Loi Krathong Festival

Loi Krathong is a festival held on the first full moon of November. Loi means "to float" and Krathong are the little lotus shaped boats. Locals send these things floating down rivers, canals, across ponds, etc. Sometimes they also have incense sticks and candles placed in them. It seems there are quite a few different beliefs about this festival ranging from thinking it's just fun to believing that sending off a krathong will being good luck. In Chiang Mai they also send up candle-powered hot air balloons that are made of paper and wire. In addition, there are fireworks and firecrackers galore!
I took a few of the students in to Chiang Mai to wander around and see all the festivities. I think the most enjoyable part for me was to spend time with the students outside of school. It was also very beautiful and I appreciated it from a cultural standpoint. There was a parade with many of the local university students dressed in "traditional" costumes. (The average Thai person I'm sure never wore these elaborate get-ups!) The only part I had a hard time with was all of the senseless noise. People would set off small firecrackers close by and my ears would ring. Also, I felt sure that sending fire off in every direction could only result in a disaster of some sort. Fortunately for us, I was wrong about that.
A balloon being filled and then floating into the air.
The moon rose right over the Moon River Restaurant.
One of the many inventive and pretty entrants in the parade.
Loi Krathong royalty.
Don't you think they look fun to hang out with? Actually, I think a few of them are going for sultry, not fun...
Lit up boat on the Ping River.
Those little flecks of light in the water are the krathong.
A close up of the krathong.
More costumes.
So maybe my fears weren't so crazy after all...

Cambodia 2

Can you believe this is a gas station???
I had visions of using numerous modes of transportation this trip. As it was we took a sawng-tao, a bus, a plane, a boat, a tuk-tuk, and a taxi. I had kind of hoped to get a train in there. Actually, we did take the Sky Train in Bangkok. And, of course, our legs.

Transportation can really add to an experience, so we decided to take a boat back to Phnom Penh from Siem Reap. This way we were able to see some different scenery. I found the villages in the middle of the lake fascinating. I suppose for part of the year they are on dry ground and motorbike around like most. But in the rainy season the stilts on their houses come in really handy. Then they take small boats from place to place. Otherwise, the boat ride was interesting because we sat on top. And by on top, I just mean on top. We climbed over railings and stretched out our legs. We did get pretty wet at some parts of the trip. But it was actually a pretty good ride. Plus, it was nice to be out in the fresh air. Even though the sun hardly poked out, we got sunburns.
Village on stilts.
When we arrived back in Phnom Penh, we headed back to the Okay Guesthouse. We decided to tour the Palace that afternoon. I had wanted to go just to see the Silver Pagoda. We walked around the whole place and couldn't find it. After looking it up when I got home, I believe we were in it and didn't even know. How disappointing. But the rest of the Palace was interesting, and we saw some government official as we left. The whole street was closed off and an important looking guy waved to the "crowds" on his way into the palace.

That night, we went to an artist's market. I actually hope the idea catches on (as it was the first weekend) because artists and non-profits sold their own work (or the works of their members) and the money went to projects to encourage local artists. They had some very beautiful things on display. The area near the market and along the water was packed with people. The atmosphere was festive and the square in front of the Palace was full. Vendors were out selling popcorn along with the usual street food. Some people were even grilling on small, portable grills. It was a very happy scene. Later we found out why - we were regaled with fireworks since Friday had been Cambodian Independence Day.
Part of the palace and festivities.
Monday morning was more sober. We headed over to the Genocide Museum (Tuol Sleng - former Khmer Rouge S-21 prison) in an effort to learn a little bit about Cambodia's past. After about 2 1/2 hours of wandering through what had once been a prison, I was emotionally and mentally drained. It took more of a toll on me than I had thought it would. I don't really feel like I know enough about what happened to go into a lot of depth. I still can't keep it all straight after reading about it. But I do know that it was very sad. The prison had once been a school. The chalkboards are still up. And it was so strange to think that what had once been a place for children was changed to an extermination area, and is now a museum. It was especially weird because it was a beautiful day. The sun was out, the trees and grass were green. But inside the classrooms, which were changed to house prisoners, you could still see, very graphically in fact, what had happened to the people there. It is strange, too, because it happened only about 30 years ago. The other incredibly bizarre thing (to me at any rate) was that pictures were taken of all the people brought to the prison along with short bios. These pictures are currently on display. It was so strange looking at the faces of little kids and feeling like they were so innocent. I actually can't explain it all because it's just too depressing and I'll let you all find out on your own time! I'm glad that I went, if only to be oh so appreciative that my childhood was a walk in the park. I felt more philosophical and contemplative about it a couple weeks ago just after I saw the museum and read about the Khmer Rouge.
Tuol Sleng
On Monday afternoon we got on a plane for the flight to Bangkok. Then after our 9 hour bus ride we arrived in Chiang Mai Tuesday morning, ready for a day of classes. Two visa runs down, one more to go. Hmmm, I wonder where that one will lead us?

Cambodia 1

My posts are going to get a little out of order here, so I'm just going to have to rely on the intelligence of my readers to keep it all straight.
There is no really good reason for this, except that I do not always feel inclined to write a massive entry (which my trips tend to require) and so I keep putting it off. Pretty soon it is two weeks later and I still haven't written about something really cool - like my recent trip to Cambodia.
Before I launch into the escapades of my globetrotting life I should say that I am currently waiting to see what time I am going to drive over and pick up some manure for the farm. That should help anyone who might have those twinges of envy! Actually, I find that whole thing interesting as well, and might delve into my activities at the farm in another post.

Cambodia
I am embarrassed to admit that I did not know much about Cambodia before I came here. I do recall a Cambodian girl in my high school whose family had somehow fled the country. I believe that was the extent of my knowledge. I didn't know about Angkor Wat, or the troubles the country has had until very recently.
Fortunately for me I have a more knowledgeable roommate who has wanted to go to Cambodia for many years. She was very excited about this trip and I can't say I was dreading it!

More specifically we were excited to see Angkor Wat. It's pop culture claim to fame is that part of Tomb Raider was filmed there. Otherwise, it is known as a lost (to the Western world, anyway) city that had been buried in the jungle. Basically Angkor Wat is a series of temples built by a succession of kings. First they were built to Hindu gods and later to Buddhist gods. Each king had a temple(s) built where he could worship. Upon his death, the temple would be abandoned and the next king would build his own temple in which to worship. I am really oversimplifying this. But as I wandered into this vast area dotted with very old piles of rocks, it was hard to figure it out. Is this a city? What's where? It's not a city. It was strictly for the kings to worship the many different gods of their religion.

Now - about those piles of rocks. They're old. And very beautiful. They're about 800-1000 years old. As you can imagine all of the temples are falling apart. I guess it adds to the charm. Of course, what's not good is that they are continuing to fall apart. Minor efforts are being made to preserve them, but that takes money. I got the impression from our guide that much of the entrance fee lines a rich man's pockets and does not go to upkeep. For me it was kind of nice. We could wander wherever we wanted and climb around. There were hardly any signs indicating that we could not go somewhere. I liked it because it made it seem more real somehow. Not as modernized and sterile (for lack of a better word) as other preserved places. Of course, it would be good to know it will be around for future generations to see.
Millions of hands a year touching the stones is already having its toll as rocks are being smoothed out.



I should really back up a bit. I have already been here for six months! This means that it was time for another visa run. Stacey and I wrapped up a day of school, hurriedly gathered our backpacks, and left on a Monday night bus to Bangkok. This ride went quite smoothly and 10 hours later we arrived. After a few hours hanging out in the snooty part of Bangkok (with the sky train and very upscale shopping centers) we headed to the airport to catch our flight. I believe this is the shortest amount of time I have ever spent on a plane. As soon as the beverage cart made it's pass down the aisle, we were landing. Upon our arrival we got tourist Visas (for $25US) and then grabbed a cab into town.

The ride into town was the best taxi ride of my life. Maybe I should have been scared, or at least nervous, but I was more fascinated than anything. There were motorbikes and cars galore. And I believe only 2-3 stoplights the whole ride. Motorbikes and cars just push themselves into the intersection until they have taken up most of the lane and then they go. And the amount of things they carried on those motorbikes was crazy. Thailand was good preparation because this was Thailand to the extreme. After a fairly short ride we arrived at our hostel.

Here's where it's kind of a small world. I walked in the front door of this random hostel and there was a friend of mine from Bangkok! We had known the other was planning to be in Cambodia, but thought we'd just miss each other. It was a very pleasant surprise. Not least of all because he and a friend had been there for about a day and scoped out some things. After Stacey and I got our room situated (which was actually a bit of a hassle) the 4 of us headed out for dinner. We had a great time at a local place called Amok.

Wednesday afternoon saw us on a bus to Siem Reap. I really enjoy the short bus rides. You get a chance to see a lot of the country side. As we rode along it seemed like much of the scenery was under water. After reading a bit in the guidebook I found out why. During the rainy season the Tonle Sap reverses its flow and the Mekong River backs up into the Tonle Sap river, which in turn backs up into Tonle Sap Lake. The area of the lake increases from 2700 sq.km. to 16000 sq.km. This creates the largest fresh water source in Southeast Asia.

We arrived in the early evening and were "greeted" by a throng of tuk tuk drivers. It was actually one of the craziest experiences I've had traveling. Here in Asia there are many times one feels overwhelmed by the constant attention from tuk tuk and sawng tao drivers. Anywhere I go I hear "tuk tuk lady" or am honked at. (I think they have good memories, though, because this doesn't happen as often in Chiang Mai as it once did.) At any rate, the bus purposely drops travelers off a little ways from the city so they have to take another method of transportation into town. When we pulled in to Siem Reap the drivers came running after the still moving bus, pushing signs up to the window yelling at us. This was not a very good incentive to leave our little sanctuary. Of course we had to. As we got off the bus we were literally pressed in on all sides, having hostel names yelled in our ear. The first instinct was to fight (since flight was not an option) and we actually had to push our way through. They followed each of us everywhere yelling, desperately trying to get us to take their tuk tuk. Every single backpacker (there were about 10 of us) was looking around wide-eyed trying to figure out what to do. No one really wanted to say yes to one of them. A guy we met on the bus negotiated with a tuk tuk driver and 5 of us with our luggage piled into one tuk tuk just to get out of there. We were actually followed for a little ways. Once we had escaped the madness our driver pulled over and the couple in our tuk tuk moved to another.

Once we got to town it was a little easier. We had dinner and met up with a friend of ours who had arranged our hostel already. We also got a tuk tuk driver for the next morning and were set for our first day at Angkor Wat.