A Peace of Pai

The duo began their holiday with a brief stint in Chiang Mai (northern Thailand) and accomplished everything from shopping to international relations. With their bags heavy from purchases at the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar after befriending a middle-aged Korean monk, the girls had seen most of what Chiang Mai had to offer. They opted for the quieter town of Pai to celebrate Songkran, the Thai New Year. Upon arrival, they met up with a gaggle of friends--Lucy and Katie (see archive "One Night in Bangkok"), Fook and Steve (neighbors in Sriracha), and Boz (one-man show and friend of Katie) to ring in the new year. They joined in the traditional festivities, which involved 'len nahm.' The holiday is a cleansing ceremony, and custom dictates that water is poured over hands and feet to bring blessings in the new year. Some argue that Songkran is the one time to see Thais show aggression, as it is dubbed "Thailand's Water War." Where there were once silver tins filled with jasmine-scented water (the same kind used today to 'wai phrat' at the temples) there are now water tanks and super-soakers used to douse anyone within range. Aggression? That's dubious. The holiday seems to epitomize the Thai way of making fun crucial to living. Example: our fun-loving pair spent time away from the river in Pai to ride around on a rented motorcycle, being stopped every five seconds at "water stations" to get drenched with water and smeared with powder paste. Sometimes they were invited to participate in 'hom gam,' to which they readily obliged. After a couple of days, the girls bid their adieus to the troop and made their way back to Sriracha to prepare for their last two weeks of Summer Camp.
Due to the holiday's water-packed celebrations, the girls made the wise decision to leave their cameras at home. If you want to see a few pictures that convey a bit of the experience, take a quick peek at this web page: www.phuketdir.com/songkran/index.htm

Back to Reality...

The summer holiday was a success and we survived, although we've been delaying this post for the past three weeks to keep the suspense building (and because we've been traveling again- there's barely time for us to catch up with ourselves!). You can relax from the edge of your seat (you're paying good money for the entire thing anyways) and follow us through a whirlwind recap of our three weeks of bliss.
We finished the term with an early departure from the monotany of finals weeks (see: come to school early, check email, do the crossword puzzle, eat free lunch, practice Thai, read another book, go home) and flew to the island of Phuket (pronounced "poo-ket".) Most of you will recognize this as the area devastated during the 2004 tsunami that killed 295,000 people in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. While there we visited Patong and Karon beaches, and took a snorkeling trip out to the Phi Phi and Lak Islands. Our trip leader was a jovial man nicknamed "Mr. Whiskey" who, in true Thai fashion, remained in high spirits talking about everything from fish species to hangovers to the destruction still remaining from the tsunami. One cultural anamoly that can be hard for a foreigner to grasp is the Thai idea of sanook (fun) that permeates all activity and events- even an event as devastating as the tsunami is reflected upon with a smile. We experienced this balance of fun and memorial while diving to the reefs beneath now calm waters and entering a world where we are truly farang.
After Phuket it was onto the capital for sightseeing, merit-making and pool-siding. With Marion still in tow, we planned to tackle the big tourists attractions of The Grand Palace, Reclining Buddha and Jakchujak Market. Unfortunately, the first stop to our favorite massage parlor on Khao San Road did something fierce to Marion's back and she was laid up in bed during our four days in the city. The duo managed to visit Wat Po, Siam Square, MBK (where Keeks had her first Thai silk suit tailored) and the American Embassy. All things considered, a successful trip.
The final leg of vacation took us to Singapore, where we found a great hostel in the heart of Little India to rest our heads. The week was punctuated with rugby games, rugby practice and a midnight viewing of Rocky Balboa the night we arrived. We also took our chances at the Night Safari and came face to face with leopards, rhinos, and a strange-looking feline with wings that they called "bat." When we say "face to face" we mean we turned a corner and BAM! two beady eyes and a fanged mouth looking right back at you like, "Hello? I'm hanging here... and your neck looks tasty!"
Then it was back to Sriracha for the joys of teaching summer camp for Primary One and Two students. Or at least sticking it out for the weekends...