This is going to be a crazy long post because there's a crazy amount to share! So after Singapore I flew to Bangkok for the first night/ day of the Thai New Year, "Songkran" (aka a national 3 day water fight). At night my BKK friends and I went to some clubs where people were going crazy in preparation for April 13th: some people had water guns in the club (a nice club..) and the huge TV screens were showing video footage from Songkran the previous year in the RCA area of Bangkok (it looked like one giant wet tee shirt contest). The videos playing were NOTHING compared to how crazy it was. On the morning of April 13, decked in neon and sporting our water guns, my friends and I took a cab to Kaosan Road (where Bangkok celebrates). I thought I would get a little friendly water squirt here or there, but as soon as we stepped out of the cab we were drenched. Everyone had either a water gun or a bucket, and you could buy water or, even worse, ice water (very unpleasant, but funny) to splash on people. Also, there was this clay powder that all of the locals were putting on strangers' faces signifying "washing away last year." So, basically, you had strangers touching your face and smothering an unknown substance on it all day. On Kaosan Rd itself, you could barely move because it was SO SO SO packed with people. I loved that Thais and Western foreigners were celebrating together, and everything was in good spirit. One of the best days of my entire life, and definitely the frattiest. However, I don't have any pictures from the first day of Songkran in BKK because I didn't bring my camera because it would have gotten soaked (a good decision, but the pics would have been ridiculous).
The next morning, I flew to Chiang Mai to continue the party in the North. (A girl needs to have a well-rounded Songkran experience, right?!) I had heard that CM parties really hard for Songkran, but I didn't think that it compared to Bangkok. (Although still a great time!) There were deejays, foam parties, drive by pick up trucks packed with entire families splashing tuk tuks and passerbys with ice water. Songkran really is a national 3 day water fight. I can't think of anything quite like it in America. I met my friend Andrea in Chiang Mai, and after 2 days we took a minivan to Chiang Rai, and then onto Maesai- the Northern most part of Thailand. Andrea and I stayed at the cutest guesthouse ever, called "The Green Tulip." I am bummed because they said that they are closing in a year. I met so many amazing people there, and I can't wait to meet up with them again, and travel alone next fall...so many cool people at these guesthouses/ hostels! I also was able to meet up with 3 other Fulbright friends: Jane, Kelly, and Gracie. Whirlwind.
Maesai is a sleepy town with not much to do. My stepmom Cynde's cousin Steve married a Thai woman and moved to complete seclusion in Maesai. Andrea and I stayed with him for 4 days, and it was a very interesting experience. He is a Chicago Cubs fan, and has built all kinds of Cubs (shrines) on his property. However, he refuses to get them repainted until the Cubs "deserve" it and win. He also has helped support over 16 children with unstable homes/ no parents throughout his years in Thailand. Currently, there are 4 such children staying with him. Our first morning there, we all went to the pool together and then out for pancakes (pics below). Andrea and I also explored town, and got really close to entering Myanmar (Burma). At night, we went to a really creepy carnival with 1950s rides and balloons- the whole carnival could have been straight out of "Donnie Darko." One image, though, I will never forget is seeing a novice monk on a bouncy moonwalk. Also, there were all of these blue tarps put up to form a "tent" barrier, and inside them all of the villagers were gambling...they had paid off the local police because gambling is illegal. Even 5 year olds were throwing down their money! I have a great pic of that below...unbelievable!!!
Andrea left one day before me, so I had an entire day of adventuring to myself. I hitched a ride with Steve down to Chiang Rai (he makes weekly trips to hit up the Western bakery down there), and I took a bus to the White Temple, or Wat Rong Khun.
It. Was. Spectacular.
The White Temple was unlike any wat I've ever seen, entirely white and covered with little glistening mirrors. It was really creepy though- dragons and skulls and these arms that "reach out" towards you. The artist of the wat hopes that one day it will be a World Heritage Site. I don't know about that, but definitely worth seeing!!! After the wat, I made my way to an ostrich farm as I'd heard that you could actually ride ostriches there! I was SO excited and got a free car ride by a really nice tourguide, and then took a hot, public bus 7 km further down the highway until I reached the farm. I rode the ostrich, and while it was awesome to think about, as soon as I was getting on it I noticed that a lot of its feathers on its back were missing (where people had ridden it), and that it couldn't possibly healthily carry my weight. While riding it, you had to hold on to its wings, and it actually could run pretty fast with you on it! But still, it was so wrong. I felt horrible the whole rest of the day, and I need to join some sort of "Save the Ostriches" program when I'm back in the USA. As I was leaving the farm (with some memorable photos but feeling miserable), I passed a whole group of ostriches whose entire bodies had been plucked of their feathers...while they were ALIVE. They were sadly trying to brush dirt on their featherless bodies. It was horrible. Animal cruelty is not recognized in Thailand, in so many ways. I should have taken a picture of that to promote awareness, but I didn't want to remember it and I felt guilty because I had also just supported it :( I learned a lot from this experience.
After the ostrich farm, I took another 2 buses until I reached the "Anti-White Temple," or the Black Wat (Wat Dam). Unlike the White Temple where there were bus loads of tourists, the Black Temple was way out in the forest. My bus dropped me off on the side of the highway, and in order to reach the temple I had to walk through this little residential, sleepy village. As a matter of fact, I was the only tourist there. I reached Wat Dam 20 minutes before closing, and let me tell you it was CREEPY!! (See pics below..) That night I had a flight back to Bangkok to meet my Mom at the airport. However, there are no taxis and tuk tuks in Chiang Rai, and there were no motorcycle taxis around! I stopped to ask a Thai if he had any ideas, and him and his girlfriend said "We can take you, hop on" and the three of us drove on his motorbike to the airport. It was SO kind of them. I tried to pay them/ tell them to go out to eat somewhere nice but they wouldn't accept my money. If I had a baht for every time I've hitched a ride with a Thai stranger...
The Chiang Rai football team was on my flight from Chiang Rai to Bangkok. Not my least favorite flight!!!
A very memorable trip to Northern Thailand. Now, I am with my Mom in Ubon Ratchathani, and tomorrow my sister gets in!!! I am beyond excited :-)
On the agenda for the next few weeks: Fulbright Mid-grant meeting in Bangkok, trip to Cambodia, trips to Krabi and Koh Phi Phi. It will probably be a few weeks before my next post, but I will have lots to talk about next time!
The next morning, I flew to Chiang Mai to continue the party in the North. (A girl needs to have a well-rounded Songkran experience, right?!) I had heard that CM parties really hard for Songkran, but I didn't think that it compared to Bangkok. (Although still a great time!) There were deejays, foam parties, drive by pick up trucks packed with entire families splashing tuk tuks and passerbys with ice water. Songkran really is a national 3 day water fight. I can't think of anything quite like it in America. I met my friend Andrea in Chiang Mai, and after 2 days we took a minivan to Chiang Rai, and then onto Maesai- the Northern most part of Thailand. Andrea and I stayed at the cutest guesthouse ever, called "The Green Tulip." I am bummed because they said that they are closing in a year. I met so many amazing people there, and I can't wait to meet up with them again, and travel alone next fall...so many cool people at these guesthouses/ hostels! I also was able to meet up with 3 other Fulbright friends: Jane, Kelly, and Gracie. Whirlwind.
Maesai is a sleepy town with not much to do. My stepmom Cynde's cousin Steve married a Thai woman and moved to complete seclusion in Maesai. Andrea and I stayed with him for 4 days, and it was a very interesting experience. He is a Chicago Cubs fan, and has built all kinds of Cubs (shrines) on his property. However, he refuses to get them repainted until the Cubs "deserve" it and win. He also has helped support over 16 children with unstable homes/ no parents throughout his years in Thailand. Currently, there are 4 such children staying with him. Our first morning there, we all went to the pool together and then out for pancakes (pics below). Andrea and I also explored town, and got really close to entering Myanmar (Burma). At night, we went to a really creepy carnival with 1950s rides and balloons- the whole carnival could have been straight out of "Donnie Darko." One image, though, I will never forget is seeing a novice monk on a bouncy moonwalk. Also, there were all of these blue tarps put up to form a "tent" barrier, and inside them all of the villagers were gambling...they had paid off the local police because gambling is illegal. Even 5 year olds were throwing down their money! I have a great pic of that below...unbelievable!!!
Andrea left one day before me, so I had an entire day of adventuring to myself. I hitched a ride with Steve down to Chiang Rai (he makes weekly trips to hit up the Western bakery down there), and I took a bus to the White Temple, or Wat Rong Khun.
It. Was. Spectacular.
The White Temple was unlike any wat I've ever seen, entirely white and covered with little glistening mirrors. It was really creepy though- dragons and skulls and these arms that "reach out" towards you. The artist of the wat hopes that one day it will be a World Heritage Site. I don't know about that, but definitely worth seeing!!! After the wat, I made my way to an ostrich farm as I'd heard that you could actually ride ostriches there! I was SO excited and got a free car ride by a really nice tourguide, and then took a hot, public bus 7 km further down the highway until I reached the farm. I rode the ostrich, and while it was awesome to think about, as soon as I was getting on it I noticed that a lot of its feathers on its back were missing (where people had ridden it), and that it couldn't possibly healthily carry my weight. While riding it, you had to hold on to its wings, and it actually could run pretty fast with you on it! But still, it was so wrong. I felt horrible the whole rest of the day, and I need to join some sort of "Save the Ostriches" program when I'm back in the USA. As I was leaving the farm (with some memorable photos but feeling miserable), I passed a whole group of ostriches whose entire bodies had been plucked of their feathers...while they were ALIVE. They were sadly trying to brush dirt on their featherless bodies. It was horrible. Animal cruelty is not recognized in Thailand, in so many ways. I should have taken a picture of that to promote awareness, but I didn't want to remember it and I felt guilty because I had also just supported it :( I learned a lot from this experience.
After the ostrich farm, I took another 2 buses until I reached the "Anti-White Temple," or the Black Wat (Wat Dam). Unlike the White Temple where there were bus loads of tourists, the Black Temple was way out in the forest. My bus dropped me off on the side of the highway, and in order to reach the temple I had to walk through this little residential, sleepy village. As a matter of fact, I was the only tourist there. I reached Wat Dam 20 minutes before closing, and let me tell you it was CREEPY!! (See pics below..) That night I had a flight back to Bangkok to meet my Mom at the airport. However, there are no taxis and tuk tuks in Chiang Rai, and there were no motorcycle taxis around! I stopped to ask a Thai if he had any ideas, and him and his girlfriend said "We can take you, hop on" and the three of us drove on his motorbike to the airport. It was SO kind of them. I tried to pay them/ tell them to go out to eat somewhere nice but they wouldn't accept my money. If I had a baht for every time I've hitched a ride with a Thai stranger...
The Chiang Rai football team was on my flight from Chiang Rai to Bangkok. Not my least favorite flight!!!
A very memorable trip to Northern Thailand. Now, I am with my Mom in Ubon Ratchathani, and tomorrow my sister gets in!!! I am beyond excited :-)
On the agenda for the next few weeks: Fulbright Mid-grant meeting in Bangkok, trip to Cambodia, trips to Krabi and Koh Phi Phi. It will probably be a few weeks before my next post, but I will have lots to talk about next time!
"Closed April 13- April 15, Open April 16"
BOO YA!!!
Ready for Songkran Round 2 in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai Songkran through my plastic-bag covered camera
Foam party in the street!
How many water guns do you see?
Some new friends I met at the hostel
Water fight by day, raging Songkran-style by night
Cutest little girl waving to me on the minivan ride
CM - CR
Steve and baby Ace- who he named himself
Steve and some of the Thai children he's taken in
Far left: My friend Andrea
The steps leading up the Giant Scorpion
"Neither in the sky nor in mid ocean, Nor in the clefts of the rocks,
Nowhere in the world is a place to be found Where abiding one may
escape from the consequences of an evil deed."
(Buddhist teaching at the top of the steps, near the wat)
Lookout over Burma
Me with the giant scorpion!
Giant Scorpion
Cool Buddhist sculpture
On the way back down all of the steps
Border of Myanmar/ Thailand
Notice both country's flags are present
"The Northern Most of Thailand"
Steve's Chicago Cubs replicas
Replica Budweiser ad
Scoreboard
Steve's house, and a giant Cubs baseball statue
Sign outside of Steve's estate:
" Welcome to a Happy Place: Please leave all bullshit and egotism
at the Main Gate. You may pick up these items upon your departure"
View from Steve's road
Thais know how to really use a pick-up truck!!!
Oh you know, just a man casually selling puppies on the road
Creepy carnival with no one there
Illegal gambling, hidden by tarps haha
A child (straight ahead) gambles, too
The make-shift lights are ugly?
Let's hang some shrubbery on them.
Where Andrea and I stayed:
Steve's guesthouse
The room initially was owned by a drug lord.
19 people lived here.
Beautiful molding; after the drug lord, Steve redid the room;
actor Steven Segal was planning to live here
Coolest piece of wood ever!
How many different animals do you see?
Creepy cone, perfect for Wat Rong Khun
Wat Rong Khun, or the White Temple
(At first looked like where an ice queen might live!)
Creepy...
Entrance is supposed to represent entering a demon's mouth
Woah...
SO CREEPY!
I had to borrow some fabric because I was wearing shorts
Close up of the thousands of mirrors
This must have taken so long to sculpt
"Please change to provided slippers for entering the bathroom"
My worst nightmare.
Some cute, but mistreated, ostriches
Me riding an ostrich. I feel so guilty.
It did run pretty quickly...
This would have been a great picture if the ostrich's
head wasn't cut out of it! Silly long neck...
The Black Temple
Spooky
Some spooky, quiet sculptures
Creepy furniture within the Black Temple
High rafters
Lots of horns and antlers
Now THAT is a door.
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