Loi Kratong in Chiang Mai, Thailand

In my neighborhood, when you're awoken at night by what sounds like either the Burmese Army invasion, or another government coup, you know it's Loi Kratong festival time. It's one of the two main festivals in Chiang Mai, and it attracts many people from around the country. One of the main things people do is give an offering to the River Goddess. As a historian friend pointed out, this is actually an old Indian tradition based on the story of Rama who gave a similar offering in the Ramayama--many rivers are considered sacred in India. Thais got the tradition from the Khmer who took on Hinduism. And the offering (a little floaty thing called a kratong) is considered a prayer that washes away your sins. It's ashamed that not too long ago these little prayer boats were made out of plastic! Poor River Goddess, clocking on all that! They've recently campaigned to have the kratongs made of biodegradable materials like coconut husks, palm leaves and flowers. BigA is holding one below:

People also send these kon loi into the sky.

And yes, the fireworks are another part of it. Kids have been blowing their limbs off for years, all in good fun. People throw them off at all hours, and things are especially loud close to the Ping River. I'm not far from it, but far enough away that a good set of earplugs got me through the worst. A colleague living right on the river invited us to her place on the main night. She was so nice, and provided dinner for us. I don't know how she was such a good host, as she said she had barely gotten any sleep in a week from the fireworks going off! Here are some pics from the river. Listen below to the sounds of Loi Kratong at night:

~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~-

Red Tips | If you're visiting Chiang Mai for the Loi Kratong, and are around the Ping River area, bring some good earplugs! The firecrakers and fireworks can get very loud. Although quite fun, it can also can get quite crowded with tourists and Thais visiting from different parts of the country, so you may want to make arrangements in advance. Check out Chiang Mai Hotels for a wide range of options and prices.

Huan Soontaree: Lanna Food & Music

One of my favorite places to soak in sensuous Lanna Thai culture in Chiang Mai is to enjoy the atmosphere, food and music at Huan Soontaree's restaurant. Huan is local gam muang language for house and Soontaree's, with its big, open-aired spacing and colorful hanging embroidery, is truly an ode to local folklore, decor, cuisine, and music. Khun Soontaree Veechanont is a well-known musician specializing in Lanna folk singing. Opening acts start early evening, and Soontaree regularly goes on around 830-9pm to intone difficult nasal notes in gam muang to an applauding, mostly Thai audience. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of Lanna style music in general, but when Soontaree sings, I just can't get enough! I've even bought several of her albums and always end up singing along with her.

You may also want to enjoy the Lanna puppet show if you're seated downstairs. I prefer to head upstairs since it has better acoustics and an eye level view of the performers. And the show by no means takes away from the quality of the food which is very tasty: the stuffed serpent fish, tom ka guy and penang tofu are just a few excellent dishes.

Khun Soontaree is not only famous for her musical talent, but also for her engagement in Thai politics. The current political crisis is on all of our minds these days, and as I write this, Bangkok's airports are closed due to protests. She speaks out regularly against ousted Prime Minister Thaksin, dangerous political posturing in Chiang Mai, his very supportive home town. She gives a speech in this picture on her wall (above) in front of a caricature of Thaksin devouring the Thai flag. Her old restaurant which was closer to the center of town was actually bombed a few years ago, may be one of the reasons why she moved to this new more remote location up the Ping river.

Whatever your political stance, you can still enjoy her friendly house. If you're as lucky as I have been, you'll be around a night her daughter comes to town. Like her mother, Lanna Commins is also a musician, and has several albums out of fusion folk and pop. Hearing them sing together is quite a treat. We chat with Lanna and Khun Soontaree below (to my left and right).
I leave you with my favorite Soontaree song. I don't speak gam muang, but there's something in there about a Chiang Mai girl and her everyday adventures eating khao soi in the mountains of Doi Pui :) Sabai Sabai ...

[Listening may require Quicktime plug-in and settings]

~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~-

Red Tips Location - Driving directions: Huan Soontaree is located on the west bank of the ping river, north of town. Get on the super highway toward the Ping river. If headed eastward stay left before the bridge to go north up the river (westward go over and under the bridge); go about 5-6km, it will be on your right. Drivers know where it is, just make sure to have them stay or come back and get you later. Phone: Call 053 872 707 if you want to make sure she's on that night.

Super Richy, Meeting a Vishnu Avatar

Recently I had the chance to meet a flesh and bone Vishnu avatar in Chiang Mai, Thailand. His name is Super Richy, and he says he has been spiritually inclined since childhood and is the avatar - incarnation - of the Hindu God, Vishnu. John B, a friend of mine who teaches Buddhism, was helping him prepare his English for presentations he was invited to give in Germany. Of course when some of us heard he was a well-known meditation teacher and Vishnu avatar, we wanted to meet him at once! John arranged for him to practice his presentation with us. He was so nice to let us listen, ask questions and take pictures.

Despite all the hype about him, he is as humble and soft spoken as they come, and doesn't go around advertising himself as a walking gift from the heavens. What he thrives on is sharing his experiences with meditation and passing on his techniques to those interested in improving their spiritual lives. His book is Super Richy: It's Not Easy to Be Me. He was gracious enough to pose with it above.

Now whether or not one believes in Vishnu avatars and incarnations, it was still great to meet someone like him - a young spiritual (Super)star, who has energized and transformed so many, especially Thai Buddhists. Thank you, Richy, it was great to meet you.