Girl With the...Tattoo

May 8, 2016

I received an unusual request from my friend, Jen, who was preparing to return to the US.  Her husband's international assignment with Ford was coming to an end, and she had a few things she wanted to do before leaving Thailand.  She asked if I might accompany her to a temple in Bangkok so she could get a tattoo done by a Buddhist monk.  She and a girlfriend had made plans to go get the tattoos together, but the friend backed out.  This sounded like an interesting, cultural adventure - I was in, strictly as an observer, of course.

Monk tattoos are popular with Thais and foreigners.  They are created "bamboo-style," traditionally with a sharpened bamboo stick, now using a stainless steel rod with a needle attached.  No machines are involved.  These sacred tattoos are believed to give a person the magical powers of luck, healing, strength and protection against evil spirits, using mystical, ancient geometric designs.  The chosen design must be approved by the monk.  Other friends of ours had this done before, and Jen's interest was piqued.

Jen and her driver came to pick me up early Sunday morning.  It was over an hour drive to Bangkok where we arrived at the Bangkok Ink shop that had made the arrangements for her.  We were really early for her appointment, so we took the opportunity to walk around the neighborhood, and found a little coffee shop to while away the time.  Wonderwall Kaffebar was so named, I'm guessing, because of the beautiful mural that covered one wall.

When the appointment time neared, we headed back to the shop down a little alley.  Lively Thai conversation was going on outside, and we awkwardly waited until someone invited us inside, where we watched for the woman Jen was to meet.  A smartly-dressed woman breezed in, introduced herself, and explained briefly what would happen.  She left us in the care of our translator, Trace, who would be our guide.  The shop owner helped Jen refine her selection for her tattoo and printed a picture of it to give to the monk.  She chose a simple unalome design with a lotus flower at the base.  The unalome is a single spire that weaves its way upward, representing one's journey to enlightenment.

After some more waiting, the shop's driver brought out his car (a very nice luxury sedan!), and the four of us were on our way to the temple.  This was another hour drive, as Wat (temple) Sala Daeng is on the western outskirts of Bangkok.  When we finally arrived at the temple, the grounds were packed with people and traffic was nearly at a standstill.  Finally, Trace said we should just walk the rest of the way, and we followed her into the teeming throng.  We discovered the crowds were there for a "new monk" celebration.  These parties to celebrate a young man's entry into monkhood are like wedding receptions; hundreds of friends and family, lots of food, and, (surprisingly), scantily-clad, busty young women dancing up on a stage with loud pop music blaring in the temple courtyard!

We wound our way through the crowd, around corners and down narrow alleys to a small side building.  I'm sure we never would have found this place on our own.  We removed our shoes and climbed the stairs, stepping into the stale air of a cramped, crowded room.  Trace spoke with a couple of people, and told us to wait.

Jen had chosen the VIP package, which meant no waiting.  So we jumped the queue ahead of a crowd of Chinese tourists waiting in the outer room. Apparently we had arrived late for the appointment, but the monk agreed to take us.  Soon we were let into an inner room that was even more cramped and unabashedly unhygienic-looking, but thankfully air-conditioned.  A cluttered, raised  platform spanned one wall, with a few cushions along the other walls.  A Chinese woman sat in one corner, never looking up from her cell phone.  The driver and guide went out and came back with cokes, and advised Jen to drink the coke before receiving the tattoo.  We all sat on the floor and waited.

Eventually, the monk came into the room, and I instinctively said, "So wat dee ka!" (Traditional Thai greeting).  As soon as I said it, I realized it was probably not protocol for a woman to greet a monk in such a casual manner, but nothing was said.  Ajarn (teacher) Bpum is an accomplished Sak Yant (sacred tattoos) Master and Buddha Magic Practitioner.  He is resident Master of Sak Yant at Wat Sala Daeng in Bangkok.

drawn in pen first

Jen stood facing away from Ajarn Bpum, and he drew the design on her back with a pen first to make sure it was how she wanted it.  I always heard that monks were not allowed to touch women, but he must have special dispensation to be able to do this work.  Once the designed was approved, Jen was seated on the floor and the monk sat on the platform.  Cameras were not allowed during the tattooing process.  We'd heard that bamboo-style tattoos were much more painful than those done with machines, but Jen never even winced.

When the tattoo was complete, they let me take a picture to show Jen how it looked.  This monk adds his own tattoo mark at the base of the neck to each one of his creations, and finishes it with gold leaf and some chanting over the recipient.

Lastly, Jen was instructed to present an offering to the monk, and payments were made.  The monk gave us each a tiny copper amulet that I learned later is supposed to provide protection from evil spirits, but loses its effectiveness if it is carried in a pocket below the belt - oops.

presenting offering to the monk

I was looking at this monk the entire time, thinking he reminded
me of someone.  It hit me later - Martin Clunes.

Trace indicated with some urgency that it was time to go.  We scooted quickly through the outer room and threw on our shoes outside.  As we hurried away, she said we had to leave before the Chinese patrons got angry - they had to wait in the stuffy outer room while we walked right in.  I can see how this might instill some hostility.  Back through the "new monk" party, we found the car and were on our way back to Bangkok.  More payments were made, then we found Jen's driver waiting for us outside.  Jen had kindly prepared some lunch for us, and we ate it on the way back to Pattaya.  A very interesting day, indeed.

While doing some research for this post, I read about a bizarre and fascinating aspect to these tattoos.  An annual event is held to recharge the magic in these sacred tattoos, called the Sak Yant Wai Kru Festival. Thousands of believers gather in the hot sun to renew the power of their tattoos, and many enter a trance and become their tattoos: tigers, monkeys, old men, etc.  Chaos appears to be a large part of this ceremony, as people scream, writhe, and rush toward the front stage where guards are stationed to stop them.  They are brought out of their trances by having their ears rubbed.  Click "Sak Yant Wai Kru Festival" above to see for yourself.

An Unexpected Journey - Eleventy

April 21, 2016

Couldn't sleep this morning, so I got some sunrise pictures from the balcony of our lovely room at the Rees Hotel.  I'd quickly grown attached to this place...

With no morning itinerary, we were afforded a leisurely breakfast in the tiny Rees restaurant.  We had to wait for a table, but not too long.  Rees had a ten a.m. checkout time, but they kindly allowed us to stay until noon.  We got our last enjoyment out of the view, then made another trip into town for some possible last-minute souvenirs.  Afterward, we just drove around admiring the view.  We saw some paragliders coming off a high cliff just outside the city; Queenstown is full of extreme sport opportunities of which we did not partake.

We were due at the Queenstown airport for a late afternoon flight back to Auckland.  We found our way there quite early, and spent some time in the nearby shopping mall looking for a couple of things we can't find in Thailand.  But we didn't have much luck here, either.

We searched for the place to return our rental car.  With little confidence, we left it in a rental lot at the airport, carefully noting the location, license plate, etc.  We checked into the little airport at a kiosk, and followed the signs to the car rental offices.  When we returned the keys, they didn't want to check the car or know where we left it or anything.  They said, "We'll find it!"

The lobby of the airport was adorned with autumnal decorations - so incongruous to me in mid-April.  We grabbed some water and sat in the small waiting area with a tweenager who couldn't sit still, bumping my row of seats around.  Tim wisely sat across from me.

When our flight was announced, we headed to the gate, crowded with people sitting on every available seat and floor space.  Eventually we stepped onto the bus that carried us out to our Air New Zealand flight.  It was a nice flight - short and uneventful.  In Auckland we just had to walk across the street to the Novotel Auckland where we would spend our last night.

The restaurant had a long line and a pricey menu, so we walked back across to the airport and had some dinner at the Down Under.  The service was really slow, and they seemed to forget part of our order.  But the food was decent, and we could watch some American basketball on their many screens.

The staff told us that we could do an early checkout, go get checked in at the airport, then come back to the hotel for breakfast, which was available around 6 a.m.  We had to go up and down and up and down the airport escalators to get checked in, check our bags, and get back to the hotel.  Thankfully, the breakfast opened a little before six, so we had a quick bite and headed back to the airport.

When we started toward the gates, we heard an alarm going off, but no one seemed to be concerned about it.  The closer we got to the gates, we became aware of a large crowd gathering ahead of us.  We couldn't understand the announcements being made, but finally figured out there had been a fire on the concourse, and the entire area was shut down.  So we stood with the anxious crowd of people as our flight time drew nearer.  The alarms finally stopped, they let staff go up the steps, then about ten minutes later we were moving en masse up the stairs to the gate.  Things were delayed a bit, but we eventually bid farewell to this lovely country and took to the skies once again.  This "unexpected journey" was unexpectedly wonderful.

An Unexpected Journey - Ten

April 20, 2016

An exciting day was planned for us, starting with a flight to Milford Sound for a cruise.  We were to call at 7 a.m. to confirm a 7:05 a.m. pickup.  So we enjoyed an early morning breakfast buffet in the tiny dining area of the Rees.  With as many tables as possible squeezed into the limited space, it was a challenge making one's way up to the buffet and back.  But the food was excellent, with a hot dish of our choice in addition to the buffet.

At 7 a.m. we called Milford Fly-Cruise-Fly, and were told the flight was on hold due to unfavorable weather conditions, and to call back at 8 a.m.  The weather looked beautiful from where we were, but apparently weather is frequently an issue at our destination.  Being in the middle of a rainforest, the place has some of the highest rainfall in the world.  We'd been told by others to be sure to see Milford Sound, but it was not to be - there would be no flights to the sound this morning.  There was a coach tour to Milford Sound that would've taken twelve hours, including the cruise.  Alternatively, they offered to fly us to Glenorchy for our afternoon Dart River Safari, bypassing the cruise of the Sound and the helicopter ride to Glenorchy altogether.  So we opted for that, even though we were sorely disappointed to miss this South Island highlight.

We were picked up at the Rees by a chatty Kiwi who told us of his encounters with famous American skiers Lindsey Vonn and Bode Miller.  He said professional skiers flock to this area for year-round skiing when it is summer in the northern hemisphere.  This driver proudly shared his brushes with greatness.

We were let off at an unassuming outbuilding on the edge of a small airport, where we filled out some paperwork and soon climbed aboard a little six-seater with three other tourists.  We were being "dropped off" in Glenorchy, and the rest would continue their chartered tour around the area.  They were excited to have this little extra added to their itinerary.

Ready for takeoff!

The short flight was spectacular - up close views of the mountains and valleys from above.  The autumn colors were glorious, and we saw huge properties dotted with sheep like grains of rice, golf courses dotted with sandtraps, and the glistening blue lake below.

Golf course

Lake Wakatipu Blue

The Kawarau Bridge - site of the world's first commercially
operated Bungee Jump

Just a little getaway?

Autumn in New Zealand

Sheep!

The flight ended too soon on a grassy runway in the little town of Glenorchy.  We would be arriving a few hours early for our scheduled afternoon tour, so they managed to arrange transportation from the little landing strip into town.

Coming in for a landing

Glenorchy is a tiny town at the northern end of Lake Wakatipu with a population of just under 400.  As you might imagine, the options to while away three hours were a bit limited.  We checked in for our afternoon tour, where they gave us a map of some nice walking trails and two or three cafes on the main street where we might have something to eat.

The walk through town took all of five minutes.  The road ends at the lake, where we ran into a couple who were just getting out of their Jucy van.  We've seen these lime-green cars and vans all over New Zealand with an eye-catching "Live Jucy" logo.  Some had "The glass is half full, and the other half was delicious" painted on the side.  We thought perhaps is was a beverage company, but soon learned these are rentals from a company with a clever marketing strategy.  The couple had just opened the back of the van and were setting up a fold-out table - pretty nifty.

War Memorial in town

We decided to check out the Glenorchy Walkway, a boardwalk that traverses the wetlands and Glenorchy Lagoon just north of town.  It was an easy walk that got hot when we left the canopy of trees and wandered out into the treeless wetlands.  We found a quiet platform to rest a while - quiet, until a busload of noisy tourists converged, impelling us to move on.  We saw several black swans out on the water on our way back, and heard some interesting bird songs (see video below.)  It was a lovely, scenic walk ending at the edge of a golf course.  We had just enough time to have a quick beverage at the Glenorchy Cafe (GYC), where two handsome dogs waited patiently for their master's return.

We reported for our Dart River Safari, signed some more paperwork, locked up our packs in a locker, and got suited up with big raincoats and life vests.  We boarded a bus that carried us to the waiting boats.  We were instructed to go pose for a picture, then we were divided into groups of 15 and loaded onto the boats that would take us out onto the Dart River and the heart of Mt. Aspiring National Park, the Te Waipounamu World Heritage Area.

These were no ordinary boats, but jet boats, designed to zip along in shallow water by drawing water from under the boat through an intake, and propelling the water out the back.  This system with no external propeller makes for amazing control and offers a thrilling ride.  They can, from full speed, be reversed and brought to a full stop in little more than a boat length.  The 360° turns were a blast, and not numerous enough for my taste.  I guess they had to be considerate of the "old people" on board!  Tim had a little, old Asian woman next to him that had a white-knuckled grip on the bar the entire time.  I, on the other hand, was unrestrained in my enthusiasm, if you can imagine that.

Our captain, Daniel, flew through the shallows of the crystal-clear, glacier-fed river over and around shoals of small rocks to some beautiful, pristine corners of the park.  He pointed out peaks that appeared in the LOTR movies.  He stopped a few times by pointing the bow of the boat up onto the rocks, then easily backed off, and sped onward with gusto.  I was grateful for the coat's hood, as the wind whipped our hair and ears.

We stopped in a quiet cove and saw a huge trout lingering among the rocks.  Daniel explained the importance of Pounamu, or greenstone, that made the Dart River an important trading route for the early Maori settlers.  He gave us each a tiny piece to take home with us.

We headed back up the river to a different landing spot where we disembarked for a walk through an ancient beech forest.  We shed our life vests but kept our coats to help shield us from the mosquitoes.  A big bottle of bug repellent was wisely positioned at the entrance to the forest.  The trees here are false beech, or Nothofagus, as they are different than beech trees in the northern hemisphere.  The red- and silver-beeches in this ancient forest can reach 100 feet in height, with enormous trunks up to six feet thick.  The wood inside is pulpy and soft, making them undesirable for building.

The guide pointed out several "nursery trees," large tree stumps where many new saplings took root.  In the middle of the forest, we saw a giant chair, an example of perspective used in the LOTR movies to make a normal-sized actor appear smaller.  Our guide also showed us a hollowed out tree big enough to walk inside.  The walk reminded us of the walks in the back property of our home in Michigan, only on a much bigger scale.

a nursery tree

Hobbit in a chair

Hobbits coming out of a tree

Back on the bus, we forged a small stream, and came to a stop on the roadside.  We all piled out, and our guide gave a small talk about various views from this spot that were used in the LOTR movies, The Hobbit, Wolverine and some other movies and commercials.  One Swiss chocolate company came here to film a commercial, using this scenery to fill in for Switzerland...go figure.

It was a pretty drive back to Glenorchy, where we returned our coats, retrieved our belongings, and picked up our souvenir photos.  We were soon climbing onto yet another bus for the long drive back to Queenstown along beautiful Lake Wakatipu.  People were dropped at their various hotels in town, and soon it was just us and the guides left on the bus.  It was dark by the time we arrived back at the Rees.

After getting cleaned up, we hopped in the car and drove into town to explore.  Downtown Queenstown has a nice pedestrian mall on the edge of the lake.  Parking was crazy there - spaces on the street had the usual white "P" on a blue field, but with numbers underneath, like P 30.  We asked a guy at the bookstore counter what it meant, and he dourly replied it meant thirty minutes for free, "and they will ticket you."  Thanks, pal.

The mall had lots of shops, restaurants and bars, along with a number of travel agents.  Nearly everything was pricey, but we did find a few reasonable shops.  The restaurants all had a newer, trendy vibe and we checked several overpriced menus before deciding to eat dinner at Toro Kitchen and Bar - not great.  We walked around the mall a bit after dinner, which had some cool back-alley passageways, and stopped for an ice cream before calling it a night.  Night!