Orchids

After all that meditation it was good to get out on the road again to clear my head. Nothing like a spin on the motorbike, a little fresh air, and a trip to the famous Royal Gardens of Chiang Mai.

This time the tour guide was Lalita Canti. She knows Chiang Mai well, speaks Thai, and suggested a visit to the Flora Festival 2014, just a short motorbike ride from the jungle ashram of the Chaitanya Saraswat Math. Here she is with the tickets.

Here at the park are many banyan trees. In Bhagavad-gita 15.1 

ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śākham

aśvatthaḿ prāhur avyayam

chandāḿsi yasya parṇāni

yas taḿ veda sa veda-vit

It is said that there is an imperishable banyan tree that has its roots upward and its branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas.

The banyan tree is curious because the branches grow out, touch the earth, form roots, and create another branch. It is a metaphor for endless entanglement. Here is one such banyan tree. It is a confusion of branches and roots, On the right  is part of an orchid. While normally thought of as parasitic, orchids are not really parasites. Actually they live on nutrients in the environment. They are true "breatharians," 

Here at the park is an amazing assortment of orchids of all different sizes and shapes. These are all highly colorful and would make excellent decorations.

So I wandered admidst the orchids, trying to make sense of it all. I need to hurry home and finish the script on Angkor, but it's difficult to stare at a wall and a computer screen and be creative. The fresh flowers help clear my mind for the task ahead. 

Royal Flower Park

As we walked and talked, I made some observations about patience and the need for careful cultivation. I remember when I was a child and the teacher would bring seeds to class. We would carefully plant them in little paper cups of earth on a Friday afternoon. When I came to school on Monday, the first thing I wanted to see was my plant. I ran to class. But I was disappointed to see the same paper cup with nothing but a little dirt. "When can I see my flower?" "Patience," I was told.

Here I am surrounded with flowers. I don't want to leave this paradise, but it's time to move on.

Royal Gardens

Maybe I'll be back sometime. For now it's time to hit the road again. 

Ready for action

We'll talk more later. Right now I have to get to work. Sayonara, Adios,  Do Svidanya, and Dandabats.