Loy Kratong 2008

MAKE A WISH!

This year the full moon was on November 12th and 13th so the Loy Kratong festival was held on those days. The river is very full since it's the end of the rainy season and people gather by the river to float their kratongs (little rafts made out of banana leaves and flowers) and to make wishes for the coming year. We had the opportunity to see the festivities from a raft in the middle of the river. It was a completely different perspective...to see all the people gathered on the banks of the river and we also got to see the river parade floats up close. The second day we gathered at the newly-reconstructed clocktower area. After a year of construction, it looks great! It's finally a proper roundabout with the city hall situated in one corner and a nice peaceful little park in another. We watched traditional Thai dancing and musical performances as well as some amazing dancers from Sipsong Panna in China. The parade came by and we watched all the floats lit up with christmas lights and candles. People were sending hot-air lanterns into the sky and so the sky was full of these twinkling lights. Otto says it was the most charming Loy Kratong celebration he's ever seen.

Our crew on the raft on the river. Nadine, David, Ya Ling, Jeab and Oli. This raft was a bit dangerous. It was made out of bamboo and sprung a few leaks. Also, people were shooting fireworks at us!
One of the awesome floats in the night parade

Sudha and her granddaughter Bapu getting ready to float their kratong


The beautiful "kom loy" lanterns that people float into the sky


Otto and I with our "boat kratong" before we set it free on the river. Hangin' at the I Love Coffee shop.
Me and Yui (the owner of I Love Coffee)


The bridge by the Wang river all lit up


Josh with his lovely kratong made by Yui's mom

Some beautiful lanterns set up along the street

Otto's Family

Our trip to Ubon Ratchathani was amazing. We'd just come back from Cambodia, so it was nice to relax in the village. Otto's village is about 40 minutes outside the town but it's near the university so we were able to go there for coffee in the morning. Otto's sister Toon was so nice and prepared a room for us to sleep in. Their house was really comfy and everyone was so kind. I didn't realize that most of them only speak Laos so even communicating in Thai was a bit difficult. We did our best and Otto translated. The thing that most surprised me about village life was the complete lack of privacy and also the lack of any kind of schedule. People were constantly coming in and out of the house just to get a look at me. Every morning, Otto and I would come out of our room and eat breakfast while villagers would come and watch us. They thought our food was quite strange (yogurt, bread and peanut butter) and asked to try it. Most people eat rice for breakfast. They also wake up whenever they want and go to work in the fields until it gets too hot. Then they come back to hang out in the village until it's almost sundown when they go back to work. Time seems to have no meaning there.

The first day, we went to visit Otto's brother-in-law's mom who is the cutest old lady. She makes these mango fruit roll-ups that are to die for. She also won this "Beautiful house competition" so she was really proud of her house. She was eating "mak" which is kind of like chewing tobacco but it's a really red color. I thought it was blood coming out of her mouth at first, but then Otto explained what it was. Here is a picture of her:


That night we had dinner with Ot's family. His two older sisters were there as well as one of his older brothers (he has 2 sisters and 3 brothers and he's the youngest by 10 years). We had a good time sitting around chatting. I ate my veggie food i bought from a shop in the town and we had some beers. I really felt like I was the guest of honor...everyone was so kind to me.
In this picture: P. Nang, Me, P. Toon, Otto, and P. Pon. (P. means older brother/sister)


The next morning, we went to P. Nang's village. Her husband is the village leader and they served us fresh coconut water and pomello. Everyone in the village had gathered and before they left, they wanted to take pictures. Of course, everyone had to get ready so they ran to put on their beautiful clothes and fix their hair!
Nang's husband, me, Nang, and a random villager. I told them to smile for the picture because it looks friendly for Americans. Thai people don't usually smile but try to look dignified.


That night we went to P. Pon's house in the town. He owns a little corner store with his wife and so we sat and had dinner outside their shop. He kept giving us beers and his son was making awesome clay animals. Before we left, Pon gave me his favorite jacket. I didn't really want to take it because it was clear that he really loved it, but Otto told me it was polite to take it. I was really touched when he told me that their family loves me and welcomes me.
Me and Bank with his clay creation:


Otto with Pon and his wife:


The last day, we took P. Toon, Ot's dad and his nephew into town for lunch. They got all dressed up and I could tell they were really excited. Otto's dad is so awesome! He is totally a country guy and lives in a little hut out in the rice fields with millions of animals. When we came back from town, he gave Otto and I "sai sin" to protect us and told us to take care of each other. He also drinks this herbal whiskey that he makes. He says one shot a day keeps you healthy. He should know...he's almost 80 and rides his bike around everywhere. That evening, we went out to his shack and he showed us all his animals. He told us to love each other and take care of each other.

Me and P. Toon...an awesome hostess. She gave me a scarf she bought in Laos almost 20 years ago. She's been saving it for a special occassion.


Otto's dad with his trusty old bike:


Me and the baby calf at Otto's dad's house:


Otto's dad's shack:

Siem Reap Pics

The awesome island bar in the middle of the night market:


The cute little night market:


Hangin in a doorway...


At Angkor


Fairy carved out of pink sandstone at Banteay Srei. I LOVED this temple! It was older than the other ones but definitely had the most intricate carvings.


Otto sketching his heart out....


Mini chedi


Becca, Rob and Otto walking in the beautiful morning light


Sunrise at Angkor


Yes, it looks like we photoshopped ourselves into the picture, but honestly, we were there!


Amazing banyan tree growing out of a temple!


The huge stone faces at Bayon Temple

Siem Reap

The bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap sat at the bus station for an hour while people tried selling us sunglasses and newspapers through the windows. The ride was surprisingly smoothe though the driver honked his horn every other second. This, coupled with the sing-along karioke, the cries of a newborn baby and people yelling into their cell phones made for a not-very-relaxing bus ride. The Cambodian countryside looked pretty similar to Thailand. People everywhere wore the traditional krama (scarf) which can function as a hat, scarf and face mask depending on the situation. The little boy who sat near us on the bus enjoyed boiled duck eggs (they're more popular than chicken eggs in Cambodia). On a side note, Cambodian food was much saltier than Thai food...i didn't really like it.

We were lucky to get picked up at the bus station by our guesthouse (we'd called ahead). So many people were jostling, shouting at us and trying to take our bags. What a hassle! The guesthouse was nice, clean and cheap and they had free tuk-tuk rides to the town. We went into town for dinner that night and were really impressed by the cute little "Pub Street" full of awesome restaurants and bars. Who knew we could get Mexican food in Cambodia?

The next morning we woke up bright and early to go to the ruins. We got our 3-day passes and headed to Angkor followed by Bayon and Ta Prohm. Nothing I could possibly write would explain the awe that I felt there. No amount of superlatives would even begin to cover it. Everything was much bigger, more detailed and more well-crafted than I could have imagined. These temples were built in the 10th and 11th century and it's astounding that people then had the technology to build something on such a big scale. Please, please if you get the chance, go see for yourself.

The ruins are spread out all over the place and there's no way you could see everything in a day. We hired a tuk-tuk driver who was very helpful suggesting itineraries and giving us a little background. Seeing the temples is hard work. It's blazing hot and there are tons of mosquitos. You have to climb, jump and duck to get through the ruble sometimes. The stairs are so steep and narrow and are often accompanied by signs stating, "Climb at your own risk." However, the views from the top are always worth it. The second day we work up very early to catch the sunrise at Angkor. It was beautiful but all the other noisy tourists detracted a bit from the experience. Luckily, we went to another temple that morning that had absolutely no other people. It was amazing to just feel the energy there and to see the early morning light slanting through windows and doorways. All we could hear were birds and insects. The temple had been overgrown by trees and moss and it seemed to be in complete harmony with nature. That morning was a pretty spritual experience for me...I was really moved by the architecture and attention to detail.

Of course, Otto was totally in his element. He was constantly describing architectural features, making sketches and taking pictures. I think he appreciated it more than the rest of us because he could understand the layouts of the buildings and saw how intricate and difficult they must have been to build. By the third day, we were pretty "templed-out" so we just went to a couple places. We decided to spend an extra day in Siem Reap just to chill out. We went to the fabulous night market which is made all out of native structures. There was a gorgeous bar in the center of the market made out of a huge grass hut. Otto and I chilled for a drink and loved the atmosphere. I hope that we'll be able to go back some day because Siem Reap was definitely the highlight of the trip for me.