Por Tor Festival 2010

There are a plethora of websites (a. b. c. d.) which can tell you about this festival and they all tell a slightly different story.

I think that the essence of the reason for the festival was told to me by one of our staff at work - he was unable to come to the English class because he was going to his home to 'honour the dead spirits of his family'.

Whatever the reason; Phuket Town was amass of stalls, cooking smells, colourful ribbons and RED TURTLES with offerings!!!

There was a beautiful atmosphere in Phuket Town late at night - it was a carnival. 

I visited again on the next day - the market road - Ranong Road was closed to all traffic - well some traffic - and stalls were scattered along both sides and the middle.  We bought candyfloss, toys, fruit drinks, ice cream and more.

My question which I posed last year - Can you eat the turtles? - was answered - YES!

I went to visit the celebration a little more closely with my daughter who could not be happier - after 5 hours of walking through Phuket Town she conceded that it was time to go home in a Tuk Tuk.


There was inherent beauty in the celebration but what struck me most was the way that all the Thai people welcomed a farang - with a pushchair holding hands with a little girl eating candy floss, holding a floating balloon - this was enough to remind me how lovely the Thai people are and how lucky I am to live here.

Thank you.

        

Hin Pheung Rafting Festival of Khao Yai National Park - 24th July

Here's a link for you

Found this one a little late but it does look like fun - enjoy.

5th Thailand International Wax Sculpture and Candle Procession

UPDATE: Photographs are here.

This certainly does look spectacular.


This is a celebration of Wax Sculpture - a unique type of artistry in Thailand 
and is open to all - terms and conditions. 
There is a drive to share this art more - here is a facebook page for 
wax sculpture and for Ubon Ratchathani where it takes place.

Chiang Mai - Walking Street

What an experience. A wonderful atmosphere and we were surrounded with people who wanted nothing from you.

The ambience was wonderful and the number of different things that you could buy was enormous. We visited Walking Street on the weekend so we were able to peruse a multitude of different things.

On a Saturday the market is on Wualai Road (the street that shoots off at an angle just outside the Chiang Mai gate on the south side of the old city) officially starts at 17:00, although the road will be closed to cars from about 14:00 onwards; it's pretty much over by 23:00.

On a Sunday the market starts around 14:00 and lasts until 22:00, with local craftpersons operating stalls along Rajdumnern Road on the inner-east side of the moat near Tapae Gate.

We found a local artist who painted some beautiful pictures which our daughter (and I) thought were wonderful - we will be returning with empty luggage bags next time.

Shiva Lung - Ghost Festival

This is text written by Kevin O'Sheehan from a beautiful Asian Photo website.


The Shiva LungIn the Ghost festival, in Loei, the presence of the Shiva lung, or the representation of the male penis is omnipresent. Many of the dancers carry it as the 'krador'. Traditionally it represents the penis of the Lord Shiva, the source of all fertility for Hindus. This Hindu custom survives in all of these pre-monsoon fertility festivals of North-Eastern Thailand. Many of the 'kradors' are hinged with a trigger device, like this one, so they can be made to twitch in a most suggestive way during the dancing. In this culture such things are not objects of fear or prudery as they might be elsewhere.