Songkran (Thai New Year)

It was a busy week.  It is Songkran now and everyone is in a festive mood.  I went to see another temple.  It was the scariest one I've been too. The steps go straight up.  It had a great view from the top but it was very scary coming down.  It took me a while to take the first step down. There were a lot of children monks at the temple.

On my birthday I left for Chiang Mai, a city 10 hours north of Bangkok.  I went with one of my Thai friends.  7 of us rode in a car with 5 seats and I sat in the very back.  It was a long trip, but was worth it.  Songrkan is usually 3 days, but here they celebrate it 7 days.  A canal surrounds the city.  People drive cars walk around the canals and throw water at each other.  It was alot of fun, but the water was a little dirty.  There were also parades and other things.  The tradition of Songkran is washing people with water to cleanse them for the new year.  The Thai people love spraying foreigners, so I got very wet. Also in Chiang Mai is the highest point in Thailand.  It is at a temple on top of a mountain and we visited there one day.  We went home for the last day of Songrkan in Bangkok.  We went to the main Thai area and there were not many foreigners.  In Bangkok, they throw water but also put powder on each other's faces.  I had powder and water everywhere, but it was a great experience.


The red shirt saga has gotten alot more serious.  The protests used to be almost like a tailgate for a sports team.  Everyone was hanging out and having a good time for a cause.  It was a very festive mood.  However, it got very serious on my birthday.  The red shirts fought with the police.  25 people were killed and many were injured.  The next day the red shirts paraded the bodies through the street.  The people of Thailand seem to be mad at the red shirts for causing all of this.  They are costing the city and country millions in tourism.  Three of the biggest malls are shut down.  It was calm during Songkran, as everyone was focusing on that. But it is a very serious issue now, that is hurting Thailand, and no end is in sight.


I have been saying goodbye to alot of friends.  I went to the basketball courts last night and said bye to all my friends there and also to the places I go eat at night.  I am going to the school later to see my friends there and to the city tonight to eat with other friends.  It is kinda sad and I am also not looking forward to the plane ride home, but I am looking forward to good food, air conditioning, and a hot shower... Oh yeah and family

Temples and Red Shirts

I have been hanging out in Thungkru the past few days.  One day I did a little sight seeing and visited a couple of the temples.  One of the temples was at the top of a hill; it used to be the highest point in Bangkok.  It had a great 360 degree view from the top. We then took a river taxi, a long narrow boat on the canal, too another temple.  This one had a golden Buddha inside.  It also had a giant swing outside.  It is no longer used, but monks used to swing on it to show their faith.  Unfortunately, many monks were injured or killed while swinging on it.  We walked around afterwards and somehow ended up near the red shirts.  They were having a rally and government officials, who they were protesting against, were on the other side of the street.  It was very peaceful, but an interesting experience.

I also got asked to play in a basketball tournament.  The guy who asked me, named boy, does not speak English.  He got his friend to call me and I met him outside of the 7-11 at 12, an hour before the game.  He showed up with his girlfriend and we got in a taxi, with having no idea where we are going and no way to communicate.  We stopped about 10 minutes later to pick someone up.  It turned out to be one of Boy's friends, who was an English major.  He had asked her to come to be my translator.  We stopped 5 minutes later and picked up 2 more girls.  So we had 6 people, plus the driver, in the taxi going to play basketball.  We ended up at a school in Chinatown were the tournament was.  I was the only non-Thai person in the building.  I looked at some of the team names.  2 teams were named KKK and one team was named God like, all the rest were in Thai.  I got a jersey and started to meet my team.  There were 8 teams left in the tournament and the teams were fairly good.  3 guys on my team could dunk.  I got to start.  On the first series of the game, I got a pass and got fouled underneath on a shot.  When they blew the whistle, I heard a cheer from the crowd.  It was unexpected, but I later found out most of the fans were Boy's friends, and therefore our fans.  I had a pretty good game, scored about 20.  We won by 40.  We stayed around and watched the other games. The other quarterfinal games were won by 1, 2, and 6.  During this time Boy also went and got me, and the rest of the team, dinner.  I felt like a hired player.  It was alot of fun.  My translator had already left when Boy, his friends, and I went back home.  I rode in the car in silence until we got home and thanked him.  Of course, he paid for the taxi too.  I was supposed to meet him the next day for the semifinals.  However, I got a call that night from Boy's friend saying the tournament officials had asked that I not come back.  I think the combination of being a farang and playing was the reason for this.  My friends said they thought the officials were scared our team was too good.  I was disappointed to not play anymore, but it still was alot of fun.

I am leaving for Chiang Mai Saturday for Songkran and will be there for almost a week.