After an intensive time in Bangkok we decided to go for two days to Ayutthaya, the former capital of Thailand, to get some rest and clear our minds. In Ayutthaya we spent time mostly walking around and visiting temples. There is a lot of them, one completely different from another. We started with a local temple, which is rather not so often visited by tourists. People were looking at us with a lot of curiosity. Then we visited also many other: some extremely rich and full of gold, other old, partly ruined.
All of them were in some way breathtaking. One of my thoughts was that although I’m not anymore so much into sightseeing, it always gives you a little bit more of understanding of local culture and context. For me the visiting temples was an opportunity to look at Buddhism and discuss it also with our Thai host who guided us around the city. The general conclusion is that although the philosophy of Buddhism is still very close to me, the religion itself is much less. There is too many things which border me also in catholic religion. So I stay with what I’m looking for: inner development, going deeper into myself, I still want to try meditation and I would be grateful for possibility to speak with some monks. I would rather not pray to anyone nor make donations for any kind of church. But I’m very curious of minds, hearts and souls of those for whom Buddhism is an every day practice.
About the latest news, those days we spend exploring the production of organic rice. Details soon, for now few thoughts (and advice) about Thai food in general:
Avoid anything that looks like a chili. Because almost for sure it is chili.
If the dish looks like not having chili, still be careful. At the beginning, take just a small bite to see if the food doesn’t burn your mouth and stomach.
If something is sweet, doesn’t mean there’s no chili.
If you are a vegetarian, don’t believe too much in any vegetable salads. For sure there will be at least few shrimps.
Generally the best thing to do is to eat with locals. Since we started to go for food with Thais our impressions about Thai food is definitely more positive. Actually, I am now quite dedicated fan of it