cremation of an abbot

The cremation of the abbot of a famous Wat here in Chiang Mai took place last week. He has been dead about 2 years, the more honoured one is the longer it takes to arrange the funeral. The event is amazing and the organisation unbelieveable. It goes on for about a week at the wat and thousands of people arrive and many dignitaries including the Royal Princess. Hundreds of flowers are freshly planted. The police direct traffic in all the streets around, huge tents are erected, food is chopped, peeled and cooked in enormous amounts and varieties and handed out free at dozens of stands all around the temple grounds. Huge Woks are placed on at least six to ten burners, cooks toil away in the hot sun offering food with big smiles, there's every variety of Thai food, drinks, ice cream, coconut desserts. Buddist nuns fill huge pots with fresh prepared ingredients, gas bottles are hauled in, restaurants donate food and it all goes on day and night for a week. A traditional orchestra plays music and monks chants fill the air. Everyone is smiling and good humoured and it is a festive occasion. People are dressed either in all white or black. Most Thais give donations and offer flowers, incense and new robes to monks to make merit on the auspicious occasion and they bow and prostrate before a picture and effigy of the dead abbot whose remains are suspended in a magnificent creation that has taken days to build. I am told that the name of this mythical creature is a Hatsodiling and it is a combination of a Naga, a bird and an elephant. It is constructed only for important abbots in the north of Thailand when they are going on their journey via the Himabat forest to their destination at Myru Mountain which is known as the centre of the universe. What a sendoff. It seemed such a shame to have this wonderful creature go up in flames. All the drapes on the sides were plaited and woven with real flowers, it's trunk could go up and down, it's wings could flap and it's elephant ears moved back and forth.

Just before the conflagration fireworks lit up the sky and fire travelled along the ropes towards the casket/urn high up on the creature. The abbot's previous robe suspended high in the air caught fire and the public eagerly ran to catch any small pieces that fell to the ground to keep as honoured relics. Thousands watched the fire that was kept controlled by fire men who had hoses of water trained on all sides. It was so close to the Chedi and Wat as well as to all the people but somehow it was managed and took hours to smolder down. Still the chanting went on. The next day everything had been cleared away and the area looked as clean and peaceful as ever. What a way to go.

If anyone is interested below is a link to a full photo album of the pictures.

http://picasaweb.google.com/a.roantree/CremationOfAbbot#

Golden Triangle Hill Tribes

This is a photo album about hilltribes. Wonderful photography, the exhibition was held in the Tamarind Hotel, Chiang Mai and hill tribe people were dancing and playing music so some of the pictures are of them.

http://picasaweb.google.com/a.roantree/GoldenTrianglePhotoExhibition?feat=directlink

In Luang Prabang, Laos.

I needed to leave Thailand to renew my visa so off I went with friend Pauline to my favourite city in Laos, Luang Prabang. It is a UNESCO Heritage listed site. A beautiful place scented with Frangipani trees on the Mekong river. Since my last visits it has become, alas, very crowded and much more expensive. That seems to be happening to so many quiet beautiful little hideaways. They're discovered, lots of hotels and guesthouses are built, hoards decend, the traffic increases and the charm decreases. One needs reservations at good restaurants and there are many wine bars along the main street. It is still lovely but one has to get away from the main roads as we are doing here on the majestic Mekong river, just floating along without a destination looking at the little gardens along the banks, women washing clothes in the river, children playing in it, men fishing. Most of Laos is still really quiet and laid back although the new roads make travel much easier. Next trip here won't be to Luang Prabang and I'm really sorry as I have wonderful memories of this most laid back city, it's temples and monks.


The children taking a boat to and from school.

Previousely the markets were small and people loved to collect the handembroidered products that are so labour intensive and sewn by the skilled hill tribe women. Now the whole main street is a market every night and goods cost much more than in the surrounding countries so there are many sellers with pleading eyes.

We had a good time of course, sitting by the Mekong for real sun downers each night, trying the local restaurants and admiring the gracious people of Laos.

Here's my Laos Photo Album.

Festive Season Chiang Mai 09/10

No one enjoys a party time more than the Thais. They celebrate our Christmas, our New Year, their own New Year (in April) or just any reason to party. As usual there was a party in the hotel starting at 11.30 am and lasting all day. The staff had cooked all day and most of the night before and there were industrial size coolers of drinks and ice cream.

Christmas Dinner was spent at the lovely Chedi Hotel which used to be the British Embassy here. It is situated on the Ping river. About 14 of us went together and it was a most relaxing, slow, excellent 4 hours. Children from the Karen tribe sang for us and then a jazz combo played in the background the rest of the time.

New Years Eve was also at a really nice restaurant which is close to the main Tapae Gate on the Moat around the old city. The fireworks were going off in the grounds of the restaurant and at the Gate while others went off all over the background down on the river Ping while the Kom Loy balloons floated aloft and the very full moon smiled down on all of us as we sipped our bubbely and toasted all and sundry.

I hope all of this nice start is a symbol that our world may be less violent in this New Year and kinder to all the suffering people in it.


Christmas Week http://picasaweb.google.com/a.roantree/ChristmasWeekCM09#

New Years Album

http://picasaweb.google.com/a.roantree/NewYears2010#

YMCA School

I've started back to Thai classes at the YMCA and this time I am going for conversation in the mornings and reading/writing in the afternoons so don't have so much time just now. There's a real need to study in between. This is just such a hard language to learn and my old grey head doesn't cooperate as quickly as it used to. There's 44 consonants, 32 vowels, tone marks and various symbols for punctuation as they don't have any commas or full stops. I am not planning to get as far as reading but do want to understand notices, names of places etc. Our teachers all look like teenagers with long black hair, they dress in little children's dresses and wear backless heeled shoes that go clack clack up and down the stairs. Three of the teachers are on the right.

Since many of the students are only used to "hole in the ground" toilets these signs are considered necessary in many western loos.

Thanksgiving Nov. 09

A group of us decided to go to the Shangri-La hotel for American Thanksgiving Dinner. It wasn't very traditional with sushi, chef's cooking pasta to order, a buffet, pizza etc. There was a turkey but regretfully none of my favourite stuffing. Still they did cook some brussel sprouts and the desserts were lovely.
Below picture is taken with a friend from Singapore who lives here permanently. Her name is June and she makes lovely jewellery and loves to dance. Her two children are beautiful and go to an international school called Prem. Joyce was there as well and here she is with her good friend and "daughter" Lisa who is working on her PHd here.

D2 with Pauline and Tony

My friend's the Botrills are back for the winter in Chiang Mai, they live between England, the States and Tony works often in the Soloman Islands. It's always lovely to get our group together again. They arrived just before an outdoor charity event at the very modern D-2 hotel so this is the three of us enjoying the cocktails.