Life as a single farang in the jungle: Tour of the 9 temples

Every year the Ampheu (in my case Pathiu) organizes a tour along 9 temples in the Ampheu. This tour always takes place on the first Saturday after Wan Tjam pan sa. This is the day, depending on the position of the moon, on which the Buddhist monks must stay in the temple for three months (at least to sleep there) and lasts until Wan Ook pan sa.

Lung addie had heard the news through the daily Ampheu loudspeaker broadcast, which invariably starts at 07.30 and ends at 08.00 with the Thai National Anthem. Perhaps there was an article for the blog in it…. so on research to possibly participate and to make the reader of the blog a bit wiser in Thai culture.

Everything revolves around the number 9. The price for the bus was 299 THB. When I wanted to register a week in advance, the planned bus with 50 places was already completely full. However, this was not a problem because it was common for several people, due to mobility problems, to use their own transport and simply follow the bus on its tour.

So Lung addie decided to follow by motorbike… after all, it could be a nice rural tour along roads I had never taken before. Since food was of course also provided at regular times, I paid my contribution properly, just as if I had traveled by bus and in that way also belonged to “the group”.

Most people, in fact everyone, prepared 9 envelopes with their name on them and filled with 9 THB. At the departure from the Ampheu, a collection was made with a silver-colored bowl, where everyone donated 20THB. The followers with their own transport also gave their share because this money is then donated to the temple. This ritual would be repeated at each room per temple. The bus was also followed by a pick-up from the Ampheu, loaded with gifts for each temple. Departure was at 08.00:XNUMX sharp.

The first temple stop was barely 3 km from the starting point: Wat Dong Teng in Pathiu itself. Lung addie brought writing utensils and a sheet of paper to record the course of the ritual and to reproduce it as faithfully as possible afterwards. Course of the ritual: (in almost every temple ditto) speech of the “big boss”;

• Ampheu with explanation about the temple in question.
• Lighting candles.
• Buddha statue.
• Common prayer with “Ampheuboss” and the participants.
• Prayer spoken by the head monk.
• Communal prayer monks and participants.
• Handing over the gifts of the Ampheu.
• Handing over the personal gifts of the participants, including the envelope with 9THB …… with each donor receiving a personal blessing.

This was followed by a common blessing from the head monk in thanks for the gifts and a “sung” prayer invoking happiness, prosperity, health, long life….

The gift package of the Ampheu included: every temple of the Ampheu gets these, even if they are not included in the “temple tour” this year;

• big fat yellow candle;
• bag of small yellow candles;
• one monk's robe (patraai) per monk;
• food package;
• pack bottled water;
• long box that Lung addie only found out later that it was a fluorescent lamp in it;
• envelope with the joint 20THB contribution per participant;
• envelope of the Ampheu, the contents of which are unknown to me.

Even though we had barely been on the road for an hour, it was already time for the Thai people to eat something….. An extensive Thai breakfast was waiting, offered and prepared by Ampheu staff.

The following temples were visited:

• Wat Dong Teng – Pathiu: 2 monks.
• Wat Laem Yang – Sappli: 10 monks.
• Wat Pu Yai – Ta Sae: 18 monks.
• Wat Ammarit – Ban Map Ammarit: 12 monks. Here is an extensive Thai lunch buffet with noodle soup, rice, chicken drumsticks, fish, vegetables….
• Wat Bang Wen – Pak Khlong: 4 monks.
• Wat Dong Yai – Ban Dong Yai: 5 monks.
• Wat Era – Schunkho: 2 monks.
• Wat Tam Kao Plu (monkey temple) – Pathiu: 6 monks.
• Wat Thong Ket – Pathiu: 3 monks. Here's another light evening snack with a rice-fish soup.

The last temple visited is located at the foot of the hill, at the top of which is a chapel with the footprint of Buddha and where the giant Buddha statue is located, which is visible from almost all over the Ampheu. So, to close the day, a ritual was also held here. With a candle, smoke sticks and the well-known yellow flower, accompanied by a praying monk, three circles, clockwise, around the chapel and Buddha statue.

Note on the Wat Pu Yai temple at Ta Sae:

This is a fairly large temple complex that is often visited by Burmese Buddhists who are often employed in the region. The piety of the Burmese visitors was striking. They were all dressed very traditionally with a sarong and paakamaa (traditional skirt and loincloth) for the men and a paathung for the ladies.

It was an instructive day for Lung addie. Another new piece of Thai culture, good contact with the local population and, last but not least: enjoyed the motorcycle ride through the beautiful green landscape of the Ampheu where I live ... This along roads that I rarely or never used before, even though I “thought” that I had ridden almost all of them… not so….