This is where I went this morning with JT (James Thomas) and some Burmese folks he is acquainted with. It is southwest of
the main part of the city. I hired a tuk-tuk driver to take me there and wait for me (about a hour and
a half). It cost me 350 baht round trip or about $10.60. The tuk-tuk driver was a very nice man.
this chedi or stupa is up above.........
.........and there is a series of tunnels down below
in this part of the tunnel there were bats
we managed to get out without being attacked by the bats
This is the wheel of life mandala, which encapsulates the central tenets and cosmology of Tantric
Buddhism.
The Nazis ripped off the swastika from the Buddhists
My long-running fear of dogs has reared it's ugly head once again. I was
plagued by feral dogs in Ukraine, and the dogs, sensing my fear are barking
at me and making threatening overtures again. I went to Tesco Lotus yesterday
(sort of like Costco) and bought some dog treats to carry with me to try
to appease my tormentors. I tried them out on a couple of dogs this morning
and it seemed to work.
I have no idea what this monk is thinking or saying, but I like the style
of the font or the characters. I don't know if it is Pali or Sanskrit or Thai,
but it looks interesting.
I think this panel has something to say about our transitory nature.
something about vices and virtue perhaps???
That little fella at the base of the stupa is none other than JT (James Thomas,
or Jamie Thomas as you folks back in Ada, Oklahoma know him).
JT
monks robes drying in the morning sun
One of the stages the Buddha went through on his path to enlightenment.
cool fauna and flora here in Northern Thailand
Just next door to Wat Umong was this place, where JT's Burmese friends, who run
a restaurnat here in Chiang Mai, had
brought a lot of food for a notable monk. After the monks had eaten, we were invited
to eat.....very quietly. The food was great, even the hot-as-a-pistol, deep-fried
anchovies.
After we ate I woke up my tuk-tuk driver who had decided to take a nap in the
passenger seat of the tuk-tuk, and we headed back to town. So, "mark it, Dude"...
another interesting morning here in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
