Chapter 2

Back out on the village street, we continued toward the Wat, as the sun was close to setting. We reached the masonry walls around the Wat while the sun was still visible, making it about 1815 hrs. The walls had been painted or whitewashed at some time in the past, but portions of the paint was now peeling. There were gardens of various types of vegetables on both sides of the Wat and presumably behind it also, which were tended by the monks.

We passed through the gate into the Wat and looked around to become familiar with the layout, and to determine where the chief monk might be at this time of day. What we saw was a rather small and somewhat poor Wat. There was an Ubosot, or Bot (an Ordination Hall) where the chief Buddha image of the Wat was housed. There didn’t appear to be a Wihan, or assembly hall at this Wat. They did have a Ho trai, or Scripture Depository located in a small pond, however.

There were several Sala, or open pavilions, and these may have taken the place of the Wihan at this Wat, as they are used for many different functions. There was also a bell tower, or Ho rakang for waking the monks, and for announcing the morning and evening ceremonies. Off to the side was the Chedi, a bell shaped structure of masonry that contained the relic chamber. It was well painted, but unlike others that I have seen, there was only a smattering of gold leaf on its surfaces. All of the other structures at this the Wat were built of wood. Some had been carved and a number were painted in traditional Wat colors.

Along the back wall and farthest from the Phutthawat, or the area Dedicated to the Buddha, were the structures housing the monks along with the kitchen and a small Sala Kam Prian, or sermon hall. These were of wood also, and much of it didn’t look like it had ever been painted as it was the normal brown--gray color of weathered mahogany.

We had only been standing there observing the Wat for a short time when we saw a monk in a saffron robe heading toward us from the area of the Bot.

“Sawat Dee, Krup!” he said with a smile, and a Wai, as he neared us.

“Sawat Dee, Ka!” Chanthra replied with a Wai, and a bow. I had also greeted him with a ‘Sawat Dee’, Wai’ and a bow, but I had used the male ’Krup’ ending, and not the female ’Ka’ ending that Chanthra used.

“How may we assist you?” the monk asked, when the greetings had been completed.

“We are seeking a place to stay for the night, Reverend Monk,” Chanthra told him.

“You are travelers then?” the monk asked. From our sweat stained clothes and somewhat disheveled appearance our status may not have been evident.

“Yes, we lost our transportation earlier today, and have walked some distance to reach here,” Chanthra told him.

“What is your destination?” the monk asked, but didn’t appear to find it strange that we had lost our means of transportation, and didn’t ask about it either. I found that a little strange, and wondered if that happened often around here.

“I am on my way to Korat to hold classes on the Amulets,” Chanthra informed him.

“You are consecrated then?” the monk asked showing some surprise.

“Yes,” was all that Chanthra acknowledged.

“It’s plain that you are Thai, but who is this large Fa-rung with you?” the monk demanded.

“He is my Champion and Guardian. He has been directed by the Amulets to take care of me,” Chanthra assured him.

“He certainly is large enough for that,” the monk replied, as he looked up at me. He was only about five feet four inches tall and a bit on the thin side, as most monks tend to be.

“But I digress,” he continued changing the subject. “I will have one of the novices show you to our guest quarters. They are in the corner by the back wall. You are welcome to stay as long as necessary. It would be appreciated if you can make a donation to the Wat when you leave. Also, have you eaten?” he finished.

“Yes, we ate in the village before coming here,” Chanthra informed him. “We should only require your hospitality for the one night. We need to be on our way to Korat tomorrow.” The bell in the bell tower sounded just as she finished.

“Please excuse me now, the evening prayers are about to begin. The novice will be here shortly. Sawat Dee, Krup, ” the monk said before departing. A young boy, the promised novice, soon appeared to lead us to the guest quarters.

The structure that he showed us to was wooden like the other buildings here and was built on pilings like the building housing the monks, and the other houses in the village. In the gathering darkness it was difficult to see it, but it appeared to be small - very small. When we finally entered the room after I had removed my boots, and she had removed her sandals, Chanthra was a little surprised by the size of the single room.

“This room is only 6 sauk by 7 sauk (3 meters by 3.5 meters), but it will be all right for the night,” she assured me. I wasn’t so sure of that. I’m a big guy, and a room which was roughly 9’-10” by 11’-6” seemed awfully small to me. It wasn’t all that much larger than the Kuit, or rooms that the monks stayed in, and it was just as spartan. There was a small veranda on two sides of the room also, which did help some.

“Can you light the lamp?” Chanthra asked after we had set our things on the floor. It felt good to be out of the backpack. I fished the lighter out of my pocket and lit the small lamp that sat on the floor. It provided only a little light to see by, the sun having already set.

“There is water to shower with below, and I will wash our clothes if you have something else to wear,” Chanthra volunteered.

“Yes, I have other clothing in the backpack,” I assured her. “Would you like to shower first?”

“Yes, if you don’t mind,” she answered.

“Go ahead. I have a mosquito net in my pack, and will set it up while you shower.”

“That’s good. I don’t believe that they have any mosquito control here,” she answered, as she opened her bundle of things and removed two sarongs.

“Will you need the light?” I asked.

“No, there is a moon tonight. I will be fine.”

“Do you have a towel to dry off with?” I asked her.

“No, I will use the sarong,” she assured me, as she prepared to leave for the area by the klong jars under the building. There were some woven bamboo mats hung there for privacy.

I pulled the mosquito net out of my pack and wondered how I was going to hang it over the platform that served as a bed. To my surprise, I found some cords already strung there that I could attach the mosquito net to.

After finishing the mosquito net, I removed the nylon poncho liner from my pack, and spread it on the sleeping platform. It wasn’t a mattress, but would be softer to sleep on than the bare wood of the platform, and it would absorb any sweat.

Following that, I removed a pair of my extra fatigue trousers and an undershirt from my pack along with a bar of soap and a towel. Chanthra was back by the time that I finished.

“I will need the light when I wash our clothes,” she informed me.

“Sure that will be fine,” I assured her before I left to shower.

Under the building, I found the shower area in the semidarkness easily. There were some boards on the ground to stand on inside the enclosure formed by the bamboo mats. There was a small bowl there to scoop water out of the klong jar and pour it over yourself to get wet and wash yourself. I hung my uniform on the bamboo mats. I had emptied my pockets and put everything in the pack before coming down here.

The water was semi-warm, but the bowl was rather small, so it took several bowls-full to get all of me wet. I had plenty of experience with this already, as it was how the Rangers, who I advised, showered in the field, when the situation permitted. I was soon finished, dried off, and put on the dry clothes before returning to the room above.

“Where are your dirty clothes?” Chanthra asked, as I came into the room.

“I left them down by the klong jar,” I told her.

“I will go down and wash everything. Will you be alright here in the dark?” she asked.

“Yes, I’ll be fine. I’ve spent a lot of nights sitting up in the dark on patrol waiting for something to happen,” I told her with a smile. Chanthra was gone for about twenty minutes or so. I had laid down on the platform to wait for her, and had put my pack on the bed to use as a pillow. I could see her come up the ladder, as she was carrying the lamp.

“The clothes should be dry in the morning,” she told me as she entered. She really looked lovely. The sarong was wrapped tightly around her revealing her fine figure, and her long hair was loose and hung down on either side of her face. She really was a striking looking woman.

“We should go to sleep now,” she told me, as she set the lamp on the floor and extinguished it. In the renewed darkness, I could hear her move to the other side of the platform and slip in under the mosquito net.

“We can’t do anything here at the temple,” she told me, as she lay down. “I’m sorry, but we will have to wait.”

“That’s all right,” I told her. Chanthra had told me all about the Amulets during our walk that afternoon. She had explained about being consecrated, and that most men were not allowed to touch her. Only her father and the one who would be her husband could touch her without dying. I was her Champion, and would be her husband when the Amulets told her to marry me. She had seemed very sure of these things this afternoon in the sunlight.

I, on the other hand, had been somewhat shocked by her assuming that I would be marrying her, and that it was my job to follow her and protect her. I had certainly never heard of these Amulets, and had trouble believing that they were the ones that had saved the Kingdom and guided its rulers at least in part. Of course, I had also figured out that we were more than lost. I didn’t believe that we were in the 20th century anymore. I wasn’t sure what year we were in, but believed it was long before many Americans were present here in Thailand.

I had been lying there thinking for a while when I heard Chanthra sniffing and a heavy sigh from her.

“Are you all right?” I asked her quietly.

“Nooo!” she moaned and sobbed again.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, mystified.

“I’m scared,” she moaned, and moved a little closer to me. “I was not prepared for what has happened. My amulet has assured me that this was what I was trained for, but this is a Thailand that is different from what I am used to. Things are more primitive here than the Thailand that I lived in.

“Also, now I am in bed with a man ... a man who I know little of, and who is so large. My amulet has assured me that you won’t hurt me, and that we will be married in a few months, but I still don’t know you!” she wailed and began to cry. She had seemed so self-assured and positive about what we were doing all day, yet here in the dark with time to think about things, all of that seemed to have vanished.

“Chanthra, you are a very sweet girl, and I wouldn’t hurt you. I, too, was surprised when you told me that we are going to be married, and that what you call ‘the Amulets’ had decreed it. I don’t really understand about them. Perhaps you can explain more about them, as we continue on the way to Korat.

“In the meantime, that is the destination for both of us. It will be safer for us to travel together than to continue on separately. When we reach Korat, we will hopefully be able to make some sense out of this situation, and determine exactly where, and more importantly when we are. After that, we will see if we are to remain together or not,” I finished.

“But the Amulets...!!” she started and stopped. “You would surely die from touching me if you were not the one chosen for me,” she finished in a very frightened voice.

“Again, we will see how that goes when we reach Korat. For now both of us need to get some sleep. We have a heavy day of traveling tomorrow. Perhaps we will be able to find some kind of transportation in the morning,” I told her.

“Yes,” she answered with a sniff. “Would...!” she started very quietly and then stopped. She seemed very unsure of herself and what she wanted.

“Would you hold me for a time?’ she finally asked, very hesitantly. “I need the reassurance of another nearby.”

“Yes, move over to me, and I’ll hold you for as long as you want,” I assured her. Chanthra moved over next to me, and I put an arm around her. After a time she moved even closer, and laid her head on my shoulder. I could hear her shuddering exhales several times before she settled down.

Again the thought came to me that this was a very sweet young woman with a fine figure, and she would make any man a fine wife. Why had I been chosen, if I had indeed been chosen, I wondered? I had no answer for that question and didn’t expect any that night. I closed my eyes after a time and was soon asleep with this young woman curled up to me.

We were awakened before dawn the next morning by the bell in the Hor rakang, or bell tower, calling the monks to the new day. It was still quite dark out, but Chanthra stirred at the sound, and I became aware of the reduced blood flow in the arm that I had around her by the tingling in that arm.

“Is it morning already?” she asked, as she sat up.