Songkran 2011

Over 500 photos of Songkran in Pattaya can be seen in the gallery, Pattaya Songkran 2011

They sure as hell didn’t rest!

Pattaya’s seventh and final day of Songkran started with a thunder storm and torrential downpour, it seems even Buddha wanted to get in on the fun and a fitting start to the rainy season.

The final 2 days of Songkran in Pattaya are a free for all and all rules go out the window as water is thrown 24 hours a day and it’s mandatory that everyone gets wet. Even the Indian tailors, that usually greet tourists with “Hi Chief” or “Ello Mate”, got into the act by drenching passerby’s; probably a good release for their frustrations after a year of tourists politely telling them to go forth and fornicate with themselves.

By 11am the rains had stopped and the city was awash with Songkran revelers. Beach road was closed to traffic and with the traffic jams on second road it might as well have been closed as well. The water trucks were out in force but they weren’t selling, they were hosing people down and not to be outdone the firemen parked several firetrucks around town and opened up the water cannons.

The last day of Songkran in Pattaya is definitely not for the weak of heart. Luckily I rigged a Camera housing out of 4 plastic bags that actually worked and I was able to get over 200 decent pictures and video of the day.

I started the last day of Songkran on Second Road and then worked my way down to soi’s 7 & 8 before hitting beach road and  Soi Diana before returning home at sunset. Enjoy the pics. Check back in the next few days for a complete gallery and videos of Songkran 2011.

Songkran in Pattaya Day 7

Happy Thai New Year!

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Songkran 2011

In less than 12 hours it will officially be Songkran ( Thai New Year ) are you ready?

Thailand celebrates 3  New Years every year with the first being the traditional New Years adopted and celebrated by the whole world on Dec 31st/Jan 1st. The second New Yeas observed is Chinese New Year which generally falls in February. The final New Years observed is Songkran which is the Thai New year and that takes place on the 13th – 15th every April. Up until 1940 Songkran was the official Thai New year but in 1940 Thailand began observing January 1st as the official start to the new year while still keeping Songkran as a national holiday.

Even though the Thai’s,  as well as the rest of the world, follow the Gregorian Calender they also still follow the Buddhist calender which has a 543 year difference from the Gregorian calender. In Gregorian terms the year is 2011 while the Buddhist calender has the year as 2554.

Traditionally Songkran marks the end of the dry season and the beginning of the rainy season. Songkran is a time of cleaning and renewal of oneself and ones beliefs. It’s a time when all Buddhist images will be cleaned as well as Thai households. Songkran is also a time to make New Years resolutions to be better and do better in ones life.

Songkran is also the worlds largest water fight!

The water fights originated from the practice of catching the water used to clean Buddhist statues and images and then pouring the blessed water upon the shoulders of the faithful which was thought to bring good luck. As this practice went forward the younger generation took hold of the practice to get it where we have it today, 3 days or more of water fights from sun up to sun down.

Songkran generally only lasts 3 days but in some more touristy towns such as Pattaya it’s extended to a week…and what a week. If you don’t like being drenched and covered with powder then Songkran isn’t for you, many expats in Thailand choose this time of year to visit their home countries or take a vacation to avoid Songkran all together. If you are like me though, Songkran is an absolute blast and I wouldn’t miss it.

You have to be prepared though if you are going to participate. The first necessity is a brightly colored floral shirt, it isn’t Songkran without one. The second necessity is small arms to protect you until you can get to bigger weapons. As you can see from the opening Pic I have my shirt and my small arms so I am generally set to make it to the street tomorrow.

The first order of Business on the first day of Songkran is visiting the local temple for blessings. Myself and a few Thai friends will be doing just that at 7am but you can bet I’m not going to the temple empty handed, I’ll be packing because I know what will await us as we leave.

The small arms will suffice until I can make it to a water cannon vendor. A water cannon is a 3-4 foot piece of pvc with a plunger mechanism to suck up the water and then shoot it back out like a cannon…if you don’t have this and access to a 55 gallon drum of water then you might as well just stay home because you will get decimated.

Over the next few days I’ll be sharing many pictures and videos of all the water fighting fun so if you can’t join in or just don’t want to you can live it vicariously through me.

On a final note: Songkran is a special time of year in Thailand meant to be fun and shared with friends, family and loved ones. This often includes drinking and unfortunately many deaths due to drunk driving under serious conditions. Please, if you are in Thailand enjoy Songkran responsibly…DON’T DRINK and DRIVE. Also keep in mind that Songkran is meant to be fun so don’t go overboard with it and injure yourself or others. And please keep in mind that Songkran fun is from sunup to sundown, after sundown put the water away.

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Yesterday was the King of Thailand’s birthday, King Bhumibol Adulyadej turned 83 and celebrations were held across the country in his honor. As the King is seen as the father of Thailand it’s fitting that on the the Kings birthday fathers day is also observed. Many businesses are closed for the day and it’s a time to relax and enjoy your family.

In many ways the Kings birthday is much like the fourth of July in America, families and friends gather together and enjoy good food, fun, concerts and fireworks all in the name of the King. The largest celebrations take place in Bangkok where thousands turn out to honor the king and huge crowds gather to see and hear the kings birthday address. It truly is a sight to see even if only from a television screen.

Living in Pattaya there was no shortage of fun to be had on the Kings birthday/Fathers day. I was officially adopted as a surrogate father for the day by several close Thai friends whose fathers were far away in other provinces.

We enjoyed a great Thai BBQ with what seemed like a few thousand other people then spent the night at a special concert for the King on Pattaya 3rd road. The concert grounds were filled to capacity with happy people both young and old to help celebrate the  Kings birthday. The air was filled with traditional Thai music while dancers took the stage in beautiful costume and the crowd danced and cheered.

Around 11pm candles were lit for the king as prayers were said and then the night sky broke open with a beautiful fireworks display and more traditional Thai music.

I had a great day and I can only hope the King himself was as satisfied with his birthday as I was.

The video below is from the Kings birthday concert in Pattaya. More videos can be found in the Thailand Video Gallery…Enjoy.

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The Erawan museum in Samut Prakan is someplace I’ve been meaning to get to for some time especially since its creator,Lek Viriyaphant, was the mastermind behind another beautiful work of art, The Sanctuary of Truth in Pattaya.

The elephant of 33 heads, or the elephant of the universe as it is also known, is part of an ancient Buddhist and Hindu myth about the greatest god of paradise, Indre. The myth tells us that wherever Indre goes he mounts his elephant, Erawan, who before each journey transforms himself into a 16,000 meter tall white elephant with 33 heads. Most depictions of Erawan you will see only show him as having 3 heads.

Khun Lek sought to house his rare collection of priceless artifacts safely while still preserving traditional beliefs that the sacred objects housed there would bring blessing and prosperity to the land and its people, and therefore must not be lost to outsiders.

This myth of Indre inspired Lek Viriyaphant to build a museum that is a reproduction of Erawan, and while not quite as big as the mythical beast this monumental museum is still rather large, coming in at 44 meters tall and weighing over 250 tons.

Khun Lek’s son, Pagpean Viriyaphant, was put in charge of managing the building project and bringing a host of talented artists together to make sure Khun Lek’s vision was brought to life. One of those artists, Rakchart Srichanken, was the creator of the actual Erawan structure while others were in charge of such details as the magnificent stained glass ceiling and carvings throughout the museum.

Khun Lek wanted Erawan to be more of a symbol of the center of the universe than a vehicle for the god Indre. He wanted the Erawan museum to symbolize the spiritual heart of the land where sacred objects could be housed and revered by all.

The museum consists of 3 separate levels. The base of the museum, “Underworld or Naga World”, plays host to an amazing array of ancient artifacts and artwork that dates back to the Ming Dynasty and beyond. Here you will find detailed carved furniture inlaid with mother of pearl as well as Ming vases and rare Chinese porcelain tea sets. There are also ancient Khmer and Thai artifacts. These objects were collected by Lek Viriyaphant and his family over generations. Unfortunately, to preserve the priceless treasures no photography or filming is allowed in Underworld.

The middle section of the elephant is called “Hall of Earth” and is filled with more rare artifacts such as statues and beautifully made furniture but the real show stopper is the magnificently carved grand stair cases and 4 embossed tin columns with religious reliefs that stretch up to the beautiful stained glass ceiling that depicts a map of the world. Where the 2 stair cases meet at the main landing there is a small shrine to make offerings.

Further up into the elephants head is the last level or “Tavatimsa Heaven” where you will find even more rare statues and Buddhist icons in another shrine area that can only be described as stunning. Again, no photography or filming is allowed of the individual artifacts but you may take pictures of the room and shrine.

Outside the Museum the great elephant is surrounded by a moat of running water where you can make offerings of lotus blossoms that will float around the structure. There is also a large area in front of Erawan where offerings can be made with flowers, incense and bells and gongs that can be rung for good luck.

Surrounding all of this is a beautiful park filled with sculptures, flowers and streams to wander through and relax. We spent the afternoon into early evening at the Erawan Museum enjoying all the rare pieces of art and the beauty that the whole park bestows on you. I knew this would be a special place just because of the man who created it, Lek Viriyapant, who spent his life creating wonderful places for all people to enjoy and to lift Thai cultural heritage.

The Erawan Museum is open daily from 8am to 5pm with guided tours every 30 minutes. Admission price is 150 baht per person. More information can be found at The Erawan Museum Website.

You can find even more pictures ( almost 300 ) of the beautiful Erawan Museum and park  in the Thailand Photo Gallery Erawan Museum,Samut Prakan.

Little known fact:

The Erawan Museum is considered the largest elephant sculpture in the world and it took over 10 years to complete.

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Above is a short video made by a Thai college student exploring the sexual attitudes of Thai teenagers and how the Thai culture is slowly changing because of it. While it’s not an in depth study the responses of the university students and adults to the questions posed are quite telling.

Obviously teenage sex has been going on since the beginning of time but in Thai culture it has largely been a thing that wasn’t spoken about in the past. Showing affection in public such as holding hands and kissing has been frowned  upon culturally in Thailand but those taboos are changing with the younger generation.

Western influence is sure to have played some role in the changing attitudes but listening to the responses you hear a fair bit of safe sex talk which includes condoms and also the potential risks of teen sex such as pregnancy, something western society still finds hard to discuss openly.

Another interesting tidbit is one question about how University uniforms are being made more sexy by the students or being discarded altogether for more casual and sexy street wear and how at least in one mans mind that could lead to rape.

Like I said it is a short video but something I found very interesting.

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One of the more beautiful elements of Thai temples and spiritual places is that of the Naga. Naga is a Sanskrit and Pali word for a diety that takes the form of the great snake, often a king cobra.

Ancient stories tell of the Naga’s birth as the cousin of the great Garuda.  A very powerful sage named Kasyapa had two wives that both wanted children. Kadru, his first wife, wanted many children while his second wife Vinata only wanted a few children but she wanted them to be powerful. As legend has it they both were granted their wish. Kadru laid 1000 eggs that later hatched into snakes while Vinata had but two children, the sun god Surya and a large bird like creature named Garuda.

After a foolish bet made by Vinata with her sister was lost she became the slave of Kadru as did her son Garuda. Garuda was required to do the bidding of the snakes until one day when he asked what it would take to release him from this bond. The snakes required Garuda to bring them the elixir of life called Amrita which was guarded by the gods. Garuda stole the elixir and brought it to the snakes as required but prevented them from drinking it and becoming immortal. Released from his bonds Garuda forever regarded the snakes as enemies.

In Buddhist lore Naga can have one head or many heads and some have magical powers that can help them take the shape of humans. Some Buddhist artwork portrays this shape changed Naga as a seated man with a snake or dragon extended over his head. The Naga can live anywhere on earth but the Thai and Lao versions of the Naga generally live near or in water.

In the Northeast of Thailand the Mekong is held as a very sacred Naga sanctuary with many Thai’s and Lao’s still believing the Naga rule and live in the waters. Indeed,  there are still annual sacrificial ceremonies held in both Thailand and Laos to pay respect to the Naga because they believe the Naga protect them from danger on the water as well as the believe that the Naga bring prosperity to fishermen.

The mystery deepens every year on the 15th day of the 11th month of the Thai and lao lunar calendars.  On this day between the Nong Khai and Pak-Ngeum provinces of Thailand red fireballs the size of eggs shoot out of the Mekong and high into the sky for all to see. It’s widely believed both in Thailand and Laos that the Naga under the river shoot the fireballs into the air to celebrate the end of Vassa or Buddhist lent.

Both local Thai’s and Laos claim this is a natural phenomenon and a reminder to them by the Naga to treat the waters with much respect. Although many claim it to be a hoax there has never been definitive proof to the contrary. Well, nobody has spoiled the fun as far as I know…there are theories that the Lao’s know a bit more about the fireballs than they are letting on

Festivals are held in Pak-Ngeum and Phonephisai districts in Nong Khai province as well as every district and province in between during the second week of October, usually between the 10th and the 16th. Likewise the Lao counterparts on the other side of the Mekong hold festivities at the same time.

Even if you don’t believe in the mythology or history of the Naga you can still appreciate the beauty they bring to Thailand.

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I received an e-mail recently asking  what Issan was because I had referenced it in more than a few posts over the life of the blog. The simple answer is that Issan is the Northeast area of Thailand bordered by Laos and the Mekong in the North and East, Cambodia in the Southeast, the Pratchinburi mountains in the South and Phetchabun mountain range to the North and Central plains. The word Issan comes from the Sanskrit language meaning Northeast.

The harder answer is just why the Northeast region of Thailand is called Issan. You will find many arguments across the internet about royal Lao, Khmer, Chinese, Mon and Thai bloodlines that will leave you even more confused than when you started. The simple version is that a long time ago before Thailand ( Siam ) existed many people inhabited this region from Laos and Cambodia and their descendants are still there to this day.

The Issan region of Thailand can be seen almost as another country in and of itself. The primary language of Issan is Issan,  which is a combination of Lao and Khmer dialects using the Thai alphabet. The dialect will change depending where you are in Issan. Along the border areas of Laos and the along the Mekong the dialect will be heavily Lao influenced whereas the further you get South and into the central areas the dialect will still be primarily Lao but with more Khmer thrown in. In Nakhon Phanom I hear a lot of Lao and Thai mixed together while in Mukdahan you get Lao, Thai and a little Khmer for good measure.

Just as the language is distinguishably different from the rest of Thailand the food also takes on a different taste and that is definitely of Lao heritage. You’ll hear many people claim that Issan food is just a regional Thai cuisine…I would bet they don’t say such things out loud while in Issan. While many Issan dishes have filtered down throughout Thailand with its people the dishes themselves can never be categorized as Traditional Thai food. While Thai food can be very spicy, Issan food redefines spicy. The food is generally more salty, spicy  and sour. You won’t find many sweet dishes here.

Issan has gone through periods of Thaianization since the early days of the last century but the area has largely remained true to it’s conglomerate heritage. Although there have been times when the powers that be have strived to make Issan more Thai they still recognized the region by officially naming it Issan early on in the 20th century.

All this and I have still only scratched the surface of what Issan truly is. My hope is to add more to this topic in the future with the knowledge I learn first hand travelling throughout Issan and spending a great deal of time in areas such as Mukdahan and Nakhon Phanom.

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I watched with wonder as my girlfriends mother came out of the family house with a machete one morning and proceeded towards the bamboo patch around the side of the house. She cut down 2-8 foot sections of bamboo and then continued chopping those sections down to 1 foot pieces. She then grabbed two tiny stools and sat down amongst the family and started splitting the bamboo down to 1″x1′ pieces. Once this was done she would then use her teeth to separate these 1 inch pieces into 4 separate pieces.

All the while she tended to her child and grand child and continued her lively conversations with her sisters and brother. She was preparing the bamboo for new sticky rice containers which would become a part of their every day life. Some of the containers are very large while others are very small and they all serve their purpose equally well. When lunch time comes 4 sticky rice containers are brought out and spread out among the family so everyone had sticky rice within arms reach. Later, when Uncle went to work he was given a small personal sticky rice container to snack on through the day.

The bamboo is cut and dried and then woven into whatever sized basket is needed. It seems easy enough but there is more to it than that. The interaction between family and friends while the weaving is taking place and then the meals where they are used by family and friends alike. Often times friends coming by the farm would bring their own containers of sticky rice to share. They also make an appearance when friends are gathered just to talk or when a break in work is needed. It’s more about coming together and sharing time with people you care about.

On the family farm much of what is needed is often produced by the family. I suspect that even if they were willing to spend the 100-200 baht for the sticky rice containers they would still make them themselves because it seems to me it’s more about family and community rather than containers and food. It’s a way for them to spend time together working on something that is important to the family and the community.

Next time you see a sticky rice container in use look around and I bet you’ll see many smiling faces around it. Maybe Thailand should export the sticky rice containers full of rice to the west with instructions for use…who knows maybe the decline in family and community will slowly turn around and people will spend face time together again instead of texting, e-mailing or just locking themselves away with the internet and T.V for company.

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As I mentioned in an earlier post I was lucky enough to spend the Thai New Year, known as Songkran, in 4 different provinces. I spent the first day of Songkran in Pattaya on soi Diana playing with all the bar girls and the subsequent days I spent in Mukdahan, That Phanom and Nakhon Phanom.

For those of you not in the know Songkran is basically the worlds largest water fight that takes place throughout the entire country of Thailand for 3 straight days ( 5 or more days in Pattaya). You’ll be assaulted with squirt guns, hoses, water sticks and bowls of water. Aside from the water you will have baby powder smeared on your cheeks and dumped on your head. Sometimes large blocks of ice are used to chill the water used and depending on where you are the water and powder may be dyed different colors as well as scented. Cold green colored water and mentholated baby powder happen to be my kryptonite! I did enjoy the jasmine scented water I ran into here and there though.

Songkran in pattaya is what you would expect, many falangs and bar girls having fun. Unfortunately I witnessed a few incidents where some falangs didn’t want to play and became irate at getting wet. Why would you be out and about during Songkran if you didn’t want to get wet? One occasion I witnessed a very old falang hit a Thai girl for squirting him. The only reason he wasn’t beaten to death on the spot was due to the fact that he is well known in the area and apparently has a mental disorder. For the most part it was a great time getting soaked and powdered.

Mukdahan was quite a different story. Although it is a nice sized city most of the action took place on the side roads and on the roads leading out of the city. This of course necessitated a truck to drive around in and a few good sized barrels filled with water. When the water ran out we just stopped at someones house or a water station for a refill. We spent 12 hours driving around throwing water between Mukdahan and That Phanom, stopping occasionally for food and water.

One thing that caught my eye were the many colorful stands on the rural roads decorated in red and yellow selling some sort of clay pots. It wasn’t long before I was offered a drink from one of these clay pots that made everything very clear. It seems the Thai’s in rural Thailand make their own Thai whiskey just for Songkran and everyone and their brother sells it on the roadside. Now I know why there are so many drunk driving deaths in Issan during Songkran. I have to admit though, it was pretty good hooch.

The last day of Songkran was spent in Nakhon Phanom driving through the side streets of the city and along the scenic Mekong where the majority of revelers congregated. There were at least a thousand trucks driving through the city and up the road that paralleled the Mekong. Along the Mekong there were also three concert areas as well as many stalls set up for merchants and traditional Songkran dancing and music

I’d have to say Nakhon Phanom won me over hands down for being the best Songkran experience. Everyone was extremely friendly and sharing everything from beer and food to their water and powder of course. I think the best part was hanging out with Pooki’s family…especially her beautiful little girl Fa.

You may not like huge water fights but I think everyone should take part in Songkran at least once in their lifetime.

If you want to see what it all looked like I’ve added over 600 pictures of my Songkran experience to the gallery Songkran 2009

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Thai Silk is one of the most beautiful fabrics you’ll ever see.  It has very distinctive features that make it very different from Chinese or Indian silks. Thai silk is smooth with a rough uneven texture unlike Chinese silk which is very smooth and satiny or Indian silk which is very soft but with a crinkly texture.

Although invented by the Chinese and it’s secrets guarded for a very long time, Thai silk can be traced back as far as 3000 years ago by pieces of fabric found at ruins in Baan Chiang.

Thai silk begins it’s journey with the silkworm, or more precisely a caterpillar named Bombyx Mori,  hatched from the eggs of the silk moth. From the caterpillars birth it’s fed mulberry leaves around the clock  that have been cleaned, dried and chopped. They eat so much they grow at an alarming rate and actually shed their skins up to four times before spinning their cocoon. At about the one year mark they begin their final stage by spinning their cocoon. This process can take up to five straight days of the caterpillar making thousands of tiny figure eights of liquid silk that becomes hard on contact with the air.

At this point the cocoons are gathered and then boiled. The pupa is removed and the fibers are attached to an overhead spindle that unravels the cocoons very slowly. As with everything else the Thais waste nothing and the pupa is said to be a delicacy. The silk is then spun onto wooden spindles in preparation of being spun into thread.  This process can take up to 40 hours to produce just 1 pound of raw silk. One cocoon can produce a single fiber up to 500 meters long.

The silk fiber is a natural gold color and at this stage the thread is washed and bleached white, in preparation of being dyed. The thread is then dyed to it’s intended color, washed again and stretched onto wooden drums in preparation of weaveing the thread. The Thais used to use natural vegetable dyes but now use synthetic dyes which are colorfast and permanent as well as being more vivid.

Another defining characteristic of Thai silk is the fact that it’s hand woven and shows this in it’s uneven texture and slightly knotty threads. The Primary growing area for the Thai silkworms is the Korat plateau in the North East but the vast majority of the silk production in Thailand takes place in Chang Mai. You can visit the many different silk producers in Chang Mai and watch the entire process from beginning to end.

If you are searching for the best souveniers to bring back from Thailand then you have to bring home some Thai silk.

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