Holy wat, Batman!

After my birthday celebration, I stole away for a birthday retreat. Upon the recommendation of a friend, I went to Sukhothia, one of the original capitals of Thailand which dates back to 1238AD. An enchanted place if there ever was one. From the time I stepped off the plane onto the tarmac I felt like I was in another era. The luggage was unloaded off of the puddle jumper into a truck and it was handed to me once we taxied over to the quaintest airport I have ever seen—not quaint like the airport in Newport News (that’s just small)—no, this was quaint like bed and breakfast quaint. No hassle with baggage claim here. Later, on my morning walk, I saw a man getting his water from a nearby pond. Here I was speed walking to burn a few calories with my MP3 player and my Saucony cross trainers, and there was a man burning the first of many calories in order to survive. Build a fire, fetch the water, wash the laundry by hand, take the cows out to pasture…I was in another world.

I stayed at a little guest house run by Paulo, a hospitable Italian. This oasis was just what I needed to get through the next week and a half of school before Christmas break. Lush, green, flowers everywhere. Tropical birds adorned the grounds—including a real, live Toucan. The best part though was the stock of chilled wine waiting just for me (or so it seemed).

The first day, I walked around the historical park. There were a few tourists but not that many so it felt like I was all by myself walking through the grounds. Ponds were at every turn with a stunning display of fuchsia water lilies. Huge old trees provided the canopy of their shade for respite. Ancient ruins were sprinkled throughout. It was like walking through a dream.

This morning I had my own tuk tuk driver for three hours. I felt like a rich lady with my own car and personal chauffeur. He took me out to see some ancient Khmer ruins and then to see the big Buddha. I have seen pictures of this particular Buddha before, but seeing it in person put all pictures to shame. Situated back off the road on an estate all its own, sits Wat Sri Chum. Circumscribed by a stone room that boasts a key hole opening, a 50 foot Buddha sits in the “touching earth” position. This was the most impressive wat I have seen so far. Something magical, magnificent, mystical pervaded the space around this tremendous stone sculpture. Just thinking about the logistics of making a Buddha this huge and entrapping it in a walled area boggled my mind. The fingers alone on the elegant, slender hand were at least twice as tall as me. I found myself awe struck, mouth agape, staring at this serene image.

On the way back to the airport at four o’clock in the afternoon, I watched as kilometer after kilometer of farmland passed by out the window. Farmers were working the land, hoes in tow, watering by hand. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve read about it in books (thank you, Steinbeck) but to be in such close proximity to this type of exhausting toil kind of numbed me and made me reflect on my daily complaints (why won’t the stupid internet work? I don’t want to wash the dishes and the trash has to go out again!). It also made my work ethic look quite shabby (let’s all read silently for twenty minutes, look, I’ll even read with you). Thinking back to my tuk tuk driver who drove me around, dropped me off for my hour massage, waited for me while I ordered and ate spring rolls, I realized I didn’t just feel like a rich lady; I am a rich lady.

Strange how perspective is both liberating and discomfiting.