Surviving Christmas

Christmas day arrived here and it started out not unlike most others. I woke up earlier than usual and took a walk with my neighbor down to the local outdoor market. There's a little open air food stand there run by a really nice older Thai lady. She's always smiling and always remembers what we usually order. The best thing is that her entire menu is all the same price. A full plate of Thai food will run you 20 Baht, and is the U.S. equivalent of about 60 cents. The water and ice are free, but she'll charge you an extra 10 Baht if you want a cup of coffee.

Upon returning to the apartment building, later in the morning, we were greeted by the landlady and ushered into the main lobby downstairs. I was shocked to find a full banquet set and all my neighbors from the building. I was quickly informed by another friend that they were serving Christmas dinner and that it was free! Knowing that the building is owned and run by a devout Muslim family made it a little hard to wrap my head around the event. I guess it just goes to show how understanding they are of all the different nationalities that live in their building. Plate selections were a Thai/Japanese Noodle dish and good old spaghetti of all things. I opted for the spaghetti and promptly dug in. The sauce was a bit unusual, but I certainly wasn't complaining. I ate more food than I usually eat in a week, and promptly needed a nap. Arriving home, I flicked on the TV and was greeted by none other than "The Grinch". The songs on the old cartoon version were all still in English, but the dialogue had all been re-dubbed in Thai.

As the day turned into night, I opened up the windows and heard the unexpected. Somewhere across town there was a brass band playing "Jingle Bells". My apartment is on the third floor, so sounds tend to drift in from all over. This was definitely one of the more unusual ones for this city anyway. I went to work when the time came and despite the occasional "Happy Christmas" from a few Brits, it was just a night like any other.

After work, I got a call from a Thai friend of mine who wanted to talk. I gladly accepted especially since he was offering to pick me up and give me a ride home. A backseat ride on a motorbike can be a blessing and a curse all at the same time. On one hand you don't have to walk, but on the other you risk life and limb at the mercy of the traffic. Luckily, I made it home, and had an interesting conversation with my friend. He's actually a Christian who converted from Buddhism. Strangely enough, his lifestyle is still more Buddhist philosophy but still conforms to the Christian religion. The first Buddha pre-dates Christ by a few centuries, but they both taught similar principles. I guess it turns into a "chicken before the egg" question. The same goes for Islam, but I have yet to fully chase down that rabbit hole. All I can say is that from my landlords to the market people the Muslims have been some of the kindest and nicest people I have ever met. I can talk for hours about this stuff, but quite frankly I already have and my internet time is limited.

I'll leave you with my main thought for the day. The primary things that I have learned about Buddhism in recent months can be summed up in in two statements.

Nothing is worth being

Nothing is worth having

It's a selfless philosophy void of ego and worldly things, and has goals that only the most enlightend of individuals can ever achieve. Living here in poverty has changed my mind in many different ways and forced me to become a better person through the challenges. My mind has been opened to so many things despite the hardships of staying here.

As the song goes "Peace on Earth Goodwill Toward Men". For once in my life, I truly understand that concept, and thanks to a Christian Buddhist. The world is a big place, and until you venture out of your "safety zone" you have never truly lived.

Peace out, from the other side of the planet.

Christmas with Buddha and Allah

The holiday season has always had a way of sneaking up on me, and this year is definitely no exception to the rule. In fact, it has been the sneakiest to date. Christmas has taken a bit of a hold here, but primarily for the sake of tourists. I've seen a few small Christmas trees around the city, and one very large one in the big shopping mall here. Other than that, it's nearly impossible to remember that it is only a few days away. Last night, before work, I had dinner with a friend of mine. The little Thai restaurant down the street is one of our regular haunts. Cheap food and a free pool table in the back make it a very inexpensive outing. As we were finishing dinner and headed to the back for a game of pool, the manager put a Christmas CD on the house sound system. It was a very strange and surreal experience as the music ran through the place. My head was practically spinning as the memories (both good and bad) raced through my mind. My friend was having a bit of the same experience. This is his third holiday season here, and it prompted some interesting conversation about years gone by.

Thailand is about 94% Buddhist, 5% Muslim, and less than 1% Christian. It's practically impossible to throw a rock anywhere in this city without hitting a Buddhist temple or monastery. Monks in their bare feet and orange saffron robes are a regular daily sight on the city streets. I've had the chance to meet and talk with many of the locals about religion, philosophy, and history. Many of the preconceived notions that I had about Buddhists were uninformed and downright prejudiced at times. I've since had the opportunity to learn more about them , their philosophy, and their way of life. I'm not planning to run off and join a monastery anytime soon, but I have learned a great deal by keeping an open mind. I haven't met too many Muslims here yet, but my apartment is within shouting distance from the local mosque. By shouting, I am referring to the "call to prayer" that comes blasting through my window five times a day from the loudspeakers in the minaret. The first one comes about 5:30 in the morning and the last can be heard just after sundown. Around here, we jokingly call it waking up with the Mullah. All kidding aside, the people who run my apartment building are Muslim, and have proven to be the kindest, most understanding and generous landlords I have ever had. I've had a few brief conversations with them about Islam. They are true Muslims, and are seriously concerned about the more radical minority sects that give the mainstream majority a negative image.

That's all for now from this side of the planet. I hope everyone is well, and for what it's worth, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Choppers in Chiang Mai

This morning, I was awakened by a familiar sound. At first I thought that I must be dreaming, but I soon identified what sounded like Harley Davidson motorcycles. Not just one, but alot of them. A quick trip downstairs confirmed my suspicions. The hotel parking lot next door was filled with hundreds of Harleys and bikers. After months of seeing nothing but mopeds and scooters, this was quite an impressive sight. A little asking around revealed that the hotel owner's son was a member of the area motorcycle club. A couple of the club members are also Thai police officers who have put together custom police bikes reminiscent of the old "CHIPS" TV show. Further walks around the city were a bit strange as the whole city seems to be over run with bikers both Thai and Westerners alike. The constant buzzing of the local's motorbikes has been drowned out by the rumbling pipes made in the USA. It's definitely a surreal experience seeing so many American made bikes here on the streets of Chiang Mai, Thailand.

CLICK HERE FOR THE BIKE GALLERY

Email Meltdown

Cyberspace has thrown me a bit of a curveball this week in the form of an email meltdown. For some reason, all email addresses and history associated with with my former domain name have vanished off the face of the planet. I checked the server side last night. It shows that nothing has expired, but the accounts are missing in action. I will be trying to recover them over the next day or so, but I am not exactly hopeful. Today I set up a long overdue email contact form here on the blog. You can use the "Contact me" button on the left menu for a pop-up version, or CLICK HERE for a more traditional style. All forms will be sent to my alternative email address where I can rebuild my address book, so please drop me a line so that I can at least have your email address. I apologize for any inconvenience, and I hope I can continue to maintain contact with my friends and readers.