Jub Jub: Action Song for Next Monday's Class

Yes, it's Thai bubblegum pop, and it's heavily playing on my "Daily Commute" playlist. I first heard this song during the Songkran festival in Chiang Mai. Of course, no one plays this music without doing the jub-jub dance. hehe. After teaching my english class how to sing and dance the hokey-pokey, I'll be teaching them this song/dance next week. i can't wait! hehehe.

um. detour. My Name is Longneck Ghost

clowning around with some of the longneck karen (Padaung) villagers in nai soi. they were very friendly.

we visited them after work hours. i tried on the neck rings and the ivory tusks, and one of them called me "LongNeck Ghost" in burmese.

thanks to khui shing for taking my pictures. hehe. i just couldn't resist being in front of the camera this time.

usual sight in the camp part2

some of the teachers and subject coordinators of the Karenni Education Department (KnED) inside Camp 1

Baan Mai Nai Soi, Mae Hong Son

usual sight in the camp part1

Baan Mai Nai Soi refugee camp, Mae Hong Son

Wat Jong Kum-Wat Jong Klang

Buddhist temple/monastery near the Lake Jong Kum in Mae Hong Son (taken late in the afternoon)

The area around the lake is a conducive place for strolling and eating out. There are several food stalls that you can choose from. Once you've ordered, you can choose to sit on the straw mats and eat on low tables set-up beside the lake. The area is usually breezy, and while eating, you can hear the banyan leaf bells from the top of the chedis, and the chirping birds (they can be quite noisy) perched on the mini-pagoda in the middle of the lake.

zoom in.

Looking for Curiosities

tuk-tuks, immolated statues, silver surfer buddhas, wooden longnecks

Scenes from the nai soi refugee camp

Some shots taken during my first day at the refugee camp in Nai Soi, which is about an hour's drive from the jesuit refugee service office in mae hong son.

The children are Karenni. They are war refugees from Karenni State in Myanmar.

sis, m chewing betel nut!

doon sa refugee camp ako nag-try. hehehe

Wat Phra That Doi Kong Moo

The buddhist temple overlooking Mae Hong Son. Because of its proximity to Myanmar, its architecture exhibits Burmese influences. I don't know how that translates architecturally though, since I've never been to Burma. hehe.

Doi Kong Moo is just a 5-minute motorbike ride from Khunlum Praphat Road, the main road in MHS city.





Zoom in.

LongNeck Ghost

yun yung tawag nung mga longneck karen sa akin. dumaan kami sa village nila kanina after work. nagkwento-kwento tapos nagpapicture ako with the brass ring. hahaha.

Food Hunting Around the Lake

sweating because of the heat!!! photo taken by khui shing

after browsing through a beginner's book on Thai, i tested my knowledge of numbers and haggling on the streetfood vendors around the lake.

me: sawatdee khrap!
vendor: sawatdee kha.. and the manang goes on babbling in thai which i do not understand...
me: nii a-rai? (pointing to a food that looks like pansit bihon)
vendor: the manang bursts out some word i can't figure out again..
me: ah.. (feigning understanding) ra ka thaoraai?
vendor: sip baht. (which i understand as 10 baht)
me: khrap. sawng.
vendor: ok, yee-sip baht (that's 20 baht, and she goes on to speak in thai again and hands over the pansit bihon)
me: khawpkhun khrap.
vendor: khawpkhun kha.

SUCCESS!

Mae Hong Son [view from Doi Kong Moo]

zoom in to view the MHS landscape

On the Road to Mae Hong Son

women from the Lisu tribe, I think

Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son via highway 1095.

We left CM at 645am, and arrived in MHS at 1215nn. Highway 1095 is a very scenic road. The long and winding route takes you up and down and around the mountain ranges of northern thailand. If you've ever taken Halsema Highway (Baguio-Sagada), then you'd more or less get an idea of what the scenery would feel like.

The whole highway is part of what is known as the Mae Hong Son Loop. There are two main highways, 1095 and 108, and they cover most of the scenic towns of Mae Hong Son province.

goodbye chiang mai

On the last night of songkran, Fr. Vinai took us out for dinner. Most of the scholastics were at the back of the pickup truck, and during songkran, that meant that you were ready to join the water splashing. we went around the main streets of chiang mai, and we were shouting "satnan!"--and as if on cue, the people on the streets or on other pickup trucks would throw water on us. we arrived at the restaurant all drenched and famished.

The Chedi of Doi Suthep

more details from wat phra that doi suthep, chiang mai.

zoom in for a better view.

Inner Sanctum

details from the inner courtyard of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai

zoom in for a better view

Venerating the Buddha

Pilgrims at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai

zoom in for a better view.

Dragon Stairs of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Two dragons (each with three more dragonheads coming out of their mouth) guard the 309 steps going up to the temple on Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai.

Lakbayan: from Fr. Danny Huang's site

I saw this first posted on Fr. Danny's site. I decided to take the test too =)

My Lakbayan grade is B!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Songkran 2008, Day 2: Chiang Mai [Random Pics]

**here you go, no more time to sort out the pictures, guys. I'll be posting the portraits separately. Just grab them!

According to the Thais, Chiang Mai is the place to go for the Songkran Festival. They are definitely right! =)

Expect to get really drenched! We walked all the way from 7 fountains because traffic was quite heavy going to the epicenter of the festival.

The Thais really know how to celebrate! Talk about ice-cold water, water guns, foam party, bands, dancing, and friendly party people!