Mae Sai 04/13/2010 Songkran

Typical Day in Mae Sai, I think not. We got up about 6:00 AM, had coffee and fruit, jumped on the motorbike to see if we could learn more about an "Air Card" for the Internet.

Everything that does not have something to do with partying or eating is closed. We did find a cellular phone shop open but he said he did not carry the device.

We had some breakfast and then Daeng took me to get my nails done as they were getting too long and breaking. A manicure and pedicure here was 150 THB ($4.50). It was hard to find a shop to get nails done as not many Vietnamese live here. (That's a California joke as most of the nail shops there are Vietnamese owned.)

After the nails, Daeng dropped me off at J&J Mae Sai Internet Cafe so I could catch up on the Internet stuff. Cola at J&J also told me that air cards are pretty slow. He also said my cellular phone would do the same thing. He suggested I call DTAC, my phone provider, and see if they would help me.

Daeng went downstairs and watched the parade. Remember, this is the first day of the holidays.

From the pictures it looks like a big parade. Even the tiger float has a tail soooo long it is supported by rollers so it won't drag on the pavement.

You have seen me write about this water thing. How would you like to be in a parade where the folks watching throw water on you?

Daeng did get into throwing water but she just used a small cup and not a pail.

I spent most of the day here at the Internet cafe. It is almost seven o'clock. I am going to take a baht-bus back to our street and walk the block to our house.

With good luck, maybe I can stay dry. I'll put my net-book in a plastic bag just in case.

Loy Krathong

Yesterday was the full moon in the twelfth lunar month and the day of the big Loy Krathong celebration. Loy Krathong is sometimes spelled with a "i" instead of a "y".

If you turn the sound on your computer and CLICK HERE you can hear the Loy Krathong song.

We tried to make the most of the day as this morning Daeng got another call saying that Newt's and Hlong's Father passed away in Myanmar. The family is going to make the trip tomorrow to pay their last respects.

Daeng spent the afternoon making floating flower arrangements, KRATHONGS, for the evening festivities. There are several ways to make them. Just click on underlined to see another way from a Pattaya story.

I liked the ones Daeng made much better that the Krathongs that were for sale on the street.

Daeng made two, one for me and one for her.

When it got dark we made our way under the bridge that leads to Myanmar (Burma) and lite up our candles placing them on our Krathongs. We made it through the crowd down the steps to the river bank. We both said a little pray and placed them in the river.

They floated away together. I was very happy because the saying goes that if they float together you will always be together.

As our two Krathongs rounded a little corner under the concrete wall I saw a boy reach out and grab the two Krathongs, take out the money that Daeng had put into the Krathongs and just threw them back into the river without caring if they were still lite or even floating.

I yelled at the kids but they just gave me the finger and kept stealing from more Krathongs. I did take their pictures.

If you know these kids please help them to learn the right from the wrong ways of life.

Remember, if we do good we get good. If we do bad we get bad. If we do nothing we get nothing!

I was kind of disheartened about the incident but Daeng said don't worry as someplace down the river someone else would be taking the money out, anyway.

We went back up on the street and watched the parade and people lighting and floating hot air balloons.

We did have a fun Loy Krathong.

04-05-09 Funny Thing On Way to Work

It's Sunday morning. Daeng got up about 7:00 AM and went to the morning market to buy the things she needs for her "Som-Tom Papaya" stand.

She decided that she has so much fun doing this every year during the Thai New Year water holiday that she wants to do it again. She has been doing this for over ten years.

Her first day, this year, was yesterday and she sold about 30 orders.

After buying her supplies at the morning market she stopped back and woke me up with coffee.

She left for work around 9:00 and drove from the guest house were we live along the river on the Myanmar (Burma) Border.

When she hit the main street she saw a large number of people celebrating.

It was a parade with boys in brightly colored outfits, like at the celebrations on Friday.

Some were in horse drawn carriages.

Some were on the shoulders of their Fathers and some were on elephants.

This is the same kind of celebration that we attended on Friday but just bigger with many boys doing it at the same time.

We were told yesterday that many parents have their boys do this ceremony around this time of year as it is the low or slow time of the year. The rice has been harvested and it is to dry to plant again. That means there is not much work and they can celebrate the harvests of the last year. I say harvests, in the plural, as there are at least two rice harvest a year in this part of Thailand.

By the way, elephants don't see very well so if you hold up your cellular telephone to take a picture they will reach out, take your phone and eat it. They think it is food. In the picture above, that is what the elephant is trying to do, reaching for a spectator's phone.

Yep, these folks sure know how to party. After Daeng took the pictures she went on to work to sell Som-Tom Papaya Salad. We will let you know how her stand does in the days to come.