Celebrating Songkran

I was in Chiang Mai from 11-15 April 2012, just at the period of the Songkran festival –or, the Thai New Year. This is the time of year when the Thais seek the blessings of Buddha, by pouring water over the Buddha statues. It is also the time of year when the streets of Chiang Mai turn into an all-out water fight!

We spent our first day in Chiang Mai quite  blamelessly, wandering around the night market and taking in the atmosphere in the cool of the evening. The next day, we started off (relatively) early, to visit some wats before the day got too hot. As we visited the wats, we saw the Thais coming to the temple, to seek blessings at this auspicious time. Some offered flowers to the Buddha, was others sought blessings (they put these “blessing flags” into big “stupas of sand” which were in auspicious places in the wat compound).

But as we walked from wat to wat, we noticed increasingly the presence of the water brigades on the streets. These fell largely into two categories: young children, generally stationed outside their homes; and tourists, who went prowling around looking for potential victims. We were carrying our umbrellas (against the sun, like typical Asians) but they did double duty to shield us from water attacks as well! And where they did not – well, it was pleasant to have some cool water on a hot day. And it evaporated really quickly, too. But to be fair,  my legs got sprayed at as the combatants tended to respect the "unarmed".

It did not take long, however, for the “Songkran spirit” to affect us more deeply, particularly my dear travelling companion (my cousin). In fact, she startled me considerably by deciding to buy her own Doraemon water gun from one of the street vendors, to join in the fun! Of course, anyone carrying a gun immediately became a major target (far more than people carrying umbrellas) and a guy with dreadlocks gave her a good drenching with his big water-bazooka.

The next day (13 April), however, was when the blessing of the Buddhas took place in earnest. We started the morning with a session at the hotel itself. The hotel’s Buddha statue was placed under their 200-year old Tamarind tree. Flowers and a small holder of the Songkran blessing flags surrounded it. Guests were invited to pour water over the Buddha. There were also a few special guests who sat in chairs by the tree and they too got water poured over their hands, as a blessing.

In the afternoon, the Buddha statues from various wats were then paraded through the city. We stood by the gate, waiting. But we were not alone. The hotel had put two largish tanks of water in front (topped up continuously with a hose). All the hotel guests were there too, really taking part in the water fights with gusto. No tuk-tuk, taxi nor motorbike passed without them letting loose to give the unfortunate driver and  passengers a good drenching. Sometimes, the people on the vehicles (or passers-by) fought back. Many came in trucks which huge tanks of water on board, with a crew of people armed with water guns, pails etc giving as good as they got. Our side had numbers, though, as it seemed that most of the hotel guests were there. There was a little boy amongst the group (don’t think he was a hotel guest just a kid who wanted a good source of water) and he was a particularly active participant. Again, my dear cousin could not resist. Toting her Doraemon gun, she walked behind the front lines. But she only retaliated or took revenge on people who gave her a splash.

Finally, the time arrived and the procession came down the road. The Thai people, including the shopkeepers started appearing on the streets. They too carried cups and little pails, but jasmine flowers had been added to the water, so that the Buddha statues would be bathed in this scented water. Most of the statues were preceded by pretty Thai girls in traditional dress, carrying signs, or men bearing fruit sculptures, or older ladies bearing the fruits of the field. I was at first a little shocked when I saw the Thais pouring water on the procession participants. Then I realised that this was indeed part of the event, as the water was not splashed in their faces (at least not that I saw) but ceremonially poured on their shoulders.

The first Buddha statue was that from Wat Pra Shing, and hence is known as the Pra Shing Buddha. Unlike most of the other Buddha statues, he was pulled along on a golden carriage - people on the roadside often joined in too, at least for a few steps -  and accompanied by two young men. As the statue was so high up, the bystanders had no choice but to fling the water up as high as they could. Typically a few men were standing around the statue, and they would also scoop out the water and ladle it back in the empty cups which were held up to them. Ah…. Indeed, the water would be more “precious” now that it had touched the statue! But the men around the statues were completely soaked through.

We did not time our visit to Chiang Mai with the Songkran period (it was a coincidence). But am indeed glad I did, for it allowed us the opportunity to witness the Thais celebrating one of their major festivals.

I was also glad that we had the opportunity to see more than the water fights, to recognise that this New Year was a period of renewal, of washing away the past year and starting the New Year afresh.

For more photos of Songkran and Chiang Mai, check out my Flickr set.

Postscript: On the morning of 13 April, we heard and saw helicopters in the air, circling overhead. We speculated as to what this could mean. The next day’s newspapers made all clear – Yingluck Shinawatra was back in her hometown of Chiang Mai to celebrate Songkran, giving alms to monks in the morning and taking part in the blessing of the procession in the afternoon (the newspaper reports that she got splashed too!).

Post-postscript: Got really drenched on the way back from church on our last day in Chiang Mai. Of course, this was just before we were going to the airport which meant that we had to have an entire change of clothes (good thing we bought t-shirts at the bazaar the night before).

Letters to remember

I just came across this blog, Letters of Note, which features letters and postcards from famous people.

The first post I read reproduced a letter by CS Lewis giving writing tips to an aspiring writer.

The second, is from Beatrix Potter to a 5-year old boy.  She didn't know what to say to him, so she wrote a story about four little rabbits - Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter.  Illustrations included!

.Narnia and Peter Rabbit. No childhood should be without them.

Down by the Kinabatangan

The Kinabatangan river got its name, it is said, from the words "aki", meaning "grandfather" or "ancestor", and "batang", which means river in the local language ("na" is a linking prefix), hence "(a)ki"-na-"batang"-an.  Indeed, a name that befits the largest river in Sabah and the second largest in Malaysia.  The river runs through the Borneo rainforest - the vast ecosystem which is home to a diverse range of plants and wildlife.

We spent two days on and by the river, staying in a small lodge, Myne Resort, near Kampong Bilit.  The lodge was made up of a series of little villas and a larger, common area comprising the reception, bar, dining area and sundeck all in one.  It was situated right at the turn of the river, at the bottom of the "U" (photo was taken from above our lodge, which is however hidden from view).  Birds sing in the trees (only saw one bird though, a sharma bird), and wild boar come to the doorstep (we saw a pack of nine our second night there).  Indeed, I have not been this close to nature for a while.  And I found out that in the middle of the rainforest, there is really not much internet access available. Probably a good thing, too. 

We made a total of three river trips, two in the evening and one in the morning.  Our party comprised another group of six people (a couple and the parents on either side), two guides and of course the boatman.  The boatman clearly had spent his life on the river, and was the fastest and best at spotting animals.  The guides were quick too, able to glimpse the tiny, hardly-moving bird on the tree top or the snake in the middle of the tree when I was craning my neck and trying to see something in the middle of the bushes.  We were reasonably fortunate, in that we saw a fair number of birds and animals:

• crocodiles (including one baby crocodile)
• monitor lizards
• cat snake
• proboscis monkeys (I feel lucky to have caught a proboscis in mid-leap.  In general, unfortunately, my photos were taken from a distance in the evening light and so not very clear)
• one orang utan and baby (see last post)
• any number of macaques, including up close
• one elephant (sadly I only got a shot of its rear)
• hornbills (rhinocerous, great and oriental pied)
• kingfishers
• herons (many types) and the Storm's Stork
• birds of prey, including the oriental darter, serpent-eagle, brahminy kite

My photos of the wildlife can be found on my Flickr page. 

As mentioned before, wildlife spotting is not something I normally do.  But I savoured the anticipation of wondering what lay ahead, around the bend of the river, and thrilled with each new sighting of a bird or animal.

At another level, I was pleasantly surprised each time I got a fairly decent photo of a bird or an animal. This was the first time I brought out my new travelzoom camera, and I am glad I did because this was one trip where the longer zoom proved invaluable.  Of course, I have a long way to go before any of my photos make  it to any nature magazine.  It's tough, getting just the right angle at just the right moment.  But I did learn a few tricks, eg zoom in but give the animal room to move (there's a headless heron taking off in one of my photos, could hv been a great shot except for that); go for continuous shooting and KEEP the finger ON the button; and don't wait for the perfect shot JUST GO FOR IT!

Following our two days by the Kinabatangan, we made our way back to Kota Kinabalu by way of Sandakan - thus seeing both the current and former capitals of Sabah (or North Borneo, as it used to be called).  We found a bookshop, Borneo Books, in Kota Kinabalu - really an excellent resource (as is their website) for books on Borneo and indeed the wildlife of Southeast Asia.  This, followed by a nice breakfast of nasi lemak and Old Town coffee the next morning, made a nice close to this short trip to Borneo.

In the Land Below the Wind

I'm not really one for outdoor holidays, but nonetheless decided that it was about time for me to go visit the rainforests in Sabah.  I'd not been before to East Malaysia at all and was looking forward to seeing this very different aspect of Malaysia.  It was a short 5-day trip but one full of memorable experiences.  Of course, the highlight was the visit to Sandakan, including the visit to the orang utan sanctuary at Sepilok and the two nights spent in our lodge on the Kinabatangan, the largest river in Sabah and in the heart of the wildlife forest reserve there.

We started off with the visit to the orang utan sanctuary at Sepilok.  It is here that orphaned baby orang utans are taken, to learn the ways of orang utans and to be eventually released to the wild.  Baby orang utans need to stay with their mother for about 5-6 years, to learn how to climb, how to make nests, what are the good foods to eat, and so on.  Just like human babies, little orang utans who are separated from their mother (for whatever reason) are just helpless, unable to cope in the wild wide world around them. 

Unfortunately, we were unable to see the little ones close up as they are kept away from us humans and our germs. But we did make it to the feeding time, when the orang utans make their way to the feeding platform.  We watched as three orang utans (sadly, only three) swung gracefully, effortlessly, to the platform, to eat the fruit and interact with each other before going on their way.  The big bonus was the sight of the little baby orang utan, clutching on to its mother and looking oh so adorable.  What I did not expect was the presence of the little macaques, darting onto the platform to eat the fruit (after the orang utans had finished), and running quickly to and fro along the ropes leading to the platform.  And all this time, the orang utans simply continued doing their own thing, indifferent to the macaques' antics taking place all around them.

Sepilok is a well-kept, well-managed sanctuary.  The babies are kept in their nursery but as they grow, they are carefully moved out into the reserve, in slow easy steps.  Some go out and disappear forever, others come back regularly to feed.  Some females return with their own little babies - a sign of success indeed.  Visitors are asked if they would like to adopt an orang-utan baby (i.e. pay for its keep, they are an endangered species and definitely not allowed as pets).  More information about Sepilok, including on how to donate, at Sepilok Orang-utan Appeal UK.

After seeing the orang utans in the sanctuary, we were delighted when, the very next day, we managed to get a glimpse of a mother and her baby in the wild, on the banks of the Kinabatangan.  We were going down the river in our little boat, when suddenly our guide told us to look up in the trees.  There we saw the orang utan nest and next to it, swinging quicky away, the orang utan herself and also her baby.  It was a real privilege to see it. 

Hopefully, in the years ahead, the emphasis on sustainable development will mean that the precious rainforests will be protected and the orang-utans and all the wonderful wildlife of the region will be able to live in peace.

Lots more lovely orang-utan photos here.

Food for Good

Last Saturday, I read an article on small shops/entrepreneurs who were able to reach out to niche markets.  One was a bookshop carrying rare books.  Another was this cafe cum social enterprise, Food for Thought.  Couldn't really remember where I read it but subsequently found a similar article here. 

Since I happened to be in the Queen Street area later that day, decided to try it out. Indeed, it is a pleasant restaurant, modern and bright.  Its social mission is prominently displayed, on the placemats and the walls.  There's a display shelf in the middle of the restaurant floor, selling merchandise to promote their causes: Eradicating poverty and ignorance, inspiring kind acts and providing food for the hungry and clean water for all.  I liked their clever, snappy one-liners summarising each cause, eg "Teach them All", "Make Poverty History"
I ordered the red velvet cake - not the best I've eaten  (slightly soggy), but pretty decent.  The lemon curd cheesecake had a nice texture, but the base too seemed a little damp.  What seemed to be really popular, however, were the breakfasts - the next table seemed to be enjoying theirs, at 2.30pm!  Something to try, next time around.

The success of this little cafe shows that Singaporeans do believe in supporting social causes, including those abroad.  It also shows that corporate profitability lies not (solely) on rampant cutting of corners but can come together with doing good.  I particularly liked this quote from the BT article, describing their corporate philosophy:

"Growth in our company is led by what we find meaningful, enjoyable and inspiring rather than what is merely profitable. We do not maximise profit but we do not compromise it either."

So go and have some Food for Thought too.

How to Pet a Kitty

This weblink from The Oatmeal on "How to pet a kitty" could have been done with my darling Dinky in mind.  Dinky has gotten the plaintive look in the eye down pat and he employs it every morning when he jumps on my bed and lies with his tummy exposed for me to give it a rub. 

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/kitty_pet

Hoi An

Hoi An! The ancient port town of central Vietnam for many years before being displaced by Danang, it is a UNESCO heritage site. Our first visit was made under the guidance of a local guide, who was evidently a little disgruntled at our lack of purchases at the shops he took us too, and was reluctant to let us browse/shop around in the town. But he was knowledgeable about the town and its history, revealing to us the cosmopolitan character of this small Vietnamese port. 

The area was originally settled by people from the Riau archipelago (apparently some tools and other relics were found in burial jars), who became known as the Cham people.  Their ancient town was a short distance away - but we did not make the trip.  Many years later, Hoi An was settled, attracting traders from China, and Japan. The Japanese bridge across a small branch of the river apparently linked the Chinese and Japanese settlements in the area.

The Chinese certainly left their mark here. Coming from all over China, they built their clan association buildings (reminding me of Malacca and Singapore) which served both as temple as well as a gathering place for the community. Amongst other things, we visited the Fujian and Cantonese assembly halls, which were still very much in daily use – as could be seen from the large spirals of incense hanging from the ceiling, each bearing the name of the donor and each releasing, slowly, wisps of incense into the air (and dropping every now and then a short tube of ash onto the unwary tourists beneath). 

The town itself reminded me very much of the old towns in other parts of Southeast Asia - buildings include wooden frame houses with a little balcony in front, similar to what I saw in Laos, others like the old shophouses in Singapore/Malacca/Penang, with a small shopfront and the family living behind and/or above the shop.  We visited one old house which was said to have assimilated Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese architectural styles.  The guide was pretty lackadaisical but she did point out to us the use of a Japanese style roof above the big airwell in the middle of the house....

We went off far too soon, but we decided to come back that evening (this time via the complimentary resort shuttle which we had not known about earlier) to explore the place further. And it was well we did, for Hoi Ann by night comes truly alive, when tourists and townsfolk wander through its streets comfortably, freed from the baking heat of the morning. We wandered around, stepping into whichever shop took our fancy, and were enraptured by the beautiful, jewel-toned lanterns which are such a feature of this old town.

Dinner was at one of the guidebook’s recommendations – The Cargo Club. It is relatively large establishment, with a patisserie and a bar/lounge on the ground floor and a restaurant on top. The restaurant terrace overlooks the river, and gives a good view of the brightly lit establishments across the river.  The restaurant patrons are largely tourists, which is not necessarily a recommendation but the meal was nonetheless pretty decent.  In general, however, I think that food in Hanoi is of a higher standard than this little port town.

At 9.30pm, the lights of Hoi An start going off, one by one.  We caught the shuttle back to the resort. 

Reading some guidebooks, people comment that Hoi An is now very commercialised - but in a way, the tourist trade supports the people in the area, and allows the charming old town to be preserved.   I have also seen for myself, in visiting Malacca both before and after it gained its UNESCO Heritage site status, how the additional visitorship and funding can really make a difference in revitalising old parts of the city, allowing old homes to be restored either by the existing owners or by new businesses.

More Hoi An pix here.