Wat Umong is a nice temple tucked in a quiet forest outside of Chiang Mai. There's a meditation center onsite, a system of tunnels with shrines, a small lake, and dozens of roosters roam freely. Scattered among the trees are words of wisdom; here are a few.
Not sure about those dogs, but that one was in fact at the temple. These two were not, but still good:
And now for a little bit of hope, straight from Myanmar, to supplement what's been in the news lately. Ashin Ottamasara was a successful Burmese businessman who quit it all to become a monk at age 33. He opened his apartment as a meditation retreat, especially for other businessmen. Land was then donated and in addition to continuing meditation retreats, he decided to open the Thabarwa Center in 2007 to anyone in need. Anyone. It's become a home for all with no discrimination of age, condition, background, nationality, or religion. Orphans, the sick, elderly, homeless, hopeless, refugees, blind, deaf, disabled, and mentally ill are all welcome here with no payment, contract, judgement, or end date. This has resulted in a population of over 3,280 residents these days, including monks and yogis (those who practice meditation), and 20-30 foreign volunteers at any given time. Early on in my travels looking out over the sea from Koh Samui, another traveller shared this place wi...













