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:

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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 ...

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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.

An Island Funeral

A few years ago my brother and I had the chance to visit Frida Kahlo's house in Mexico City. It was a charming old blue house that belonged to her family before her, a place she she was born, and where she lived and died. In the little blue house was a quote from Frida that really touched me. She said:

"Es un privilegio nacer y morrir en la misma casa."
("It is a privilege to be born and to die in the same house.")

My grandmother had this very privilege. She has the privilege of being born, having lived, and passing her last days in her home, in the land that she loved, the place of her fore-parents, and of her children.

My beloved grandmother, who I lived with through childhood and who I am named after, passed away on September 20, on the Island of Guanaja, Bay Islands, Honduras. She was sitting in her chair, resting, surrounded by family and friends. There was no struggle. No fear. No gasping. Only calm sleep. Her last words were "I'm tired." Now she can rest peacefully.

I've watched every episode of the series Six Feet Under. In the show, as with life in much of the United States and other developed countries, you give your loved one's body over to professionals and they take care of everything for you. The family hardly needs to do a thing but comfort each other, and show up for the funeral. There is something positive to be said about not having to worry about any preparations.

On the Bay Islands however, Death, preparations, funerals, could hardly be more different. On the islands, there are no funeral homes, no professionals to hand things over to. What we have on the islands are friends, family, and few local undertakers who can be called on to help with practical things. Yet there is also something positive to be said for death as experienced in the raw - intimate, present.

Here are some of our experiences dealing with the passing of a loved one. I think it gives a window into how Bay Islanders deal with death and funerals:

After my grandmother died my sister laid beside her on her bed for hours. My sister and my mom also helped dressing her. It was the most natural thing in the world for them.

Many of the little details that need taken care of after any death were arranged for or given by our friends and family: food for the wake, flowers, the casket, even the preservation of the body. On the islands, if you want to preserve your loved one for more than two-three days, what is usually done is to lay them on ice in a box. This is how my grandmother was preserved so that other family could make it to the funeral. I was about to leave for home when she passed, and my uncle and other relatives had to get there as well.

Since there are no funeral homes, the wakes are held at the family house, usually with the ice box on the porch as we did. A family friend offered to prepare Granny's body for us for the viewing - she only does this for close friends and does it as a gift. This has to happen a few hours before the funeral ceremony so the body can defrost a bit. We waited elsewhere as she supervised getting Granny out of the ice box, and prepared the final touches. She did an amazing job. Granny's body looked so natural and nice. We were so appreciative of this kindness.

I spend much of the rest of the time with Granny's body, making sure it was ready. Blotting off the moisture that gathered from her arms. Helping pin fresh flowers on her dress. Covering-up with make-up a few red spots off her neck. Adding a bit more color to her lips and cheeks. I knew I wouldn't choose to see her at the funeral viewing, as is the tradition at the end of the service. These were my last moments with her, tactile, with my hands.

As far as funeral goes it was the most celebratory service I've been to. It wasn't about her potential, or a handful of good things we remember, but a genuine celebration of who she was. She was, in the words of a friend, a pure soul. The service was a celebration of the life she lived in generosity and kindness, her meek and gentle heart. A life that all of us can try to imitate.
My own tribute included Jesus' sermon on the mount, The Beatitudes of Matthew 5 :
"Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth"
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God"
And the text that seems cut out for especially my mother,

"Blessed are those who morn for they will be comforted."

The preacher gave us a bit of a laugh when he said I had stolen his sermon his - he also focused on the Beatitudes! But, he rightly noted that any memory of her must necessarily include these text - because everyone who knew her would agreed they are a mirror of her Christlike character. We can only hope to live a life which can be celebrated this way at our own funerals.

For the burial we loaded ourselves on a friends Shrimp boat and steamed a short distance to the main island. About two centuries old, many of the first British settlers are buried on the graveyard above. Her family, the Kirkconnell's, lay around the big tree on the hill to the left.

Burials on the islands are fairly simple, a few words and a scripture usually from the Psalms, a prayer, and then every one joins in singing hymns. We sing as the casket is lowered into a hole in the earth six feet under, is then covered completely, and finally adorned with flowers. Thus we said our goodbye's to a beloved member of the community, a faithful friend, mother, and grandmother. She lives in our hearts and inspires us to be better people. May she Rest in Peace.

Political Crisis in Thailand, What Will Happen? (No Worries, aj.D is Safe)

Let me say a word to those of you who are following the news and are worried about me in Thailand. I'm watching closely, but from the comfort of pro-Samak/Thaksin Chiang Mai in the North. Meanwhile, 500 kilometers away, Bangkok is under a state of emergency. (Never mind that they found a bomb in the anti-Samak PAD office in Chiang Mai. It didn't detonate.) I've learned enough about Thai politics to know this is part of the system of a fledgling democracy working itself out of corruption, etc. It's part of the process (now on the 19th constitution, as many coup d'états).

What are my political pundit peeps predicting? If Thailand follows its previous pattern, and there is more bloodshed, there will be another coup. What is the point of taking out a corrupt Prime Minister 2 years ago only to replace him with a so-called 'puppet'? The story defies western ideas because it is an unlikely loose alliance of a 'pro-democracy' movement and something that starts with 'm' and ends with 'y'. Those who know how revered it is know what I mean. This article has a more exhaustive take on possible future scenarios. The article concludes:
"There is no obvious way out of this impasse, and none of the above scenarios is a clear recipe for lasting peace. Thailand is polarized into two sides - those who ardently support Mr Thaksin and his allies, and those who detest them and refuse to countenance the idea of them in power. Until a compromise is reached, the rift in Thai society is likely to continue."
If not, then perhaps another coup, or a 'people's coup,' as many call it? or another government? some minor compromise? ... and the cycle goes on, and on.

How does this effect me directly, might you ask? Well so far, the family that owns my local vegetarian restaurant closed up for a few weeks to join the protests in Bangkok. Other than that, not much!

An interesting time to be in Thailand. I will keep you posted.

(Speaking of politics, I'm watching closely the US election ... between the Hillary-Obama rift, and not picking her for VP, along with the Palin choice, which I could see coming, well, let's see where things go ...)

Football Fellowship; D wins Best Player?!

Football fun.
A few weeks ago, one of our students who works in sports ministry organized a mini-football (soccer) tournament to help build relationships between teachers and students. I love football, it's just part of growing up in the Caribbean and Latin America, so I was one of the teachers who joined in the play.

Play is a divine gift, and I opened with a prayer of thanksgiving and for our play to bring us just a bit closer to each other.

Although the games were light spirited and fun, there was still hefty competition. These girls were really tough! And it seems to me it's no good if you play without getting some bruises--and I got kicked instead of the ball more than once in the shin. Our team got second place. Due, I think to a poor referee decision that caused us to tie instead of win the final game. Another, perhaps unfortunate, part of growing up around football in Latin America is that your team never 'looses' but always gets 'cheated.' When your team wins, it is always fair. Ah. The emotions of the beautiful game! Please, bear with my fanaticism! try see it as charming folly if you can.

As for my own playing skills, all I can do is wait up front and kick the ball or pass it to someone who has an opening. The simple job of a striker! It worked. I managed two assists and two goals--one goal, believe it or not, with my left foot. I suppose because of my willingness to play, my fanatical passion, along with the goals and the assists, the students voted me Best Player of the tournament. Here the students and I receive our awards. Thanks to all, and that you Anthony for organizing everything. It was great to have non-classroom fellowship.

Spiritual Retreat on Doi Suthep Mountain

I've been doing quite a bit of hiking lately around the many mountains and lovely forests that envelope Chiang Mai. The picture above was taken by David on the way up Doi Suthep mountain a few weeks ago were discovered that the sky, often full of smog, was the clearest we'd ever seen! We just had to take in the view. (That day we also discovered that my not-so-young car can make it up the steep mountains! ... good girl.)
I recently went up to national cabins with my colleagues on a meditation retreat, just 150 meters uphill from the Doi Suthep temple. The picture above is my walking meditation in the spirit of the forest-monk traditions of Thailand.

Incidentally, our spiritual retreat was held the same weekend as the beginning of the Buddhist Lent. All morning the faithful made their walk up the 300 plus flights of stairs with flowers to place on Buddha images.
The monks were chanting and the temple bells were ringing, tapped by the constant flow of the faithful into the temple. At the same time, 150 meters up the mountain, we were singing Taizé Christian songs between contemplative silences. Our music and singing, along with the bells and the monk-chants, made for a surprisingly pleasant cacophony of spiritual sounds.

Listen to the spiritual cacophony by playing both parts at once
(above Taizé 'Alleluia,' and below chant of 'The Three Refuges')

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Laos Highway up to the Border with China

Is that aj.D doing an interview in a hut in the middle of Laos? Why, yes. Let me tell you, it's hard to resist an invitation to go to the friendly and relaxed Laos when much of the transportation is paid for. A few weeks ago a friend and colleague ask me to go to Laos to help research the economic and social impact of the newly completed highway from China to the Mekong River across from Chiang Khong, Thailand. Other than to look pretty (ha ha), my job was to help with phrasing questions that would not scare people away from talking about sensitive topics. The others in our six person team had more essential roles and we had a Chinese and a Lao student who could help with language as well.

We started off the trip with a night in low key Chiang Rai, and went straight to the Night Bazaar, which I totally love. The next day we awoke to start our journey all the way to the Chinese border. Thanks to Pornsak getting us our own van we made it to Chiang Khong in no time through a scenic route I hadn't been on before. This was my second time to Chiang Khong, and I have to say I really enjoy being on the Mekong. The sign in the pic let us know we were at the GATE TO INDO - CHINA. From there we took a taxi boat across the mighty Mekong River to Hui Xai (or Bokeo).
Above is a view of the boats from the Thai side sporting the Thai flag, and below a view from the Lao side.
From Hui Xai Pornsak arranged a nice van to take us all the way up, stopping along the way to do interviews or explore things that were relevant to the research. It was really interesting to go on this kind of travel for me. It was great to talk to people about what was going on, and to see the Laos countryside, which is a riot of green--for the most part.
Unfortunately however, one of main impacts of the road was environmental. The construction of the highway was quite destructive to the surrounding area; mountains were blasted and basically all the trees near the highway were burned or cut down, as you can see from the picture. The Laos government basically gave the Chinese and Thai a free pass to do whatever they wanted. But the execution of the road reflects a flayed 'building'/'construction' mentality: build now, clean up later (if you clean up at all!). Sadly, in just a few months, the road is already deteriorating because of erosion and blasting. Who will fork out the money for the upkeep?

Clearly the road was not benefiting the Lao, at least not yet. And sadly most people along the road still have no power. Clearly the road was made to satisfy two immediate needs: for Thailand to get natural resources out of Loas, and for China to do the same, plus bring goods to sell to Thailand. In this regard, Laos is a mere truck stop. But they don't (or can't) charge very much tax for Thais and Chinese stopping in either. That said the road is more a potential for greater development, since there is basically no cars or trucks or anything else on the road! China especially is thinking big, way ahead into the future when trade might increase. Anyway, for now, the road is mainly enjoyed as a play ground for children and domestic animals. Let's see, among the animals we almost ran over were: ducks, chickens, a buffalo, cats, goats, and dogs (one poor thing got hit bad).
This is a picture from a Hui Xai market selling goods from China.

Finally, we made it to the three year old town of Boten on the Chinese border. We knew some of what to expect, but we were not prepared for what we found. Pressured by Chinese, the Laos government forcibly relocated all the villagers in Boten about 10 kilometers down the road to a 'New' Boten, leaving them with many unfulfilled promises of land to farm. We knew that Chinese investors with many connections had "bought" (leased for 99 years, renewable) several kilometers of land from a Lao official. From interviews we come to find out that the Lao official that sold it has disappeared off the face of planet, and the Chinese are basically running the show. There was not one Lao official, police or border guard anywhere. Ladies and gentleman, this place was quite strange. I would like to call it little Las Chigas. You know? like how Las Vegas first started, with one little casino that expanded. And with the same lack of regulation that Las Vegas began with. It's both illegal for Chinese and the Lao citizens to gamble, but hey! this place runs by it's own rules, obviously. We even saw several cars with Beijing license plates! It must be worth the trip if you get to gamble, eh? That, my friends, is a giant road trip.
The picture above gives a feel for the town: on the left is the huge casino, and the rest of the town is makeshift stores and food stalls. Below you can see the huge jail-like massage and brothel houses (the cream, orange, and white concrete buildings).
In little Las Chigas no one spoke anything but Chinese, all the shpokeepers were Chinese, and more, they took no currency but Chinese yuan. Yikes! All but one of us (thank goodness!) had yuan; we had baht, dollars, Lao kip, and euros ... all useless. Where the heck were we?! It seemed evident to us that in this strange and lawless place we see the workings of an unofficial colonialism that is emerging in parts of the Chinese border with Laos and Burma. (I may do a similar trip to Burma in the near future).

It goes without saying that there's not a whole lot to do in this town besides gambling, going for a 'massage' and other kinds of 'services.' And all of us have rarely been stared at so much: what the hell where we doing there if we didn't want any of these things, and further, why did we have to come this far out in the middle of nowhere to get it? We were out of there the next day.
One thing we did get to do was eat amazing and authentic Chinese food! Lucky for us, JN ordered some great fish and noodle dishes, Yunnanese style. It was the best Chinese food I have ever had, by far. So good! To pic shows the two fish dishes and noodles we had with some tasty and spicy dipping sauces. Yumm!

The trip was unconventional for a trip to Laos in my book (no temples!? no hiking or outdoors!? These things dominated my first trip to Laos with Silivren and Bjørnstjerne). Yet it turned out to be extremely fascinating, and it really helped me to understand the greater Mekong region better. The most fun was interviewing people, of course. We really got to know a little about the Lao way of live, and welcomed the general friendliness that Lao people are known for. Sabaidee!

Some Highlights of Europe 2008, pt4

A great view of the Neckar, on my way out of Tübingen. It is really a pleasant town. Bye bye! It was great to visit with S and B, who were wonderful hosts. Lots of good company, amazing food and drink, rest, outdoors, and the nice landscapes and towns around the area, made for wonderfully pleasant trip. Now, here are some highlights.

Biking was a big part of my visit, and it was a great way to see things: from panoramic views of the Alps on Lake Constance, to recycling dumpsters, to the Mercedes Benz Museum (left) in Stuttgart.

I love the little biking signs like this one with the EU starred wheels, that guided us on our trip. It’s so darn cute. Needless to say, the trails are extremely well organized. You can pretty much go from one end of Western Europe to the other on bike trails.

I'm proud to say that the grand total for all the biking: 156 kilometers! (97 miles!). Nothing like the 200 miles B and S did recently, but, hey, still good for the leisurely pace we took.

One of the major bike rides was along the German side of Lake Constance (or The Bodensee, as they call it in Germany). Below is a view of the Alps and lake from the town of Landau.Above is one of the Ferraris from the Ferrari Club Germany party we ran into in Landau. Sweet. To the right is one of town's cute buildings.

Biking along Lake Constance we rode for a few minutes into Austria before turning back. I didn't even notice we had crossed over! The EU has made borders crossing easy. In 6 crossing, I was checked only once on my way back to Zurich.

Another big bike ride, along one of the Rhine River canals south of Strasbourg, France, on an absolutely perfect day. The only strange thing is that we couldn’t find a restaurant to eat lunch at in any of the small towns along the way. It seemed to us that a path that pleasant in Germany would be packed with beer gardens and restaurants. But it was nice to have the path almost to ourselves too. S and I ride away below.There was also some hiking in the woods around Tübingen, and then later I went to Freiburg and hiked through some vineyards and hills there.Above is the view of Freiburg, with the Black Forrest looming, from the vineyards I passed through before running into one of the workers who told me that it was private path. Ooops! But he was nice enough to direct me to the gate and told me I could jump over it, which I did.

I was bit starved for western art, so, besides looking at churches we also spend a day in Stuttgart and went to a museum. Among the expressionist I really can’t get enough of Max Beckmann. One of his paintings:The food we had in France was amazing, and we pretty much splurged for dinner, about which I have no regrets whatsoever. And I can’t forget the pastries! It was funny to see B and S basically gallop to their favorite bakery in town when it came into sight! I think I might have overdone it by eating a chocolate éclair for breakfast, but I just couldn’t stop myself. Now it's back to Thailand and back to work. Thanks S and B for such a good time.

Zürich and Strasbourg Churches, Europe 2008, pt3

Now here was my favorite stained glass work of the trip: Marc Chagall's windows in the Fraümuster, (Church of our Lady) in Zürich, Switzerland. I think I sat there for an hour without realizing it. There are five windows in total, with each a different primary color. The blue depiction of Jacob's dream, struggle with the angel and the stairway to heaven is brilliant, as is the green depiction of the virgin and the crucifixion.
The roman style Grossmünster above became the symbol of the reformation in Switzerland, spearheaded by Zwingli. It has some interesting history before that as well; legend has it that Charlemagne commissioned it in honor of the martyrs Felix and Regula's tombs.Door carvings at the Grossmünster, note four women at the bottom, Jesus' mother and foremothers: Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Maria. Don't you just love how all of them have such unconventional stories? Rahab, a former prostitute? Ruth, a gentile heroine, etc? I do.
The Limmat river and sunset in Zürich.
The Cathedral in Strasbourg, France above, was also interesting to see. As B put it, it feels like the church was made for giants it's so big. But the most interesting was the carvings below above the main entrance of different theological narratives.
These scenes start from creation and go right up to the apocalypse, and include themes like creation, prophecy, old testament stories and gospel scenes. It is one of the most thorough and complete statements I've seen in one place.
Inside the cathedral was another extremely fascinating item: the huge clock to the left. Not only did it tell you the state of the moon relative to the earth and gives all the astrological signs, but at the top of the hour 'Death' in person comes dancing out! I suppose to remind us that we will all die?
Speaking of clocks, um, there were so many clocks! everywhere! and bells! and at the top of the hour the all compete for your ear. I recorded a few minutes of the 7:00pm bells in Zürich. I miss not hearing them, actually.

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