Car club takes middle path

Motoring News - Friday December 14, 2007

ROAD TRIP

Car club takes middle path

Mercedes-Benz Classic Car Club Thailand (MBCCT) gathered its troops and went to Ayutthaya to make merit

ALFRED THA HLA

Brave sword-swinging Thai warriors protected by ancient tattoos rode on humongous Thai buffaloes with horns measuring a wingspan of 10 feet as they fended off fierce Burmese invaders who came in successive waves to ravage and plunder the old capital city of Ayutthaya hundreds of years ago.

Sounds more like a dreamt up movie scene as I tried to imagine what it was like to be living in that era which was categorically called the first line of defense for the kingdom of Siam.

Although the ancestors of the writer came from both Burmese and Thai stock, the gist of this read is about making merit at Wat Klangraman temple which is probably of Mon origins located in Tambon Suanprik of Ayutthaya and built in 1756.

Yours truly slept all the way from Bangkok to Ayutthaya much to the chagrin of the driver of the 500S (W140) 1994 model as our caravan - 300D limousine, a couple of mint conditioned 280S (W116), 250CE (W114), 350SL (W107), 300TE and 300TD estates (W123) - made our way to Ayutthaya without much fuss and fanfare.

Interestingly one notices that the Buddhist temple is surrounded primarily by a Muslim community which goes to show that religious harmony is practised in Ayutthaya albeit what's going on outside in other parts of the world.

And I am not going nostalgic on you nor am I trying my hand at a geo-political history lesson, but it's about the Mercedes-Benz Classic Car Club Thailand (MBCCT) making merit. A good cause.

In short, it's all about doing what we call a traditional kathin ceremony and pooling funds to repair and renovate Wat Klangraman temple which was inundated for some time and requires a major overhaul on some of its main structures.

Kathin or thot kathin in a nutshell, is the presentation of new robes, financial contributions, kitchenware and other basic necessities to monks.

Buddhists regard the thot kathin ceremony as the most significant form of merit-making next to the ordination of their close kin.

If sole sponsorship of the kathin ceremony is not possible, especially with the reputable temples, you can also take part in a kathin samakki or the united kathin.

MBCCT members chose instead to bring more practical Mercs such as Vito vans and larger, more current versions of the S-class (W140) instead of the more vintage Merc material.

Merit-making was the objective as we were greeted by a Mercedes-Benz UNIMOC truck upon arrival which was used for parading the ceremonious pageantry of the kathin ceremony.

MBCCT members led by club president Boonyarid Chullasapya rallied together and strapped themselves with the traditional Buddhist paraphernalia as they walked around the main temple hall three times.

Meanwhile an elementary school band cranked out their best brass tunes which would have made Jazz great Louis Armstrong cringe but it's all in the spirit of merit-making.

After the formalities were completed, MBCCT donated B215,999 to the temple for renovation work.

The writer is glad to cover most car club events, be it classics or supercars. But how about doing this merit thing more often?

Bangkok Post