Oh My, Chiang Mai

We returned to Chiang Mai to experience the celebrations that accompany the Loy Krathong and Yi Peng festivals in this northern city of Thailand. Both are coupled together during the full moon at the end of November every year. It is a spectacle of a high order. 

The Loy Kathrong celebration is a show of gratefulness to the Goddess of Water since water is so integral to the Thai way of life. Small floating wreaths of every shape, color and material, about the size of a salad plate are assembled with small flowers and leaves, a small candle in the middle and a couple of stick incense sticking out the top. It’s placed carefully into the water, then given a small nudge and down the river it goes. As it floats away so do grudges, bad luck and maybe a bit of iffy karma which is why th drivers is flooded with these little baskets. 

Legend has it that it’s also a romantic exercise because it seemed to be performed by couples making goo goo eyes at each other. So I did my best goo goo eyes impression at Moon, (as she rolled her eyes at me).Then we set our floating basket off down the river, grateful to the Goddess of Water for her continued existence and grateful for each other as we enjoy our travels and adventures together.  

Yi Peng is a festival commonly celebrated to expunge bad luck one might have acquired along life’s path.  This process entails lighting a waxy candle-like ring in the bottom of rice paper lantern held together by bamboo. The heat fills the lantern until it starts to rise. The lanterns are carried away into the sky along with those luck problems. It is also a moment to say a prayer for all your ancestors that have passed before you. Basically, the river that runs through Chiang Mai is filled with small floating flower baskets and the skies are full of lighted lanterns and fireworks. The joyous atmosphere is filled with an anticipation that prayers will be conveyed, wishes will be granted and luck will be more favorable. The whole occasion is pretty impressive. 

I took this photo from the internet. I had a million chances to take photos of every type of these showy little baskets but ended up with none. Bad blogger! I picked this particular photo because Terry made one that looked almost like this one.  

Not a great photo of the Loy Krathong, but you probably get the idea. 

 

Good luck lanterns being released into the sky.

Unfortunately, there was a downside that we experienced in Chiang Mai at the time of the festivals. There seemed to be an over abundance of folks wishing to relieve themselves of their lousy luck. Trying to get back to the hotel was clostraphobic. We were surrounded on all sides by heat, people, cars, motorbikes and everyone moved at a snails pace. Crowded would be an understatement. People gridlock would be a term I would use to describe it. To be in that close proximity for so long with seemingly nowhere to turn for relief was a little creepy. We finally returned to the hotel and were relieved.  

  

Thailand is full of temples, Buddhist Temples. They are everywhere. The Thailand Dept. of Religious Affairs estimates that 92% of Thais are Buddhists, 5% are Muslim and 1+% are Christian.  At its basic level Buddhism teaches practitioners to let go of attachment, cultivate compassion and practice mindfulness. (Who wouldn’t think that would be a step in the right direction?) There are massive temples, small temples, street corner shrines, temples in the middle of nowhere and famous ones smack dab in the middle of cities. It’s a sign of the spiritual nature of the Thai people and is thought to be less of a religion than a way of life. It does give off a sense of reverence even in the chaos of a big city like Bangkok. The Thai peoples’ graciousness, their happiness and easy smiles, and their pleasing attitude toward others is a nice welcome to those of us who like to visit here. 
 

  

In the second and third photo is what’s call a chedi or supra and this one is gold plated. It’s a sight to see, having been here for more than 500 years

We met our friends in Chiang Mai for the purpose of enjoying the Loi Krathong and LiPeng Festivals together. Maxx and Kay, Scott,Terry and I took time out to visit Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, a Buddhist temple. It is 3500 feet above Chiang Mai. The road to get there makes the perilous winding road from Kahului to Hanna on Maui look like a straight line. Heading up the mountain with the road twisting and turning was like a E ride at Disneyland. 

As per Wikipedia, this small Dio Suthep temple was built in 1383s. It’s been decorated and redecorated and expanded numerous time since then. It seems as if there are temples within temples and shrines within shrines here. There is something for every one. There are Buddhas standing, sitting, laying on his side and one holding a sign that read, “Call here to find out what Buddha wants for you”. I was kidding about the last one. That’s probably blasphemous and I don’t want any bad karma, really, I was just kidding. 

The road to the temple was finally built in 1935. Here’s what I’m thinking…for 552 years the good residence of Chiang Mai climbed 3500 feet up the mountain to give thanks to Buddha and offer prayers. Back then, following the Buddha’s path was not without its perils and sacrifice. Even in todays’ world, we observed 3 monks walking up the road as we headed down the mountain after our visit. Truth be told, if I were one of those months, I’d put my thumb out for a ride to the top. But, when picturing that scenario, a monk thumbing a ride just doesn’t seem right, does it?  

Working safety here in Thailand can be a bit dicey. Here are a couple of workers that are hooking up who knows what in a fur ball of tangled electrical lines. The bamboo ladder, which has metal steps, was leaned against the whole mess as the hookup proceeded. I watched them do this twice as they moved down the street. Moon and I worked with the injured worker population for years and visiting many worksites. We observed many unsafe practices. This one is a real doozy. This photo might be on the cover of The WA State Dept of Labor and Industries pamphlet with a caption, “Don’t do this, ever”. 

The restaurants here have funny names and those often cater to tourists. Our favorite, where we had breakfast each morning, was Butter is Better. They had a complete section of Fred McMurray. Remember My Three Sons? Our other favorite with killer biscuits and gravy was Bella Goose.  

All for now.  Ed out.