Monkeys, Elephants, Festivals, oh my!

Loy Krathong Festival, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Hard to believe the 22nd of November is already upon us. In just 3 days, Melissa's fairy tale vacation comes to an end. : ( I use the term "fairy tale" lightly though as we both suffered from some sort of food poisoning about a week ago. It hit Melissa in the morning, half-way through her trip, and all I could think was "what luck" - especially since the only problem I've had my entire time travelling is an ear infection. However, what goes around comes around, and by the middle of the night that same day, the sickness came for me as well. Ironically enough, the next day marked my half-way mark (6 month anniversary) of travelling. Figures.


Last time we wrote, we were in the city of Ayuthaya. Today, we find ourselves in Chiang Mai, a city much further north. I find it a bit difficult to select some of the highlights between then and now, but I suppose I will choose a couple of my favorites and then Melissa will probably do the same.

Monkeys in Lopburi, Thailand

Lopburi: This city, best known for having monkeys inhabiting part of the city, provided 2 days of entertainment for us. Although we probably didn't need to spend this much time there, exploring places with a comfortable window of time makes everything seem less hurried and less stressful. The monkeys largely occupied only one of the temples in town and perhaps a block radius around it. Like a plague of locusts, they absolutely inundated the sidewalks, streets, telephone wires, and awnings overhanging the shops. Quite the sight to behold, when Melissa and I had to walk by, the word "gauntlet" repeated endlessly inside my head. They stared and walked beside us, looking as if they were ready to attack or jump on us at any moment. One evening, we went a fair distance away from our accommodation for dinner. The return journey would have required passage through the monkey's turf at night, not something I looked forward to at all. Luckily for us, we made some friends at dinner that night, and they ended up giving us a ride back to our place.

While no monkeys did anything to us while walking around the city, Melissa did manage to have one jump on her while inside the actual temple area (aka, their inner sanctuary). She tried posing next to one for a photo and the next thing you knew, one of them jumped on her purse. Naturally, she freaked out and the monkey immediately jumped back off. The only misfortune? My inability to capture the moment on my camera. : )

Elephant riding in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai: Before coming here, we toured the city of Sukhothai (another city with a million and one temples and ruins). It took us a bit longer to get here than we intended as our encounter with Dr. Sicko (just for you Byron) kept us grounded for a couple extra days. We had no intention of attempting to take a 5.5 hour bus ride in our current conditions at the time. We arrived here on the 19th. Since that time, we have gone riding on elephants, seen more temples, gotten our health back (for the most part), and biggest of all, experienced the amazing festival called "Loy Krathong." For the 11th full moon of the lunar calendar, they have a special "full moon" festival where they also celebrate the mother/goddess of the river and/or water. To celebrate, most places throughout Thailand make little boats out of Banana leaves and flowers and float them down a river with a candle and stick of burning incense. Chiang Mai does this, but they also do something unique to the rest of Thailand. They light paper-balloon like lanterns and send them off into the night sky to cast off evil spirits that the individual may have accumulated over the year. Aside from parades, fireworks, beauty contests, and just pure craziness, the balloons were by far my favorite part of the festival. Seeing the night sky dotted with hundreds of lit-lanterns is something I will remember for the rest of my life.

----------(Melissa now)---------

What to add? Jeff has done a good job of summing up our recent events. I guess I can tell you a little about Sukhothai and the Wats we saw there. We actually rented a bike for $1 for the day. The bikes were one speed fits all, and we toured the old city and ruins. We saw so many ruins, I can't even tell you the names of all of them right now. Our hostel had free bicycles for us to use. One night, Jeff and I set out for dinner, but they only had one bike left. Never fear, there was a bench-like seat on the bike, so Jeff got to do all the work, and I just held on. That was pretty fun, at least for me. :)

In Sukhothai, Thailand.  Somehow managed
to avoid getting hit.

Time for my version of the Loy Krathong festival. Although everything Jeff said is true, I just want to add in a few more things. From probably 7pm to past 11:30pm there was never a dull moment in the sky. Between the lanterns and fireworks, there was a constant and consistent party in the sky. It was beautiful! I think one reason this festival is so fun is it's not just about the tourists. It is a huge party for the people here, and thankfully, they are so happy to include the tourists. They want you to be a part in their celebration and it is a uniting feeling. The atmosphere that is created as I waited for my own, personal, balloon to fill up with enough hot air to rise was like a kid anticipating Christmas. With every balloon that is sent up, there are fireworks going off, and people cheering. It is a type of celebration in which I've never seen, and my words are a pitiful description of how magnificent it truly was.

One other thing I will comment about, and then I'll beg for pictures (but no video this time). One of the temples in Chiang Mai had a shaded garden connected to it. In the garden were little wooden street-like signs hung on the trees. The signs had quotes on them in Thai and English. Jeff and I wandered around this garden, escaping the heat for a bit and reading all these quotes. The only sound that I could hear were the monks chanting in the temple that we were at. It was such a calming experience and nice change from the bussle of the city.

I look forward to my return to the States for many reasons. To sleep in my own bed, to flush a toilet with a handle instead of dumping a bucket of water into the toilet, to brush my teeth with tap water, to not be sweating while I sleep, and I'm sure the list could go on. However, I will miss everything here, and I'm sad to leave. I will miss travelling and bonding with my brother, the tuk tuk drivers always wanting to give you a ride, the people welcoming you as family, the warmth of the sun at the end of November, the genuine excitement in the people about their festivals, the custom of taking off your shoes before going into stores and everywhere, the relaxation of having no plan...and THIS list could go on for even longer than the last. Most of all, I will miss the land of "smiling people," with hearts two sizes their hands.
 
---------------------------------------------------(Back to Jeff)-------------------------------------
 
I nearly forgot to post November's Speedo Picture!  A bit dated now, however it's still in front of a fairly iconic place in Singapore.  Ignore the man that got in the way.  I wasn't about to wait for him to get out of the way because I didn't know if I'd get in any trouble for wearing a Speedo in public in Singapore.  Better safe than sorry.

Happy November, and early Thanksgiving!

Guest Writer

Apparently I can expect a new wave of readers for a brief period of time.  Unbeknownst to me, my sister Melissa told people that while she was travelling with me that we'd be sharing this blog so that if someone wanted to read up about her, all they would have to do is look here.  Of course I have no problem with that, but a little heads up would have been nice - I mean, I might have to reevaluate what I'm going to write and how I'm going to say it now that I have a wider audience.  Who am I kidding?  I'm not going to sugar-coat anything for you.  That being said, let's discuss my personal favorite topic: bodily functions and the bathroom.  To put it somewhat politely, I've been going to that bathroom much less frequently than normal lately (we're talking 5 days straight at least).  I'm in no pain or anything, but one has to wonder, where the heck is it all going?!  If anyone can enlighten me on this topic I would greatly appreciate it. 

Muay Thai Match - swing and a miss

Alright new readers, now that we've been introduced, let's talk about what Melissa and I have been up to.  Our first couple days together we explored Bangkok where we did everything from going to a Muay Thai match (actually 8 of them for 3 hours, quite the extravaganza) to watching some 200 odd people do aerobics in the public park for 40 mins.  After Bangkok, we ventured down to the island of Koh Chang in the Eastern part of Thailand.  The bus ride itself came straight from the devil himself.  With a demonic baby on our left that never stopped screaming in its waking moments (what a horrible way to live right?) to the couple in front of us that couldn't go 5 mins without kissing each other - well, suffice it to say that 5.5 hours never felt so long.  I suppose things could have been worse, but for all my travelling experience lately, it hasn't been nearly that bad in a loooooong time.

Once on Koh Chang, Melissa and I managed to do nothing for about 3 days straight.  I suppose this a matter of opinion, but let's be honest folks, I woke up, slowly got out of our bungalow (literally, straw covered hut), walked down to the deck/lobby area where I soaked up the glorious shade and read a book.  By mid-afternoon, I'd grow hungry, walk 7 mins into "town", consume food and beverage(s), walk back, read more, lounge more, nap, fart, go the bathroom, read some more, walk up the hill to the bungalow, watch the sunset, walk back into town and now repeat the previous steps until bedtime (minus the sunset part).  Life's pretty difficult on the road sometimes, let me tell you.  Melissa is having a hard time adjusting to this schedule, but I suppose she'll tell you that (in her own words) in a bit.

Sunset from the front porch of our bungalow

We left Koh Chang by way of minibus to the city of Ayuthaya, the old capital of the Thai Kingdom.  Our minibus ride was phenomenal.  Either our driver tried out for the movie Crank or actually believed he was living out the storyline of "Speed."  Maniac-man wove between traffic and straddled the edge of the rode at intersections so that he could by-pass the line of traffic waiting for the light to turn green.  Haha, at one point, someone in the back seat even threw up.  Now, I can't be certain whether or not the driving was to blame or whether they were genuinely sick, but I think we can safely assume the driver didn't help the situation.  Ultimately, I suppose you just have to pick your poison.  Baby and couples from the 5th inner circle of hell conspiring against your sanity, or Mr. "life is a video-game" driver.  Haha, all part of the fun!

I've blabbed on long enough.  The title of this post is indeed "guest writer", so I suppose I ought to let her give her 2 cents.  Here she goes ------------

Hi all!!! Well, to start off, most of what Jeff said is true! We did however walk about 25min, one way, to a different beach in Koh Chang and that walk was HOT and hilly. It was beautiful though! Unlike Jeff, I also swam (instead of read) and played volleyball with a group of four Canadian guys. They have been friends since elementary school and are now travelling after college. Pretty amazing.

To continue on with our trip we have been seeing many Wat's in Ayuthaya. Wat's are temples, if you didn't know. We walked around the city today for probably 5 hours looking at different ones. All of them are amazing!!!!!! I won't say much about them, because they are things you just have to see, but I will tell you one story. Outside the Wat that holds the biggest Buddha in Thailand a young lady (about my age) was sitting there with a kid from the streets. She had given the kid an ear piece of her ipod, and they were listening to music together. The little guy (couldn't have been older than three) was just smiling and giggling, and holding onto her leg. It was really precious! He had clearly made a new friend and wasn't ready to let her go. Throughout our walk today the kids along the road would be so excited to see us, they'd stand up, yell something to get our attention, and just wave like crazy with the biggest grin on their faces. I once heard a quote that goes something like, "So many languages in the world, yet a smile speaks them all." It's been fun to see how true that is.

Melissa in front of Wat Chai Watthanaram

Okay, I'm sure this is getting pretty long, and I'm going to make Jeff add some pictures to help you see how amazing everything is. Thanks Jeff for letting me be a guest writer...(maybe if I'm nice I'll get one more post in before I return home). :)

This is the first and last video I will ever attempt to post.

It took about 3 hours to upload. I pray it works.

Melissa shot this video - before watching, pick your horse...

Red or Blue?

Reflections

I suppose the problem is that every time I sit down to try and write something, I have a hard time thinking up what to inform you about.  I'll begin as randomly as possible and just go with what's on my mind.  Food.  After being in Singapore for one week, and spending some time here in Bangkok, the amount of food on the streets being sold is truly a sight to behold.  In Singapore, a lot of the food and restaurants are organized in food courts and hawker centers.  The food is cheap, freshly made, and extremely delicious.  In Bangkok, the food is more commonly found in the form of small stands or tables along the side of the road. The street food is nearly everywhere.  I can't get over it.  Women, grinding up ingredients in a bowl, meat on sticks roasting over some coals, and sometimes there's even little aquariums filled with shrimp like creatures.  All of these stands are packed and unpacked everyday by the people who run them.  It's not uncommon to see motorbikes or scooters that have a side car of sorts that is actually a food stand.  It's truly amazing.  Ordering food at these stands can sometimes be a little tricky, especially since the majority don't have menus.  Luckily, Thai people are extremely friendly and patient, and a warm, friendly smile goes a long ways here.  Walk up, point to something, or simply say "please decide for me"  (and then hope they understand a little English), and wa-la!  You just got served!  It can be quite a gamble, but I haven't really had anything that I didn't like.  Haha, my most interesting meal so far was given to me by some locals at an outside bar.  We were chatting and having a good time and then they insisted I try some of their food.  A little spicy, and slightly unnerving at first, because there were live shrimp like creatures jumping around in the dish (one even managed to jump out of the bowl and onto my lap).  Haha, despite these two parts, I admit, it was a very delicious treat.

A couple days ago, I felt like I got a fairly local experience by riding the public boat on the canal through the city.  For 15 baht, or 50 cents, I was taken across the entire city.  The boat was jam-packed with people.  I have no idea how they managed to squeeze me on, but they did.  Had my stop not been the very last one when everyone was getting off, I believe it would be safe to say that I would have been screwed, especially if the boat docked on the opposite side of which I was standing.  The canal looked fairly filthy, the status of houses along the canal weren't all that impressive, but everywhere you looked, people were going about their business, hopping on and off the boat.  Everyday life.  It was refreshing to see and reminded me how differently people live.  The world is a vast and amazing place - everyday I see things firsthand that make me think more and more about my own lifestyle in new and different ways.  I've seen and done quite a few things, but for all my experience, I will never stop learning from others, nor will I ever stop being impressed by the sense of humanity and kindness in this world.  Travelling is a very humble and character building experience.

Some other reflections regarding travelling.  It can be very challenging.  No duh, right?  Not knowing your way around, not knowing the language, not knowing what to eat, or how to properly eat without offending anyone, finding a place to use the bathroom, etc. etc.  The list can go on and on.  But, there are other challenges in travelling on your own that I hadn't really thought about all that much until this trip.  The biggest one is identity and self-awareness.  Ultimately, I define who I am and how I want to act.  However, the people that surround you also have a major influence on who you are and can make or break whether or not you feel like you can be "yourself."  At home, I know who am and I never really have to question it.  I'm surrounded by the people that I know, and the people that know me as well.  I can be "me" without having to worry about what they think or how they will react. I decided who I wanted to be, but having those around me that make me feel ok in my own skin is also a big part of it as well.  On the road, I'm no longer in my natural habitat.  Not only do you not know anyone, you aren't even familiar with your surroundings.  A lot of people say, when you go off to college for the first time, it is your opportunity to completely redefine yourself.  Travelling the way I am sometimes feels like that, but on steroids.  On this path, and unnatural habitat, I have to constantly ask myself, "is this something I really want to do?"  "Are these people I'm hanging out with, people I really enjoy?"  I'm constantly evaluating who I am and what it is I really want to be and do.  It's extremely exhilarating and tiring at the same time. Life is extremely dynamic and ever changing.  Personally, I'm a person always seeking to improve myself.  Ways to change, and ways to grow.  Being stagnant in this category is something I don't handle all that well.  However, the self-reflection road can be difficult at times because like most things in life, there must be a balance.  I am always seeking to grow and learn...always changing.  But within that change, there must be some sense of peace and harmony in being content with who you are.  For me, life is about finding this balance.  On the travelling road, I'm moved to evaluate things on a daily basis.  At home, this doesn't always come so easily, especially in the daily grind and routine.  

 So what does this all mean?  Haha, have I completely changed?  Am I a new person?  The funny thing is that I can feel myself changing, but I can't describe how.  Maybe things will be more translucent with time, but for now, I know I'm having the time of my life, and sometimes there's just no easy way to describe my interaction with the local Thai person who had the heart and openness to try and converse with me at the bar, even though they hardly knew English.  Nor can I really describe how a smile and body language speaks so much more sometimes than actual words.  How do such experiences change me?  I'm not quite sure, but I know they're having an affect.   My experiences flow together like the tributaries that make the mighty Amazon.  Distinguishing them at moments can be extremely difficult.  Haha, be assured though, I'm still the same Jeff you knew when I left - except I've gained a little weight and my hair has probably faded to brown a bit more. : (

Well this post got a little too sentimental.  Next posting I'll make sure and tell you about some crazy sign or experience I had.  I will leave you with this, it's nice to know that people care about what I'm up to and that they are thinking about me.  It helps me remind me of who I am.  Thank you for that.