Birthday party eve

 

And now the early afternoon was upon us. We packed up from the temple and headed back to Amaan’s home to prepare for one of their friends birthday party. The ladies went to the market to grab up all the needed ingredients for a large feast that was planned for the evening, while the men stayed back at the homestead drinking weak mixtures of soda water and whiskey. Here it was now about 1:30 in the afternoon and we still had a good ways to go before the blanket of evening fell upon us. Now I was among a group of Thai men that spoke maybe just a smidge of English and so I just continued to raise a glass to my lips while taking an intermittent draw on a cheap Thai cigarette to pass the time. Still, as the day began to pass and the weak drinks began to create a nice since of repose. There was a little back and forth between myself and the others; mainly it was just these guys teaching me the correct pronunciation for the words that I was saying. I have to say, it sure is a painful thing when trying to use a word that I could have sworn I had down, just to find faces clinched in consternation all around me. This Thai language is so very subtle; inflection, the length of time that the breath is exhaled and even the pitch, will change the entire meaning of the word that is trying to be said. The word, beautiful, is a great example of what I am talking about. This word is spelled suuai in my Thai English dictionary; the thing is that if you want to say something is beautiful in Thai, you have to say the word in a high almost questioning voice and hold the eeee sound at the end. Without following these steps the word actually becomes the opposite and means not beautiful. Subtle, I tell you, very damn subtle.  Although I was frustrated with my inability to grasp these nuances – I was only a tiny bit frustrated – I still enjoyed all the assistance from those around me in trying to help me get a better grasp of the language. Anyway, we went on like this until the large bottles of whiskey were vanquished – I think that there were 3 large bottles or there abouts. Once we had finished these off, we headed to the  bar of the man whose birthday we would be celebrating. Oh and one note about Thai culture, the person having the birthday pays for everything. That’s the food, the drinks and any gifts for the guest; there is no way my cheap ass self could survive such an expectation.

            When we got to the bar, I was given a small golden icon of a god that has an elephant head and another glass of whiskey and soda. The time now was around 5:00 PM and I would think after drinking straight since 1:30 in the afternoon and after having a few in the AM, I would be a little over myself and stumbling around, but nothing of the sort seemed to be occurring. After a few minutes at the bar the food stuffs arrived and the prep began for the birthday dinner. Setting up the tables and chairs was the next step in the process and at least with the manual labor I could be of some assistance. Once the darkness began to outweigh the light, invited guest began to arrive with more bottles of whiskey and dark rum in hand. Introductions were made and glasses rose in celebration of the nights and days events. Upon bringing our glasses to one another’s, I was taught a new toast; it went like this, roy roy hang hang, I am not sure how it translates but we sure said it a lot. Oh, I’ve forgotten to describe the bar where the festivities were getting underway. When I say bar, it was more like a little store front that had a breeze way with just a few tables and in the back were located some sort of cross between pachinko, pinball and soccer games to play. The parking area is where the chairs and tables were set up in order to provide a seat for the many people from this small town that were beginning to spill in. Even a Karaoke machine was set up and it sure was put to use. Once a good number of people arrived, the food was served and Amaan even went out of his way to create a dish that he prided himself on doing well, Pad Thai. Amann is a supervisor of the kitchen at a local hotel in a posh part of town and from what I saw earlier in the day, he could cook a mean anything. And sure enough I was not disappointed. Just watching him fry up the noodles, vegetables and what have you’s in this large wok was creating a Pavlovian experience. Prior to getting this hefty helping of Pad Thai, I was also given a good amount of another dish that I forget the name of and so here I was gorging on some very delectable dishes laid in front of me. Maybe, it’s all the eating in tandem with weak mixtures of alcohol and water that kept my spirits so high. Well, I am sure that the company that I was keeping sure was having something to do with the smile that was stretching across my face that night.

            A few distinguished guests also arrived to the party; the mayor of the town was there and was given much fan fair upon his arrival, the leader of the local temple, and a man that owned several cockfighting arenas in and near the town. I was introduced to each of these individuals; these introductions seemed to be pretty much standard practice throughout the evening and day. Cockfighting is not something that I am much into but this guy, who owned the cockfighting venues, wasn’t having any of my objections and requested that I go to one of the fights. He said that I would be treated as VIP, which would include free entry, free food and drink and a personal agent to take my bets. Politely, I said maybe another time and we clinked glasses and laughed. Next, he introduced me to his daughter, who I think may have been about 19. And in this case, I also politely said maybe another time, this statement was followed by a good deal of back slapping, laughter and of course more whiskey. Finally around 10:30 PM, after releasing paper lanterns into the clear evening, shooting bottle rockets the size of large children at invisible targets in the night, singing karaoke, and drinking more whiskey than I think I have ever consumed; my ride was finally ready to exit the event. Surprisingly, I still had my wits about me and was able to say my many good byes. Everyone at the party seemed to make it a point to put there pressed palms together and bow their foreheads to their up raised fingers in a gesture of good bye and nice to meet you. There has never been a time in which I felt so welcome at a party in which I barely knew a sole. They may have thought more of me since I couldn’t find the chance to put my foot in my mouth; this language barrier may be more of blessing than a curse after all. My arrival to my room at around 11:20 in the evening was simply followed by a quick brush of the teeth and then to a much wanted slumber.

            In the morning I was to be picked up at 9AM for an adventure into the Mountains of Chiang Mai. I was so very happy the next morning when I awoke and found no ills hung over me from the night before. There were several guest that were up until 3 in the morning but I will tell you about them when I write about the great fun I had in the lush forest.

A Thai Cookout

For every negative there is a positive and it seems that this thought is exemplified so much more through my experiences here in Chiang Mai. My negative for this week comes in the form of going through the hassle of simply trying to get a little line of communication open to the world and friends that I know in the states. And my positive comes in the form of a weekend of pleasure and tranquil peace. It is so very nice when the positives in ones life outweigh the negatives. This weekend was just another, once in a lifetime experience, that keep seeming to sprout up in such a serendipitous way for me. I owe this wonderful weekend to my new friend Bo, her amazing and extremely gracious family and their friends.  

            Initially I had had plans to go out on Monday to Chiang Rai with Bo and Goff. Chiang Rai is a mountain town located about 3 hours out of town, that I hear is packed with a multitude of natural beauty; with such sights as waterfalls, mountain vistas and green lush paths for trekking; these plans were pushed off for next week. Although I was unable to make to Chiang Rai this week, I was invited to a yearly family event that Bo’s family put on, and with my weekly calendar being so open, I accepted the invitation immediately. And so, Saturday morning at 8AM Bo and Goff came by in there little beat up four door to pick me up, we were on our way.

            Upon our arrival to Bo’s father’s home, which is about 30 minutes outside of Chiang Mai; I was overwhelmed by the smells and activity of so many people cooking and prepping for a big event. Every year, Bo’s family and friends cook for a Buddhist day of celebration. They set up tents, tables, chairs and provide a large quantity of homemade Thai food for the monks and worshipers at the town’s Buddhist temple. Introductions were made, but there was no way I was going to remember all of these Thai names, and so I just kept saying Say Wat Dee Kraap – this means hello in Thai – again and again. Bo’s father was able to speak a little English but not very much.  Here I was, surrounded by locals and in an element that for many may have been a difficult affair. And by difficult, I mean that it might be tough to enjoy ones time when communication is such a difficult thing to achieve. Fortunately for me, I have found myself in this sort of situation a good number of times since my arrival here to Chiang Mai, so I just figured that I would do all that I could to enjoy myself and the experience. The best way that I find to fit in with a new group that is busy in activity, is to lend a hand and work along side them. This communal participation allowed for non verbal communication to occur and help alleviate the language deficit. They put me to work separating Kefir leaves from the stems; this was Kefir that was pulled from the trees located on the property. This home is more like a farm really; there are different types of fruit trees located randomly across the property bearing all types of unfamiliar produce, herbs growing in the ground that are putting out a cornucopia of smells to excite the olfactory senses, and chicken clucking about. After tearing leaves and stacking them in a large bowl, I was put to the task of rolling up small balls of pork that were to be placed in a large vat where the heads of some sort animal were floating alongside thinly sliced veggies and spices. These pots and woks were the largest that I have ever seen and there were so many of these large vessels holding all types of dishes that ranged in density, color and smell.

 After rolling about 100 balls of flesh, a seat was offered to me by one of the friendly Thai faces and along with the seat a glass of a light tan beverage on ice. That’s the moment I knew that I would be starting the morning with a little Hong Thong and soda, the things I will do in order to ingratiate myself to a new culture. There is something that I am quickly learning about the Thais. They drink, and they drink all day long. What’s amazing is the way that they go about drinking; I see them as the marathon runners of drinking. Since they know that they are going to be drinking all day; a glass is just filled with a fingers width of whiskey and then drowned in soda or water and Ice. It is actually looked on as gluttonous to fill a glass with more whiskey than water by the locals. This sort of thinking differs from what I’ve come accustomed to; where I’m from the darker the glass of whiskey and water the better. Now of course this darker version leads to a much faster end to the experiences of what the day and evening have to offer. Here we are at 9:30 in the morning drinking whisky, cooking up an ass load of food and preparing for an appreciation of the towns spiritual leaders. After having two of these almost clear beverages we were packing up for the big show.

Setting up the serving area went like a cinch and there is no drinking at the temple, so I knew that we would at least have a few hours before we got back to the small sips of whiskey we had started earlier in the AM. Those small sips, I knew, would be like a million little cuts to clarity and I enjoyed the lull. Oh, and I forgot to mention; earlier in the day I was given a team shirt. Yes, this group has a team name. The primary function of this team is philanthropic. From what I understand, they do work for a couple of temples and a small town in the country where they teach and support the town’s children for one thing, but I will get to more of that later. Anyway, I was now a member of the team and I found it to be quite a kind gesture to have been given the team shirt to wear. One thing I want to say about the temple where we had set up this meal; it is true that I once said that all of these temples begin to bleed into one iconic image in ones mind. However, during my wait to serve the multitude, I was able to take in more closely the decor and beauty of the temple grounds. Also, I was able to observe the ceremony that was occurring within this golden story book of a building. Worshipers sat with legs tucked beneath their bodies and feet facing away from the Buddha, grasping upon a small string that hung from a larger intricate web which ultimately led to a singular line held by the principal monk. As he grasped this unifying thread he was accompanied in ancient chants by the other monks that lined the interior walls. These monks created a buffer of orange between the worshipers and the decorative walls of the temple. The constant hypnotic sound of the chants reverberated across the temple grounds and with this resonance, a since of calm enveloped me and I so much more enjoyed my viewing of the temple and of it’s multitude of intricacies. A stillness of mind lends itself to the viewer during the appreciation of such things I suppose.

            Once the chanting and worship had finished the parishioners came to us with plates outstretched and we obliged with ladles consisting of a multitude of flavors. It was so nice to be an active participant in this event; also, it was nice to partake in a sampling of all these tasty choices. After filling myself with more Thai food than I thought was even possible; the leader of the temple made many announcements of thanks to the team for setting everything up and providing the food. He also had a little fun at my expense by introducing me to all those present and making a small show of his introduction of me to the head Monk. There was a bit of blushing on my part but I was very grateful for the introduction and the welcome.

            There is no need to go into the breakdown of the tents, the washing of the dishes, and the way every person gave a bit of themselves in order to make the event come together so nicely. However, there is a great deal more to tell of how the evening unfolded and I will tell this tale in my next post.

            Wishing you all the best.

If you have the time, click one of the adds on this blog. You will be feeding me a tasty Thai dish with a few clicks. 

My new place updated

Here it is; a week has passed since my arrival in Chiang Mai. And although, to me, there are moments that I think that I have accomplished much, I’ve really done very little in a relative since. I mean if I were in the states, where I speak the language and know the processes, I would simply be moving into a new place and going through the steps that entails. Simply put, it’s just damn hard to do the basic sort of things in a country where everything is so alien and the language barrier is so great. Of course there are many tasks that do come easier than others, such as purchasing items at the grocer or market, traveling from local to local, as well as requesting beer at the near by bar – there are many near by bars. The ease of these task is in large part due to the effort of the locals and there desire to learn English. However, getting an internet connection to my new room, which would be such a simple task in the states, has been made difficult due to the barrier of language, damn you tower of babble. It’s times such as now and as well as in other travels that I just don’t get how, with a world economy and the homogenization that that economy creates nations can't come together in order to create a process that would teach all nations a universal language. Isn’t sign language a universal language, I’m not too sure. An ex lady friend of mine mentioned this to me many moons back – she was wrong about more than one thing but I think she is right about this - and since I don’t have access to the ubiquitous net, I can not be sure. Now if it is a universal language, I think that there would have been more merit in learning this over several other useless aspects of my elementary education that have since been expunged from my mind. Ok… ok, that is my little rant. If you know me, you know I have these rants from time to time. They serve as valve release for any pressures I am experiencing.

Now that I have had this release, I will move on to all the greatness that is my new place. There are wood floors in the small living room and bedroom, a comfy leather couch, a flat screen that works great with my PS3 and as a monitor for my laptop, a small fold away table with chairs that are camouflaged as cabinets when they are stored away, tons of storage and a nice huge bed. There is a large window that pretty much makes up the back wall of the bedroom; this translucent wall provides me with a wonderful view of the Doi Suthep Mountain. And viewing the sun set over the silhouette of this mountain every evening is such a nice way to begin the night. A free maid service will come in and tidy the place twice a month and I also receive a free laundry service. Let me say how nice it is to drop off a bag of my dirties and get back a sealed bag with my cloths folded and pressed. Even my white T’s are given this treatment; I have never looked so well kempt. Along with all of the aesthetic beauty that my little abode offers, there are the intangibles, such as the fact that I am just far enough away from the bustling city, yet still close enough to endeavor there within if need be. My location on the 5^th floor puts me above the street lights and since there are no other large buildings around, I am not exposed to any sort of ambient light. The quiet and darkness create a great opportunity for some quality sleep. This tranquility differs from the place where I was initially staying when I first arrived in Chiang Mai. That place is great if you want to be close to all the things the city has to offer, unfortunately, two of these things are traffic noise that goes from 6 AM to 4 AM and the constant glow of the city’s lights. It is probably this exposure to such a large amount of external stimuli that gives me such an appreciation for the stillness that now surrounds me.  Still though, if at anytime I need to get back into the action, it’s just a five minute walk to cross the moat and walk through the entrance of the ancient crumbling wall that surrounds the Old City.

This new place that I am in now is just $366 a month. Sure, I could have gotten a place for a hundred bucks less that included internet service and that is located in the heart of the City. But the places that I looked at in the City, well for one thing are in the City, they are in older buildings with old well used furnishings. And to be honest, they look like old run down shacks compared to where I am at now. No, I will just deal with what I hope to be a short term inconvenience of no internet connection and pay the extra hundred a month. If I were planning on staying here for a longer period than I am, well then, I am sure I would have to settle for a place that didn’t offer all that this new place of mine does.

Well, I am very happy about being in my new temporary home and I hope the details were not too much of a bore. Tomorrow I am supposed to be going to a local neighborhood party and next week I may be going to the hills with the owner of an eco lodge that I met today during lunch. So, I hope to have a few more tales to tell soon enough.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Wish me luck on this whole internet thing.

You guys are great.

Thanks to your clicks on this page, I am up to a $7.57 credit on my blogger account. And with breakfast costing just 25 baht ($.90), you have all just fed me my daybreak meal for a week. Currently I am eating a dish called Cow Tom, which is a tasty rice soup with spices, greens, egg and a bit of pork. I really appreciate the breakfast guys.

In the next hour I will be moving into my new place and I am so very excited to get set up. Unfortunately my new place does not yet have the internet hooked up, so I am not sure how often I will be able to post this coming week. The net should be up and running by next week, but I just wanted to give you a heads up. Also, with so many WIFI hot spots around town, I may just find a little coffee shop or bar to dwell in during the interim.

1

Yesterday, I went back to the bar that did so much damage to me in order to get some lunch and  a bit of the hair of the dog that took me down the night before. Here are few pics of the meal. The lunch consisted of some spicy Tom Yum soup with shrimp and squid, also a few helpings of white rice on the side with a couple of small Singha's to wash it down. This meal was a little more pricy than most. Soup, $2 and two beers $2. Here is a pic of the meal being prepared in the outdoor kitchen of the bar.

Well, that is for this moment. I wish you all the best and wish me luck getting all set up in my new place. I hope to have a few pics of the place up later today.

Hong Thong time

     Whiskey o whiskey, you ol Hong Thong whiskey; how you pulled me in to your clutches just as the Grecian sirens lulled ancient sailors to their end, smashing them into the tumultuous sea and rocks of shore. The night took a turn from what I had initially planned, not in a bad way, just in a very whiskey laden way. Being the alter boy that I am, I planned on going to this little dive bar near the place I reside and working on learning a little Thai over a few Singha beers. Now saying dive bar here is saying a lot considering most bars here are tucked away under a tarp or dilapidated wooden roof. This bar had three little card tables and chairs to match, a few living establishments were located in the back where little heads picked out from time to time, and some sort of outhouse for a bathroom deep in the rear of the lot that had a piece of corrugated tin for a door.  I imagine my friend Carl would have dry heaved and ran for the nearest exit upon seeing this bathroom. The bathrooms here are more for squatting than sitting and this bathroom just had a bucket of water for washing and no paper to be found. Oh and the buzzing sound of the fluorescent light overhead was a nice touch. Any horror movie producer would have jumped at the chance to use this bathroom in some depraved demented scene. However, as bad as this place looked it did have a flat screen TV on which was playing some old country music. There was Waylon Jennings and few other salty country dogs that I remember listening to in my yester years and the music was enough to bring me in to this converted car port of a bar.

     When I went to take a seat, I had to go past a table of Thai locals that are laughing and slapping one another on the back. It was little intimidating; there were five of them and one was a pretty big guy with a jean jacket that had the sleeves cut off, he looked like some kinda biker. They had a large round cooler of Ice, a pitcher of water, a few plates of food and a bottle of Hong Thong whiskey on the table. I kept my head down and took the table next to them. If there had been a table that was further away I would have taken it but, as I said, there were only three tables here and options were limited. So I sat there jotting a few things down while listening to my Thai language tutorials. As I was sipping my beverage one of the Thais was looking over my shoulder and saw what I was working on. He took my pen from the table and began to correct of few things on my page and that is how I became introduced to these locals one table over.

     The whiskey was starting to look nice and was only $3.50 a bottle, so I said what the heck; just a little bottle of whiskey will not be such a bad thing. I am not sure how, after so many experiences that tell a different story, that I have not learned that whiskey can lead me into some really strange places. Anyway, I ordered a bottle and soon I was sitting with the locals and sharing a few libations. One of the Thais asked my name; I told him my name was Jeff but he could not for the life of him pronounce the F and so he kept calling me Jepp. Now being called Jepp would not have been such a big deal but for the fact that in Thai Jepp means son of chicken and I really did not want to be known as the son of a chicken, his name was Aaw Do and I don’t think his name has any negative connotations. Well after awhile his friends Jaan and Som Chai helped him get the Fs pronounced correctly and then it became a running joke throughout the evening to refer to me as Jepp; it was actually pretty funny.

     One of the guys, Som Chai is a Sergent Major with the Police department and I had some concerns drinking whiskey with a Thai policeman but so be it, I was already in the midst of a good time and saw no reason to end the evening due to such reservations. Actually it turned out to be great a great thing to have him there, he spoke some very acceptable English and really assisted in translating the conversations with the group. Aaw Do is an electrician and just kept laughing all night, I guess we all were laughing and having a grand time. His Mom was actually one of the owners of the bar we were in and his mom made some mean Thai dishes. The guys were actually impressed with my ability to handle the spicy dish in front of us and when I started eating tiny hot peppers along with my whiskey and water they really seemed to be awed. Of course I loved the attention and gave myself a wry smile as I thought, that’s right man “I’m no son of a chicken”.

     Well, I guess I could go on and on about the evening and of all the Thai words that I was being taught, of all the slaps on the back, and of all the times that we laughed, but that would take up just too much of your time. So I will just say that after two large bottles of Singha and two small bottles of Hong Thong we all left the bar smiling and saying “Dee Jai Tee Die Pob Kon”, which means nice to meet you. And it truly was nice to meet these guys and find this little bar situated in just one of the many little ally/roadways of Chiang Mai.

     It was unfortunate that we started drinking at 3 PM though, because by 7 we were lit beyond compare and I ended up staggering to bed around 7:30 in the evening. This night I got as much sleep as my little Smurf friend, Shelly, who likes to get about 10 hours of sleep in a night. Now I am showered and refreshed and a little bit more wary of taking part in another night of Hong Thong madness and so I will simply lie low today and work on a little recovery.

Wishing you all well. More photos available under pics and vids.

Also, would you click on a few of the adds on this page. The more clicks, the more silver the machine gives me.

Thanks

My new place

After the glow of the lantern festival and of all the wonderful sensations circulating through my mind and body from the event; I still had some major hurdles to surmount in order to get a solid footing here in this beautiful foreign land. And so I slept and prepared for my Sunday morning meeting that was set to be at 10 AM. I was to meet up with a fellow who would help guide me through the process of getting a decent place to reside for my stay here in Chiang Mai. Initially, the day after I arrived here in Chiang Mai I checked out a few spots that were very nice but so damn far away from some major necessities, such as a grocery store, cheap food vendors and a place to sit for a night time beverage and wind down. These places were close to a nice golf course which in it self almost had me convinced to live in the Georgetown of Chiang Mai. For those that don’t get this reference, just think of living in the suburbs of a major city and trying to walk into town for a drink.

Well, I got on the boards and asked the masses of ex-pats that already have gone through these steps and missteps for a little guidance as to my choice to live so far out from the old town center. Responses varied, but the overall consensus was that unless I got myself a set of wheels I would simply whither on the vine and not truly experience the subtleties that make Chiang Mai so inviting to so many. Anxiety began to creep in again and led me to a mad dash to find a place that was affordable and near where things were more energized and tactile. Of course it also needed to be in an area that will afford me a peaceful nights sleep. Only one place I found on the net fit the bill, and although I felt poorly for already telling my agent that I would take the place out in the burbs, I kept in mind that this cat worked on some sort of commission and I quickly lost any sympathy for the inconvenience that I may have caused the guy. Nice guy by the way, he offered to pick me up on his day off and show me the place.

“Man O man, this place is so utterly perfect”. This internal statement I tried to keep to myself in order to leave a little room for negotiation. But hell, my face and mannerisms have a way of showing whatever it is that I am thinking and my excitement got the better of me. “I’ll take it”, were the words that jumped from internal to external in an instant. Maybe it was my excitement that made them take $1000 baht from the original set monthly rent, either way, I was happy that things went as they did. Negotiating is a fucking hassle and I leave it to the snake oil sales men in the world out there that set prices in order to take advantage of those that naively take that price as it is set; this is a digression and pet peeve on my part.

In addition to my excitement in getting this place that is set so near to the city center and that encompasses all of things that I was hoping for when I envisioned living in this town. Was the fact that the woman that owns the condo and who was there to show it to me is also a manager at the Bangkok Bank here in Chiang Mai. She offered to call one of her staff to help me set up an account at the bank. So after leaving the condo and filling out some paper work, my agent drove me by the place I am at now, picked up my passport and he then dropped me off at the bank. When I arrived at the bank, an account manager was waiting for me and lickety split, I now have an ATM card and an account here in Chiang Mai. Another to do was just crossed off the list.

Well, I have rambled on and raddled about this and that for too long now. My excitement of the occurrence of events may be the cause of such things.

Now, I am just relaxing while reading and enjoying a little refreshing adult beverage on ice.

Here is a link to the place that I will be staying. Rent is $366 a month and I get maid service every 2 weeks along with free laundry service. Now the pics on this link do not convey how nice this place is now that the owner has added a few finishing touches. So I will update this post with a few pics of the place when I move in on Thursday.

http://chiangmaiproperties.co.th/condo/rent/Studio-room-condo-with-1-bathroom-and-fully-furnished-in-Karnkanok-5-Baan-Suan-Greenery-Hill/Condo/rent/1-Bedroom-1-bathroom-with-fully-furnished-in-SD-Condo/C940.aspx

Wish me luck and I wish you well.

Yee Peng, Damn fine time

 Here is a link telling all about the Yee Peng event. Check this out to find out what the event is all about and I will go on a tell of my exciting time there and the time after.

http://www.thaifly.com/Home/Hilight/thailand-tour/yee-peng-festival.php

 

The day started out great, I got a bunch of to dos scratched from my list, and however I was still concerned about how the hell I was going to get all the way out to the lantern festival. All of the transportation that I looked up was booked and to get a taxi out there would have been costly. The temple where the event was held was about an hour out of town. All I can say is thank goodness for great friends and Facebook. My friend Susan lived in Chiang Mai for about a month and half and while she was here she met a girl who goes by the Bo, Susan introduced me to Bo on Facebook. And now that I have a phone I was able to make contact with Bo. I gave ol Bo a call and let her know that I really wanted to go to the festival and asked if she would be going. She had never been to this ceremony and she told me that she was actually very excited it and wanted to go. Bo told me that her boyfriend would come by and pick me up at 5 and that she would feed me before we headed to the event, Bo owns a small restaurant just outside of town and I soon found out is an amazing cook.

At 5:00 o’clock her man Golff showed up and we were on our way. Traffic was a site in itself, I tell you it’s amazing what a person can fit on a moped. Now let me say, I was nervous about getting picked up so late since the 10,000 lantern release was set for 7:30 PM and everything that I read said if you want to be there in time for the release you really need to leave Chiang Mai by 3:00 PM in order to make the lantern release. “Mie Pen Ri”, as is commonly said here, which means “it is what it is”. To be honest, I was just happy to go out and meet a friendly face and eat some homemade Thai. I figured I would catch a glimpse of the lanterns floating in the sky either way and if that is all that I could see of the festival then I would still be content in the site of seeing 10,000 small fires in night sky.

Once we arrived at Bo’s restaurant I was immediately accepted as a friend. I thought how amazing it was that a new friend could so ease my restless mind. Bo cooked me up some yummy dish of rice with a fried egg laid across, this along with a very spicy dish of chicken and veggies. It was so nice to finally have some Thai food that actually lived up to the term spicy. Now those that know me know that I love it spicy and this was perfect. There was no need for my standard lathering of Sriracha sauce, just a little crushed red pepper and it was perfection.  

After the meal we headed into a bedlam of people, traffic, and sounds. When we finally parked we paid a fellow 20 baht ($.70) for a ride to the event. And I kid you not, we arrived at the center of the gathering about 10 minutes prior to the big release. It was so very amazing to hear and see. In the back ground were monks chanting traditional prayers over loud speakers, smoke from a large fire in the middle of the throng of monks and the spectators, as well as so many wonderful lit up Buddhist icons. The collective since of joy was contagious and washed over me, refreshing my spirit like the cool waters of Baron Springs on a hot summer day. This refreshment was a needed necessity considering I was still just going on three hours of sleep.

All I could think was that I was really here, that I was really seeing this and experiencing this event. This event that I had been wanting to see in person ever since I first saw the video of it on Youtube.  Then the countdown started, sip haa… sip see.. sip sam, all the way down to neung, then the release of these 5 foot lanterns made of a thin paper that was surrounding  a fiery wax. Hot air and smoke lifted these 10,000 lanterns into the sky all at on time. The lanterns were accompanied by a barrage of rocketing fireworks lighting up the night in a glow that no pictures I took could truly capture. Wow! I kept saying this over and over; I was like a small child experiencing their first fire works show. This was the first moment that I felt I had made the right decision in coming to Chiang Mai.

After the event and after waiting an hour just to get through the traffic leaving the event; my gracious hosts were in no mood to end the evening. And thanks to a little nap I had taken during the sludge of a crawl that it took to get out of the temple grounds, I was game for a few libations and a late night Thai sampler. Bo and Golff dropped off Bo’s mother, Omm, and then we were off to a local Thai bar. When we got to the bar these skinny little 27 year old Thai kids ordered a ton of dishes to go along with our Singha beers. More food than a fat man would consume at the Sizzlers all you can eat steak buffet.  A funny thing about the beers though, was that they brought out a bowl of ice so that we could keep the beverages cool. Beer with Ice was not something I was used to but neither were half of the dishes laid out in front of me, so I went along and enjoyed every minute of it. My new friends were not very fluent in English, well Bo was at least able to speak a fair amount but Golff could hardly speak a lick. And with me being a just little more fluent in Thai than Golff was in English and much less fluent than Bo, there were some lulls in conversation. But we did have the Thai translation book in front of us and had a great time teaching each other the languages of our birth.

 It sure is amazing how beer and good food can bridge the language bearer and change strangers into friends. By the end of the night we were raising our glasses time and again chanting Chon, which is the Thai word for cheers and I think each of us was really enjoying one another’s company. After settling the bill, I was dropped off at my temporary place of residence. An invitation to go to Chiang Rai on Monday at 9 AM was extended my way and I gladly accepted, we then said our good byes. My bed was inviting me in for a nice solid sleep but first I had my evening cigarette and watched the rain that had begun to fall over Chiang Mai. Before finding slumber I smiled from ear to ear thinking of just how the night had unfolded and of how my world is made so much better by the company that I keep and how fortunate I am to have such wonderful souls in my life.

I wish all well.