Loy Krathong: The First Experience

I had long been intrigued by Thailand's famous Loy Krathong Festival. I first heard of it some years back during my first visit to Thailand.  I didn't witness it because we had to leave weeks before  the festival was to be held then.

Having moved to Hua hin as a temporary resident,  I couldn't  help the excitement of finally being able to witness this cultural event for the first time.

Loy Krathong,, which happens in November with no specific date depending on the appearance of the full moon, is touted to be one of the two most important festivities in the whole of Thailand, the other being the Songkhran which happens in April.  

Googling for more understanding, I discover some important details about this much-talked-about happening.  Loy Krathong is translated in English as "the festival of lights".  There had been various folktales about who started it and how, but the most important thing is that the Thais do it annually as a spiritual thing: to thank the Water Goddess for the gift of the water.  Indeed there's a bounty of bodies of water in all of Thailand from the vast sea to the mountain springs, not to mention ponds, lakes and rivers, and then there are the natural  canals that run parallel to paved roads.

"Loy" means " to float", and "krathong" refers to any round objects decorated specifically for the ritual.  A krathong is decorated with banana foldings all around, and filled with flowers inside, along with a candle and some incense sticks.  At some point, the Thais used round styrofoam base because it is light and floats easily.   However, these days, krathongs have taken on various innovations leaning toward more eco-friendly concepts.  Coconut husks, banana trunks, bread and other organic materials are being used.

Traditional krathong made of coconut husk, banana leaves and colorful flowers.

Eco-friendly Krathong made from flour.

Traditional krathong of banana trunk, leaves and flowers,
 and an innovative one made of ice cream cones!
Photo courtesy of Jocyl Surdao

The ritual is very simple, actually.  One  lights the candle and the incense sticks, cups the krathong in his palms as he quietly says his prayers, and releases the krathong cafefully into the water. Supposedly, he must follow it with his eyes as it glides downstream or away from him. Probably in contemplation of the past and the future.  

Bye-bye, bad luck; hello good luck!

The sight of flickering lights and their reflections in the water lends magic to the evening, and one can't help but be reflective, indeed, as he gazes into the romantic picture laid out before him.

Photo by Jocyl Surdao

The pond looks dreamy as the krathongs sail away and their lights flicker,

 dancing with the soft evening breeze.

Aside from a prayer of thanks for the abundance of water, the Thais also pray for  better fortune in the coming days. And as they release the krathong, it is said that they are also releasing all the misfortunes or bad vibes that have  happened in the recent past.  The ritual is also meant to bring the family closer together as it is considered as a family event.  

On our way to Korsor Resort for dinner, we pass by  the Loy Krathong parade at Phetkasem Road.  It causes a little traffic,  but gladly, it is on the opposite direction. And being that, we are able to catch a glimpse  of each beautiful float and the beautiful ladies on top of each.  People, locals and tourists alike,  line up the middle of the road to watch and snap pictures.

At the  resort, which seems like a wonderful place for casual dining or coffee, we share a sumptuous dinner with a couple of friends. After dinner, we are asked to join in the traditional dance, which is fun!   I mean, you don't know the dance and you just mimic those who knew, and you don't really mind if you looked silly or not. Just wave your hands every which way. :-)

Dancing to the tune of Loy Krathong chant

After the dance comes the floating of krathongs.  Every diner gets one for free.  It is indeed an experience  to cherish.  

As mentioned earlier, Loy  Krathong is a family affair.  The other guests of the resort are families. And they would light and float krathongs together.   On our way home  later that evening, we fleet by sporadic groups of people, obviously families, hunched together as they light  and release beautiful krathongs  into the canals that run alongside the road.

A single lighted lantern slowly rises up into the dark sky.  It is a delight to see one, and more if there have been a hundrred. The Thais used to be generous with lanterns as these were part of the past Loy Krathong festivals, but the government recently issued a ban on lanterns for safety reasons. 

Hopefully, I would be able to experience this festival again, next time in a  beach, just to see another side of it.  Till next year! :-)

There's Jocyl, a former student of mine enjoying the festival in a faraway part of Thailand.
Three years, she says, and still enjoying it. So I'm looking forward to my second. :-)

Barefoot On the Beach

Mornings look promising for a daily walk in the beach. It's a beautiful beach, ideal for early morning or late afternoon long walks, briskly or leisurely, or for jogging.  One will surely have a good dose of exercise going back and forth this more-than-a-kilometer stretch of soft sand.

As soon as the sun rises, people go out to jog or walk in the beach or bathe in the sea. Some guests are already prepared to stretch out to soak in the sun.   Especially on weekends, lounge chaises, beach mats, towels and giant umbrellas are being readied early for the influx of guests coming from various parts of Thailand.  

Business starts as soon as people stream in.  These entrepreneurs make beach life  more interesting with their goods and services, i.e., food and drinks, massage, straw mats for rent, and horseback riding.  It's fun to walk barefoot in the beach, just be careful you don't step on something round, soft and sticky.

Kiteboarders pretty soon set out to sea to frolic with the strong wind and the rolling waves. There aren't many teenagers coming to this area so the sight of skim boarders  is wanting.  It probably isn't popular in this area because the guests who come here are mostly in their mature years, or young couples with their toddlers. Let's wait for the coming months and see if the story stays the same.

The beach is generally clean, but not without litter, too.  Plastic straws, cellophane and lots of elastic bands deck some areas particularly where there are vendors selling food.  

Various shells are washed ashore, but not really as abundant and as interesting as one finds on beaches back home.  We  found large jellyfish half-buried in the sand, too.

The beach runs parallel with Petchakasim Road, and in between buildings along the beach are alleys that lead you to the other side.  But not all alleys are accessible, as many of them pass through private propertiy, like the one in the picture below. That one passes through Baan San  Ploen and only residents and transients of the condominium units are allowed to pass through.

 After  your late afternoon stroll, you can exit through any of the public alleys and get to the road, cross over to the other side and find something to eat at the nightmarkets nearby. There are several nightmarkets along Petchakasim Road.  

Our next quest, the nightmarkets of Huahin. #

Home in Huahin: Baan San Ploen

Home for the next few years (hopefully) is Baan San Ploen, a beachfront condominium where units are rented out to tourists on short or long term basis.  

The apartments are managed like a hotel.  Services like laundry and room cleaning are offered, except for meals.  Guests may cook their own  food since the kitchens are equipped with electric stoves, coffee makers, water heaters, blenders, bread toasters, and rice cookers.

There's a pool that runs from the beachfront to one side of the buildings, like an L- shape.  Lucky are those who live in the ground floor because the pool is just at their doorstep.

It is a desirable place to live in because of its great   location. It's right on the beach, which is a long stretch of soft, white sand.

  Baan San Ploen is  also snugly located along Petchakasem Road, a main street where all sorts of establishments are located.  A Catholic Church, a hospital, schools, hotels, restaurants, bars, markets, 7-11...what more could one ask for?  The nightmarket across the street is a very good place to try various Thai food.  One has the option not to homecook for dinner, rather, go out and be adventurous to try out Thai dishes.

 At first glance, Hua hin really seems like a peaceful place where mostly elderly tourists are seen walking around, in the streets or  along the beach.  Just make sure to apply mosquito repellant, though, as these tiny blood-suckers come out in multitude at night.

I have yet to discover other  tourist spots to visit, though hubby and I have discovered this viewpoint somewhere up.  There's plenty of time for more. Let's take it one step at a time. :-) #

Oh, My Gulay!

As soon as I arrived in Hua hin, I learned a few things about how the Thais eat their veggies.  Well, they do have  vegetables here which are found back home, but we could learn a thing or two about how these greens can be used in cooking, or how they can be eaten.

Shown below, clockwise, are green- leaf lettuce, Chinese long beans (sitaw), sugar snap peas, and cherry tomatoes.  We do know that lettuce leaves and cherry tomatoes are eaten raw, because they're common in our salads.  What's new to me is that sitaw and sugar snaps are eaten raw, just like that.  Of course they have to be the young ones and freshly picked, other wise they would be hard and difficult to chew.  They are blanched and served along with sweet-spicy dressing or dip, or nothing at all.  At first, the long beans assailed my palate since I'm really used to eating them cooked, sauteed or in broth.  But I realized that I could get used to it, but that I don't really  have to like it. Just that when it's served, I make no fuss about it and just chomp away.  The sugar snaps are a different story, though. I could eat a whole pack of it in one sitting.  Well, a pack to me means maybe twenty or so sweet, crispy  and fresh pieces.  :-)

Another kind of veggie I learned to love eating raw are the Mung bean sprouts, sweet, crispy and succulent! They are served with an order of pad thai, together with wedges of lime and green onions (scallions) or garlic chives. 

I just learned, too, that Thais do the same with iceberg lettuce, more familiarly known as cabbage, as they do to the sugar snaps and green-leaf lettuce.  They serve shredded cabbage as cole slaw, or just as is, like the lettuce. Cabbage and cucumber slices are usually served along with fish or meat dishes. I could get hooked to this kind of eating veggies the healthy way.  let's see where it gets me in  the days to come.

Next thing to discover are the spicy dishes around here. Thais love spicy food.  I have to learn to eat their kind of spicy food, or keep saying mai pet everytime we go out to eat.#

Discovering the Land of Wats, the Land of Smiles

I never imagined myself to be living away from home, but here I am cast in the middle of an unfamiliar ocean, swept up by waves that don't seem to embrace me.  Not yet, anyway.

First phase, hunting for a new home.   I traveled with my hubby here in Huahin, a prosperous fishing village three hours away from Bangkok, to scout for a dwelling place sometime in early part of last year, 2013.  Space is expensive here.  Most residences we saw were small, although they're modern.  We tried looking at stand-alone houses, but we opted for condominum units.   Big space is hard to come by when your budget is not liberated.  But we were able to find a unit big enough for a family of five.  It's beautiful, of contemporary Western design. Near the beach. Near the markets, shopping malls, hospitals and a Catholic church.  Perfect.  Not that I plan to do a lot of outdoor activities and a lot of shopping.  But just the thought of it makes one feel good about establishing a new home, albeit a temporary one.  Who doesn't wanna live like this when it feels like it's vacation forever! :-)

Second phase, testing the waters.  I have finished packing stuff back home.  All that we need is our Manila home's renovation to be completed, and then we ship all our stuff there.  Then some here, mostly my art and craft stuff.  And my sewing machine. :-)

Yeah, am here now in Huahin, testing it out.  Actually, I came here to be with hubby during this Valentine season.  I didn't want him spending Hearts' Day alone.  This stay shall be the intro into the kind of life I'd be leading here for a couple of years or so.  A sneak peek, so to speak.

I want to share the peephole with you, hence I plan to blog away my stay here.  Let's get to know this neighboring state of ours, from first-hand experience.  Keep posted. :-)