Yes, I am mostly writing about riding, Wats, and food; a beautiful combination. This day is no different but with a little twist. I was riding from Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai threw a spectacular green valley tucked in between two mountains. In the north in the mountains the mornings are chilly and misty. I wear long under ware my puffy vest and jacket, and riding gloves. When I drop in elevation and it gets warmer I have to delayer so I start looking for scenic spots to pull over in.
The sun was just reaching the valley floor and I could see a glimmering gold something sticking out of the tree line in the distance. I dropped into this village and looked for the Wat; I pulled up and it immediately felt so inviting. I delayered and made my way up to the Wat. It was so well maintained and bathed in morning light. I was greeted by someone caring for the place whom asked me if I was hungry by the hand to mouth gesture. I was. He rolled out a straw mat on the floor in front of the Wat and had me follow him to a buffet of food. These were the alms (donations) the monks had collected from the villagers in the morning. The monks were all eating in front of Buddha in prayer as we went outside and ate on our straw mats.
I too ate with purpose. Thinking of the kindness of those that grew this food, cooked it , and offered it. And thought how it was nourishing my body. After eating I felt so nourished mentally and physically, if only this could be my intention every time I eat. Note to self., They packed me two large bags of snacks and drinks to take with me, and walked me out to my bike. I managed to bungee them to the rest of my cargo and when I was ready to leave, they waved, smiled, and bowed until I couldn’t see them in my mirror anymore. It is one of my highlights to this day. It was a place for Buddha and Buddhas teachings in action supported by the village in efforts to make the lives of others better.
The rest of my ride was peaceful as I twisted and climbed and ascended to Chiang Mai. I am only stopping in Chiang Mai for the night and heading further north to Chiang Rai. Today is one of my longer days on the bike. 8 hours on a scooter is exhausting and hard on the ass. I entered the city of Chiang Mai during rush hour. My serenity quickly changed to exhaustion and frustration. I had a certain place plugged into my GPS and it kept sending me in circles in the heart of the chaos. All I wanted was a bed and a shower; and I was very hungry and thirsty. ( I offered my bags of goodies to another Wat, I needed to lighten my load) instead I was navigating cars so close to me they were knocking my mirrors. I couldn’t find my way into the pack of scooters to stay in the middle of the herd because I kept having to navigate getting on and off the freeway. I was fair game. After 45 minutes of circling around trying to find where the accommodations were I saw a seedy hotel and pulled in. I did not want to go out there again so I fell asleep in my stinky, dingy, noisy room hungry and tired.
Some days are like that, Serenity to Chaos. This is traveling. But just like everything else, this too shall pass. I woke up at 5AM looking forward to getting out of the city before rush hour and heading to Chiang Rai. My mood was matching my environment and the vultures on my headboard were screeching at me. I needed an attitude adjustment. This didn’t take long, as the ride to Chiang Rai is incredible and blew all that funky juju right out the door. The vultures flew away to go bother someone else.
