Orm the Monk
The story behind
Orm is a monk that lives in the not so much famous Wat Srisoonthorn, north from Phuket town. He doesn’t speak English and doesn’t wear the traditional orange robe, but he is one happy person who just want to sit among people. He has a dark past that is still haunting him and because of that he has some minor mental disabilities.
When i arrived at the Wat(temple) there was nobody around, only sleepy dogs who were too lazy even to bark for welcome. But suddenly a happy face jumped, walked towards me and started talking on Thai language. I didn’t understand a word he was saying but he just knew what i wanted to see.
He took me to the temple where the Buddha is waiting his followers, surrounded by oil paintings on the walls with motives from the Buddhist stories. Peaceful Wat where u can meditate and relax.
Orm took me to one board that was placed near the statue so i can read on English the meaning of the paintings. All the time he was looking at my cameras, i guessed he wanted to pose because the tourists only take photos of the monks wearing the orange robe, and he doesn’t have one because of his criminal past. The story of his life was told to me by one other monk that i found just outside of the temple.
After i finished taking photos of Orm he took me to the top of the Wat where reclining Buddha is placed, the statue is huge and you can even enter in it. They say that this temple is not visited as the other ones because it cannot be found in many of the guides used by travelers and there aren’t many reviews on the social networks. Anyway, if you are a passionate temple hunter as i am, this is a place to visit! Admission free and you can take photos inside of the temple. Ask for Orm if you want special tour.
