Pottering About in Thailand
When I was in Thailand I had a bit of a Harry Potter moment whilst visiting a Buddhist Meditation Centre. Perhaps it’s bad taste to compare a spiritual site to Harry Potter, but being there made me feel like I really had ventured into the magical world.
After a two hour train journey to Mahamongkol and then a short walk over a wooden planked bridge I came to a small open plan building with a smooth marble floor and shelves containing different sized, neatly folded white robes. I asked if I could spend one night at the centre and seconds later I was wearing what felt like luxury pajamas and Harry’s Invisibility Cloak.
After handing over my possessions for a thick gold and white book containing words of wisdom from Buddha I was free to meditate and wander the grounds. A Thai girl called Izabella, who had been staying at the centre for two weeks, kindly gave me a tour.
Walking bare foot over soft golf course like grass I was shown decking areas for meditation by the river and intricately sculpted Buddha statues and shrines inside buildings made from wood, marble and cream coloured stone. Close to the middle of the site was a small manmade, grassy hill, like a half sunken green globe, with a tree on top. Izabella explained, “The tree is special and from India. You can walk around it and pray for something.”
Later that evening everyone meditated together outside on the grass as the sun was setting. Just before I closed my eyes, I looked up and saw a golden glowing temple surrounded by trees on top of a nearby mountain. My first thought was, ‘It looks just like Hogwarts.’ Izabella suggested, “Tomorrow we can visit the temple if you like.” Intrigued, I said, “Yes, I’d love to see it.”
The following day we made the journey up two thousand steps which zig-zagged through mountainside jungle and staggered ponds filled with lotus flowers and exotic plants. When I looked up, there were hundreds of monkeys swinging freely from tree to tree. I was overwhelmed by how stunningly beautiful this place was and it really surprised me to see no other tourists despite it being peak season.
After twenty four hours I returned to the spot outside the meditation centre to catch the train. Close by I overheard a Thai tour guide talking to some tourists. He pointed in the direction of the meditation centre and said, shaking his head “and this is where the nuns spend the rest of their lives.” One of the tourists laughed and said pityingly, “Poor, poor nuns.”
In reality, most Thai people stay for about four weeks and for me, the site was a must see place in Thailand — acres of unspoilt paradise that cost nothing. Perhaps I should have said something, but instead I found myself thinking, “They’re Muggles; they’re not supposed to know.”
