BUDDHA MOUNTAIN

We live a 20 minute motorcycle ride away from the largest park in Bangkok. Employing hundreds of labor hands as a part of the King's project to lower unemployment, the park grounds are immaculate from babbling brooks to marbled picnic areas, to giant statues of Siddhartha himself. The largest of these statues appears as if the Buddha has woken up from his two thousand year slumber, cracked open the marble he's incased in, and stood erect to walk right off the lotus where he was so long perched. Buddha Mountain is a living shrine to Buddhism, the South-East Asian centrifuge of spiritual conventions, rites and massive festivals which are held here every year.

We love to come here on the weekends for picnics and walks around the lake. If you throw a handful of crumbs in the lake a thousand giant endangered cafish will jump out of the water in swarms trying to get a nibble. These fish are perpetually hungry and will eat anything we give them: leftovers, sticks, dirt, etc. They are considered goodluck and are more concentrated in Thailand than in any other place in the world, making them quite rare on the planet but quite a nuisance in Bangkok.

Buddha Mountain also holds the official Buddhist Library of Literature, as well as a massive mural depicitng the history of Buddhism in Thailand ensconsed inside an enourmous gold-leaf layered stupa. There's also a walk-through maze garden in the shape of a mandala and communal house for the royal family when they come to pay homage. We seem to uncover new secrets to Buddha Mountain every time we visit.

Photos coming soon...