Flowers, Tea, Elephants

The orchids at the Royal Gardens were breath-taking. I've never seen so many orchids. I have a friend in California, an old pujari named Ramai, who would be ecstatic to see these orchids. I know he would love to decorate an altar with these colorful flowers.

Near the Royal Gardens is a quiet tea house. We stopped there to talk about life and the fragility of our stay in this world. How strange that our time here is short, and yet we must be patient on the path.

We took photos by a charming Thai house made of wood. Lalita asked about old friends in St. Petersburg and I told of my adventures in the snow and ice, dashing between Petersburg, Moscow and Kiev. She's studying at the University here in Chiang Mai.

I like getting away from the ashram to see the Thai culture that surrounds us. As the deadline for my script approaches I'm trying to imagine how the people lived here long ago, what they knew and how they saw the world. Everwhere here there is a fascination with elephants. 

The elephant was not only a powerful mythological symbol as the carrier of Indra, Airavata, or the white elephant who carried Buddha from India to China. But here in these hills, the elephant was the beast of burden who cleared forests for tea-planting.

Today the elephants here are mostly for show. You can visit and play with them at the many elephant parks here in Chiang Mai.

Aurora with elephants, Chiang Mai 2013

The elephant is a symbol of strength and prosperity. I hope that all of you are blessed with much strength and prosperity in the New Year.