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novice shoppers...
ok so they are novice monks, shopping... at least looking... phitsanulok... it must be or it would be otherwise...
i spent a couple of days in bangkok
(which is actually a western basterdization of the name of a village that used to exist there called bang makok... the official name of the city is, are you ready for it, 'krungthep mahanakhon amonratanakosin mahintara ayuthaya mahadilok popnopparat ratchathani burirom udomratchaniwet mahasathan amonpiman avatansathit sakkathattiya witsanukamprasit' , which translated roughly means, 'great city of angels, repository of divine gems, great land unconquerable, grande and prominent realm, royal and delightful capital city full of nine noble gems, highest royalty dwelling and grande palace, divine shelter and living place of reincarnated spirits'..) planing my vipassana meditaion schedule while here in se asia... first course scheduled to begin on the 13th of may so i went and bought a train ticket to get me to the area where the centre is... soon before i departed for the train i checked the vipassana website once again, don't know why, only to se that all courses in thailand at least have been cancelled until mid-july... no explanation on the website so i think, just in case, i'll still head to phitsanulok which is the closest city to
the centre i had registerd at..
i once again took an overnight train although it was only seven hours, departing at 2200hrs... this time however i took a 2nd class seat instead of a 3rd class... just an aside, if you are travelling here on a night train there is no need to get an air-con car... with a fan, and usually all the windows open, it gets quite cool and most that i talk to say they were too cold with air-con... so i was definately more comfortable than on the 3rd class bench seat, this one had padding and reclined, but from now on i splurge for a 2nd class sleeper, no doubt...
once in phitsanulok i got to check my email and found out that the vipassana courses have been cancelled due to 'swine flu'... what can on do... luckily there are some special places around other than the meditation centre... my second day here i rented a scooter ;-) and drove 200km, saw 3 waterfalls and a national park... very beautiful, much to appreciate... at one point on the trip i felt that it might rain soon so i pulled over at
the next shelter i saw to put on my jacket, put away my camera, and cover my backpack with a rain cover... wouldn't you know about one minute after i pull into the shelter it starts to pour... and it's heavy, heavy rain... lasts about 30 minutes and luckily is moving away from the direction i am heading... then on the way back, same thing... i feel it may rain again so to be safe i pull over at a small food stand to pack and cover up and again a bout a minute later it starts to pour... a very good-hearted lady makes me move my bike in under cover and brings a seat out for me to sit on... about 30 minutes later the sun is shining again and as i get ready to go she hands me a bag full of lychee fruits (probably worth as much as the money i spent at her shop)... people are good, the world is great, and life is...
stopped for a coffee at a cafe in phitsanulok and voila, they have free wi-fi... decided to publish this now before it gets toooo long ;-)... more adventures to come
junk yard or treasure chest...
you decide... it's actually a mechanics shop in bangkok and by far not the only one like it... soon though...
may all be happy...
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