This is on the side of the mountain pass (1500 meters high) that divides Thailand and Burma, and there are military outposts along the road. Along this drive, we came to an Arboretum. What we had stumbled upon was nothing short of an enchanted garden.
Here, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, and in this quite poor rural location, we found manicured gardens and beautiful stone paths that go on and on, with hundreds of gardeners keeping the grounds immaculate. Oh yeah, and we appear to be the only people in this arboretum; just Dan, me, and 100 of our closest Thai gardener friends.
Indeed, after being awed by garden after garden, we found a sign that led to a tunnel. That tunnel, cleverly curved so that you walk out of bright equatorial sun into total darkness, and then round a curve to see the light again, takes you to the other side of the mountain pass, where an entirely different garden experience awaits. It was here, that we met (though could not directly communicate with) what turned out to be our gardener guide. After asking to take his picture, and trying to express how fascinated we were with this magical place, he insisted in giving us a "tour", pointing out things that were off the beaten path, but special to him. It was quite a remarkable time.
Before the Doi Tung Development Project started, this mountain site was barren of trees, and covered with one of the largest opium fields in Thai territory. Now it is a magnificent arboretum, and my pictures don't do it justice, as it was a rather hazy day. But I feel safe in speaking for both Dan and me that we were awestruck with the beauty and mystical nature of this garden. Also check out a related post on my Reflections of Beauty blog, Finding God in the Park post.
3 comments:
This is really nice.
Forest,flowers and the path pics are excellent.
Mohamed,
Thanks for the visit (I assume a random stop) and the comment. I hope you checked out my other blogs for other pictures (try http://reflectionsofbeauty.blogspot.com/ if you like).
I did a quick perusal of your blogs as well. I enjoyed your pictures too. As for the religious discussion, I truly find it fascinating. And would love to have some extensive discussions with you, but perhaps it would be frustrating because I believe true dialog can only occur when people have an open mind. If one already “knows the answer”, and is only trying to persuade, it really isn’t a dialog — it is either a debate, or it’s proselytizing.
I come from a Christian background, and really like some of the teachings of Christ. But in my opinion the church got in the way. I couldn’t accept the principles of holy war, crusades, or the inquisition. I have similar problems with Islam and Judaism, and frankly, any religion that requires “blind faith” in a holy book. Because it removes the possibility of real dialog. “Mine is right and yours is wrong” is how wars begin. (You can check out Sam Harris’ book “The End of Faith” for a grim recounting of atrocities committed in the name of a people’s faith.)
So I have moved away from “religion” and toward “spirituality”. As you say on your blog, there are truths to be found in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. You accept that, it seems, because of what is written in the Koran. I suspect therefore that you will have problems with teachings of Buddha, Krishna, etc. or anything not from the Abrahamic religions. That is too bad, because I believe those sages had a glimpse into the ineffable as well, and we can learn a lot from them as well.
The interesting thing about Buddhism (Buddha’s teachings, rather than the subsequent religions dogma) is that it is inherently experiential. He implored his followers not to believe it because it is passed down from him, but to try it and experience it for themselves. If it works, great. If not, that’s OK to. You’ve perhaps heard the expression “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”
So anyways, just wanted to say “hi”, and thanks for the visit.
S-
Post a Comment