Drunken ghosts celebrate life

More than 2553 years ago, Buddha went off into the forest for a long time to meditate. Gone for 49 days (but eventually seeking spiritual enlightenment) the folks at home started to worry about him. They were convinced their Prince was dead deep in the forest. But eventually, after days of worry, the enlightened man emerged, and his people were so surprised to see him they thought he was a ghost. On discovering he was the real deal, the villages threw a big "glad you're not dead/ welcome back" party.


Now, I don't know about in the old days in Nepal or India, but Thailand sure knows how to throw Buddha a party. They call it the "Ghost Festival" or "Pee Tha Kon" in Thai.  Everyone dresses up in intricately painted masks made of rice baskets and wood, with matching outlandish costumes.

ghosts in the streets of dansai

too much poking. awkward.

Apparently there are customs and formal traditions involved in this festival, including finding a lucky pearl in the river and listening to 13 of Buddhas sermons.... but I didn't see any of that. It's pretty secondary to what the festival is really about : Dancing around in costume, drinking, and poking one another with huge wooden phalluses they carry around like swords. (There is really no explanation for this other than the Thai sense of humor - I've checked)**.  


During the parade, there were also a few groups of men dressed in blackface - extremely bizarre and offensive, but given the amount of racism in Thai culture, not surprising. (Again, Thai sense of humor is a little off at times, and I found no real reason for these groups to be included in the celebration)  I feel weird about posting these pictures, but I also feel it necessary ? 

ummm this is okay?

The festival took place in beautiful Isaan, Loei Province. This side of the country is less developed, full of rolling hills and rice fields, and was predictably sunny and hot that weekend. The odd thing about visiting Isaan, is that falang are still kind of a novelty. While magnificent ghost masks and spectacle danced around me, I was the one being asked multiple times to have my picture taken with locals. I even saw a few people sneak pics of me on their cellphones while I walked by - it felt nearly paparazzi-esque, and made me pretty uncomfortable. I was there with my other falang friend - and with her pale skin and red hair,  we were very foreign sights for the people of Leoi. 

This ghost-man wanted his pic with the falang, and the falang wanted a pic with the ghost man. Win-win 

Overall, another enchanting weekend of colors and celebration in Amazing Thailand.  While I certainly learned a lot about this Buddhist holiday and the culture of Isaan, the intrigue lies in that I always leave these festivals with more questions than I came with...





**Phalluses or lingam are prevalent in Thai culture, blending together a few different religious customs (In Hinduism, it represents Shiva), but typically symbolizes fertility or power. How this was particularly relevant in this festival wasn't exactly clear. But hey, why not. 

tuk-tukin' round the YOOT

So I've lived in Ayutthaya (pronounced uh-YOOT-tai-yaaa, and affectionately nicknamed The YOOT ) for almost 4 months now, so i figured it was about time i saw all the sights. with a friend in town and the sun shining, i finally had an excuse to be a tourist in my own city.

Kassem was our tuk tuk driver and tour guide for the day, and quite frankly, he was The Man. he spoke Thai with us - clearly and slowly - and somehow perfectly estimated how much we knew, because at all the right moments he would slip into a very articulate english.  "dern chaa chaa bundai jet sip gao ... around the back of the gold chedi behind the stupa... hen buddha suay maag". Not only did we understand HIS thai, but HE understood OUR thai - which is an amazing accomplishment in this little city.

In our further Thai-glish conversations with Kassem, we found out he was quite the ladies man,  also enjoyed rice whiskey, and wouldn't stop teasing me when my face got red after drinking a beer (damn asian flush).

of all the sights in ayutthaya, the reclining buddha is my favorite.This buddha is one of my favorite poses in general, where Buddha is about to die after his lifelong meditative battle with earthly suffering, escape samsara [reincarnation] and enter into nirvana [kind of like heaven, but not].

i find Ayutthaya's RB more beautiful than the more famous one in Bangkok's Wat Pho, mainly because you can actually see the whole thing at one time, and its not obtructed by pillars, nor contained by ceilings. It's just chillin' under the clouds, his orange robe wafted by wind, gold stickers sparkling in sunlight. He is relaxed and reclined, about to enter into the sweet blissful state of nirvana, and his expression captures this perfectly. his smile is sneaky and mysterious like the Mona Lisa, but definately at peace, euphoric with spiritual detachment and looking forward to his future liberation. he just looks so... content. almost smug. i love it.

Side Note: This is perhaps the reason why I prefer temples and buddhas over churches and crosses. Tell me the last time you were in a church surrounded by images of Jesus looking smug.... (never. its depressing.)

Another noteworthy temple of the Yoot is Wat Phu Khao Thong, an impressive chedi consisting of 79 steps but a rather bland extertior. While the name means "Golden Mount", it is actually white. More like dirty gray. But endure the 79 step walk up, and on the base of the chedi you will find a very small door, about 4 feet high, like something from Alice and Wonderland. It leads you down an equally shallow hallway, and there you will discover something amazing. Deep inside this pyramid there is small, clostrophobic room, 20 degrees hotter than it is outside, stuffy and... sparkling. It covered with glitter and gold, including a magnificent ruby Buddha unlike i've ever seen.

A monk was sitting quietly in the "room" already, but it was more like a closet. With only me, Eva, and the monk, the space was packed, the unmoved air stuffy with incense and farang sweat. Overcome with sparkling idols, I bowed to the ruby Buddha and humbly excepted a gift of sacred thread (yet another) and a blessing from the resident monk.

Our trip around Ayutthaya was tireless, but somehow visiting temples always leaves me rejuvenated and propitious. The city of Ayutthaya, it turns out, is much like the Golden Temple itself. As an outside observer,  it may look simply old and dusty. But look closer, and you will find a history deep as it is dirty, and full of beauty and blessings  in the most unexpected places.