We Didn’t Speak for 11 Days: Silent Meditation Vipassana Retreat in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Hiii friends, it’s Estefi!

Today, I have my favorite co-host, Meijun, with me — and we’re taking you back to the quietest part of our 10-year trip: an 11-day silent meditation retreat.
Yep: no phones, no journaling, no makeup, no music… and no talking.
We went full monk mode in Chiang Mai, Thailand, at Wat Ram Poeng — and let’s just say, we learned a lot about ourselves (and each other).

So, what is Vipassana anyway?
Vipassana means “clear seeing” / “seeing clearly”, it’s an ancient form of meditation where you focus on your breath and body, moment by moment, without reacting.
Wat Ram Poeng, the temple we stayed at, takes it seriously: no distractions, no talking, no external tools.
Just you, your body, and your mind, for 11 whole days.
And we did it!!!…alone… but together. As a couple obviously lol.

A Day in the Life at Wat Ram Poeng:

• Wake-up call: 4:00 a.m.

• Chanting: 4:20 a.m.

• Breakfast: 6:30 a.m.

• Alms for monks: 7:30 a.m.

• Dhamma talk (some days)

• Lunch: 10:30 a.m. (yep, the last meal of the day)

• Meditation / walking / sweeping / bathing

• Evening chanting: 5:00 p.m.

• Lights out: 10:00 p.m.

All while wearing only white, staying in a bare-bones room, and navigating the swirl of thoughts and feelings, without distractions.

In this episode, we talked about…

• The weirdest intrusive thoughts that showed up

• Our favorite part of the temple’s methodology

• What we each learned about meditation, about ourselves, and about being together in stillness

Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts and let us know if you have any questions! Aaaand if you’ve done a retreat like this (or want to), drop a comment — we want to hear your stories too. 💌

Here are some photos — and at the end, a few more questions + answers:

For more information on Wat Ram Poeng and their Retreat schedule email: wrp.vipassana@gmail.com and visit www.watrampoeng.com/vipassana-course/

Here are a few questions we didn’t answer in this episode that you might be curious about. If you have more, or would like us to do a part two with more of these day-to-day details, let us know!

1. Did we sleep together?
   No. There are specific sleeping quarters for females/nuns and males/monks.

2. Was everything in English?
   Yes, everything was in English and Chinese (Mandarin).

3. How big was the group?
   There were about 25 of us.

4. What were the nationalities, and did you get to know the other practitioners?
   There were people from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain, and us — Ecuador, Jamaica… and more.
   No, we didn’t really “get to know” each other — we don’t talk, lol. It’s a silent retreat! We get to know a little tiny bit about each other during Dhamma Talk class if someone asks a question to the monk. But we all share a deep bond from having lived this experience together. We do have a WhatsApp group where we've chatted a couple of times! Aaaand, we both bonded with a couple of people that we’ve kept in touch with personally!

5. You REALLY can’t CHEW after 12 p.m.?
   Correct. You’re not allowed to eat solid food after midday. But you can drink milk, ice cream, tea, yogurt, and basically anything liquid. They also offer a warm drink around 4 p.m. almost every day, usually a delicious turmeric or veggie-based milky drink. After the first two days, you really do adjust. Plus, you can eat as much as you want at breakfast and lunch — both meals are delicious, full of veggies, nutrients, and flavor!

6. Was this a “religious” experience?
   I’d say it was spiritual. Very focused on self-compassion, self-awareness, and mindfulness.

7. Did you have a room to yourself, or did you have to share?
   Meijun didn’t. I (Estefi) had to share a room for the first three days until more rooms opened up.
   We went during New Year’s, and the temple was full of local Thai practitioners — it’s customary to spend these special days at the temple, doing 3 to 5 days of Vipassana to start the year.
   Once most of the Thai female practitioners left, my roommate requested to move into a single room (yay!), and I got a private room — with my own shower and just a little more space for solitude and silence.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, so much for listening, friend!
– Estefi

Ps. Here’s the prayer before a meal:

here’s a video on youtube of the prayer and other experiences at Wat Rampoeng through the years if you want to snoop what other’s have said: