A Temple Surprise!!

This morning, Jody and I decided to head up to a nearby hilltop temple.  It's not one of the most popular wats in town - in fact, it took us a while just to look up the name online:  Wat Phrathat Doi Khao Quai.  We headed a few kilometers out of the city and passed by a lake with grazing water buffalo on our way up the hill.  Once we got there we started exploring the grounds.  Although it was a little hazy, we got great views of Chiang Rai and even spotted our apartment!  The Chedi, or pointy top of the Wat, was covered in colored glass which reflected beautifully in the sun.  We ventured into the temple and saw the usual sights - candles, gold Buddha figures and offering dishes - along with some interesting new ones:  cut tree branches with old beehives attached (no live bees), a mountain of multi-colored candle wax overflowing like lava and several monks working around the grounds. 

As we were about to leave, a man working in the temple started talking to us and invited us in again.  We chatted for a few minutes in broken English, and explained that Jody is a teacher at Damrong School.  He was really excited to hear that, and continued to tell us about his life.  Then he invited us to eat lunch with him in the temple!  Though we weren't planning on it, it isn't exactly something you turn down you know? We weren't sure exactly what he was trying to say at first, so we waited around for a couple minutes, and all of a sudden there was a huge spread of food in front of us.

Our Traditional Lunch!

He laid out a couple mats and we just sat there on the floor, conversed & ate for the next 30 minutes or so. During our meal, people came in to worship. We really felt so welcome the entire time. So much food for 3 people! I felt bad when we couldn't even make a dent in the meal. There were 7 or 8 different stews, noodle dishes, and stir-fries all over rice. Our favorite was this roasted squash dish. Some of the things didn't exactly suit our palate if you know what I mean. There was this fermented condiment that was raunchy but we did our best to be polite and try everything. For those that know me, I love to try all kinds of different foods and it was definitely eye-opening to see and eat what the Monks eat every day. The old man explained that he had been a monk for 36 years but we were never able to figure out why he wasn't anymore. When we were finished, the nicest women came to clear our dishes. We seriously only ate about 1/5th of the food. We felt bad that the women were cleaning up after us after not eating with us, but they insisted. The old man explained that his boss was sitting over on the other side of the room and he wanted us to meet him. I assume he was the most senior monk at the Wat because he definitely seemed to have some authority and respect.

Our Bracelets and Amulets. Good luck is on the way:)

We exchanged introductions and explained that we were from America. He seemed intrigued by California and through translation, I explained that I was born there. I thought we were just going to talk to him and then leave, but he decided to bless us! He gave us each amulets engraved with a black bear creature with 4 ears and 5 eyes and explained to us that this creature symbolizes good luck. Then, he wrapped white cloth bracelets around each of our wrists (making sure not to touch Jody as monks can't touch Women) and chanted. Such an elaborate prayer. He spoke so quickly as if he were almost mumbling and every few seconds, he would blow on the bracelet. After one final blow, the blessing was complete and all the temple staff bid us good luck. We were so grateful for the unexpected memorable experience and vowed to visit again soon.

We didn't feel right taking pictures during the blessing, but we did manage to snap one with the Monk right after it.

You don't have to go to the most well-known places to have such cool experiences. Sometimes, the off-the-beaten-track places prove to be the most memorable. We were lucky to both get to see and experience such an intimate part of Buddhist life.