We have a family friend who is the Luang Por (Abbott) of a forest monastery about 3 hours drive north of Chiang Mai. He is about my age and a very modern kind of guy. I’ve known him for a long time and he suggested that I would benefit from a few days in the temple.
It turns out that he has been summoned to Bangkok to perform funeral rights for someone so we said our goodbyes at the airport as he headed for Bangkok and I went with his driver Khun Samlan, back to the temple Wat Ba Mai Dang – Red Forest Temple. There had been very severe flooding in the north of Thailand a few months earlier and there was terrible damage all the way. Washed out bridges and evidence of mud slides lined the steep mountainous drive. Despite this I felt my spirits lifted by being out of Bangkok and back amongst some trees, grass and simple country folk. Having grown up in country Australia I don’t think I will ever really get used to living in a big city like Bangkok.
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