Vientiane, Laos: Wat Si Saket And Ho Phra Kaew

The oppressive warmth of the late summer rays turned the relatively short stroll into a chore. The occasional sight of drivers sleeping on hammocks hanging in their tuk-tuks made me wish I was also in the middle of a siesta in our Funky Monkey Hostel room — not minding its funky smell.

Vientiane, although a capital city, is unhurried right to the very core. And this pace easily grew on us.

Wat Si Saket is famous for its cloister wall that houses thousands of tiny Buddha images.

It was already our fourth day in the country, yet it was only the first day that we bothered seeing the sights. On our map were attractions within a two-kilometer radius and we didn't intend to go further afield. We also allotted a mere couple of hours for our roaming (after which we hit the hay again). That's life for us in Laos.

Wat Si Saket, Vientiane's oldest surviving temple.  

We found Wat Si Saket's entrance unclogged at three in the afternoon. The seller yawned as she accepted our 5,000 kip admission fee payment. Inside, there was only one group of visitors, following their guide like a brood of chicks following a hen. None went astray. It was the perfect opportunity for us to soak up the solemn atmosphere, at least for a while.

  To a monk's amusement, Luna volunteered to sweep the wat's surroundings.  

While we looked at the thousands of Buddhas surrounding the wat up close, Luna found a broom resting by a post and swept the temple grounds. Much to a monk's amusement. Wat Si Saket is Vientiane's oldest surviving temple, and was built in Siamese-style architecture — which could have saved it from being destroyed in the Siamese-Lao war.

"Oh no! No more heads!", Luna. Buddha images destroyed during the bombing of Laos in the Vietnam War.

As more tourists trickled in, we started heading for the exit, with a brief peek inside the temple hall. 

Outside Wat Si Saket, we quickly consulted our map once more and slowly walked to the direction of Ho Phra Kaew. We allowed ourselves to be engulfed by a small stream of tour groups trudging a foot path. They eventually led us to our destination, which was their destination too.

 Ho Phra Kaew in the heart of a well-manicured garden.

Unlike Wat Si Saket's entrance, Ho Phra Kaew's was bustling. There were more local pilgrims than foreign visitors. Admission's also a cheap 5,000 kip. The wat, built in 1565, used to house the Emerald Buddha (now in Bangkok). It is no longer used for religious purposes, and is now utilized as a museum. Oh and apparently, a hangout spot for Lao youngsters.
 

 Ho Phra Kaew's bronze Buddha statues and afternoon shadows.

We rushed through the museum, just enough to catch a glimpse of palm-leaf manuscripts and Buddhist stone tablets for we preferred to stay longer at its veranda. To watch the garden's leaves dance with the wind. To watch the afternoon shadows slowly shift.

And to watch monks take photos of Buddhas with their tablets.

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Thanjavur, India: Brihadisvara Temple (Brihadeeswara Temple)

Under the fiery Tamil sun, hubby and I trampled on Thanjavur's dusty streets. To which direction, we were quite unsure, yet we rambled on. Minutes ago, we just hopped off a bus that traveled from Tiruchirappalli. As I looked up and down what appeared like a major road, the lack of foreign tourists and absence of the infamous Indian gridlock made me wonder, "Is this worth the trip?".


It was February, two years ago. Summer was off to an early start in the state of Tamil Nadu. The pavement beneath our soles was ablaze, each step we took was such chore. Funny how templed out we were when prior that day we had only seen one since we arrived in the country. That's India's hard-to-handle intensity for you.


From a distance, we caught sight of Brihadisvara Temple's fortified walls. That worn out map could be trusted after all. Unlike Madurai's Meenakshi Amman Temple, this one's far from multihued. Its shades mainly played with a palette of browns. A characteristic that made me fall for it.


This temple dedicated to Shiva is one of the Great Living Chola Temples (a collective of Hindu temples in south India) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At about a thousand years old, it's looking mighty preserved. From the structures to some of its frescoes.


Brihadisvara Temple or Brihadeeswara Temple is also known as "Big Temple", named so for an obvious reason. Its complex is so massive that it will prolly take you a couple of hours or more to take everything in. Best appreciated when you visit with a knowledgeable guide to point out all the awesomeness of Dravidian architecture.


Since we came by ourselves, we wandered clueless and aimless. Occasionally tailed a few tour groups with the letter L on our foreheads. Because we lacked objective and purpose, I had random realizations like... My bare feet could amazingly tolerate the sizzling floor. And that the grassy area on the temple grounds is a popular hang out for young Indian couples. Also, for the nth time that trip, I longed to touch our then five month-old Luna who we left in the Philippines.


And well, I spent the rest of the arvo stalking (and sometimes cuddling) cute Indian tots who stray away from their parents. An activity cut short when we decided to see nearby Thanjavur Maratha Palace, which by the way failed to entertain us like Brihadisvara Temple did.
 

Thank You, India Series:

St. Mary's Cathedral, Madurai, India: That Eve We Lost An iPhone
Madurai, India: Gandhi Museum And Its Resident Dinosaur (I Kid You Not!)
Madurai, India: Thirumalai Nayak Palace
Madurai, India: Meenakshi Amman Temple
Aboard India's Modes of Transport
Arrival Turned Fans Day
Thank You, India
How To Apply For An India Tourist Visa In The Philippines


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Photo Essay: Golden Temple Of Dambulla, Sri Lanka

Bright skies ahead, despite the heavy downpour in the wee hours. I savored the crisp morning breeze as our tuktuk, driven by a local named Wimala, dashed towards the bus terminal. I was afloat with an insane surge of energy, perhaps because I just showered away the last seventy-two transit hours. Yep, my last bath was five cities and three time zones ago.

We were to catch yet another suicidal bus ride to the Golden Temple of Dambulla. A UNESCO World Heritage Site cave temple complex that dates back to the 1st century BC. The cave's ceiling paintings were waiting to blow us away.

See how half of that day (in April last year) went before we rushed to our third Sri Lanka heritage site, Sigiriya. And before we were ripped off in a roadside cafeteria.

UNESCO World Heritage Site Golden Temple of Dambulla.
The Golden Buddha Statue.
Panoramic view of the surrounding plains.
Easy hike up.
No shoes beyond this point.
Pilgrims shuffling to and fro.
Waiting for the temple to reopen. For some reason, visitors were asked to leave and come back after fifteen minutes.
Yes, this monolithic Buddha fits inside the cave.
Well preserved paintings on the cave's ceiling.
Buddhas carved out of massive rocks.

Not-So Refreshingly Sri Lanka (and it's all my fault) Series:

Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka: Ruins Of An Ancient Capital
Temple of The Tooth
The Kandy House
Not-So Refreshingly Sri Lanka
How To Apply For A Sri Lanka Tourist Visa In The Philippines

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Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka: Ruins Of An Ancient Capital

Not as grandiose as Angkor Wat. Then again it's not a temple complex, but an ancient Sinhalese capital. So ancient in fact, that it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on the planet.

Anuradhapura's underrated charm does not lure tons of flip-flopping, shindig-seeking gap packers. Instead, it beckons busloads of retirees and a handful of travelers whose idea of adventure may not necessarily include beer tasting around the world. Seven months ago, as new parents craving for tranquility, we belonged to the latter mob.

Rough Ride

A trustworthy tuktuk driver picked us up from our Couchsurfing host's home in Kandy early morn and drove us to the bus terminal. The driver directed us to an air conditioned mini bus bound for Anuradhapura, which spared us from dealing with touts. We bought a bunch of samosas with mystery fillings for brekkie before hopping aboard. The bus was packed in a matter of minutes, and we rolled out of the frenetic terminal in no time.

Though the bus was full, the driver kept picking up passengers until we were sardine-packed. If you ain't claustrophobic, this bus can easily turn you into one. I pity the standing passengers who had nothing to cling onto. They toppled like dominoes on the aisle whenever the driver hits the brakes or does a daredevilesque overtaking stunt. This went on for three hours. I feared not only for our lives but also for the life of an infant on board. We were relieved Luna didn't join us for this trip.

Guide Named Wimala

Shervin and I obviously made it to our destination alive, but with a newly acquired phobia. We alighted at a random bus stop near the city center and headed straight to a food place for lunch. A stranger helped us order for there was no menu. This man named Wimala also offered to take us around the ruins since he's actually a tuktuk driver (surprise, surprise).

After finishing our meal of bland fried rice (well it's either that or a tear-jerking spicy curry dish), he took us to a cheap guesthouse (1,300 LKR or about $12 a night for a double room) called Lake View Tourist Guesthouse which despite its name does not have a view of some lake. We spent no second idling. After dropping off our backpacks, we asked Wimala to drive us to the old town, pronto.

The Ruins

Admission to the ruins will set you back $25. The ticket counter is located somewhere within the vast complex. Since there are several entry points, tuktuks aren't properly monitored. We didn't pass by the counter when we entered, but we paid the "ticket fee" to Wimala. Fishy ain't it? We didn't point this out however because he only charged 5,000 LKR or $45 for the two of us, and this rate included hiring his service for three hours.

He's well-equipped with information anyways. His impressive knowledge about his city's history made us feel that the money we shelled out was worth the tour. He lent us a brochure to browse as he took us to the following sites:

Isurumuniya


An old vihara (Buddhist monastery) where the sacred tooth relic of Buddha in Kandy was originally kept.



Mirisawetiya


The first dagoba (a dome-shaped shrine that houses sacred relics) built by Great King Dutugamunu. It may not seem magnificent, but being more than 2,000 years old (though underwent several renovations), it is definitely an architectural marvel.


Not too distant from the dagoba is a tree with prayer flags hanging onto its branches.

Lankarama


A stupa built under the rule of King Valagamba. Pillars surrounding the stupa indicate that the structure was once roofed. It was originally Lankarama monastery's center.

As we left the dagoba, I looked up to the sky and saw rainclouds fast approaching. It was going to be a mad dash to the other sites.

Not-So Refreshingly Sri Lanka (and it's all my fault) Series:

Temple of The Tooth
The Kandy House
Not-So Refreshingly Sri Lanka
How To Apply For A Sri Lanka Tourist Visa In The Philippines

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Madurai, India: Meenakshi Amman Temple

Waking up to the smell of fresh bread whether it's just been pulled out of the oven or fished from a frying pan, is my ideal morning (it used to be garlic fried rice but I guess that's the effect of constant displacement on me). Pair that with the aroma of brewed tea with milk, and I'm in brekkie heaven.

Our nostrils were beckoned.

Shervin and I emerged from our room, cautious not to disturb anyone slumbering. We were couchsurfing at a Sudanese's home in Madurai (one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities). Bakri, our host, offered us his bedroom. He, and his friends who came over the eve before for a PlayStation all-nighter, slept in the living area.

Meenakshi Amman Temple complex, view from a nearby shop's rooftop.
Surprisingly, at half past seven in the morning, everyone was up. We walked to the kitchen where we heard a hushed chatter. The entire gang was there, including the two Danish couchsurfers Thea and Camilla who were occupying Bakri's housemate's bedroom. We sat on the floor and joined the getting-to-know-you conversation.

Sweet morning delight.
When Bakri finished working the stove, we all moved to the dining area and laid newspapers on the table to use as placemats. Us guests sat and excitedly waited for brekkie to be served. Our meal consisted of omelette with onions and a type of sweet Sudanese bread (pardon me Bakri if I keep forgetting the name) that's got a falafel texture, except it ain't made from fava beans nor chickpeas. Its texture also sorta resembles that of Lil Orbits Mini Donuts' (remember them?), except it's got the shape of an obese que-kiam. The whole bunch of bread was dusted with powdered sugar.

A backdrop depicting the old and the new.
Unmindful of the calorie and sucrose overload, all of us ate with much gusto (we needed heaps of energy anyway) while Bakri gave instructions on how to get to our destination via public transport. Soon after we finished our nth helping, we cleaned the table and grabbed our day packs. We headed to the bus station on foot, Bakri led the way.

Herds and herds of pilgrims pouring into the halls.
Thea and Camilla agreed to join us for a couple of tourist spots. We bid farewell to our gracious host as we hopped on the bus. Our ride took almost twenty minutes, and only cost us 7 INR. The conductor gestured us to alight at our stop.

Approaching the temple complex, we were swarmed by touts and self-appointed guides. We managed to get rid of them except one. We let the most persistent guy who promised a "very nice view of temple from rooftop" lure us to The Museum Company, a shop that sells local textiles, furniture and trinkets. We were well aware of such scam, but curiosity got the better of us.

A dry Porthamarai Kulam (pond with the golden lotus).
The view from the rooftop of the three-storey shop, actually, didn't disappoint. And the shopkeeper didn't have to bug us with his sales pitch because Thea bought a decor to hang on a Christmas tree (she's collecting Christmas tree ornaments from around the world). I too purchased a couple of cheap stuff, a paper mache jewelry box for my grandma and a wooden bookmark for Luna to use someday. The shopkeeper's mood immediately changed from indifferent to giddy. He let us leave our shoes in the shop, and he lent Shervin a sarong to wrap around his legs for he was wearing shorts.

A parade of multihued saris.
Out of the shop and into the complex we went. At the gates, men and women separately passed through the guards, sometimes frisked. Bags were inspected. Visitors with ciggies were reminded not to smoke inside. Everyone should be barefoot beyond this point.

Meenakshi Amman Temple is a 16th century architectural marvel. Its twelve gopurams (gateway towers) are carved with a gamut of gods, goddesses and heavenly bodies. All of which, colorfully painted. Inside the temple complex, you'll find yourself in a labyrinth of halls with different shrines.

Even a robotics engineer with a smidgen of spirituality asked for an elephant blessing. For uhm, 10 INR.
Everywhere we turned, there were devotees praying. Or taking photos of us with their mobile phones. Locals smiled a whole lot, and we smiled back at each one of them. We felt more exhausted smiling than strolling along the vast expanse of the temple grounds.

My spiritual conquest failed due to the fact that we were never left alone. And poor tall-blonde-and-beautiful (and I bet Ms. Photogenic) Thea had to pose every so often, as requested by her admirers. We only lasted for an hour inside the complex.

A young lady rockin' my sunnies, which she borrowed after we were photographed together.
We searched with great difficulty for the exit. And ironically, found peace outside the walls. We sat to collect ourselves. I heaved a sigh. That was just the first of the four sights we're visiting for the day.



Thank You, India Series:

Aboard India's Modes of Transport
Arrival Turned Fans Day
Thank You, India
How To Apply For An India Tourist Visa In The Philippines

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Temple Of The Tooth

Which came first, the temple or the tooth? Definitely the tooth. You are probably equally perplexed as I was the first time I heard of this Buddhist temple's name. So how important is this tooth relic to be housed in such grandiose temple sitting on The Royal Palace complex?

Well, it's believed that whoever possessed it had the divine right to govern the land. Now that's one powerful (canine) tooth, I must say. So whose was it? Lord Buddha's.


UNESCO World Heritage Site, Temple Of The Tooth (17th century). Kandy, Sri Lanka. According to legend, Buddha's tooth was "snatched" by a monk named Khema from the funeral pyre. In the 4th century, after being passed on to different people, the sacred tooth relic fell into the hands of King Guhaseeva who asked his daughter and son-in-law to smuggle it from India to Sri Lanka for safekeeping.


Our stroll along the Temple Of The Tooth's grounds was magical, as we were showered with nadeshiko pink flowers that fell from trees. I imagined myself in a snow globe. Around us were herds of local pilgrims carrying floral arrangements and oil, which are essential Buddhist offerings.


Human traffic ushered Shervin and I toward the temple entrance. Because of the 1,000 LKR admission fee, Shervin chose to wait outside. By the garden where he contentedly watched the trees' swaying branches, crows and pigeons fluttering about, and worshippers making their way to holy refuge.


I deposited my flip flops at a booth beside the ticket counter and followed a group of German tourists that was being led by a Sri Lankan German speaking guide. We entered a smokey corridor with multihued walls ornately painted that directed us to the two-storey sacred relic tooth shrine.


The tooth, because of its sacredness, is obviously not on display for the public to see. It is encased in a stupa-shaped gold casket, kept in a room where visitors may only have a quick peek. I left the viewing to the curious Germans (the door was blocked by a huge crowd anyway and didn't seem like it'll be cleared anytime that afternoon) and wandered off to a series of halls until I ended up in a gallery.


Around the gallery are paintings that depict the tooth relic's history. At one end of the long hall are structures of Buddha in various forms, where I read a sign that says: "Shooting photographs of persons in this hall is not allowed". Okay, that got me chuckling thinking. Now if we interpret this sentence literally, oh boy lemme tell you, a bunch of Sri Lankans who took heaps of photos of me with their mobile phones clearly disregarded such warning.


I dashed out of the gallery to uhm, escape the paparazzis and exited a door to get to the other side of the temple complex. On my way out, I passed by Magul Maduwa, a royal assembly hall built around 1784 with wooden pillars that exhibit Kandyan wood carving.


From there, it took me five minutes to get back to the shoe minder's booth. I retrieved my flip flops after I was forced to give a tip (he was very upset with my 5 LKR token of gratitude) and met up with Shervin where I left him.


I relayed to him what I just witnessed. Although the temple didn't land on my fave temples list, the place's sacredness because of the tooth relic's presence made me feel privileged to be even allowed inside. As I continued my recollection, we headed to Temple Square Street. Along the way Shervin picked a flower and tucked it behind my ear. For the past few days, dusk was never this beautiful.

It was around six in the evening and we had one hour until our hired tuktuk driver picks us up. It was an opportunity for us to explore the city for the first time, and finally feed our famished selves.


Not-So Refreshingly Sri Lanka (and it's all my fault) Series:

The Kandy House
Not-So Refreshingly Sri Lanka
How To Apply For A Sri Lanka Tourist Visa In The Philippines

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Snapshot Saturday: Javanese Jump Shot

Prambanan Temple Complex in Java, Indonesia. Gleefully watched a bunch of locals take heaps of jump shots as I sat on the grass. Clearly, Pinoys aren't the only ones who love doing this.

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Snapshot Saturday: Bell Church in Baguio

View of houses on a mountaintop from Baguio's Bell Church.
Today's the second day of Eurotel's Baguio Bliss 2011 Bloggers Event. My first time to visit the Bell Church, after uhm, living in Baguio for four months!


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Prambanan Temples

Shervin and I made a stop at Jalan Malioboro and Jalan Sosrowijayan before heading to Prambanan. We asked the travel agents around the area if they sell bus or train tickets for Surabaya, en route to Probolinggo, our next destination the day after. Unfortunately, they could only be bought from the bus or train station.

Prambanan Temple complex, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Borobudur: A Chaperoned Monthsary

As planned, we got there for our monthsary (pardon my mushiness). Our Couchsurfing host Sandi, who didn't have work then because of a public holiday, drove and accompanied us to the magnificent-but-darn-crowded Borobudur.

Boroudur's stupas. Thank goodness I managed to take a photo of a deserted spot.

Sandakan Sights

Sandakan was once under the governance of the Sultan of Sulu. Imagine if the Philippines still owns the resource-rich east coast of Sabah, the economical gain must have been heaps. No wonder our ol' dictator President Marcos set up an operation to take back the land, which unfortunately led to the Jabidah Massacre - but that's another story.

A Buddhist Swastika symbol, Puu Jih Temple grounds.