The Monk who rode his Honda (Part Un)

Dearest Blog,                                                                                                                    

Its been a while since we saw each other and I am sure the silence in our communication has only made us grow more richer in our understanding of our self during this extended period.

Despite all this silence, you have filled a unique space within me and there hasn't been a day when I would think of how much you would like to hear a day's story that inspired me. So here I start again telling you more stories as we travel along. Glad you missed me.

Now, I must tell you a story however, a true story that is filled with determination, grit, inspiration and the quest to keep fighting hard despite difficult conditions. Yes, this true story takes place in the city of god - Mae Sot, Thailand where I rode a motorbike for 4 days and discovered what I now must share with you.

Yours Truly,
Me
05th October 2011

The Monk who rode his Honda
When I woke up on my Birthday morning, it seemed like a pretty normal day except this was the town of Mae Sot, Thailand where more than half the population were refugees from Burma numbering up to around 100000 or more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_Sot.
I was invited by Mike - my local host who was introduced to me through a beautiful and unique soul - Whitney Haruf, (who also became a very good friend of mine instantly), to visit the Burmese Refugee Youth Art Studio where he taught art. I looked at my calendar (as it had become a habit of the urban dweller inside of me) and it was but of course empty. What was I thinking, I hardly knew two people in this entire town and had no agenda on my plate for the day, which begs the question - what was I doing here in the first place? Historically, the maximum number of troops from the Thai army was stationed in Mae Sot, the road from Mae Sot to Tak had more security checks than the airports of United States, a large percent of refugees who visited the Mae Sot clinic suffered from injuries that were directly due to land mines in the border areas between Thailand and Myanmar and yet Mae Sot had a friendship bridge that symbolized peace and goodwill between the two nations - a far cry from reality.

Burmese Refugees of Mae Sot

A few months earlier, back in Canada, I remember being at a meditation and yoga retreat where I was introduced to this amazing traveling saint - Chris Bradley who spoke at length about his experiences in Thailand and perhaps some of those incredible stories resonated with me and ultimately it led me to the epicenter of real Thailand. One way or another I was in for a truly shocking but life changing experience that was just waiting to unfold. "Happy Birthday Vik", said Mike with a very excited voice, "Just follow me and stick to the left side of the road, the cars here like to honk and annoy cyclists". So we rode out on our bicycles to the Art Studio that was land-marked by a yellow gas pump. It was a common sight to have these odd and colourful gas pumps in places that you would least expect - like outside a residential home for starters.

Artists at the studio in Mae Sot

Tiles made by Burmese refugees

The studio was remarkably colorful and sparks of creativity were flying all around the place. A woman was painting a coat of blue on ceramic tiles and she was introduced to be as a co-designer. All the ceramic art was to be a part of a project that involved building a guesthouse that was designed to provide sustainability for the current art studio. The uniqueness of this guesthouse lay in the concept of sustenance.  To make this more significant, all the artwork that was to be furnished within the guesthouse was designed and created by the staff and students of the art studio, most of them being refugees.
It was a project that everyone at the studio took pride in and put a lot of soul into. I observed silently as the initial timidity of the Burmese students quickly evaporated into a calm confidence that reminded me of Indian scooters who needed a manual kick start in case the auto ignition switch failed. Once the creative juices were on fire, the students started contributing towards ideas on creating a site map of the entire studio space and turning it into a garden artifact.

Mike and his students

Mike was a good teacher that inspired and encouraged his students to add their own ideas to the creative pool. Somehow that day, some of the students seemed a bit shy and intrigued by my presence there while it made the others want to impress their teacher even more. "They are a bit slow today, I am not sure why", said Mike with a bit of disappointment.  After exchanging a few ideas with Mike, I smiled and decided to let the teacher and his students do their usual bonding. Walking out into the garden, I really wanted to explore life at Mae Sot more. My experiences at Pai were creating serious withdrawal symptoms and I needed to hit the road again.  And so my search for a motorcycle began with the furious vigor of an inspired painter who's just had a vision of the perfect painting in his head.

The coolest restaurant in Mae Sot

After a few phone calls, a few misdirections and some frustration, I finally reached a Honda showroom where motorbikes were being rented out. It felt like drinking cold beer on a warm sunny day. Now I was ready to take on the world. I felt tempted to paint my face blue just like Sir William Wallace but then the thought of wearing a checkered skirt with no underwear on a motorcycle quickly dissipated this splurge of excitement. This was the best birthday gift I had ever given myself.

Mike and Whitney treating me

That night as Whitney and Mike treated me to a dinner in a posh, artsy (by Mae Sot standards) Burmese restaurant and even ordered a special Burmese cake to celebrate the occasion, I was celebrating in my own way, the discovery of the free spirit and the appreciation for what freedom meant in a rough but fully real little town of Mae Sot.

"Happy Birthday Vik", said Mike with a smile.

(To be Continued....)

Lost in Chiang Rai - Season 0, Episode 0

A boat docking Station by
the Chiang Rai beach

 The best way to discover a new city is to get lost in it and this is exactly what happened to me on the 13th Sep. My second day at Chiang Rai wasn't quite what I had intended or expected. After my encounter with Mr Maroot, I decided to find out what the city had to offer and so a bicycle rental that cost 80 Baht per day was the most economic and easy solution.

Except - it was pouring like crazy.  The woman at the rental provided me with a city map and suggested I go to the Buddha Caves first and make my way down to the Beach and the whole route was about 7 - 10 km. 

One thing about Chiang Rai - the paper maps and roads are alternate realities and can often coexist. After what seemed to be a whole 4 hours of biking in circles within the city and passing by numerous temples and schools, I found myself in a coffee shop with the owner trying his earnestly to help me. I was pleasantly amused when he said I was very close to the beach which was the exact opposite of the plan that the bike rental woman and I had shook hands to. In the process however, my geography of the city vastly improved and I had a new sense of appreciation for the daily uncertainties of life which when patiently explored has a reward at the end.  There have been many times where being lost was associated with fear. A fear that completely takes away the feeling of being present and enjoying the moment. 

My waiter Alok

View from my Cabana

So my reward - I ended up on what they call the Chiang Rai Beach. The name sounds fancy, but it is in essence a beautiful and extremely simple and cheap riverside dining/ viewing area where Spicy fried morning glory and rice is served along with chilli sauce. My waiter Alok, a very shy young Thai who loves to read magazines in his spare time, took my order and rode off on his bike to fetch the food while I relaxed and took a breathe of my landscape. Every one gets their own Cabana where one watches boats on their way to Tha Ton pass by and just be. 

Catch for the Day

On my way back from the beach, I found a fisherwoman who stopped me to show me her catch for the day. Her satisfactory smile seemed to be linked to the fact that her dinner was now a clear certainty. Many Thai fishermen and fisherwomen really look forward to the monsoon as it brings up the river levels and makes their fishing extremely easy and voluminous.

Simplicity was my word of the day!

I was completely drenched and soaked (with a new understanding of the city and myself) when I got back to the hotel just in time for dinner and further conversation about the local life of Chiang Rai