Sukhothai ~ The Dawn of Happiness

Happy New Year, mga teh! Kahit nagpalit na ang taon, narito pa rin si Teh para kuwentuhan kayo ng aking mga adventures. Ngayon, ating i-explore ang isa sa mga dream destinations ni Teh ~ the first and the undefeated kingdom of Thailand, Sukhothai! ^_^

Traveling for 1 hour from Phitsanulok, narating namin ang Sukhothai province by 9 AM. For the Sukhothai tour, may dalawang target sina Teh mapuntahan. Ang Sukhothai Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, at ang Si Satchanalai National Park.

The bikes, the park and the poster
of the annual Loi Krathong festival. :)

~ Sukhothai Historical Park ~

Thai: อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์สุโขทัย

Pagdating sa labas ng park na ito, bumungad sa amin ang napakaraming bikes for rent. Solo bike, pangdalawang tao or pang-group - name it, they have it! Kaya lang, hindi marunong mag-bike sina Teh kaya sa van na lang kami sumakay habang si Robbie eh naka-bike. Ngayon, na-realize ko ang importance ng biking sa traveling. Very ideal for bikers ang Sukhothai Historical Park dahil napakalawak nito. Kaya mga teh, kung nais ninyong puntahan ito, mag-aral muna kayo mag-bike at 'wag tularan sina Teh. Hehehe...

Aside from bikes, may roving trams sa loob ng park na pupuwede mong sakyan for just THB 20 per ride. :)

First off, dinala kami ni Robbie sa Wat Mahathat, the best portion of the park. At this point, siguro nagtataka kayo mga Teh kung bakit panay "Mahathat" ang mga names ng temples in Thailand. If you will translate the Thai term na "Maha That", it literally means great relic in English. Sa Filipino, dakilang... hay hindi ko knowles ang Filipino word for relic. Huhu... Anyway going back, ang bawat Mahathat temple na naipakita ni Teh inyo ay naglalaman ng relics during the early times. Kaya 'yun... :)

The center of Wat Mahathat of Sukhothai on a Bright, Clear-Skied Sunny Day... 

Few of the many preserved Buddhas of Sukhothai Mahathat

Hello, children! ^_^

So pagbaba namin sa Wat Mahathat, we were able to meet a Thai English Teacher, June, together with her students na tinuturuan niyang mag-English. Sa palagay ni Teh, siya ay TEFL[1]-certified. They approached us kasi Robbie told them na marunong kami mag-English. Ay kung alam lang nila kung ilang araw nang nino-nosebleed si Teh sa kaka-English sa mga Thai... Our chat with them lasted for 30 minutes kaya naloka sina Teh sa pagmamadaling mag-picture sa Wat Mahathat. Pero okay lang, kasi bihira ang opportunity na makakuwentuhan ang isang Thai local besides our tour guide. Napag-alaman naming si June pala ay nanirahan sa Pilipinas ng 4 years so medyo natuto siya mag-Tagalog. Kaya lang dahil matagal na raw 'yun, ang nasabi na lang niya ay "konti lang". Hehehe... At kagulat-gulat, dahil natuto rin siya rito sa atin ng left-hand driving. Ang tarush! :D Natuwa si June na nakarating kami sa Sukhothai at nag-suggest siya na kung gusto raw naming ma-explore ang mga waging places in Thailand, at least 2 weeks ang kailangan namin. Sabi naman ni Teh, 'pag yumaman ako, kahit 1 month pa, keri! At kailan pa kaya 'yun? Hahaha...

What my eyes saw at Sukhothai Mahathat... :)

Anyway, noong nakapagpaalam na kami kay June at sa mga students niya (sa tulong ni Robbie), dizizit! Exploration of the best temple in Sukhothai has begun, finally... :) Very thankful sina Teh na noong nagpunta kami rito, clear ang sky at maaraw. Whether or not kayo ay appreciative sa historical arts and world history, most likely mapapanganga kayo sa ganda ng temple na ito. Bukod sa pagtingin up close and personal sa bawat portion ng temple na ito, maganda rin itong tignan mula sa malayo at makita ang reflection nito sa nakapaligid na swamp. Dati, wala raw ang swamp, pero ni-landscape ito ng ganito for its beautification. At dati rin daw, hindi masyadong mapuno ang park. Pero ngayon, forest na ang peg nitong park! 

To compensate its beauty and give this place due respect, it's best to still follow the dress code, even if others don't. At ito so far ang best reminder na sinabi sa amin ni Robbie when visiting the temples. Just like if we would like our Christian churches to be respected as well... ;)

In the collage, find Buddha. (10pts.)

Ngayon, let's answer the question of how Sukhothai became the first seat of the kingdom of Siam. Centuries ago, Sukhothai was ruled by the Khmer King, meaning sakop pa sila noon ng Angkor[2]. And that time, Sukhothai ang nagpapadala ng supplies sa kanila. Then one day, the constituents of Angkor in Sukhothai decided to stop sending supplies to them. Dahil diyan, nagwarla ang Sukhothai at Angkor. Eh nanalo ang Sukhothai. So from then on, naging independent kingdom na ang Siam[3], and the first capital was established in Sukhothai during the 13th century. Somehow, medyo nainggit si Teh sa Thailand para sa history ng Pilipinas. Una sa lahat, Thais were able to preserve places that existed since the 13th century. And another thing, maagang nagkaroon ng identity and sovereignty ang Thailand. Lastly, majority of Thais are proud of their own culture and country. Dito kasi sa atin, uso ang colonial mentality, na kahit si Teh, guilty diyan. But learning from Thais and from other countries na napuntahan na ni Teh, history must be accepted wholeheartedly. Then learn from the mistakes of our ancestors, just like what Robbie had shared about the fall of Ayutthaya to the Burmese.

The temple exploration continues...

Mentioning the Burmese, hindi nila narating at nagalusan ang Sukhothai kingdom dahil mga 1000 kilometers ang layo nila with each other. But then, kung titignan sa mapa, nasa 750 kilometers ang pagitan ng Sukhothai at Angkor. Ibig lang sabihin, during the early times, napakalawak ng sakop ng Khmer empire. Gano'n kabonggels ang power nila. :) At kung tatanungin niyo naman kung saan galing ang mga damages sa mga temples in Sukhothai, sa villagers din mismo in search of gold and other treasures. Kung iisipin pala mga teh, double-dead ang nangyari sa Ayutthaya. Nasira na ng residents, nasunog pa ng Burmese. X_X

Teh's favorite views at Sukhothai Mahathat.

Wat Sa Si.
Quite symmetrical on two angles.

From Wat Mahathat, sinamahan kami ni Robbie sa paglalakad papuntang Wat Sa Si. Dito, dalawang Stuppas at tig-isang sitting Buddha at standing Buddha ang binisita namin, similar sa isang bahagi ng Wat Mahathat. Then from there, we went to Wat Si Sawai. Hindi na kami naglakad this time dahil malayo ito. 

Even if we had seen a lot of temples na may Phrangs, ito lang ang nakita naming temple na puro Phrangs lang, walang Stuppa na katabi. Hindu temple-inspired pala kasi ang Wat Si Sawai. Kalimitan daw, ang Hindu temples ay composed ng tatlong Phrangs na magkakatabi, wherein 'yung nasa gitna, 'yun ang pinakamataas. The 3 Phrangs actually symbolize the 3 Great Gods of Hinduism ~ Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, Shiva being the highest. Pero unlike the common Hindu temples, Wat Si Sawai is not elevated. Hindu temples are elevated by stairs because Hindus believe that their Gods are in a high place, which they also refer to as heaven. 

And the last temple that we visited in the park is the Wat Tra Phang Ngoen. Sa totoo lang, wala sa plano namin ang bisitahin ito. Pero nakita kasi ni Teh na may monk robe ang Buddha image dito. Bihira kasi kaming nakakita ng ganito kaya tuwing may nakikita sina Teh, pinipiktyuran namin. Hehehe. Nakakatawa lang dahil may misadventure ako rito. Sa haba ng malong na suot ni Teh, sumasayad ito sa damuhan. Eh 'di todo pose na ako. Tapos pagka-click ng shutter, biglang sumigaw si Teh ng "ARAY!!!". (Naka-capslock para intense.) Hindi ko man sinasadya, pero napilitan akong tanggalin ang malong ko. Sorry po. Sana maintindihan ni Buddha... :S

Top: Wat Si Sawai
Bottom: Wat Tra Phang Ngoen

Welcome ceremonies:
Buy ticket and check the map.

~ Si Satchanalai Historical Park ~

Thai: อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์ศรีสัชนาลัย

Akala ni Teh, katabi lang ito ng Sukhothai Historical Park. 30 minutes pa pala ang layo nito from there. At first time makita ni Teh ang katumbas ng national road ng Pilipinas sa Thailand. Papunta kasi rito, hindi kami nadaan ng expressway. Anyway, so after lunch kami pumunta rito at keri naman kasi marami ring puno rito. Hindi mainit at mahangin ng konti.

Dahil magkakamukha lang din naman ang mga temples dito at hindi na rin masyadong preserved 'yung iba, dinala kami ni Robbie sa dalawang pinaka-importanteng temples na medyo buo pa ~ ang Royal Palace at ang Wat Chedi Chet Theo. Tulad ng mga temples in Sukhothai, Si Satchanalai temples were also destroyed by the villagers in search of hidden treasures. Sayang, pero still, the significant temples are beautiful, na hindi ka maniniwalang 13th century pa sila naitayo roon.

The Royal Palace ruins at Si Satchanalai.

Tumambay sina Teh sa Royal Palace ruins. Well, medyo buo pa naman ang structure pero maraming damages. Bago namin nilibot ito, umupo muna kami sa isang sulok para sa "a slice of Buddhist life" sharing ni Robbie. Since this park is the last destination for the whole Teh Thai Tour Team, dito na shinare ni Robbie ang lahat ng naisip niyang i-share. (Kasi pala, the next day, mawawalan na siya ng boses noong pabalik na kami ng Bangkok. X_X)

The spots that captured my eyes...

Habang nakaupo at dinadama ang Si Satchanalai breeze, ibinahagi sa amin ni Robbie ang kultura sa Thailand kapag ang isang lalaking Thai ay tumuntong ng around 20 years old, legal age na. May dalawang bagay silang dapat gawin bago pumasok sa buhay pag-aasawa, kung may plano man silang mag-asawa. 

Isa sa mga 'yun ay ang pagbunot ng kapalaran. Darating ang time na mag-iikot ang Thai military men para maghanap ng possible recruit, and those are the Thai men who had turned 20 during that year. Ang gagawin nila, pabubunutin sila ng isang strip ng paper. Depende sa color na mabubunot nila, 'yun ang magiging kapalaran nila. Kapag red strip ang nabunot nila, 2 years silang magse-serve as a military soldier or navy soldier for Thailand. Black ata 'yung lucky color, sa pagkakaalala ni Teh. 'Pag black kasi ang nabunot nila, exempted sila sa pagiging sundalo or navy soldier. Well, kapag naman nag-volunteer sila, 1 year lang sila required mag-stay sa military. So kung ikaw ay isang lalaki at feeling mo may balat ka sa puwet, volunteer na! Unless, gusto mong maging sundalo, ibang usapan na 'yun. :)

Siyempre, hindi nawala sa Q&A kung ano ang nabunot ni Robbie. Ang sabi niya, gumamit siya ng delaying tactics hanggang sa nalipasan na siya ng panahon. Kaya pinilit na lang siyang mag-volunteer ng 1 year. Sa pagkakakilala nina Teh kay Robbie, medyo nage-gets ko kung bakit siya nag-delaying tactics. :))

Another required activity para sa mga Thai men ay ang maging Buddhist monk for a certain period of time, most especially before marriage. The reason is very logical dahil during their monkhood, they will be taught a lot of things, most especially about the common behavior ng mga babae, like why women talk a lot and loves shopping. Sabi ni Robbie, noong nasa monastery siya, nalaman niyang kaya mahilig magsalita ang mga babae kasi they wanted to be heard or listened to most of the time. At tinanong niya kami kung ilang pares ng sapatos ang meron kami sa mga sari-sarili naming bahay. Ang isa sa amin, may sampung pares ng sapatos at sandals, ang isa naman ay may dalawang functional at the rest, nasira na. Kaya natanong ni Robbie kasi, ipapaliwanag naman niya kung bakit mahilig mag-ipon ng maraming sapatos, damit, bag, at anek-anek ang mga girls. The reason why is because compared with men na 70+ colors lang ang nakikita, women can see 200+ colors. So men have to deal with that during marriage. Wow, very logical talaga. Sana, sa mga seminars ng mga mag-aasawa rito sa atin, naituturo rin ang mga ganitong bagay. :)

Robbie had mentioned that he became a monk for 3 months before he got married. Kung anong klaseng monk, well technically he became both. He became a forest monk for a week and then for the rest of his monkhood, he was a city monk. So tinanong ni Teh kung ano ang difference ng dalawang klase ng Buddhist monk. (At kung bakit naman 1 week lang siya naging forest monk. Anyare?) 

Forest monks wear mahogany robe and eat only 1 meal a day. (X_X) Meron silang 1 house per monk policy. At ang malupit niyan, literal na sa kalagitnaan ng gubat sila titira at magkakalayo ang mga bahay nila roon. Wala ring kuryente kaya 'pag gabi, goodluck talaga sa kanila. Hindi sa food o sa damit napasuko si Robbie. Sumuko siya kasi natakot siyang mag-isa sa isolated na bahay to the point na hindi na siya makapag-concentrate sa pagme-meditate. Kahit ata ako hindi ko keri 'yun. Huhuhu... At sa pagkain daw, lahat ng nakahain, whether you like it or not, kailangang mailagay sa plato mo. Pagkakuha mo ng lahat ng pagkain, kailangang haluing mabuti. Then eat. Though hindi naman required na ubusin mo lahat. ;) On the other hand, city monks wear orange dress and eat 2 meals a day. Hindi gaanong mahigpit as compared with the rules for the forest monks. 

So during monkhood, anu-ano ba ang ginagawa ng mga monks? One is meditation. Living as a monk means living as close as possible to how Buddha lived here on Earth. By the way, speaking of Buddha, Robbie mentioned that there are 4 types of Buddha poses: meditating, sitting, standing and walking, wherein 66 types (around 75% overall) of Buddha poses are in sitting position. Well, hindi naman nila kailangang gawin 'yun during monkhood. Hehe...

They also have to keep on walking to beg for food from Buddhists. In return, the monks will pray for them. And no waiting allowed. Kung sinabi sa'yo ng nadaanan mong balikan mo na lang siya later, you really have to leave and then return later. Kaya nga sabi ni Robbie, kakaiba raw ang mga monks sa Bangkok kasi nag-aantay sila kapag ganyan ang sitwasyon.

During monkhood, they are prohibited to eat 10 meats, namely elephant, horse, dog, snake, lion, tiger, bear, leopard, hyena and human. When his teacher told him that, Robbie asked kung bakit pati ang human flesh, nasama sa usapan. Well, I mean, 'di ba, conscientiously, ang tao ay hindi cannibal. May kuwento raw 'yun. Kasi, may isang tao raw na sobrang faithful kay Buddha na chinop-chop ang sariling kamay para iluto at ialay sa Kanya. Sabi ni Buddha, it was delicious at hindi pa Siya nakakatikim no'n. So tinanong Niya 'yung nag-alay kung anong karne 'yung inalay sa Kanya. Nagulat na lang si Buddha nang malaman Niyang laman pala nung nag-alay sa Kanya ang nakain Niya. Tinanong ni Teh si Robbie kung pinagalitan ba ni Buddha 'yung nag-alay. Hindi raw, kasi Buddha never got mad. Bawal magalit dahil uso naman daw ang calmness. Pero scary 'yung story, ha. :S

Another question na ni-raise ni Teh ay kung ano ang katumbas ng pari nating mga Christians sa mga Buddhists. They call their priests as abbots. And similar to priesthood, to become an abbot, one must be a monk for at least 10 years.

Generally, as Buddhists, Thais follow 5 rules or commandments:
1. Do not kill.
2. Do not steal.
3. Do not lie.
4. Do not commit adultery.
5. Do not get drunk or toxicated.

Tinanong kami ni Robbie kung ano sa tingin namin ang pinaka-important na rule sa limang nabanggit. Ang sinabi ni Teh, 'yung number 3. Because personally, ayoko ng mga sinungaling. (May pinaghuhugutan? Hehehe...) Pero Teh was wrong. Number 5 is the most important among their rules kasi nga naman, 'pag nakainom or naka vroom-vroom[4] ka, you have the tendency to become a different person. Then breaking other rules might follow. Grabe, sobrang sensible.

For Thai people and other Theravadins, Buddhism is a philosophy. While for Mahayana Buddhists, mostly for those people living in the north like the Chinese, it follows the principle of Yinyang. After something good happens, a bad event will follow. Then another good will happen. Then bad. Repeat till fade...

So after Robbie learned a lot in life as a monk, he got married. By the way, Thai women can marry young, just like her older sister who got married at 17. And he shared a sample scenario of courtship in their country. A Thai woman, when courted, must offer snacks to suitors na bibisita sa bahay nila. After giving the snacks, kapag iniwan ng girl ang suitor sa living room, it means friendzoned or busted na ang guy. Pero kapag siya ay in-entertain ng girl, alam na! :D When they are like in lovey-dovey mode, parents leave the guy and their daughter sa living room para hindi naman masyadong pressure sa guy 'no. Hahaha...

The Sukhothai Kings' cemetery.

Right after we explored the Royal Palace ruins, we headed to the temple across the street ~ the Wat Chedi Chet Theo. Since the early times, this has served as a cemetery for the kings of the Sukhothai Kingdom. Here, cremated bodies of the kings have been kept in urns. Siyempre, hindi na namin hinanap kung nasaan ang mga urns. Baka mamaya mag-surprise visit pa sa amin ang mga may-ari. Huhuhu... 

Dito naman, dahil isa itong sementeryo, ibinahagi sa amin ni Robbie kung paano nililibing ng Thais ang kanilang mga yumaong mahal sa buhay. Kapag daw ang namatay ay namatay na masaya at tanggap na niyang matsutsugi siya bago pa siya nalagutan ng breath, they cremate that person's body. Pero kapag namatay ang mahal nila sa buhay through an accident, basta biglaan, they bury the body to hypnotize the soul and let them know na "uy teh, you're dead na huhuhu..." One example is 'yung father ni Robbie na namatay sa motor accident. After 10 years, they can have his father's body cremated na. Pero lumipas na ang 10 years and all, hindi pa rin nila pinapa-cremate. I did not ask why na, kasi baka may keme.

~ A temple fair ~

Thai: งานวัด

Buddha to all: Have fun! ^_^

Since it was only 4:30PM when we got back to our guesthouse, naglibot-libot muna kami sa temple nearby and saw na may tiangge sa gilid ng temple. Grabe, parang probinsya lang din talaga dito sa atin. May tiangge at peryahan malapit sa simbahan.

And it seems fun for the monks themselves na maging facilitators ng mga fair games, prayer offerings, and fortune-telling booths dito. ^_^

Fortune-telling, prayer offerings, tiangge and fair games...
Have your own pick. :D

Konting lakad pa paloob, we were able to see and watch a game of Thailand's national sport - Sepak Takraw. Sobrang gagaling ng mga naglalaro! As in, kailangang tumambling for the gold! Hehehe... ^_^

Karir talaga ang paglalaro ng sepak ng mga Thais.
Non-pro match pa lang 'yan ha, pero gagaling! ^_^

Thai temple fairs are fun! Suwerte at may naabutan kaming ganito in Sukhothai. ^_^

Inside the fan bungalow room. I want a baler-kuberch like this one. :)

~ TR Guesthouse ~

For our sleepover in Sukhothai, we stayed in this cute guesthouse. The fan bungalow room is very much reminiscent to a typical province house dito sa Pilipinas. At dahil sanay naman sina Teh sa electric fan, okay na sa amin ang fan room. For only THB 450 per night! :)

The lobby, the lost snail and the owners. :)

At kung medyo bored sa pagnganga sa room, worry not dahil nandiyan ang guesthouse lobby to entertain you! It is very cozy and you will never run out of things to do here. Merong free use of desktop with internet, WiFi, and if you wish to go classic, the lobby shelf has a lot of books for you to read. And if you are a very friendly traveler, you get to chat with other guests. :) Super hands-on 'yung guesthouse owner with his wife. They always wear smiling faces. ^_^

The guesthouse also have a simple, yet relaxing garden landscape so puwede ka rin mag-fly-fly along the garden path. :)

The bungalows and the guesthouse garden.

Quite sad, but it's almost time to leave Sukhothai and the rest of Thailand. Truly, I fell in love with this country and the teachings of Theravada Buddhism. Hopefully everything I've learned and experienced here in Thailand made me a better Teh. :)

At sana rin, I was able to help you, mga teh, in having an idea of how Thailand looks like. Hindi naman sa pagiging isip-kolonyal (well, hindi naman tayo naging colony ng Thailand), pero it's not bad to add this country on your travel bucket list. Moreover, this is a good place to travel at for soul-searching. (Meganon?!) ;)

Before we leave, let's have a recap of Teh's food trip in Thailand. Susunod na sa The Adventures of Teh! Thank you so much for visiting! Looking forward to another year of sharing my adventures and misadventures to you, mga teh! ^_^

Special thanks to the following people who made the Adventures of Teh in Thailand successful:

• Tour Coordinators Matt and Supattra of Travel Hub Thailand
• Tour Guide Robbie and Tour Driver Sakol of Travel Hub Thailand

~ Vocabulary ni Teh ~

[1] TEFL - means Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Dream certification course ni Teh. :)
[2] Angkor - name of Cambodia during the early times.
[3] Siam - name of Thailand during the early times.
[4] Naka vroom-vroom - nakatira ng pampa-high na drugs.