We place our food as an offering before the Buddha and kneel, hands raised in prayer. The wind carries the young monk’s chants through the forest, and we try to recite the Five Precepts, known as Pañca Sīla, as instructed. As the only tourists here, we couldn’t feel more distanced from Western life.
Inside the simple monastery building, an elderly local lady sits on the floor preparing betel leaves and areca nuts for the monks. We are ushered into a bare room where four monks are seated at a long table. Our host explains how to serve the monks' food, and using coconut-shell spoons, we do so guided only by their silent hand gestures.
