July 28th: Chiang Mai

I watched the maintenance man at Sheila's guest house pick up the flowers that had dropped from the bush in the courtyard. . He moved slowly and contemplatively, as if what he was doing was in a temple, gently arranging the flowers into a little bouquet. I watched him walk out of the hotel, smell the bouquet, and gently dispose of it.

As this trip winds down to its last few days, I naturally reflect on my past six weeks. What was the most important lesson I learned? I think that it was nothing grand or insightful. I think this trip was all about moments of interaction, moments of connection. There may have been no "highlight" to this trip, for every place I went I had been before. Some places, like Luang Prabang of Muang Ngoi in Laos, I was there only three years before. On the other hand, it had been 29 years since I had visited Chiang Rai. I have been to Chiang Mai three times before - 29 years ago, and twice with my students in 2000 and 2002, though I have little recollection of the city or even of the events which took place. I do remember loving Chiang Mai when I was here in 1984. It was such a nice change of pace from the frenetic energy and pace of Bangkok. Chiang Mai seemed like a small town. And I remember being disappointed by Chiang Mai when I was here with my students. It had grown up, resembling a small version of Bangkok. The only explanation for my attraction to Chiang Mai now is the change in me and my expectations. This is one of the reasons I like to return to places I have been before - they become a mirror, an opportunity for me to gain insight into who I am. And for this I am grateful.

For sure, that is one of the reasons I hold the Global tudies program at Evergreen School so dear to my heart. It is the internal journey that the students experience that is so valuable - the opportunity to reflect on who they are, to challenge what they believe in, and to grow in ways that are difficult to accomplish when surrounded by the same culture, people, and environment that they are used to. And I get to be a witness to this transformation. And for this, I am thankful.

Bike ride South

I decided to ride south on the roads along or nearby the river. 

I like the justaposition of the traditional building dwarfed by modern structures

 I read about a village called Wiang Kum Kam, just 5 k. south of the city, which was inhabited since the 8th century and has has ruins of ancient wats from 13th century.

When I entered the village, I came upon this present-day beautiful wat

And then, amidst the ruins, another active wat.

 Some of the ruins:
11 of the 22 wats have been unearthed. One has to wonder the streets to find them all. I only found a few.

And then I continued south on roads along the river.

fish farms on the river

A most unusual chedi

 As I returned to the city of Chiang Mai, I happened upon Wat Chai Mongol, a beautiful wat with some of the most unusual sculptures and carvings I had seen.

Wat Chai Mongol's chedi

On Saturday and Sunday nights Chiang Mai has these amazing night markets, where streets are closed down to traffic and they are packed with Thais selling all variety of crafts and food. The streets are also packed with tourists, along with a handful of musicians (including a couple of bands made up of blind Thais) and beggars.

a band (not blind) playing traditional music

July 26th and 27th: Chiang Mai

July 26th:

We took the 10 am bus on a three hour journey from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai. Where Chiang Rai lacked charm, everything about the old city of Chiang Mai is charming - cute little streets with cute guest houses, cute coffee shops, and cute cafes. In Chiang Rai we had to search and search for good street food, but Chiang Mai has this incredible culture of night markets and delicious street food - maybe the best I've seen in Thailand .

huge squid (or maybe cuttlefish) on a stick for 80 baht (under $3). I bought the 10 baht (33 cents) squid pieces on a stick since I am not sure about the freshness of seafood (we are quite a distance from the sea).

Here is where we ate. This woman was like a machine: taking orders, popping out dishes, cleaning the wok, taking money

More street food

 A little History (from The Rough Guide To Thailand -2009 copyright)
The first civilization to leave its mark on the North was Haripunjaya, a Mon state, founded at Lamphun in the late 8th century. It maintained economic ties with the Mon kingdoms to the south, remaining the cultural and religious center of the North for four centuries. The Thais came onto the scene after the Mon, migrating south from China between the 7th and 11th centuries, establishing small communities in the north. King Mengrai unified the North in the 13th century, creating the Lanna Kingdom. He began building Chiang Mai in 1296. It remained the capitol of the Lanna Kingdom. The dynasty he started lasted for 200 years. It was considered an unmatched period of prosperity and cultural activity. The Burmese captured Chiang Mai in 1558 and controlled Lanna for the next 200 years through puppet emperors. In 1774 the Thais recaptured Chiang Mai, driving the Burmese northward. After Great Britain took control of Burma, King Rama V took much more interest in the north, fearing British expansion. Thais were forcibly moved northward to counter British claims on the north as part of the Burmese Mon kingdom. A treaty was negotiated between Siam and Great Britain in 1855 to prevent British annexation. In 1921 the railroad line from Bangkok to Chiang Mai was completed, creating stronger links to the south. The north continued to develop and depend on agriculture, and it became relatively prosperous. The recent economic booms occurred in the towns and cities (especially due to tourism). With about 80% of Lanna's population living in rural areas, mostly as subsistence farmers, the gap between the rich and poor has increased. 

July 27th:
There are little boxes on the Starbucks mugs that allow ease for special orders, for people like me. I sometimes order a "double tall iced decaf mocha with extra ice and half the chocolate." And the Starbucks attendant shouted out, " A 7-boxer." Well, today was a "7-wat"  day (I counted 27 wats on the map in the old city alone).

Wat Chang Taem

 Wat Chedi Luang

This chedi used to be 90 meters tall (about 300 feet), but it was damaged in an earthquake in the year 1545.

The Wats in Chiang Mai are more like a complex of buildings. I caught this man reading in one of the smaller wats near the back of the complex. 

 Wat Pan Tao:
"the most beautiful Teak Wat in Thailand," according to the inscription at the front of the wat.

wat laundry near the back of Wat Pan Tao

 Wat Pria Singh:
 Supposedly the most impressive wat in Chiang Mai (according to The Rough Guide on Thailand)

Wat U-Mong
I came to Chiang Mai 29 years ago, and remember little of it. What I remember most is a statue of a starving Buddha. I love Buddhist imagery, but this statue might be one of the most powerful for me. It depicts Siddhartha during his "six years of self-mortification," before he discovered "the middle path to enlightenment."

 Wat Ha Khuang

Wat Chiang Man

This is supposedly the oldest Wat in Chiang Mai, so it obviously has been recently renovated. It was erected on the site where King Mengrai first pitched his tent, before building the town of Chiang Mai.

Further explanation on Parker Palmer's objectivism and subjectivism paradigms
Objectivism is the process of objectifying reality. It is the traditional form of education that most of us experienced. It begins by assuming a sharp distinction between the "knower" and the object to be known. These objects exist "out there," apart from and independent of the knower. The teacher is the "holder of knowledge." His or her job is to impart this knowledge to the students. The student's job is to learn it. The teacher is the mediator between the knower and the known. Students are passive recipients of information - "blank slates," so to speak, to remove all threats of subjectivity.

Subjectivism is a response/reaction to this. All knowledge is influenced by the "knower." Thus, all truth is subjective. It is each person's responsibility to find and understand their own personal "truths."

Palmer's claim is that both objectivism and subjectivism are dangerous. Objectivism  suses knowledge for consumption and exploitation, which leaves no personal responsibility, and thus, created scenarios like the development of nuclear weapons. But subjectivism allows individuals to create their own personal and unchallenged truths, isolating each person from each other. "A truth that consists of little more than our private perceptions and needs" (p. 54), justifying one's own idiosyncrasies, with no need to challenge or questions those truths, allowing rise to distorted realities like the Khmer Rouge's "reign of terror" on Cambodia, or Nazi Germany.

What Palmer advocates is a middle ground, where knower and known are in relationship, where truths are constantly questioned and challenged through dialogue and community.

July 24th and 25th in Chiang Rai

July 24th:

A morning bike ride out of Chiang Rai to the south about 15 kilometers brought me to Wat Rong Khun, or "The White Wat." This is the most unusual wat I have ever seen. Besides being all white, it's graphic sculptures and murals make it quite unique. 

The White Wat: the first view of it reminded me of something in Disneyland, or maybe the Ice Queen's palace.

before entering the wat, you pass through hundreds of hands and a few skulls

This is a contemporary wat, constructed in 1996, and expected completion by 2070. 

 Inside there is a life size sculpture of a monk in meditation. Behind him is a large golden Buddha sculpture. And behind it is a large mural of a Buddha. Painters are presently working on the interior murals. The most unusual mural was one that looked like World War III: monsters with missiles coming out of their bellies, and the twin towers burning. But then there are images of Spiderman, Superman, and other action heroes. There was one missile that faded into Elvis. There were Japanese cartoon characters. It was all very strange.

Even the traffic cones were unusual

I rode to Wat Rong Khun on highway 1, which was not very pleasant. I found an alternative ride on the way back, through rice terraces and beautiful scenery. 

Wat Srimingkeau, on the route back to Chiang Rai

Wat Srimingkeau's main gate, financed by foreigners at a cost of 1,500,000 baht (about $50,000).

We were having a difficult time finding good street food, walking all over town until we found this stand, serving the most delicious pad see ew, fried wide rice noodles with vegetables.

pad see ew (I added the chilies)

 July 25th:

To Know As We Are Known, by Parker Palmer

I have been reading Parker Palmer's book on re-envisioning education. He wrote this book in 1983, then revised in in 1993. And even though it was written quite a while ago, I find it very relevant today. Palmer has presented arguments against objectivism, which limits our understanding of truth, and for the understanding that truth is personal and in relationship. Though he also argues against subjectivism, which creates private "truths" which can't be challenged, and thus, are just as limiting.

Chapter 3: "What is Truth" 

Quoting Schumacher: "The answer to the question 'What are man's instruments by which he knows the world outside himself?' is . . quite inescapably this: 'Everything he has got' - his living body, his mind, his self aware spirit . . . It may even be misleading to say that man has many instruments of cognition, since, in fact, the whole man is one instrument . . . The great Truth of adaequatio (the understanding that the knower must be adequate to the thing to be known) teaches us that restriction in the use of instruments has the inevitable affect of narrowing and impoverishing reality." (p. 52-53)

Parker goes on to write: " . . . but ultimately we find a self whose nature is not simply to know, but to know in relationship, as a means to relationship. The self is greater than the sum if its parts, and its greatness is in its ability to move beyond perception in any mode - into relationship with the world to be known . . . The relationships of the self require not only sensory evidence of the other; not only logical linkages of cause and effect; they also require an inner understanding of the other, which comes from empathy; a sense of the other's value, which comes from love; a feel for its origins and its ends, which comes from faith; and a respect for its integrity and self hood, which comes from respecting our own self.  . . . The deepest quality in our quest for knowledge is not to object and analyze and alter things. Instead, it is personal participation in the organic community of human and non human beings, participation in the network of caring and accountability called truth . . . To know the truth is to enter with our whole person into relationships of mutuality with the entire creation - relationships in which we not only know, but allow ourselves to be known." (p. 53-54)

"When truth transforms us in relationship, then one not only asks 'What is out there?' in each encounter with the world. But one also asks 'What does this encounter reveal about me.'" (p. 60)

I had written the above passages from Parker Palmer in my journal a few days ago, intending to share them in this blog, but, for some reason, I was hesitant. Maybe because I hadn't fully internalized its meaning.

I remember once, in a discussion on meditation practices, I had said that sometimes I just walk and eventually I figure out why I am walking. Well, maybe the same is true for bike riding. I went on a morning bike ride with Sheila back to the White Wat, though using all small roads through rice fields and villages. After Sheila returned her bike, I decided to go on an afternoon ride. I had a biking map for Chiang Rai and the surrounding area that showed one bike route north of the city along the river. It turned out that the river, though near the road, was not visible. Instead, I rode through beautiful corn fields that skirted along the mountains north of Chiang Rai. 

Sometimes "understanding" is sneaky, as if it is just outside our field of vision. And it only makes itself aware when we are not paying attention (maybe "paying attention" narrows our focus too much). Often our greatest gifts of understanding reveal themselves in unexpected places and when we are not looking for them. 

While biking this afternoon, it became clear to me the significance of the Palmer passages, and so I found a coffee shop on the road and wrote.

afternoon bike ride across the river

the little road skirting next to the mountains

 The Parker Palmer passage is significant to me personally, as one seeking out my own "truths," but also significant as a teacher of history. Teaching about the subjectivity of authors and historical texts is central to my teaching pedagogy. One of the first lessons students are exposed to in my global studies class is about author bias: I show the students a set of photographs about a city, asking students to reflect on the people, culture, economics, etc, from this limited data. Then I show them another set of photos about the same city, but this time with a completely different bias. Hopefully the lesson shows the students that when reading history, we see everything through the eyes of the author, who is influenced by his or her own culture, time period, gender, and understanding. Even the process of selecting what to write about and what to edit creates a bias. 

I continue this process throughout the year by exposing students to different perspectives on the same event, allowing the students to articulate, through their own logic and evidence, what is true to them. The purpose of this is twofold: 1) As critical thinking human beings, I want students to challenge everything they read, hear and see, including challenging my perspective. And 2) (and maybe most importantly) In this diverse world we live in, I believe we have a much greater chance of living peacefully with one another if we can come to realize that our "truth" is a subjective one. And that subjectivity does not lesson it or de-legitimatize it in any way. To the contrary, an understanding of our own subjectivity opens the door, I believe, to an acceptance that other "truths" contrary to our own, are just as legitimate. Hopefully, what this creates is an atmosphere of tolerance, compassion and even curiosity.

Parker Palmer takes this perspective one step further. Subjective truth in isolation is just as dangerous as objectifying the world. It is through relationship that truth is discovered, both in dialogue with others and especially internally, for the process of accepting and rejecting tells us something about our self. 

Night market at 6 pm. A few nights ago this place was more than 100% full, with people standing around looking for a table to become empty, though it was much later in the evening.

surrounding the tables are many many food stalls. This one sells all types of fried food - onion rings, broccoli, crickets and grass hoppers

I have no idea what organ meat this is, or from what animal.

Sheila and I, being not so adventuresome, chose fried cashews, tempura vegetables, grilled squid on a stick, and spring rolls.

This was our last night in Chiang Rai. Tomorrow we head south 3 to 4 hours to Chiang Mai.

Last observations:
Ring tones are the same all over the world.
Two common international words: "mama" and "oy"