Journey to Peace Village

I had an extraordinary day in Bangkok yesterday. It went all the way from the frustrating to the sublime. Upon arriving at the airport, my taxi driver got lost trying to find the hotel and it took about two hours! After a short rest, I decided to explore the neighborhood and head for Panthip Plaza.

Panthip plaza is an electronics supermall in downtown Bangkok. I always go there to get videos and for any other needs. It also boasts an AW root beer, so I treat myself to this. This time I bought a Thai Sim card, a karaoke cd and dvd of "The Man from UNCLE."

Leaving the mall, I wanted to find the Brahma statue of the Erawan shrine. From the map given by the hotel, I knew it was somewhat nearby. Wandering through the neighborhood, I found a Dunkin Donuts! This was a treat, so despite the heat I had two jelly filled donuts and coffee. Where else could you get donuts and coffee while sitting by a Buddhist shrine?

I continued my walk and found "Central Mall." This is one of the most upscale malls in Bangkok. Inside it has real designer made clothing for US style prices ($100 and up). It even has a "doggie spa" with special treats, houses and toys for dogs.

What was suprising was what was outside. There was a pair of shrines and people praying and lighting incense. One was to a goddess and the other to a "Ganesh" (Hindu elephant-man) type spirit. So, with the background of %50 off signs there was the smell of incense and the atmosphere of prayer:
And then we are found
in between the whistles of the traffic cops
"Big Sale" background
and the screaming fonts "%50 off through June 1"
,
so this shrine, why here?
can you make the sacred any Where?

Alone she rises
Golden Woman
Seeker of all our dreams
One for whom no change is necessary
here is love, here is truth and above all
a clear patch of sky

After leaving central mall, I had given up on finding the Erawan shrine. Then I heard the clanging of bells across the street. The Chinese community was giving a dragon dance and acrobatic performance. It was the Erawan shrine! A fantastic place. Like the shrine at Central Mall, it is tucked in among the shops. It was put near a hotel because an Thai Admiral who was also an astrologer said that the ground needed to be sanctified when the Erawan hotel was built in 1955. Now it's a center for many different ethnic groups in Thailand. Along with the Chinese, I saw a wonderful Thai dance performance to traditional music. The Thai dancers were given gifts of fruit by an Indian woman. The shrine itself has elephants donated by the Chinese community in Singapore and the shrine is to a four faced representation of Brahma, so I saw many Indians as well as Thai praying there. It was fantastic to watch the dancers among the swirl of incense, in the rain with the occasional clang of the Skytrain overhead. This is why I love Bangkok!

Labels: religion and culture, Thai culture, Thailand