-it-i), or using the breath as an object of concentration.
On the first night I got very little sleep. The concrete bed and wooden pillow ground flesh against bone and I rose at 4am to face a 17 hour day with 2 hours sleep. Despite this I was eager to find out what was in store for the next 10 days.
So, we would be learning:
- Dhamma
(a) the state of nature as it is,
(b) the laws of nature,
(c) the duties that must be performed in accordance with the laws of nature, and
(d) the results that are derived from the fulfillment of such duties
- Chanting (Praise to the Buddha and teachings of same)
- Sitting and walking meditation
An-a-pan-as-it-I requires hat you identify the in-breath and out-breath points i.e. the tip of the nose and the navel (or there abouts) and visualize a tube running between these points. Once this is achieved oyu simply ‘chase the breath’ between these two points – you can physically feel the breath at the tip of the nose on the in breath and the movement in the stomach when you chase the breath in. Again you can feel the breath on the tip of the nose on the way out.
And what’s the point of this you may ask? Well that brings me to the Dhamma. The Buddhists believe that most humans are ignorant. (I know one or two like that says you!). That’s not an insult in their book though, merely a fact. To clarify, we are lead by our feelings and desires causing internal suffering (greed, ill-will, delusion were the grouping of defilements/pollutants). This comes from the idea that of ‘me’ and ‘I’ or the human ego. You must control and remove the ego to achieve Nibanna/Nirvana- the aim of the monks.
You do this by controlling the mind turning ignorant contact into wise contact.
To illustrate this:
Johnny Ignorant and Johnny Wise are both sitting on the couch and wondering what to do for the evening. Their minds are bored and need entertaining. So Johnny ignorant looks up movie listings, calls the girlfriend and then goes to one that interests him (and her!) and pops in for a pizza on the way home cause he has a hankering for pepperoni. He has a whiskey night cap to relax the mind and heads off to bed. The keys words here are 'bored' and 'hankering' or craving.
The 5 senses and the mind make contact with the world and feeling arises making us want things – sensual pleasures (also ill-will, lethargy/fear qualify here).
Johnny Wise however has trained the mind and studied mindfulness, leaving him no time for a girlfriend. He thinks of the movies and pizza and identifies it as a craving feeling -unwholesome greed, so he ignores it or throws it away, there by stopping the cycle of greed (I need/I want). Also his mind is calm because he doesn’t have past memories or thoughts of the future running through his mind – happiness is this moment not a goal for the future. He meditates a lot and is mindful of everything he does (did I mention he doesn’t have a girlfriend).
But wait, it gets better. Once you start to get rid of the illusion of ‘I’ or ‘me’ i.e. your ego, you then get rid of the labels you put in the world. A mountain is no longer a mountain- you see the world as it truly is. I don’t fully understand this as apparently it has to be experienced for understanding but let me give you this to ponder:
The wind was flapping a temple flag. Two monks were arguing about it. One said the flag was moving; the other said the wind was moving. Arguing back and forth they could come to no agreement.
Zen happened by. “Howru Boss, what do you thing?”
Zen said "It is neither the wind nor the flag that is moving. It is your mind that is moving."
There we go, clear as muddy water.
But back to the first step to Nirvana – mindfulness of breathing. Step 1 is to do as I’ve said before and chase the breath. This is usually grand for the first few minutes and then the mind breaks in with a thought: “Sh*te, I think I left me room key in the jacks” or “”I wonder what’s for dinner” so you get distracted. Don’t get upset they tell you, just go back to the breathing. Like a baby who is eating, they get distracted then look back and see the spoon and just think “food”. Just go back to it and think “Breath-in; Breath out”.
So you go back to the breathing for another 5 minutes but the mind is getting bored now and throws “I love a pint right about now" at you.” You finally after hours of practice manage to push these distracting thoughts from your mind and concentrate for a full ten minutes and are very happy with yourself. You congratulate yourself in your own mind and think it was like the time you got an 8 letter word in Countdown; on a day you skived off work. Actually you had been on a savage session the night before and couldn't be bothered going in. What was the word again?....hold on…NUTS!...Breath in Breath out. And so on, with the mind getting ever creative in distraction because you are boring it to tears.
Of course for the lads – some more then others – one of the biggest distractions is sexual thought. Studies suggest that nearly all men, 91 per cent upwards, fantasize (I looked that up on the web-I used to be and IT professional don’t you know!). Once thoughts are under control images start flashing in the mind to distract you. This can be hard to control but Indian sages had a great way of dealing with it in the last century. Contemplation on decaying dead corpses. Severe but apparently effective. (As an aside, the Suan Mokkh spiritual centre has the skeleton of a former Miss Chiang Mai on display. She donated it to them to show the impermanence of all life).
Ill-will is another favorite distraction. Anger about a past argument or unfinished business from past events will settle in the mind and are buggers to get rid off. I think this is probably because these memories tend to harden over time and become the scar tissue of our memory. The solution – loving kindness meditation (no guffawing down the back!). This type of meditation was thought to us by a Chinese lay woman who must be one of the sweetest people on earth. She taught us to forgive our enemies, forgive ourselves and to spread loving kindness to the world’s people and all its animals. Then to love the whole of the natural world. This type of meditation produced a surprising amount of strong feeling of well being and calm and did seem to soften the hardened feelings of ill-will.
Of course you had to be careful to thread softly the whole time so you would upset the monkeys in the tree – an analogy for the mind. More on this in Part 2 tomorrow.
I’m going for a beer now. Maybe two.
With Loving-Kindness,
M.
"The thought manifests as the word
the word manifests as the deed
the deed develops into habit
and the habit hardens into character.
So watch the thought and its ways..."
the Buddha
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