Celebrating Loi Krathong

I was lucky enough to be in Chiang Mai during the famous Loi Krathong festival.  Loi Krathong is a festival celebrated annually on the full moon of the twelfth month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar.

"Loi" means to float, and "krathong" means a leaf cup.  On the night of the full moon, Thai people gather near the river to release small, decorated, floating banana-leaf structures.  The Thai people say that this symbolizes the washing away of last year's misfortunes.

Often coinciding with this, or at a very close date is "Yi Peng," another festival where thousands of sky lanterns are released into the sky.  This year, the two events fell at the same time.  During this festival, thousands of Thai people gather at temples, private homes or open fields and release giant lanterns into the night sky.  On the lanterns, many Thai people write their hopes for the future.  

Watching the lanterns float off into the sky is one of the most amazing sights I have ever witnessed...

Some other things I learned: 

Be weary of crowded festivals when you have a slight case of claustrophobia. (I guess I already knew this, but I often forget...)

In the the United States, events are a lot better planned and structured than in Thailand.  When trying to exit the festival and make our way back to our transportation, there were no signs directing people as to which way to walk to get to the exit.  This resulted in complete chaos as people pushed one another, walking in opposite directions, but all attempting to get to the same place.

It's difficult to sit through a 30-minute Buddhist ceremony on your knees, while not understanding one word of what was being said.

Cost of Living in Chiang Mai

It's hard to believe that I've been in Thailand for three months now.

When speaking to people back home, I am often asked the question, "How can you afford to travel so much?"

Here's the answer...

A breakdown of my monthly expenses:

Rent: $400 or $200 per person (We are splurging for a one-bedroom apartment in the nicest part of the city to keep our sanity since Dan doesn't really want to listen to me teaching English for 4 hours a day.  Many travelers spend about $150 a month on a studio.)

Food: $230 per person  (About $7 per person per day-- Breakfast (oatmeal or granola & milk) $1-2 per day, Lunch $1-2 per day, Dinner $2-3 per day, Late night snacks $1-2 per day, occasional splurges $20)

Our favorite local Thai restaurant also happens to be the cheapest!  Lunch usually consists of either Pad Thai or Khao Soi (Chicken and curry noodle soup), my two favorite dishes totaling in at a whopping $1 a piece.

Cell phone: $10 or $5 per person (Including initial fee-- We don't have too many friends, and often resort to email when making plans)

Internet: $34 or $17 per person (Including one-time initial set-up and router fee)

Electricity and Water: $50 or $25 per person

Drinking Water: $1 or 50 cents per person (3 cents every time we fill up 2 huge bottles)

Transportation:  approx. $20 or $10 per person  (occasional taxi and tuktuk rides, motorbike rental)

CrossFit: $70 per person

Back in the US, I was opposed to CrossFit merely because I could not convince myself that any exercise was worth the hefty fee bordering on $250 a month (especially with limited equipment).  But, in Ecuador, at about 15% of the price, I couldn't resist giving it a try.  And, it grew on me...a little too much...So, when Dan and I found a CrossFit in Chiang Mai for $70 a month, I couldn't resist.

Bridge Club: $6 ($1.25 per week + initial club fee)

Extras: $20 (Occasional massages $6 an hour, small purchases (shampoo, soap, etc...), movie tickets $4...)

Visa fees: $40 (Initial visa fee $100, 30-day visa extension fee $60, visa run to Burma $60)

US Health Insurance: $170 (Thanks to Obamacare)

TOTAL: approx. $795 a month

If I add in Travel and Entertainment: $250 (RT flight to Thailand- $400 (Thanks to my awesome flight benefits!), trip to Phuket $500, trip to Hong Kong $600, trips to nearby destinations $40), I am still spending only about $1000 a month!


On another note, did you know that elephants can be taught to paint?

New experiences

My first time driving a motorbike:

Chiang Mai is one of the few cities I've ever visited without a public transportation system, and with a limited number of sidewalks. As a result, motorbikes are the common mode of transportation.

Some might think it's odd that I have gone skydiving and bungee jumping without so much as thinking twice, but that I would be afraid to ride a motorbike. I, however, think it's completely logical.

According to the Public Health Ministry, motorcycle accidents claim the lives of 27 Thais and injure 438 every day. And from observing the motorbikes zig-zagging through traffic, cars changing lanes without signaling, and the complete oblivion to traffic rules, I'm honestly shocked it's not more than that. Also, Thais drive on the left side of the road, which can get a bit confusing at times when crossing the street, let alone driving.

Luckily, after a few friends taught me the basics of the motorbike (such as how to turn it on) I built up enough confidence (and Dan, enough trust in me) to try renting an actual bike for a day. Yesterday we drove around Chiang Mai for a few hours, and to be honest, it was quite exhilarating. We made it back alive, and although I don't think we'll be buying a motorbike for the remainder of our time here, I'm sure we'll rent again in the future!

Frozen in time:

I have read that every day at 8am and 6pm the Thai National Anthem plays and everyone stops what they are doing and stands with their hands to the side. I had yet to actually see this happen until this past weekend when I was in the market. At 6pm on the dot, everyone froze in place. Food vendors stopped selling foods, street performers stopped performing, everything came to a complete stop. It was quite a strange feeling being frozen in time...especially in the middle of a market.


Some other things I learned:

Thailand has reverse osmosis water vending machines which release filtered water for as cheap as 1 cent to fill 2 water bottles. They are pretty great.

Sushi is cheap in Thailand. I can actually eat enough sushi to make me feel full for less than $4!

Thai food is ridiculously delicious (I guess I knew this already).  I don't know how I'm going to return to eating regular food ever again.

Thai massage

In just two weeks in Thailand, I have walk passed more massage shops than I have in all my life. Getting a Thai massage was one of the things about Thailand, I was most looking forward to, but once I arrived, I felt overwhelmed by the countless number of massage shops, and unsure of which place to choose.

I finally opted for a Thai massage shop close to my apartment because it seemed to always be full of Thai people, but also had some signs with English words. As I hesitantly walked through the door, I was faced with an overflow of signs advertising the different packages ranging from 1 hour to 4 hours. I decided to go with the one-hour traditional Thai massage for $6.

Unsure what to expect, I followed the woman into a room where she gave me what seemed to be an extra-large pair of scrubs to change into. Once in my hospital attire, she led me to a bed and gestured for me to lie down. She rinsed my feet off with a warm cloth and went to work.

From that point on, what I experienced was a mix of extreme pain and pleasure, as she positioned me in a variety of yoga-like poses and went to work jabbing her elbow, forearm, feet and hands into every part of my body.

I learned that anything goes in Thai massage, from cracking my toe knuckles, massaging the top of my head, to straight up walking on my back.

I learned that parts of my quads are ticklish, that I have "computer shoulders," and that a tiny little Thai woman can use her entire body weight to give a surprisingly strong massage.

My first time in a Buddhist temple

There are temples scattered all throughout Chiang Mai. But, before Dan and I ventured into our first temple, I decided to do a bit of research about proper temple etiquette. Good thing I did, because I learned a lot.

Of course we learned the somewhat obvious-- shoes and hats should be removed before entering a temple; women should cover up both their shoulders and knees (which is difficult since it's still quite hot here). This was not surprising. But in addition, we learned that you should never turn your back to the Buddha statues, but rather back away slowly. And women may never touch a monk or his robes (even brushing up against a monk by accident requires the monk to perform a lengthy cleansing process).

We decided to visit Wat Chiang Man, the oldest temple in Chiang Mai. Buddhist temples in Thailand are located in temple compounds (otherwise known as 'wat') and consists of a number of buildings with different architecture, function and importance.

Almost immediately upon entering the temple, you see the main Buddha statue, front and center, painted in gold. Smaller Buddha statues surround you, along with extremely bright, intricate, showy artwork and sculptures.

To be honest, if I weren't actually in Thailand, I might have described the temple as "gaudy" or even, "fake looking" since most of the gold-painted sculptures were chipping away, and most of the decorations seemed like knick-knacks one might buy at a garage sale. But, at the same time, there was something decidedly beautiful and serene about it.

Thai people believe that Buddha spent 7 days following his enlightenment thinking of all the suffering of living creatures, and these seven days are represented in the temple with images of Buddha in different poses.

Thai people believe that the day of the week in which you were born is very important in shaping your personality. I don't exactly agree with my Wednesday morning description, but here goes:

Sunday: respectable, wise, loved by friends and family

Monday: serious with a good memory and a love of travel

Tuesday: serious, brave and active most probably in the services

Wednesday morning: polite, artistic and emotional

Wednesday evening: hard working and honest

Thursday: peaceful, calm and honest –likely to be a teacher or in the legal profession

Friday: fun loving, friendly and ambitious, probably an entertainer or public figure

Saturday: calm, logical and a bit of a recluse; very likely engaged in manual work of a skilled nature

I'm excited to continue to visit temples and learn more...

Learning a little more each day...

Images of the Thai King and Queen are everywhere.  Thai people have a deep admiration for the King and Queen and adhere to very strict laws that prohibit speaking badly about them.  Those unfortunate enough to be found guilty of such a crime can be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison!

In many parts of the world light skin equates with wealth and class.  The same holds true in Thailand.  Thai women don't want to be confused with laborers or street food sellers.  These groups work outside all day, and are often poor.  So Thai women often go to extremes in the way they dress and behave to avoid getting dark.

While browsing the drugstore for sunscreen, I noticed that all of the sunscreens have a whitening agent in them.  So, don't be surprised if I return from Thailand whiter than when I came!

Some noticeable differences...

An interesting breakfast
A few days ago I ordered a bowl of granola with milk and fruit for breakfast.  I was quite surprised when my bowl of granola arrived with random fruits floating around in the milk.  I guess I have seen people put bananas in cereal, but mangos and watermelon?  I was surprised, but it was better than expected.

Shower time
The bathrooms in Thailand are a little different than what I am used to.  First, the shower IS the bathroom, meaning the entire bathroom is one giant shower.  The shower head is mounted to the wall, which by default means that the sink and the toilet bowl are in the shower.  You can go to the bathroom while taking a shower-- talk about multi-tasking!

The bathroom experience
Next to every toilet bowl there is something that Dan and I call, "the butt sprayer."  Basically, it is a hand-held water sprayer that is used after you go to the bathroom to clean up.  At first I was surprised by this set-up, but after doing some research (perhaps I should delete my google search history) I've learned that this is used in many other countries as well (the Arab world, the Philippines and parts of Asia), and might in fact be a better method of cleaning up than toilet paper.

Sometimes there isn't a butt sprayer, but rather a bucket of water that will do the trick.

And oh yeah, this is a picture of a squat toilet.  According to research, humans are naturally designed to squat when going to the bathroom.