How I Got Slapped by a Monk in Bangkok

It all started at the floating village…

A warm welcome

Within two hours of landing in Bangkok, I found myself being swung around in the back of a tuk-tuk, on my way to the Chao Phraya River.

Whizzing down the street, I began to study the many passing faces—a bustling mix of local street vendors and Western backpackers like myself. Our engine’s puttering echo sang off the tall rustic buildings encapsulating the street, following us as we went.

I took in the moment, gripping both the tuk-tuk and my backpack, feeling incredibly free.

I gazed sideways and watched the graffiti dance on the walls as we sped past.

My trance was quickly broken with a swift left turn detouring us up onto a busy sidewalk. All the stopped traffic watched as we began to weave through pedestrians, street vendors, and other moped riders who had the same idea.

As I watched all the chaos this man was causing on my behalf unfold, I clenched the railings tight and began to laugh like a child.

I watched as the driver tediously navigated the crowd, jerking the wheel each way and feverishly playing the gas and brake pedals like a musical instrument.

While the other tourists on the street watched in shock, the Thai locals seemed to not even notice us.

I held on as we bounced off the sidewalk and back onto the main road. The driver looked back through the rearview mirror, laughing and shrugging his shoulders as we left the honking Bangkok traffic behind us.

After 25 long hours of traveling, this was just what I needed.

We rounded our final turn and pulled alongside the curb, where I was met by a sweet older Thai woman, ready to welcome me to their boat tour.

She bowed, as did I.

“Khop koon krub,” I said, thanking the driver as I stepped out.

The driver smiled and gave me a friendly salute, before speeding off into the heavy flow of traffic.

The woman began guiding me through a shady riverside park, eventually leading to their old wooden booth right on the water. I’d been excited to explore the Chao Phraya River and its floating villages since I first heard of them, months before.

I happily handed her 400 THB and was given twenty minutes to hang out and enjoy the park before the trip began.

I followed the park’s windy path and eventually came to lay against a tree, studying the beautiful Thai architecture intermixed with all the lush green trees.

‘This is amazing,’ I thought to myself while pulling out my camera.

Removing my lens cap and flipping my camera to ‘On’, my eyes explored all the fine details of a temple-like structure in front of me. The hum of the birds grew louder and louder as I gazed upon the structure.

I saw my vision.

I focused my lens and snapped the first picture of my month-long trip backpacking through Thailand.

I pulled the camera back and looked at the image, amazed at this new world I found myself in.

Rough seas and golden horizons

Our long-tail boat arrived at the dock and it was finally time to explore the Chao Phraya River.

Walking down the ramp, the growl of the boat’s loud engine was accompanied by the sloshy crashes of the hull against the dock from the river’s rough waves and strong currents.

I stepped on board and carefully kept my balance as the boat rolled side to side. Once steady, I nodded to the young captain and took my seat in the very front of the boat.

I settled into my small wooden chair and tucked my backpack under my legs just in case any water splashed onboard.

Once everyone was settled, we pushed off the dock without any real introduction.

Just like that, we were off.

Gliding across the choppy river, the engine roared as we sped up and began weaving through other tour boats and fishing vessels. The captains all waved to one another as the crossing passengers briefly met eyes with one another.

A moment later, we were all back to our separate adventures.

The foggy horizon to our left soon became glittered with golden temples, while on our right several old wooden homes stood proudly on stilts over the river. You could see holes in the walls and patches made from scrap metal. Pieces of plastic congregated around the stilts below, riding the pillars with each choppy wave.

The contrast between the two horizons was art in itself.

As we moved past the old wooden homes, friendly faces smiled and waved hello, welcoming us into their small unique corner of the world.

I smiled and waved back from mine.

After roughly 20 minutes of exploring the Chao Phraya River, our boat began to slowly carve toward a narrow canal.

A wave from our deacceleration continued past our boat and crashed against the old stone walls of the canal. As we came to a tamed speed, the many voices behind me became audible again.

As we glided through the canal, the stone walls quickly became wooden homes with their balconies all facing the river.

I felt like we had gone back to a simpler time when your neighbors were like family.

The houses were all connected, and made from old bare wood and tin panels. It seemed every house had at least one plant on their porch to greet the eyes of river-goers.

It was a warm community where families would talk to one another from their balconies across the river, as the neighborhood kids played in the narrow yards.

Life seemed to exist at its own pace in the floating village.

A couple of men played chess sitting on five-gallon buckets, while others hung up their wet laundry to dry and enjoyed a smoke.

The air felt simple and pure here, and the commotion of a boat full of tourists didn’t seem to faze them at all.

Life just carried on — as it should.

Exploring the Giant Golden Buddha

While navigating the Chao Phraya’s busy canals, we came around a wide turn to discover a massive golden Buddha towering over the horizon.

We all gasped with our ooos and ahhhs, as the boat began its gentle approach to the temple’s river dock. Realizing we were making a stop, I quickly stashed my camera back in my bag and threw on a decent shirt to enter the temple with.

Once we were tied to the dock, I grabbed my bag and stepped off the boat.

“Twenty minutes,” my tour guide said as I nodded in agreement.

I made my way to the courtyard just beneath the giant Buddha, staring up at the ginormous statue. Standing there I felt like an ant and wondered if that was the point all along.

I took a second look around and noticed several monks roaming the courtyard with grace and purpose, eager to be somewhere.

Where are they going? I wondered.

I had never met a Buddhist monk before and my fascination with better understanding them ignited. Before I could blink they were off to wherever they needed to be, and I went back to exploring the courtyard.

Making my way to the opposite end of the yard, I noticed a French couple struggling to take a picture of themselves with the giant Buddha. I offered to snap a photo for them which they were very thankful for.

To repay the favor, the guy offered, “And you?”

I turned my camera on, passed it to him, took a few steps back, and smiled.

Click.

I continued to the golden entrance of the temple, known as Wat Phra Buddha Dhammakaya Thep Mongkol.

A lone shrine room stood surrounded by marble pillars with three hallowed doors leading inside. Beside each door was a step glittered with shoes of all colors, sizes, and styles. I stopped to kneel and untie mine, and add them to the collection.

The shoes were so different from one another and I wondered where they had all come from. Many of them were slightly worn and scuffed with dirt. I knew they all had stories to tell.

Taking a deep inhale, I bowed to the sacred space I was entering.

I stepped off the marble floor and onto the soft red carpet inside. Buddhist statues, shrines, and ornaments enriched the entire room. I gazed around as the sounds from outside slowly drained away.

The air felt powerful here, so I sat and meditated.

As I opened my eyes, I realized I hadn’t been keeping track of time since leaving the boat. I looked around and couldn’t spot anybody from my group.

I quickly shot up, tied my shoes, and raced back to the courtyard.

Shuffling to put my backpack on, I spotted a young couple from the boat still taking pictures with the Buddha. With the lack of stress on their faces, my jog returned to a gentle stroll.

‘Well…I should at least check’, I thought.

As I walked back toward the boat, I became stopped in my tracks as I stumbled upon a scene straight out of a fairytale.

Two monks walked in silence side by side, gazing out over the river together. I studied their mutual respect for one another, as they had an entire conversation without saying a single word.

Standing in the middle of the hallway, I took in the beautiful moment.

With a slow exhale, I spun my camera around with my shoulder strap and quietly removed the lens cap.

I saw the vision.

I focused my lens and shot this moment that I’ll keep forever.

Getting slapped by a monk

I flipped my camera off and tucked it away.

Following the marble steps up the plaza, I quietly continued to where the monks gazed out on the river.

Again, I wondered what they were thinking.

“Sir,” a voice said behind me.

I turned around and saw a smiling Thai woman beside an elderly monk sitting in a wooden chair. Before him was an orange mat on the ground, with a golden bowl filled with water, next to a large straw brush.

“Would you like a blessing?” She asked.

I noticed a donation box next to the monk, whose wise green eyes gazed into mine. For that brief second, I could feel the depth of the universe in his soul.

“Khap koon krub,” I said bowing to both the woman and the monk, stuffing my donation in the box.

I knelt to my knees and welcomed the monk to do his blessing. He proceeded to flick water droplets on me from the bowl while expressively moving his hands all around my head. He then grabbed the straw brush, wet it, and began lightly tapping the brush from my shoulders up to the top of my head.

After the blessing, I clasped my hands together to bow to the monk. As I began to bow, I suddenly felt his cold hand grab my wrist.

He twisted my right arm around exposing my Buddhist tattoo of Tara, the Goddess of compassion, on my forearm.

I hadn’t yet realized that Buddhist tattoos are taboo in Thailand, and are expected to be covered up when visiting temples.

I looked up from my tattoo and again met his piercing eyes.

He served a look of frustration and disappointment, holding this eye contact for what felt like an eternity. I could hear him speaking to me without words, as our gaze grew deeper.

While saying nothing out loud, the monk continued to scold me in my first experience speaking in the universal language.

“I’m sorry,” I said — without saying a word.

Still holding my wrist, he let go and quickly slapped me on the tattoo.

His cold fragile hand carried a heavy weight of authority, and it stung more emotionally than physically.

I felt terrible for disrespecting the monk in his sacred home and quickly apologized to him and the woman.

I stood up assuming that was my cue to leave, but the monk quickly pointed at me and shook his finger.

I heard it again — “Wait.”

He reached into a paper bag behind his chair and shuffled for a moment, before pulling out a red bracelet with white beads interwoven into it.

He extended it to me with both hands and a respectful bow. I took the gift and warmly bowed back to the man.

“Thank you,” I said — without saying anything.

I began to put the bracelet on my right wrist but paused halfway through, gazing back up at the monk. I smiled and passed it to my left wrist before tightening it down.

We grinned at one another and said farewell in our unspoken language.

I bowed once more and turned back toward the dock.

Mesmerized by the bizarre experience, I didn’t realize the boat was just being pushed off the dock as I walked up.

“Wait!” somebody yelled from the boat, pointing at me to the driver.

“Sorry!” I yelled back as the captain quickly put the boat in reverse, and reapproached the dock.

As others on the boat laughed and spoke among themselves, I watched the Giant Golden Buddha disappear back into the distance, thinking of the powerful lesson I was shown.

I too, can speak the universal language.

A note from the author

Hey guys, thanks for reading!

For anyone planning a trip through Thailand in 2024, you’ll want to check out my latest article:

This complete guide covers everything you’ll need to know to make the most of your trip through Thailand. Packed with every linked resource you could need, vacation planning just became hassle-free.

Safe travels and hope to see you on the next one!

Cheers!