Sunday, May 19, 2013
Kamala Temple and Beach. Phuket
Bill and I had a day out on our own.
Our first destination was Kamala.......the only west coast seaside resort we visited.
I had been there before - most memorably on a day out with Jamie, 6 years ago. A picture I took at the temple has been my computer screen saver since that time.
So, I returned to that temple.
For me, the temple was almost like the centre of the tsunami.
Kamala was damaged hard and many lives were lost. Fortunately the lives of our loved ones were not taken......... because they missed it by 24 hours. They had been there, on the beach on Christmas Day.
It has been impossible to fight the images of what might have been if that wave had come those few hours earlier.
Terrible......frightening.
All was peaceful, May 2013, when we visited and we shared a beautiful moment with a monk.
"Bang".......just a little bang,, and a beautiful bird lay stunned on the floor.
The monk picked it up.
Jamie did find out the name of the bird - but I have forgotten.
The monk reached for his phone and snapped a picture of the bird.
I was about to take the phone and take a picture of him and the bird, when....joy of joys, the bird found strength and flew.
The temple, now fully restored, is small and simple.......with extensive art work.
Such story telling pictures were all around the walls.
The monk, having shared beauty with us was well disposed to share more good moments with us.
He encouraged Bill to sit with him.
Bill is wearing a Good Luck bracelet that the monk gave him.
Buddhism has not yet embraced equality between the sexes......I could have my photo taken, but not sitting alongside the monk.
I looked to reproduce my earlier picture of the temple with the leelawaddee flower.
But that moment had gone.
Then we walked on the beach for a while.
At this end of the Kamala Bay is a small estuary and fishing boats.
You can see that the terrain above the beach is very hilly.
The coast road meanders up and down quite considerably.
The river, with the temple beyond the bridge.
Our first destination was Kamala.......the only west coast seaside resort we visited.
I had been there before - most memorably on a day out with Jamie, 6 years ago. A picture I took at the temple has been my computer screen saver since that time.
So, I returned to that temple.
For me, the temple was almost like the centre of the tsunami.
Kamala was damaged hard and many lives were lost. Fortunately the lives of our loved ones were not taken......... because they missed it by 24 hours. They had been there, on the beach on Christmas Day.
It has been impossible to fight the images of what might have been if that wave had come those few hours earlier.
Terrible......frightening.
All was peaceful, May 2013, when we visited and we shared a beautiful moment with a monk.
"Bang".......just a little bang,, and a beautiful bird lay stunned on the floor.
The monk picked it up.
Jamie did find out the name of the bird - but I have forgotten.
I was about to take the phone and take a picture of him and the bird, when....joy of joys, the bird found strength and flew.
The temple, now fully restored, is small and simple.......with extensive art work.
Such story telling pictures were all around the walls.
The monk, having shared beauty with us was well disposed to share more good moments with us.
Bill is wearing a Good Luck bracelet that the monk gave him.
Buddhism has not yet embraced equality between the sexes......I could have my photo taken, but not sitting alongside the monk.
I looked to reproduce my earlier picture of the temple with the leelawaddee flower.
But that moment had gone.
Then we walked on the beach for a while.
At this end of the Kamala Bay is a small estuary and fishing boats.
You can see that the terrain above the beach is very hilly.
The coast road meanders up and down quite considerably.
