Crazy Thailand

The past two weekends symbolized two Thai extremes.  On the 10^th and 11^th, Josh and I stayed local in Nan. We rode the motorbikes back up to Nanthaburi National Park on Saturday, only a 40 minute drive away, and then attended a tribal ceremony on Sunday at 3 A.M., which included a horrifying animal sacrifice.  Contrastingly, I spent the weekend of the 17^th and 18^th in modern Bangkok.

As you loyal blog subscribers know, Josh and I had previously visited Nanthaburi National Park, but because time required us to leave without exploring some inviting trails and waterfalls, we made the short ride back for the day.  It was more beautiful than the first time we went!  After chilling by an impressive waterfall in the afternoon, Josh and I hiked back up to the main campgrounds to watch the sunset and eat some grub. A big Thai family was making a campfire and invited us to join for drinks and dinner, which has pleasantly become the hospitable norm around here.

We descended the mountain as it turned dark and paradise was soon lost in the valley.  At 3 A.M. we drove fifteen minutes from our residing town of Thawangpha to a local Tai Lui village to witness their annual heritage rituals.  The Tai Lui people originally immigrated to northern Thailand from the Mekong River in Sipsongpanna, China when they lost a battle with Thailand (which at the time was Siam), since to the victor goes the spoils.  We only learned after the ceremony that the Tai Lui people are more animistic than Buddhist, which surprised us upon arrival because we had acclimated to the peaceful Buddhist ways of Thailand.  With all due respect to cultural relativism, this ceremony was a joke.  It’s hard to be politically correct when you witness something extremely primitive and barbaric.  I’m making these claims based on the assumed premise that the blatant torturing of animals is objectively wrong.  However, the beginning of the ceremony was innocent enough.  A Tai Lui elder who was a descendent of the army commander whom led the Chinese to Thailand performed the first rituals (the rituals and sacrifices performed were supposedly done in honor of the ancestors and revered army commander).   The Tai Lue elder held a baby chicken in front of a miniature home that was built to represent the home of the ancestors and then plucked several feathers from the chicken and offered them to the “ancestral spirits.” 

 If that was the extent of what transpired, I would have perhaps appreciated the emphasis they placed on familial remembrance and respect.  But when the Tai Lui elder subsequently handed the baby chicken off to an assistant whom then threw it in the air for the drunken mob to hysterically chase and catch as a symbol of good luck, I began to get a sour taste in my mouth.  After those shocking shenanigans were over, I begrudgingly meandered my way to the animal sacrifice.  A pig, water buffalo, and a few other helpless creatures were tied to posts, forming a circle.  The executioner held a dull ax.  The water buffalo moaned in agony as the executioner walked around the innocent creature in between blows in order to get a better angle.  It was probably the most unkosher, crude exhibition I have ever witnessed and reminded me of my futile attempts of opening up coconuts with the dull knife we have in our kitchen.  Three strikes to the water buffalo and I decided to head out.  

Khao San Road

The past weekend in bustling Bangkok seemed like I fast-forwarded the clock about 500 years.  I took an 11 hour overnight bus on Friday and a returning one Sunday night, which is one of those things you only do in a foreign country (further than driving from New York to Detroit and back for a weekend).  The company, food, and Thai massage (don’t worry Mom, I was relaxed rather than “happy” at the end of it) made it all worth it.  Bangkok is certainly a crazy metropolis.  Upon arrival at the bus station, I took a 30 minute motorbike-taxi ride to our hotel.  Holy shit!  Nothing like riding helmetless and holding on for dear life as the driver speeds and narrowly weaves between rickshaws and other moving vehicles… all at 5 A.M., right after stumbling off an 11 hour bus ride.  I met up with Jill and the rest of the chill Chonburi crew and we celebrated Danielle’s birthday Saturday night.  We stayed at a hotel on the notoriously touristy Khao San Road, which initially was nice just to get a change of pace from rural Thawangpha, but the extreme foreigner vibe quickly become pretty obnoxious.  If the goal is to be a traveler rather than a tourist, most occupants of Khao San Road didn’t get the memo.  To avoid the daytime commotion, we hung out by the cool of the rooftop pool and ate at an amazing vegetarian restaurant with floor cushions and hip music.  I must say, humus and veggie lasagna really hit the spot, especially after the recent Tai Lue ceremony. 

The two weekends of experiencing the Tai Leu animistic rituals and touristy Khao San Road, respectively, are by no means representative of Thai culture.  However, they do comprise two minority and extreme parts of Thailand as a whole.  Thailand reminds of a line in “Sara,” by Dylan, which goes, “So easy to look at, so hard to define.” 

Our school has midterms next week, so we get a little vacation!  I’ll be back in Chiang Mai, the caves and misty mountains of northwest Thailand, then flying down to stunning Ko Phi Phi Island for New Years.  Hope you have a happy holidays and New Year!