Third Class train to Uttaradit

For most of February, 89 people related to the temple were in India, including my usual English-speaking teacher, the abbot, the lay man and wife that run the international meditation center, and the nun who usually translates for me if my teacher is not available. This made for some lonely practice time and left a LOT of sweeping to be done... ;)

I took the opportunity to travel a bit with a long-term Thai meditator and an international meditator (nuns are not allowed to travel alone--irritating for a habitually fiercely independent woman such as myself...but based on the fact that a/some nuns were raped while traveling in the Buddha's time, he forbade it and the rule is still followed for safety's sake today). We went to Uttaradit province in north-central Thailand via a 7 hour third class train journey.

The route was a pick-up truck "song-taew" with bench seats from the temple into Chiang Mai proper (35 km) and then from Chiang Mai to the train station (another 12 km-ish?) for 80 baht ($2). Should have been about 50 or 60, but my Thai companion didn't try to bargain and I didn't want to be rude in case there was something culturally happening that I didn't understand. I think my Thai friend is just shy, but oh well, what's 50 cents, anyway? well, quite a lot in this country: a good meal from a street cart, two bottles of water, or a kilo of fruit, for example...

Our third class train ticket for the 7 hour ride over the mountains to the central plains cost 51 Baht ($1.25)! lol...cushy seats were an unusual bonus for this particular 3rd class journey. As was the regular patrolling of the ticket taker/janitor who swept, mopped, and spritzed the steel train "toilet" fairly regularly with some pleasant smelling cleaner to prevent the usual stench of urine from overpowering the open-windowed tin oven we were traveling in. 3/5 over head fans functioned, squeeking and grumbling about their work, lazily revolving in the thick Thai air...they seemed to be aggitating the air more than really cooling anything, but their presence was an appreciated effort at least.

Periodically, hard-working dark-skinned men and women would walk the length of the train with baskets or buckets of food and iced drinks to sell. "Nahm Dhum, Nahm Som, Pepsi?" (water, orange juice, pepsi?) or "Phat Thai, Hah Baht. Phat Thai, Hah Baht?" (fried noodles, 5 baht (35 baht = $1!)) My favorite is the green mangos for 10 baht and sticky rice for 5 baht. Traditionally sold with fried animal on a stick (chicken, pork, or fish balls), I get some funny looks for eating plain sticky rice, but I don't care--it's good, man!

This particular journey, we did not buy much, for a kind monk saw our motley party of 3 dressed in white: one farang nun and another foreigner and he generously offered us each enough food for 3 people from his alms rounds that morning! He spoke excellent English and said he worried since I was a foreigner, people would not think to offer me much (which is right, though I have not traveled much, yet, to know if generosity awaits on my roads in the future...). Most of it was vegetarian and quite tastey! We were all extremely touched by his kindness.