29 January, 2024

Hello everyone,

Today started with a cooking class. Sarah went, but Spenser stayed behind to rest as he was still getting over jet lag and adjusting to the time zone here. The chef first took us to a market where we bought fresh ingredients for our dishes. We made green curry paste, Green Chicken Curry, Stir-fried Chicken with hot basil leaves and chilis, Chiang Mai Noodle Soup, and sticky rice with yellow mango for dessert. Everything was very delicious. Sarah’s favorite was the chicken with hot basil leaves and chilis and the dessert, and she brought leftovers back for Spenser.

We had a bit of downtime where we explored the hotel grounds a bit more. It has a number of villas, a couple of restaurants & cafes, a spa, and two pools. We’ll see if we have time to use either, but we did make a spa reservation for tomorrow.

Next up on the itinerary we headed to a temple where we got to sit down with a monk to learn more about Buddhism. Phra KK has been a monk for 25 years. He spent some time talking to us first about the practice and then answered questions. He impressed upon us that Buddhism isn’t a religion – Buddha isn’t a god or creator – it is a practice and a way of life that anyone of any religion can partake in. The underlying purpose is to find balance.

In many cases, boys become monks because their families are from the countryside, are poorer, and the education is free while training as a monk. Most kids leave once they’ve grown up and finished their education, which is widely accepted.

While Buddhism says that anyone can become a monk (men, women, transgender, or non-binary), monks are not allowed to touch people of the opposite gender or ordain them, and temples are separated by gender. In practice, this means that there are very few women monks in Thailand because they must leave the country to get their training and be ordained. There are almost no female monasteries so families cannot send their daughters for a free and better education than what they have access to in the countryside. It was also unclear from the chat if a transgender person would be able to be ordained by their chosen gender.

After the chat, we drove about 40 minutes up a small mountain to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, a beautiful temple with an incredible view of the city. We were there during sunset and for the evening monk chant, which was lovely to see. 

We then split up as a group. Some folks went back to the resort, while Sarah, myself and four others, and the guide went to dinner at an outdoor restaurant near the night market downtown. It was great chatting with folks. Afterward, we spend a little time at the night market. Sarah then went to a cabaret show with a few others where they saw Tina Turner, JLo, and Christina Aguilera, and Spenser made his way back to the hotel.

Lots of love,

Sarah & Spenser

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Dragonfruit at the market before the cooking class:

One of the pools at our resort:

A view from atop Doi Suthep:

Another view from atop Doi Suthep:

The monk chant at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

The long stair from Doi Suthep: