Chaiyaphum II

The first morning we all got up late and had a quick breakfast of sticky rice, silkworm larvae, and bamboo before heading over to Rat’s husband’s parents house where we had a second more substantial breakfast of a spicy chicken soup, raw vegetables and nam prik, a spicy dipping sauce, tiny fried fish, and of course more sticky rice.  As we sat and talked (mostly just listening on my part), a few neighbors stopped by.  One woman had recently had a baby, which was passed around and commented on.  Breakfast gradually turned into lunch, and then into a kao thom mat (a dessert made of sticky rice, banana, coconut, peanuts, sesame seeds, sugar, and herbs wrapped in banana leaves and then steamed) making session.  (See video on FB, there are also pictures from the whole trip in an album called “Chaiyaphum”.) 

That afternoon, we went to Mor Hin Khao, which is called the Stonehenge of Thailand.  Unlike Stonehenge, it is a naturally occurring geological formation of rock columns, the largest of which are around 12 meters tall.  We arrived there just as dusk was beginning to fall and the quality of light and colors it produced in rock and sky were gorgeous to behold.  On the way back home, we stopped for dinner at a night market where we had skewers of grilled squid and octopus, mushroom curry, grilled fish with the ubiquitous spicy dipping sauce and raw vegetables.  It was one of many times when I wanted to eat everything I saw, which of course is impossible, but a guy can dream.

The next morning, we went to the wat (temple) where Rat’s family would go when she was growing up.  It is situated halfway up a mountain a half hour’s drive away.  Along the way we picked up various members of her extended family and an acquaintance or two, most of whom sat in the back of the pick-up truck (the inside seats being reserved for the most elderly, the baby, and me).  When we arrived at the temple, a few of the women changed into all white clothes, which is traditional for Buddhist ceremonies and events here.  After the usual round of prayers and chanting, everyone had lunch, Thai buffet style, i.e. a smorgasbord of fried and dried fish, curries, noodles, raw vegetables (small eggplants, long beans, cabbage) and rice.

In the afternoon we drove out to another temple, which required climbing 1000 steps up the side of another mountain.  I didn’t actually count them, but it seemed like easily at least that number.  Even though we proceeded at a fairly leisurely pace, we were all of us sweating and slightly out of breath by the time we reached the top.  The temple itself was a pretty dinky affair, but the real attractions were the surrounding environs which were beautiful and serene, and the cave which led down to a murky pool surrounded by Buddhist statuary.

That evening, since it happened to be the end of Buddhist Lent, we went to a local community center where we set off fireworks and sent floating lanterns (khom loi) into the night sky.  It was my first experience with these lanterns, which feature in the celebrations of a few Thai holidays, most notably Loi Krathong (or actually Yi Peng, which originated in the North but is now celebrated throughout the country in conjunction with Loi Krathong), and there is something quite enchanting about seeing the delicate paper lanterns break the hold of gravity and ascend gracefully, and depending on their size, majestically into the darkness, where they, however briefly, augment the array of constellations in the skies over Thailand.  After the last lantern dwindled to a mere speck of light, we went to a friend’s house for a late dinner of larb moo (a spicy salad with ground pork, shallots, lime, chilies, fish sauce, cilantro and mint), and then it was straight to bed.

The following morning we went to a Wat that had a 3 or 4 story pagoda with old paintings, stonework, and carvings on each floor.  From the top there was a great view of the mountains and surrounding countryside.  After that it was back to the house to pack up and head back to Rayong.  As I mentioned in a previous post, this has been my favorite trip so far in Thailand.  I’m not really that much of a beach person, and although I appreciate a beautiful vista as much as the next person, what I enjoy more and find more interesting is seeing how people live their lives in a day-to-day kind of way, the rhythm of it, the small pleasures and concerns, the ways in which people interact and connect, what makes them happy, because for me that is what it’s all about.