📩 Receive my next posts by email — Subscribe to the newsletter
What the Cyclone Didn’t Wash Away
Sri Lanka – Three months after Cyclone Ditwa, I set off to see a waterfall from Instagram, with its suspended bridge. Both were gone. But with Samee and his wife, my disappointment turned into a human odyssey: a Hindu kovil, an animist sanctuary, planting trees, and the mist of Riverstan. Sri Lanka, rising again.
A Journey to the Lisu (2023)
Two days with the Lisu people taught me to forget what I knew and watch with fresh eyes. A strict ethical orientation made me a better tourist through ethical immersion. From tangerine farms to Akipu Café, we learned not only to observe but also to support the local economy. It was a journey uphill, full of joy and mindful travel.
Bhutan – White Scarves and Closed Doors
Bhutan welcomed me with white scarves and open arms—then reminded me I’d always be an outsider. A week of curry, cracked skin, and frozen mornings, between generosity and sudden rejection. More than a journey, a lesson in contrasts.
Bhutan – Clinging to the Mountain, Clinging to My Dream: The Tiger’s Nest
Teaching in Thimphu in 2013, I spent months fighting for permission to hike Bhutan’s Tiger’s Nest. The reward: two breathless hours on switchbacks, prayer flags snapping overhead, and a legend involving a flying tigress. At 3,120 meters, faith stops being a metaphor.
The Tattooed Women of Chin State
In Myanmar’s Chin State (2011 and 2017), I met the last tattooed-faced women. Between river villages and hilltop towns, I encountered friendly, funny elders who had turned their once-feared tattoos into a source of pride.
Cheraw: The Bamboo Dance of the Mizo
Discover the Cheraw, the traditional Bamboo Dance of the Mizo people, through its history, symbolism, and cultural significance. Based on my journey to Chin State, Myanmar, in 2019, this article explores a fascinating living tradition shared across the highlands of India and Myanmar, illustrated with photographs and videos.
Riding Into Chin Country
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. Ride along, all the way…
Fur and Stillness: My Unexpected Panda Encounter
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.
LAPLAE: The City That Never Lies
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 until his banishment, forever transformed…
The Legend of Lanka (Act III)
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.
Thai Shadow Puppetry: The Art of Nang Thalung and Nang Yai
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.
Sri Lanka 2002 : The Call of the East
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.
Faith through women’s eye
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.’
A Bridge over the Chao Phraya: Franciscans and Buddhist Monks in Ayutthaya – A Spiritual Exchange that Defied Colonial Logic
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.
Bhikkhunī – Fully Ordained Female Monk
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.
The Interfaith Pilgrimage of Wat Ket
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.
From Symbol to Statue: How Buddha’s Image Shaped Devotion
At first, the Buddha just wanted to teach, not pose for statues. He was represented only through symbols. Centuries later, the inspiration came… from ancient Greece!
The Mon People: Gateways of Civilization
As an indigenous people of Southeast Asia, the Mon received Theravāda Buddhism from Sinhalese monks. Between the 6th and 11th centuries, they became cultural bearers, spreading the faith, writing, and arts. Their legacy deeply inspired emerging kingdoms. Discreet facilitators, they gradually faded, leaving a lasting mark on civilization.
The Revelation of the White Rabbit at Chiang Dao
Un lapin blanc aux yeux scintillants bondit depuis le sud. Devant lui, le Doi Luang s’élève, majestueux, couronné de brume. Ce sanctuaire sacré irradie un silence chargé de mystère. Le lapin ralentit, sentant qu’ici, le voile de l’avenir va se lever devant lui.
Vilanka: The Tale of the Lawa King
Vilanka, king of the Lawa with a broken heart, tells a historical destiny often overshadowed by a queen who took all the spotlight. Amid mountains, legends, and thrown spears, his story blends ancestral pride, betrayals, and struggles to preserve the soul of a forgotten people in Northern Thailand.
A trishaw in Sagaing
Sagaing, the once-forgotten former capital of Myanmar, is now a peaceful town, home to nearly two thousand monks and nuns. But that’s not the story I want to tell you. Instead, I’d like to share a travel anecdote — a personal journey across these sacred hills, drawn from three visits through time. And while you may escape a history lesson,…
In the Footsteps of Queen Malika in MaeAi
Born in 1588, the Year of the Dragon, Malika was the daughter of the King and Queen of Fang. Heir to a kingdom in turmoil, she ruled over the region that now bears her name. In her citadel, inhabited primarily by women, she trained and led an army of brave warrior women who defended the city against invaders.
The Peace Accord of the Lawa Land
As the ogres Phu Sae, Ya Sae, and their son terrorize the land of the Lawa, the Buddha decides to come in person to pacify these giants and establish peace agreements that endure to this day.
A Monk Ordination
On January 5, 2025, I am invited to attend a Buddhist monk ordination. I have witnessed ordinations before, but this is the first time I will be participating from start to finish as an invited guest, rather than just a passing spectator. It is a great honor for me. Dr. Kenneth, a professor at Payap University’s Peacebuilding faculty, is one…
Salaween.blog 