Kraziness of Loi Krathong

Where do I start with this one?!? I feel like a war-time correspondent, reporting back from the front line. Crazy, krazy business. But riveting.

journo Jen

The modern version of the Thailand Loi Krathong festival seems prevailingly to be all about fireworks. Fireworks thrown en masse by drunken crowds into the river (and amongst the crowds, throughout the city, and I suspect across the country) for 3 days non stop. The ones not far from our place have been launched well into the wee early hours, and the electricity keeps going off when the inevitable happens.

Thousands and thousands of fun-seeking tourists have descended on the city for this massive festival. Quite a number are sporting head bandages.....

Loi Krathong (Jen consults her local guidebook) "may have evolved from the Brahmanic rites to honour the dead as well as local rites to bring an end to the rains. Now people generally believe that by releasing floats and small hot air balloons they get rid of bad luck and give thanks to the water and heavenly elements".

The Ping River becomes filled with small floating "krathongs", with flower, incense and candle offerings, the sky is filled with the balloons (we're talking about hundreds of thousands of each) and there are nightly elaborate parades. It's officially a 3 day (night) event but the bungers have been going off haphazardly for at least a week and there still seems to be lots of supplies that couldn't possibly be kept till next year...... happily I'm heading on a work roadtrip this week (will miss the tailend of the festival) and am looking forward to the comparative serenity of village living for awhile.

I've been right in the midst of the festival, watching the enjoyment of the local families and dodging the teenager pyros. I'm looking forward to seeing my videos. Here are some pics:
An elaborate parade float at Tha Pae Gate; local ladies float a hot air balloon

Krathongs at night; the aftermath next morning on the river

A more sedate festival scene; bungers on the river bank - HEADS!!

Yes, thankyou water and sky elements. Here are thousands upon thousands of pollutants to show our gratitude.......Jen shudders.

Longboat to Laos

Saturday night involved lots of pumpkin, and cherry, pie at a Thanksgiving pie fest........

........Sunday and Monday involved another 2 day visa run, couldn't quite coordinate my holidays well enough to avoid it, too bad.

This time I travelled on a bus with friend Quynh to the Mekong River 6 hours north east. We crossed into Laos for an hour, enjoyed indian for tea, then returned to Thailand. Excitement.

Lots more to see in Laos on a trip I'm planning for January or Feb, but for now, here's the proof (Beer Lao signs on the eastern bank):

Thai radio appearance

Yes well there seems to be a bit of a theme happening here. I think I've covered all forms of local media now!
This story transpired when Emily, a friend from church invited me to a "guest appearance" on an english-learning community radio station here in Chiang Mai. I've been on radio a few times before, it can be fun, so what the hey - I tagged along. Here are the highlights:
- kicking off with a bit of Crowded House (yes, I explained the AUS-ownership of all good NZ music rule on air).
- describing the aussie dessert of choice: pavlova.
- fielding a question about Remembrance Day and the Melbourne Cup public holiday.
- having a song"You are the most beautiful woman...." dedicated to me by a mystery Thai male caller - I replied that I have a face suited to radio, but I'm not sure that joke crossed the language divide.
-promising to play a bit of Slim Dusty the next time I visit (strangely enough I have "The Pub with no Beer" on itunes).
Fun!

Thai newspaper appearance

So I've just found out that pictures of the "tourists" on the planting day back in June made it into a couple of national newspapers. It is very fortunate that we weren't actually quoted, cause my Danish and American friends were busily concocting farming statistics and perspectives on environmental management in their own countries that could be a bit cringe-worthy out there in the free press!

some pics from awhile back

University life

Working on a university campus has it's fair share of oddities, which have become all the more apparent now that Semester 2 has started.
Hordes of students.
Hordes of students in uniform (all undergrads).
Hordes of students in uniform with big cardboard placard-like nametags around their necks (all first year students apparently need to be known by name and course for the whole year).
It's an interesting, insular place, a long way removed from anything resembling a corporate workplace. A bit too cruisey to be entirely enthusiastic about it for a whole year.

Being on Thai TV at a Wedding Extravaganza

Just arrived back from a huge weekend down south.

I caught up with my country manager and some friends in Bangkok, living it up in a very swanky apartment of a boss of a friend, then on to some nearby towns to the north to witness the traditional Thai wedding of a fellow volunteer (in the process, appearing on Thai TV), and to do the tourist thing again amongst ruins, elephants and monkeys in Ayuthaya and Lop Buri with volunteer buddy Liz. Busy!

Danielle was planning her wedding from the very start of our assignments, so it was great to see her big day. It was the first wedding held at this particular Elephant Kraal, the community living at the park went all out and everyone had a part to play in the traditional activities. Colourful and Elaborate, I'm inclined to say, and there was a strong media contingent to capture the day.

The ceremony: monk chanting, water blessings, wrist strings, dowry gifts....
.....a village procession, & lotsa, lotsa elephants (including a day-old one)

Probably the craziest tale to tell would be about the phenomenal number of monkeys at a temple in Lop Buri, and being chased by one beady little rat-like one we named Clefty. The stuff of nightmares. There were some pretty mangy looking gremlins making mischief.

After all that touring around, we relaxed back at the central Bangkok digs - poor volunteers love freebies, and boy I loved that pool.

More from Chiang Mai

Here are some more pics of Chiang Mai that I took when my friend Quynh was in town this week:

Ruins of the first site of the city (was flooded out)

the colours of the flower & fruit market at night

party time at english teaching

Here's a pic of some of the cheeky teenagers I teach english to twice a week.

Lotsa mud and a Motorbike

It's been raining all week! Getting cooler - at night enough to need a bed sheet, even.
I spent a pleasant day today back at the Mae Taeng river (for my last adventure there see "Lots of Planting and Going with the Flow" July post). I was there with some Bangkok teachers, planning a school camp for January.
Check out these muddy pics - quintessentially Thai.

negotiating elephant tracks; local rafters enjoying the view on the slip&slide road

returning to the scene of drama - the Mae Taeng in it's white water splender

Yes well the other news is that I joined the motorbiking community this week - I'm the only person in Chiang Mai (and probably all of Thailand) sporting a retro white aussie postie helmet. It's not a good look but is much safer than the $20 local helmet varieties. A little scary day #1, but now at one week in I've got my confidence & am loving the freedom.