From Pai, we go to Wat Pa Thum Wua, a Buddhist monastery in the middle of the mountain where you can make a retreat to meditate.

To get there, we took the local bus in Pai. This bus is caught right next to the Pai bus station (outside, looking at the station on the left). It is a yellow Fan bus that goes to Mae Hong Son, it costs 100 Baths per person, you pay when you arrive, and it leaves at 11:30 am each day, although it is better to make sure a place arrives at 11am. If you ask at the bus station they will tell you that there is no … so you can take your A / C van which costs 150 Baths.

Once there, a woman receives you very solemnly, we guess German, who explains the operation of the monastery and its schedules (see photo). It is a Vipassana, but you choose if you want to remain silent or not. The routine includes about 6 hours a day of guided meditation, sitting, walking or stretching, as well as individual meditation in the room.

Guided meditation is based on Samadhi, a state of meditative consciousness, composed of Samatha and Vipassana, they explain how to practice, with theory and practice. They also leave any books in the bookstore for you to read in the room and learn a little more about Buddhism and meditation. An interesting Vipassana book, if you find it, is: To See the Truth, The teaching of Venerable Pramote Pamojjo.

One of the discoveries for me was the Walking Meditation, we performed it around 8 in the morning, walking for an hour in a row, in silence, barefoot and around the lake of the monastery. Certainly very special moments.

You have to dress white, but if you do not have clothes they leave you, clean and smelling of roses … not like ours … By dressing all in white it looks like a sect or a mental hospital … nothing is further away, it is based on the discovery of wisdom … The meditation area is untouched, as are the rooms. Perfect place to be comfortable and meditate at ease.

They feed you twice a day, at 7 am and at 11 am, vegetarian menu, rice with vegetables in sauce, not very tasty but healthy! and for dessert a little fruit. All right, the problem is that this is the last meal of the day … luckily for sinners gluttons like us, there is a shop at the entrance of the monastery so you can buy something if you can not stand … hehehe … let yourself decide the hardness of the experience.

Some of the norms, were men and women separated so much to meditate as to sleep, and as not (machismo absolute) the men in the front rows before the retinue of monks. Neither could there be physical contact between women and men (and I could not give Jaume … with what I like) and at 8.30 pm, communication between women and men is prohibited … lest the night awakens the beast we all carry inside.

There were different rooms; some of large size sharing with 10 people approximately, sleeping on the floor with a thin mattress, pillow and two blankets. And another small cabins for two people with their own bathroom, but with the same conditions regarding the mattress ….

Definitely, all this was a great and sometimes hard experience, because for people somewhat restless, slightly hyperactive and not accustomed to silence (as something uncomfortable) can be quite a challenge … and just that is, a challenge to find a to spend time with oneself and to talk only to oneself … even if we do not like what we hear, see or feel … that is just learning … being with oneself to learn to love oneself, to learn to accept oneself.

Another remarkable aspect is the landscape, in the middle of the mountain, surrounded by forest, with immaculate gardens, attention to detail, walking meditation was a walk through paradise, more than 50 people lined up, in complete silence, walking through the gardens del Eden … centennial trees, blue-headed reptiles, dense vegetation in harmony with us, monks, the world, a lake full of huge catfish, fruit trees everywhere … experience that we will not forget and we will surely repeat … we thank you from the heart When you leave the place, you can leave a voluntary donation, without reminder or pressure, and leave it at ease …

As they leave, they call the yellow Fan Bus that takes you back to Pai for 100 Baths.