It was a shocking experience.
It all happened because of a broken water faucet. The faucet in my kitchen sink had sprung a leak and I needed to go to the local Home Pro hardware store to get a new one. On my way back, I also needed to make one further stop to get a cable for my phone. The mobile phone shop was very near the Old Neighbourhood Spirit House, so I thought that since I was so close, I should at least visit that old Spirit House, just to catch up. After all, I knew that at least one person who reads this Blog would want a state of the Spirit House report.
When I arrived, I was shocked. The Old Neighbourhood Spirit House was gone. It had been replaced by a New Old Neighbourhood Spirit House. Actually there were two of them, all gleaming, golden and shiny. (I had to look around just to be sure I was on the right street.) Where had the Old Neighbourhood Spirit House gone? Why was it replaced? Why were there now two of them rather than the big old house and were there any rats?
I knew I could find some answers at the local neighbourhood animal hospital, just a couple of shops down and so in I went, questions in hand.
The Vets remembered me and so I got right down to getting my questions answered.
1) The Old Neighbourhood Spirit House was now in a Spirit House graveyard after an appropriate ceremony was held. It was falling apart from so many years of wear and tear and Rat Nation infestations. The Spirits had complained about their lousy housing conditions and had begged for new accommodations. They pointed out that this neighbourhood, like so many others in Bangkok, was being upgraded (gentrified?) and that their housing also deserved an upgrade.
2) There are now two Spirit Houses – a big one and a smaller one – to better house the various Spirits. One of the Vets suggested that the smaller one was perfect for child and pet Spirits.
3) The Rat Nation was done – gone. These Spirit Houses were built as high rises so that it would be very difficult for the rat guys to climb up the pedestals. No rats had been seen since the construction was completed some months ago. (It figures that they are high rises. Every new building in Bangkok seems to be a high rise. Doesn’t anyone want to live on the ground anymore?)
4) The people in the neighbourhood had decided that after all those years of praying at the Old Neighbourhood Spirit House, now was the time to go all out and replace it with a new one that reflected their pride in the community – hence all the gold and incredibly fancy filagree.
It seems like this New Old Neighbourhood Spirit House is the pride and joy of the community. I asked if the old Spirits were allowed to move back in or whether gentrification had forced them out into the the cold hard Spirit world. Of course not, I was told. They are all back. There was a consensus in the community that the original Spirits should definitely be welcomed back.
I have written many entries about the Old Neighbourhood Spirit House over the years. For the one or two of you who are interested, here is a short sampling of posts about this venerable old house:
1) From September 2006
2) From February 2009
3) From December 2010
4) Also From December 2010 (A Spirit House scientific analysis)
5) From May 2011
6) From August 2011
There were many more entries. In fact, there was at least one entry posted on every trip since 2006. That’s a lot of entries.
I feel a sort of nostalgia for the Old Neighbourhood Spirit House. It’s now gone, replaced with a modern new version. Like an old historic home knocked down and replaced by a condo, this site has totally changed. Some would call it progress. I am glad that I still have pictures of the Old Neighbourhood Spirit House, which is shown above in the slide show. At least I have them to remember what it looked like. I suggested to the Vet that maybe there should be a picture of it in a nice frame placed on the offerings table of the new version. She thought this was a nice idea. However she suggested that the Spirits seemed very happy and that they might not really want to be reminded of their poor living conditions in the past.
I am not sure if I will need to report on this New Old Neighbourhood Spirit House in future entries. What would be the point? The Rat Nation is no longer a concern. The community is happy. The Spirits are happy. And so it’s time for me to get over my nostalgic funk and move on.
Well, those red drinks seem to still be around from 2006. And what looks like a banyon tree seems to stay around. Maybe the rats have moved to the tree, and are waiting for a good offering. Mind you those little people populating the new shiny digs look so happy that they may keep any interlopers away.
The end of an era.
Yes, the red drinks are the same and I suppose there is a chance that the Rat Nation will leap from the tree, but I think you’re right – it’s the end of an era. I will just need to move on.
Yes, you need to move on, but can I? r
Yes you can. If I can do it so can you. If the participants have been able to move ahead, then surely the observers should be able to as well. We can do it!