Salaween.blog
A travel journal through culture and history. – blogging since 2014
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Chin Hills in Myanmar: a land of raw beauty and steep, rocky climbs. Alone on a motorbike, climbing into Myanmar’s Chin Hills, I was scared, though I’d never admit it then. Between churches perched on ridges, a quiet temple under the stars, and beers shared with the customs officer, fear slowly turned into something else.…
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I went to Chengdu to see giant pandas. I came back thinking about a russet ghost I never actually saw — and about everything that hides in plain sight when you’re not looking for it.
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A new legend rewritten: On the border of Lanna, a scribe is sent to spy on Laplae, a hidden matrilineal enclave. There, he discovers a Lawa society without locks or armies, ruled by the refusal to lie and reverence for the Earth. Confronted by the wisdom of the mothers, the scribe sees his certainties collapse…
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The Isle of Demons became the Dharma’s sanctuary. The Buddha’s teachings, passed down by memory, were etched onto palm leaves in Aluvihara. Lanka, once a cursed land, became the eternal guardian of the original word.
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Thailand’s shadow theatre: Nang Talung, a lively street art with satirical folk tales, and Nang Yai, a royal tradition performing the Ramakian epic. One is popular and free-spirited; the other sacred and temple-bound. Both keep ancient stories alive through leather puppets and dance.
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In 2002, a trip to Sri Lanka changed everything. Between sanitized hotels and authentic encounters, I discovered my love for Asia: crowded trains, hidden temples, and resilient humanity. This journey awakened in me the call for immersive travel, far from mass tourism. Today, I still live in Asia.
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A chair needs four legs; faith needs all voices. Today, we walked with women who’ve kept ancient traditions alive—Theravāda bhikkhunīs, Catholic nuns, and Hindu swaminis—carrying wisdom as old as their paths. Their message was clear: spirituality isn’t gendered. It’s balanced. As the Kularnava Tantra teaches, ‘Without Shakti, Shiva cannot even stir.’
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In 1662 in Ayutthaya, Spanish Franciscans and Theravāda Buddhist monks met beyond the limits of doctrine. Their dialogue, grounded in asceticism, poverty, and mendicancy, revealed a surprising sense of mutual recognition and spiritual respect within an Asian crossroads rich in cultural and religious exchange.
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This text recounts my encounter with the bhikkhunīs, fully ordained Buddhist women. Combining personal narrative, ancient history, and contemporary realities in Thailand, it describes their origins at the time of the Buddha, their disappearance, and their modern revival, as well as the struggle of figures like Dhammananda for the recognition of nuns.
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On September 13, 60 participants—students and faculty from Payap University and local community members—walked through Chiang Mai’s Wat Ket neighborhood. This interfaith pilgrimage brought together temples, churches, mosques, and shrines, creating a day of shared learning, dialogue, and spiritual connection.
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