Bangkok
Wednesday, January 24, 2013
Last Sunday I joined my friend to take a day trip to Chacherngsao, a small province near Bangkok. Only an hour drive, we reached our destination. We actually intended to visit a famous temple called Wat Sothornwararam, better known as Wat Lhuangpor Sothorn. Its name was after the name of a very famous buddha statue, Lhuangpor Sothorn, at the temple.
I went to visit this temple every year when I was a kid. My father set this place as our family's annual trip. We usually traveled by train before transferring to tricycles or a small song-taew bus( a small roofed van-applied taxi with two rows of passenger seats facing each other at the back and a step to get in).
In my childhood memory, the temple was spacy and shady with its old but very respectable shapel. The compound included many big trees, a makeshift stage for traditional dancing performance by local dancing troupes who offered their service for temple goers, and some muddy pot-hole ground. Next to the temple was the bank of Bangpakong River, the main river of this province and the very river in which the sacred Lhuangpor Sothorn was first found. Several local vendors sold their goods near the river; most items were products from their orchads or households such as dried fish, fresh fruits, kanhom chaak( Thai dessert made of dark sticky rice flour mixed with sugar, salt, coconut shreds, wrapped with Nypa palm leaf and grilled), and nypa plam fruits. It was always my pleasant trip there despite the long hours round trip.
But my connection with that temple faded since later, my priorities shifted to study and work. I had a chance to visit this temple again almost two years ago. Such a big change, not a good impression for me, though. It was very crowded with temple goers and local people who made their businesses related to the temple as well as vendors. The image of peaceful temple and green environ was gone. The compound was full of new, castle-like marble chapel and several disorganized structures plus cacophony of noises from loud speakers around the temple. I could no longer see the bank of the river from the compound. Fortunately, I could find some parking space at that time.
Last weekend, however, my two years ago memory wasn't changed much. But worse. My friend and I could not find space to park our car when we arrived there around 10 o'clock in the morning. After driving around and stucking in the row of cars searching for their parking spot, we decided to pay respect outside the temple wallwhile driving past.
Being a real Buddhist is to practic good deeds, rather than to cling with materials or popularity.
Wednesday, January 24, 2013
Last Sunday I joined my friend to take a day trip to Chacherngsao, a small province near Bangkok. Only an hour drive, we reached our destination. We actually intended to visit a famous temple called Wat Sothornwararam, better known as Wat Lhuangpor Sothorn. Its name was after the name of a very famous buddha statue, Lhuangpor Sothorn, at the temple.
I went to visit this temple every year when I was a kid. My father set this place as our family's annual trip. We usually traveled by train before transferring to tricycles or a small song-taew bus( a small roofed van-applied taxi with two rows of passenger seats facing each other at the back and a step to get in).
In my childhood memory, the temple was spacy and shady with its old but very respectable shapel. The compound included many big trees, a makeshift stage for traditional dancing performance by local dancing troupes who offered their service for temple goers, and some muddy pot-hole ground. Next to the temple was the bank of Bangpakong River, the main river of this province and the very river in which the sacred Lhuangpor Sothorn was first found. Several local vendors sold their goods near the river; most items were products from their orchads or households such as dried fish, fresh fruits, kanhom chaak( Thai dessert made of dark sticky rice flour mixed with sugar, salt, coconut shreds, wrapped with Nypa palm leaf and grilled), and nypa plam fruits. It was always my pleasant trip there despite the long hours round trip.
But my connection with that temple faded since later, my priorities shifted to study and work. I had a chance to visit this temple again almost two years ago. Such a big change, not a good impression for me, though. It was very crowded with temple goers and local people who made their businesses related to the temple as well as vendors. The image of peaceful temple and green environ was gone. The compound was full of new, castle-like marble chapel and several disorganized structures plus cacophony of noises from loud speakers around the temple. I could no longer see the bank of the river from the compound. Fortunately, I could find some parking space at that time.
Last weekend, however, my two years ago memory wasn't changed much. But worse. My friend and I could not find space to park our car when we arrived there around 10 o'clock in the morning. After driving around and stucking in the row of cars searching for their parking spot, we decided to pay respect outside the temple wallwhile driving past.
Being a real Buddhist is to practic good deeds, rather than to cling with materials or popularity.
Bangpakong River
