Untitled Part 5
The sky outside was silvering. She knew she must be getting close now. Her back was stuck to the seat, her hands coated with sticky sweat. She rubbed her eyes, yawned, and did a quick check of her stuff. When the train finally ground to a halt, she shouldered her travel stained pack and flowed out with the crush of people.
Outside the station the air was already steaming as the morning sun climbed above the buildings. Surrounded by a swarm of cabbies, she wrestled her way to the city bus stop, ignoring the droning repetition of "where you go miss? where you go?"
The hotel room smelled cool and fresh as she dropped her bags on the floor and kicked off her sandals. She longed to flop onto the crisp white sheets, but the thought of leaving a sweaty stain forced her into the shower first. The cold water coursed over her tanned skin, cooling her to a comfortable level. She soaped herself up to remove the layers of sunscreen, bug repellant and sweat that coated her. Feeling fresh and clean at last she quickly toweled off and fulfilled the longing for flopping into bed.
She awoke a few hours later. The sun spot on the floor had moved up onto her bed, and she lay in a spotlight of warmth. Still drowzy, she pulled out her guidebook and flipped through the city she was in. Not surprisingly the main attractions were Buddhist temples, though this town was also large enough to boast a night bazzaar filled with folkcrafts and cheap designer knockoffs. She decided to visit a small wat on the far side of town, which had an impressive reclining Buddha, according to the book. She loved visiting the temples here; decorated with tiny squares of coloured glass, they sparkle like jewels, reminding her of the fairy tale castles she'd dreamed of as her father read her bedtime stories.
Also, the smaller temples tended to be quieter. Visited more by worshippers than tourists, they offered the solitude one expected in a holy place. The ones crammed with people felt a little like Buddhist amusement parks.
She wandered around the garden surrounding the stuppa. Fruit trees and flowering bushes lent their scent to the incensed air. The chirping birds helped block out the omnipresent traffic noise. Taking off her shoes, she climbed the steps to the inner sanctum. An old monk with thick black framed glasses stepped outside, his purple bag a shocking contrast to the saffron of his robes. She stood well to the side so that he could pass her without fear of coming in contact. She wasn't sure exactly why women weren't allowed to touch monks, and her inner feminist bristled at the implied slight, but she didn't want to offend anyone when she was the visitor, so she bit her lip and watched out for monks.
After the glare of the sun, stepping inside the stuppa was like walking into night. As her eyes adjusted, she noticed she was alone, and the walls were covered with paintings of battles. Intricate, detailed scenes that obviously told a story if one took the time to read them. In front of her a very large Buddha sat in the lotus position, one hand resting on his knee, the other palm up in his lap, as though holding an invisible sleeping kitten. His gold body was surrounded by countless similar statues of gold and jade. An incense burner still smoked and glowed at his feet. She quietly examined the collection.
It seemed strange to her to see so many images of one person gathered together, but she'd been to enough temples in different countries by now to know that was how it was done. Unlike the Christians she'd grown up around, Buddhists have no qualms about worshipping golden idols.
A monk entered the stuppa, interupting her contemplation. This one was much younger, a mere teenager. She felt weird standing there while he prayed, so she slipped out quietly into the heat and light. She made her way over to the huge bell shaped chedi, wondering who's relics were hidden inside. Behind the chedi was a rather plain looking shelter containing the reclining Buddha she'd read about. His half lidded eyes seemed to be focused on something by his toes, but when she followed his gaze there was only a blank wall. Perhaps one needed to reach enlightenment to see what he was looking at. Unfortunately she couldn't maintain her focus for very long while meditating, and usually fell asleep.
Outside the station the air was already steaming as the morning sun climbed above the buildings. Surrounded by a swarm of cabbies, she wrestled her way to the city bus stop, ignoring the droning repetition of "where you go miss? where you go?"
The hotel room smelled cool and fresh as she dropped her bags on the floor and kicked off her sandals. She longed to flop onto the crisp white sheets, but the thought of leaving a sweaty stain forced her into the shower first. The cold water coursed over her tanned skin, cooling her to a comfortable level. She soaped herself up to remove the layers of sunscreen, bug repellant and sweat that coated her. Feeling fresh and clean at last she quickly toweled off and fulfilled the longing for flopping into bed.
She awoke a few hours later. The sun spot on the floor had moved up onto her bed, and she lay in a spotlight of warmth. Still drowzy, she pulled out her guidebook and flipped through the city she was in. Not surprisingly the main attractions were Buddhist temples, though this town was also large enough to boast a night bazzaar filled with folkcrafts and cheap designer knockoffs. She decided to visit a small wat on the far side of town, which had an impressive reclining Buddha, according to the book. She loved visiting the temples here; decorated with tiny squares of coloured glass, they sparkle like jewels, reminding her of the fairy tale castles she'd dreamed of as her father read her bedtime stories.
Also, the smaller temples tended to be quieter. Visited more by worshippers than tourists, they offered the solitude one expected in a holy place. The ones crammed with people felt a little like Buddhist amusement parks.
She wandered around the garden surrounding the stuppa. Fruit trees and flowering bushes lent their scent to the incensed air. The chirping birds helped block out the omnipresent traffic noise. Taking off her shoes, she climbed the steps to the inner sanctum. An old monk with thick black framed glasses stepped outside, his purple bag a shocking contrast to the saffron of his robes. She stood well to the side so that he could pass her without fear of coming in contact. She wasn't sure exactly why women weren't allowed to touch monks, and her inner feminist bristled at the implied slight, but she didn't want to offend anyone when she was the visitor, so she bit her lip and watched out for monks.
After the glare of the sun, stepping inside the stuppa was like walking into night. As her eyes adjusted, she noticed she was alone, and the walls were covered with paintings of battles. Intricate, detailed scenes that obviously told a story if one took the time to read them. In front of her a very large Buddha sat in the lotus position, one hand resting on his knee, the other palm up in his lap, as though holding an invisible sleeping kitten. His gold body was surrounded by countless similar statues of gold and jade. An incense burner still smoked and glowed at his feet. She quietly examined the collection.
It seemed strange to her to see so many images of one person gathered together, but she'd been to enough temples in different countries by now to know that was how it was done. Unlike the Christians she'd grown up around, Buddhists have no qualms about worshipping golden idols.
A monk entered the stuppa, interupting her contemplation. This one was much younger, a mere teenager. She felt weird standing there while he prayed, so she slipped out quietly into the heat and light. She made her way over to the huge bell shaped chedi, wondering who's relics were hidden inside. Behind the chedi was a rather plain looking shelter containing the reclining Buddha she'd read about. His half lidded eyes seemed to be focused on something by his toes, but when she followed his gaze there was only a blank wall. Perhaps one needed to reach enlightenment to see what he was looking at. Unfortunately she couldn't maintain her focus for very long while meditating, and usually fell asleep.
posted by Deirdre at 12:58 p.m.
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