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Published: March 22nd 2011
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Where I stayed
Not the best picture, but you will see in another photo the surrounding fields and mountains. "You ring the bell three times after making merit" New's brother Golf explained to me. And so I did on my last day in Chiang Rai province. From an ancient temple in Chiang Saen, I looked out over the convergence of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar on the Mekong River. This triangular configuration with China just to the north of it all is often referred to as the "Golden Triangle" or "Saam Liam Tong Kham" in Thailand. Seemingly endless mountains, densely populated valleys and the winding Mekong River have historically punctuated longstanding relationships between the people of these four nation-states. Chiang Saen, at the northern tip of Thailand and in some of the northernmost reaches of Thailand, provides a provocative glimpse of the ethnic and cultural diversity that has long reigned in this region. Lunch on the Mekong, a visit to make merit at a few local temples, and a few discussions with my friend New's mother about her work with local "hill tribes"*** provided a few 'glimpsified' snapshots.
I am not sure if New invited me up to visit or whether I ingratiated myself into being welcomed up to her parent's home(s) in the capital city of Chiang Rai province
known as Chiang Rai city. She and I had studied at around the same time for our MA degrees in Southeast Asian studies at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. Although normally in Bangkok, she was in Chiang Mai province on a meditation retreat for a week or so and decided to go home for a while after she finished. She and her brother Golf picked me up on her last day in Chiang Mai city near my apartment and they took me up to visit their mother at her home in Chiang Rai city. This was after satisfying my and Golf's sweet tooth at an ice cream parlor near my apartment and then a nice little bakery on a pretty river just outside of Chiang Rai city. It was a difficult afternoon....ha ha ha.
I was there for a couple of nights and had a chance to see the city and a little of New's local neighborhood where she spent part of her time growing up. On my first day, we visited the "White" and "Black" temples that were both designed by local artists and provide a uniquely Thai take on modern art. Both temple complexes make you feel as
Purgatory before ascending into the temple
Some of the "masses" still get to enter the temple, but not before crossing this bridge over these folks who are still waiting for their turn. I wonder if they are intended to be stuck there forever? if you are at a normal temple but they have a real artistic sensibility which is modern and contemporary in the sense that they are in touch with the outside world. For example, the "White Temple" (called Wat Rong Khun) has a gallery of paintings from its creator, Chalermchai Kositpipat, that include modern figures such as Osama Bin Laden and George Bush. The paintings inside the temple have modern superheroes and villains along with modern technology all pictured in the same mosaic with Lord Budda. Furthermore, the temple was built for monks and the community (as is the traditional way) but also specifically for tourists to enjoy and help support the local economy and community. His artistic infusion of the old and new I find hopeful for the future of Buddhism in Thailand......particularly in artistic endeavors. It is interesting that the temple is still under construction but available to the public (you can see artisan's shaping the "white" pieces of stone, plaster and glass that make up the temple). This is true of the "Black Temple" as well to which I now turn.
The "Black Temple" created by Tawan Duchanee seems to be an ode to nature and civilizing
Khao Soy
Eat your heart out Philip.......New took me to this Khao Soy restaurant for lunch near the Black Temple the wild, but in an almost macabre sort of way. Bones, furs, shells and dark colored wood make up the riverside based grounds of Duchanee's creation. Enormous trees, often hundreds of years old, look down upon you as you journey through the sanctuary. All of his beds (little sleeping quarters in-between the larger temple structures) are covered with furs. Experiencing a temple such as his and seeing the intersection of the "visceral" and the "sacred" gave me a sense that Duchanee was trying to use these images to put us back in touch with nature in order that we ourselves, in our everyday lives, can connect the higher more abstract goals of Buddhism to something more tangible and down-to-earth; the animal bones, the trees and the furs inside the temples and the compound give us the opportunity to experience the mundane in a spiritual context. In the end, I wasn't sure I really understood the artistic and religious (?) message he was trying to convey, but it was an intellectual and visual delight. Only the extreme afternoon heat took away some of the excitement and vigor. The still water on the river and the shade of the trees provided just
enough coolness that you didn't "burn in hell" but they certainly didn't promise eternal comfort. With that, perhaps my visit went exactly the way Duchanee would have wanted it to go.
Chiang Rai city is pretty unexceptional and quiet if you are looking for a vibrant night scene. However, there are a few tourist restaurant/bars and a number of trendy cafes serving coffee from the local mountains. The small night market is a nice place to settle for a meal but it is not particularly vibrant compared to those found in Chiang Mai. It is still a small town. Nonetheless, New told me the house where her father lives (where I stayed) was the only home in her neighborhood when she was growing up there. Now, houses sporadically pop up on roads that twist and turn through the fields that are still managed to grow things (corn and rice were what I noted).
Phee Ood, New's live in housekeeper and caretaker, cooked up some great Nam Ngiaw (a northern Thai noodle and curry dish) among other things. She also made sure I didn't lapse into English too often as I tend to do with New. She made me
The "Black Temple'
The main ubosoth of the Black Temple grounds feel right at home but not too much so. Her active and curious demeanor kept me alert with probing questions.
On my last day before boarding the bus back to Chiang Mai, I drove with New, her brother Golf and her mother to Chiang Saen province with the dual purpose of showing me around and making merit. I will let the pictures tell most of the story but the most interesting part was the project New's mom is working on at the local university. She is a scientist and has received funding for a project with the local hill tribes. She has been working with them in order to use local knowledge of indigenous plants for commercial purposes. Her lab is filled with seedling samples that she took. One example, was a particular leafy plant often used in aquariums. It is a very interesting project and I would like to get the full story sometime. She has welcomed me back anytime.
I am hoping at some point to do a trekking and biking tour of the province. There are a lot of interesting people and beautiful scenery to explore. But it is best to do this at a
The macabre
I feel a little like a Viking cooler time. The heat during the afternoon now is bad for the skin and energy levels so you really need to know what you are doing to try and stay out of the sunlight and heat.
I got some sense of Chiang Rai's place in local lore and imagination and it was so good to see my friend again. New is one of a kind.
***"hill tribes" are ethnic groups with strong cultural traditions different from those held up in each of their respective nation-states.......they live across national borders and until fairly recently have tended to primarily make their living in the hills. Nowadays, the young people of these hill tribes tend to speak Thai or other national languages and work in the lower end type of jobs most Thais would prefer not to do. They are also often "stateless" meaning they often do not have citizenship due to deliberate state policies.
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Sandra Beecher
non-member comment
Great pictures
I enjoy following your travels. What an amazing opportunity! Love, Sandy