From B- like “Bintabat“ to L like “Loy Kratong“

Day 121: Three weeks living with Buddhist female monks

As previously hinted, it continued for me in a special way. From Bangkok, I traveled to the nearby Lat Krabang, where I met my friend Devin, with whom the adventure of “Living with Monks“ was about to begin. We traveled together with a taxi driver who only spoke Thai to the meditation center I had previously contacted.

Upon arrival, we were not really introduced to the specifics of the place or the life with the monks. So we figured out everything necessary ourselves and had a lot of fun doing it.

One of those things was the daily “Bintabat“. Here we went with the monks to the local market, barefoot, and organized and sorted the food that the monks received as donations. Because monks are not allowed to ask for anything, to request anything, and when it comes to food and many other things, they rely on donations from the population.

Meditating at 5 a.m., preparing food for the monks, responding to correspondence, taking care of guests, teaching at a Thai school on certain days, and cooking dog food were part of our daily routine. The day ended with the last meditation at 7 p.m. After that, the usual program was usually just showering (it was incredibly hot) and then sleeping. Of course, men and women were separated. In this very special environment, listening to music or any other entertainment in public was not allowed.

Upon our arrival, there were 8 dogs living there, and after a few days, there were suddenly 14, because someone had brought 6 puppies to our pond by chance. So we took care of them, which led to missing shoes, pee in the kitchen, and a lot of fun.

We were very lucky to be there during the Loy Kratong Festival. In preparation for this, floating objects were built and decorated with flowers, which were then set adrift.

All in all, a truly great experience that I definitely want to repeat.

The monks said goodbye to me with the comment “We will see each other again soon.“

After my peaceful stay in Lat Krabang, I returned to Sydney, where I took the night bus to Melbourne.

Here, I spontaneously had the opportunity for another road trip.