Loy Krathong

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Last Wednesday was the Thai festival of Loy Krathong, so we decided that morning to skip work and venture to Chiang Rai to get in on the action. The trip was several hours on sangteuw (covered pickup truck with benches that operate like small buses), bus, and a longtail boat (long boats with the prop several meters down a shaft from the engine...very cool). At one stop on the Mae Kok River there were many elephants that are for taking rides (not interested) but I did get pulled by one because I was touching his trunk without a banana in my hand (won't do that again). The boat trip was very beautiful. Everything is so green, colorful birds abound, there are numerous rocky outcroppings and mountains scattered about and stopped at some hot springs in a national park.

Loy Krathong...

The celebration takes place on the full moon of the 12th lunar month and is a celebration of lights. People float lotus shaped boats made of banana leaves with candles and incense down rivers to cast away sins from the year. The sky is lit by thousands of ~1m square hot air balloons, and fireworks are lit everywhere. People are everywhere and the road is lined with vendors. Large stages had beauty contests and music, and plenty of things I did not really understand. Saw my first Thai boxing matches (usually boys in their teens) that was more entertaining than I expected (several litres of Chang make most things more entertaining). It was also nice to got out on the town, as evenings on the farm are usually more quiet (the occasional bird hunt that I've yet to see be successful). I'm definitely glad we made the trip.

This morning we went to the Chiang Dao Elephant Training Center. You watch them wash the elephants in the river and the demonstrate how elephants were used for logging etc. Starting to get used to seeing elephants in random places (walking down main street in town, or out the bus window). Work has gotten easier now the the rice has been sown. I think I will be moving on by the end of this week though...stay tuned.

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Photos

Nice to meet you
right before he pulled me in

"happy" elephant
no penis envy here

Comments

[connie]

kevin! you are a talented writer! it is so fun to read your entries! a nice stroll down memory lane for me. soundz like much is the same ten years later. i have the same feelings of simpatico with the elephants. slavery alwayz sucks. thanx for adding photos...

[connie]

kevin- it is a special thing, in my opinion, to be a part of growing food there. plowing the rice paddies? i just "looked" at them. the depth of experience being that intimate with the land, farmers... it is quite different from traveling around getting drunk and floating from bar to bar. hey, i know that is on the itinerary too! just saying, way to go on connecting with something behind the veil.