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 |  This is my blog & my hope, writing daily will help me see my progress and log supporters. |
| Today, Nada and I went for a ride to Phra Prathum Cave, which is about an hour south of Hua Hin. When we got there, I parked the bike and a monk told Nada how many steps there were to reach the cave entrance...a hundred and eighty-seven to be precise. Once there, we spent ten minutes recovering our breath, followed by an hour exploring the cave. I was drenched in sweat for the most part, but it was an experience I will never forget. There were hundreds of bats, blind crickets crawling all over the floor and huge spiders on the walls...all living in complete darkness (except for the lights a monk had turned on before guiding us through the maze and back to the surface. After a rest, I placed 100 baht in the donation box and we made our way back down the hill. When we arrived, we were met by a monk who happened to be from Isaan, the province as Nada. He and Nada spoke for ages in their native tongue, and she translated for me when necessary. He was around eighty years old and had been a monk for sixty-three years. I could see the wisdom in his eyes acquired over decades. Nada told him how we met, and before we left, he offered us a blessing for our future and to get home safely. I asked (through Nada) if I could return one day to spend some time living in the temple. The idea of spending a week as a monk was attractive to me, but the reality hit home once we arrived back and I sat down to eat Nada's fried rice with shrimp, followed by grapes...and later, a glass of milk along with two Tim Tams (chocolate biscuits from Australia). Nada isn't keen on me leaving her for any length of time, and she made it clear to me that I should, before taking on the challenge, live a few days and eat as a monk does. They get up at around 5.00 am and work for a few hours before meditating for most of the day. They eat lunch, but after that, they don't eat again until 9.00 am the next day. Nada smiled when she saw the look on my face at what I was considering. Call me weak, but I don't think I would last a day living as a monk...something that old man has done every day for the last sixty-three years. Much respect goes to him. Nada spoke to her boss and has changed her work roster. Now, instead of working five days (Tuesday through Saturday), she only works four days. Which means we get a three-day weekend every weekend. We plan on doing more rides...going further afield and sleeping overnight at hotels before returning home. Life doesn't get any better than this. |
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