Krabi (pronounced grab-BEE) is a great town, especially compared to Phuket, the only other big city I have visited. It is mainly a hub to get to other destinations around the area. Tourists would fly into Krabi then take a boat and/or bus to get to some exotic island nearby.
I was there to just hang out and use the area as a hub to get to some biking destinations and check out the local limestone formations and Buddhist temples. As mentioned previously, I checked out a wat with a golden Buddha some 600 meters and 1227 steps up. Another day, I took an island tour with the infamous "James Bond island". This island (picture forthcoming when I find a better computer/Internet shop) was used for a scene in The Man With The Golden Gun.
One thing I realized about the southern part of Thailand is that it isn't the biker haven that I am looking for. I'm using the bike, but only for transportation purposes. It gets me to a park, but the trails are not wide enough or friendly for a bike (meaning lotsa roots blocking the paths and very slippery sections). I can't wait to get out to the northern part of the country where I have confirmation of many bike trails of long distances.
I met a Thai who is creating his own organic farm. He's probably one of maybe a hundred (probably much less) people in the country doing this. He created his own organic fertilizer thru composting of plant matter in full-sized oil drums. It looks like black tar, but he claims it's organic and it works. He's growing bananas, guava, coconuts, chili peppers, papaya, tomatoes, star-fruit, basil and other herbs. I tasted the star fruit and it is much sweeter that ones I've tried in America (I think farmers have to pick them before it gets ripe so it won't spoil during the overseas transport to Whole Foods). The bananas were much sweeter than any I've tried in Thailand so far.
I got invited to hang with a group of Thais on a beach party/camping adventure. There were six Thais and three foreigners (me and a couple from Europe). Starting in the morning, we toured around the islands. The highlight was finding a lagoon that was knee-high deep in water. Many starfish were hanging out (picture forthcoming). Eventually we found the perfect beach to set camp.
The area was originally inhabited by a group that was turning the island into a swallow conservatory. They would actually shoot at any boat that would get near the beach (probably to prevent poachers from stealing the birds' nest for Chinese gourmands). But now, this area is free to the public and is still a best-kept secret. The beach is half a football field long and no more than ten meters deep. There's other land, too, but not much worth exploring. The water was blue, perhaps more blue than what I've seen in Phuket and Hawaii, and was shallow enough for me to get a little snorkelling in.
Lemme just say this. Thais know how to have a beach party. On the agenda was this: grilled pork and chicken with two types of dipping sauces, yellow curry chicken, Thai chicken soup, leafy vegetables in a coconut sauce, four types of fish (baracuda and grouper were the only ones I recognized) and blue-spotted stingray. The latter was new to me - the gills were the only thing consumable and the texture reminded me of a portabello mushroom and tasted like tuna. For refreshments, two cases of beer (though one was almost consumed during the tour), two bottles of Thai rum, Pepsi (there is a cola war in Thailand, too), club soda and tequila. By the end of the night everything was consumed except the tequila. Upon waking up in the morning, it was deemed necessary by others to finish that so we won't have to transport it back to land... mission not accomplished. Halfway thru the bottle it was agreed to stay another night.
Unfortunately, I couldn't be involved in round two. I was scheduled to meet Eric and Debbie in another town the next day.
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Saturday, October 22, 2005
out and about
I finally have been able to forget what day of the week and what the date actually is on a consistant basis now. While in Phuket, I was able to keep with current events due to being in constant contact with cheap Internet access. Now that Super Information Highway is rare and not-so-super.
It began when I arrived in Rangon to extend my visa. Didn't do too much there, it's not much of a Big-time town, it was the final day of the Vegetarian Festival. Unfortunately, the followers here just don't seem as hard-core as the people in Phuket are. Aside from the lower number of "spirits" present (I only counted maybe ten people), these spirits didn't have any fresh scars on their faces (though I didn't check to see if anyone had sliced their tongue).
I did meet a Danish man named Preban. He married a woman from Bangkok and moved to this area about six years ago. Fortunately for me, he was also a biker. He took me out to the Rangon Canyon, a forty kilometer round trip. A few hills, but is getting me in condition for what I expect to experience when I roll up north.
After finishing the ride, I grabbed my stuff and jumped on a PT bus for Laem Son national park. Not much of a stop, though. The tsunami did a job along the coastline/beach, but there was not any commercial areas demolished. Supposedly, there are lotsa birds around, but I didn't see many. The next morning, I jumped on a bus and headed for Kaoh Sok again.
I only got a taste of this national park a month ago. It was just a weekend and I was only in the park at night for a lame hike. This time was great. The park is supposed to be older than the Amazon Rainforest and I can believe it. I saw the weirdest insects, plants, fungi, spiders and such. There are many waterfalls along the way.
As much of a great time I had in the park, half the fun of the area was outside the park. The river from the waterfalls form one river leading out of the park and along many of the resorts and bungalows. One of the places that I stayed in did a real nice job of landscaping. One particular bungalow was on stilts, up to the third story. One tree was rooted underneath the bungalow, but grew around the building and over the river. Within the tree were other plants growing. They were using the tree's branches as support and the roots would just fall downward. In front of the patio to this bungalow hung all these roots. The bungalow was empty, so I was just hanging out while it rained. I got the idea that this is what Tarazan would swing on to get from tree to tree. These roots actually felt like soft bark on a tree, no more than a half-inch in diameter.
On the other side of the river, another tree had other plants growing within it and was angled over the river. Eventually thru time, these plants grew and created a wall from one tree to the other. It seems that tree branches would fall from a tree, but a plant below would catch the branch and use it to grow outward. Eventually, a wall formed.
It rained each day I was in Kaoh Sok. I was able to do something in the morning, but after lunch, clouds would roll in and douse the park. After five days of this, I moved southwards on to Krabbi. It's been two days now, and the town has grown on me. There's a night market that busts out some great food. I've had this fish ceviche using chopped garlic, chili peppers, cilantro and lime. There's waffles on a stick, fresh fortune-cookies (instead of a fortune, there's coconut jelly), fried bananas, donuts, mussels and fried chicken.
I've climbed 1227 stairs, up 600 meters, to see a golden buddha on top of a hill. It overlooks the countryside, with nothing impeding it's vision.
Today, I took a cooking class. I now know how to make five types of curry pastes: Massaman (the yellow Muslim curry), Red, Green, Pagnan ( red curry based) and Jungle (red curry with many vegetables simmered). The teacher got carried away and showed us Pad Thai, Thai Fried Rice and Tom Yum Goon (sweet & sour soup).
Not sure what I'll do tomorrow... I'm still feeling exausted from the 1200 steps.
It began when I arrived in Rangon to extend my visa. Didn't do too much there, it's not much of a Big-time town, it was the final day of the Vegetarian Festival. Unfortunately, the followers here just don't seem as hard-core as the people in Phuket are. Aside from the lower number of "spirits" present (I only counted maybe ten people), these spirits didn't have any fresh scars on their faces (though I didn't check to see if anyone had sliced their tongue).
I did meet a Danish man named Preban. He married a woman from Bangkok and moved to this area about six years ago. Fortunately for me, he was also a biker. He took me out to the Rangon Canyon, a forty kilometer round trip. A few hills, but is getting me in condition for what I expect to experience when I roll up north.
After finishing the ride, I grabbed my stuff and jumped on a PT bus for Laem Son national park. Not much of a stop, though. The tsunami did a job along the coastline/beach, but there was not any commercial areas demolished. Supposedly, there are lotsa birds around, but I didn't see many. The next morning, I jumped on a bus and headed for Kaoh Sok again.
I only got a taste of this national park a month ago. It was just a weekend and I was only in the park at night for a lame hike. This time was great. The park is supposed to be older than the Amazon Rainforest and I can believe it. I saw the weirdest insects, plants, fungi, spiders and such. There are many waterfalls along the way.
As much of a great time I had in the park, half the fun of the area was outside the park. The river from the waterfalls form one river leading out of the park and along many of the resorts and bungalows. One of the places that I stayed in did a real nice job of landscaping. One particular bungalow was on stilts, up to the third story. One tree was rooted underneath the bungalow, but grew around the building and over the river. Within the tree were other plants growing. They were using the tree's branches as support and the roots would just fall downward. In front of the patio to this bungalow hung all these roots. The bungalow was empty, so I was just hanging out while it rained. I got the idea that this is what Tarazan would swing on to get from tree to tree. These roots actually felt like soft bark on a tree, no more than a half-inch in diameter.
On the other side of the river, another tree had other plants growing within it and was angled over the river. Eventually thru time, these plants grew and created a wall from one tree to the other. It seems that tree branches would fall from a tree, but a plant below would catch the branch and use it to grow outward. Eventually, a wall formed.
It rained each day I was in Kaoh Sok. I was able to do something in the morning, but after lunch, clouds would roll in and douse the park. After five days of this, I moved southwards on to Krabbi. It's been two days now, and the town has grown on me. There's a night market that busts out some great food. I've had this fish ceviche using chopped garlic, chili peppers, cilantro and lime. There's waffles on a stick, fresh fortune-cookies (instead of a fortune, there's coconut jelly), fried bananas, donuts, mussels and fried chicken.
I've climbed 1227 stairs, up 600 meters, to see a golden buddha on top of a hill. It overlooks the countryside, with nothing impeding it's vision.
Today, I took a cooking class. I now know how to make five types of curry pastes: Massaman (the yellow Muslim curry), Red, Green, Pagnan ( red curry based) and Jungle (red curry with many vegetables simmered). The teacher got carried away and showed us Pad Thai, Thai Fried Rice and Tom Yum Goon (sweet & sour soup).
Not sure what I'll do tomorrow... I'm still feeling exausted from the 1200 steps.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THESE PEOPLE ARE REALLY KEEPIN IT REAL!
The story goes that 150 years ago, tin miners were hit with an epidemic in a town 15 kilometers northwest of Phuket. A visiting Chinese opera company also fell ill. The company believed that this was the result of them failing to head the nine emporor gods of Taoism. For nine days, they performed acts of penance, including piercing, meditaion and a vegetarian diet. At the ninth day, everyone recovered from the illness.
Every year this goes on. In Phuket, a temple will host a series of events that are open to the public. The nine emporor gods and monks from the past will manifest themselves through devout followers of good virtue. What this really means is that the spirit possess a person. People will work themselves up in a frenzy and take on another persona. Each day will have one big ritual. Firewalking over twenty yards of burning hot coals at least a few inches deep. Climbing a two-story ladder with metal blades edge-side up as steps. But the most intense thing that they do is the piercing.
At the crack of dawn, the spirits insert anything and everything through their skin and walk around town (kinda like a Mardi Gras parade). They use simple things like anywhere from 6 inches to two yard-long spears, knives, swords that would go through one or both cheeks. The goriest thing I saw was multiple barbed wire through the cheeks. Weird things were inserted - the chain that led to a kerosene lamp, a wooden horse statue, the barrels of two automatic rifles.
Other acts of penance during the parade are: swinging an axe up and over the shoulder into their backs, running a sword along the tongue, then along the forehead, a man would grab iron rods that have been kept hot by contact with a burning log and run his hand up and down the rod - this man was already annointed with oil all over his body and smoke would trail his hand.
As far as I can tell, everyone believes that the gods are present. I will say that these acts of mutilation and penance are very real and not a sham. Blood does drip/pour from those possessed. In the case of the second picture where two men are licking something, that something is a three meter double edged sword with teeth. They would just run their tongues along the blade, rest for a few seconds, then repeat licking the blade. No screams of pain, no acknowledgement of pain. As I write this, I am still trying to cope with what I have seen.
These people are keeping extremely and religiously real. Real to be so involved and passionate about one's religion. The residents of Phuket take this event rather seriously and yet don't consider these acts of penance and bodily possessions out of the ordinary.
These are only just a few of the photos that I've taken. I've probably taken four hundred photos, what you'll see is just an example of what goes on. Each parade (there's eleven temples that roll thru town) has anywhere from twenty to fifty spirits who get pierced, cut, whatever.
THESE ARE NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IF SELF-MUTILATION, BODY PIERCING AND BLOOD DISTURB YOU, AVOID LOOKING AT THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Every year this goes on. In Phuket, a temple will host a series of events that are open to the public. The nine emporor gods and monks from the past will manifest themselves through devout followers of good virtue. What this really means is that the spirit possess a person. People will work themselves up in a frenzy and take on another persona. Each day will have one big ritual. Firewalking over twenty yards of burning hot coals at least a few inches deep. Climbing a two-story ladder with metal blades edge-side up as steps. But the most intense thing that they do is the piercing.
At the crack of dawn, the spirits insert anything and everything through their skin and walk around town (kinda like a Mardi Gras parade). They use simple things like anywhere from 6 inches to two yard-long spears, knives, swords that would go through one or both cheeks. The goriest thing I saw was multiple barbed wire through the cheeks. Weird things were inserted - the chain that led to a kerosene lamp, a wooden horse statue, the barrels of two automatic rifles.
Other acts of penance during the parade are: swinging an axe up and over the shoulder into their backs, running a sword along the tongue, then along the forehead, a man would grab iron rods that have been kept hot by contact with a burning log and run his hand up and down the rod - this man was already annointed with oil all over his body and smoke would trail his hand.
As far as I can tell, everyone believes that the gods are present. I will say that these acts of mutilation and penance are very real and not a sham. Blood does drip/pour from those possessed. In the case of the second picture where two men are licking something, that something is a three meter double edged sword with teeth. They would just run their tongues along the blade, rest for a few seconds, then repeat licking the blade. No screams of pain, no acknowledgement of pain. As I write this, I am still trying to cope with what I have seen.
These people are keeping extremely and religiously real. Real to be so involved and passionate about one's religion. The residents of Phuket take this event rather seriously and yet don't consider these acts of penance and bodily possessions out of the ordinary.
These are only just a few of the photos that I've taken. I've probably taken four hundred photos, what you'll see is just an example of what goes on. Each parade (there's eleven temples that roll thru town) has anywhere from twenty to fifty spirits who get pierced, cut, whatever.
THESE ARE NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IF SELF-MUTILATION, BODY PIERCING AND BLOOD DISTURB YOU, AVOID LOOKING AT THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
more photos
the evil clown terrorizes Thailand.
Clean Food Good Taste: the sign of sanitation...
pork at the nite market
Monday, October 03, 2005
night market
green mussels in the front
blue spotted stingray
banana stand - on display are at least four different varieties of bananas.
vegatable vendor; the six plates in the top left corner are varieties of chili peppers
finally, some photos!!!
this spider was hanging out beside the road.
Sunset along the west coast of Thailand along the Andaman Sea.
Rotting bananas are used to attract various insect, bugs, flying objects. In this case, a blue butterfly takes a snack.
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