Chaing Mai

The sign in front of the old city wall says
Chiang Mai Yee Peng Festival 2016

Mel and I added Chiang Mai to the itinerary because we would be there during the famous Yi Peng festival, which started and is still strongest in this northern region of Thailand.  The festival coincides with the more wide-spread Loy Kathrong festival, so there are both balloon lanterns and sky lanterns to release.  Fun!  Unfortunately this year, they canceled the famous Buddhist event that is known for its balloon lantern release, but did not announce the reasons.  Instead, they offered a version for tourists, and tickets were sold out before we ever booked our flights. 

River lanterns made by the pros
Evert able Thai was cutting
and pinning banana leaves and
flowers all day that day.

Fortunately, the Yi Peng and Loy Kathrong celebrations are so ingrained in the culture of Chiang Mai Province that there is no stopping this festival.  So we still got to participate. 

People started releasing balloon lanterns and river lanterns from

Getting the balloon
lanterns warmed up

bridges and the river shore as soon as it got dark.  We’d picked our restaurant for the night because it was right next to one of the two main bridges where people release their sky lanterns in Chiang Mai.  It was an all-inclusive event with music, food and drinks.  We got the best seats in the house thanks to Mel’s negotiation skills!   We released our floating lanterns early as well and watched the sky fill with glowing orbs as we ate dinner on our balcony perch.  

The floating lanterns set off into the river

The bridge and the river behind the
stage is the major release point for
balloon lanterns and fireworks

The big event was at 9:00 when we released our sky lanterns next to the river, along with thousands of other people in Thailand.   You are supposed to pray, putting all your troubles and bad feelings into the sky lanterns, and then release them symbolizing letting go of all of it.  It’s a great feeling when your lantern finally catches the wind and floats off into the sky. 

A view from our dinner table

This guy offered his "help", which
made Melanie laugh

These things are really hard to photograph

Letting go of the lanterns

In front of
Wat Chedi Luang

The main gate entering
the old city of Chiang Mai

We did get to see a little bit of Chiang Mai, the city while we were there.  It's amazing how dense the temples are in this town!  I think Mel counted more than 50 inside the old walled city alone, just by counting the ones marked on the tourist map.  We dropped into a couple of them, and visited the biggest and oldest: Wat Chedi Luang. 
The day after the balloon lantern release held a parade and fireworks in theory, but most of it got cut short by the pouring rain. We got lucky that the main balloon release night was so clear.

Random temple on the way

Buddhist monks getting
ready for the festival

Wat Chedi Luang - rebuilt with
Japanese dollars according to Wiki
Note the elephants around the left edge

The temple out front

The parade passing under the
picture of Thailand's beloved king

Poeple lining up for the parade
 before the rain began

Views from the top of the mountain

The 4-wheeling crew

The next day, we did a tour of the National Park outside Chiang Mai on 4-wheelers.  Rumbling through the jungle, appreciating some beautiful views, climbing through a huge cave with headlamps, and visiting a local village.  We paired up with two other travelers: Justin from sunny CA and Arie (sp?) from Tel Aviv.  The final stop was the "Grand Canyon of Chiang Mai" offered by our driver for only an additional 500baht.  It turned out to be a big hole in the ground dug by humans and a surprisingly pleasant to swim in.  We got some awesome cliff jumping in!

A view from the top overlooking pepper and corn fields

At the mouth of TakTan Cave

Elephants, 4wheelers
and cars sharing the road

They may not have sealed walls but
they do have electricity in this village

The "Grand Canyon of Chiang Mai"

Next Stop: Siem Reap

How to get to Chiang Mai in 9 hours

We are in the middle of an adventure in Bangkok airport.  We were supposed to fly to Chiang Mai for the festival Yi Peng (where they release floating lanterns into the sky en mass) but the festival must have started releasing the balloon lanterns early because they canceled our flight to Chiang Mai.  Sadly, the regional airline Nok Air did not tell us that our flight was canceled.  They must have known though.  Because when I tried to check in the night before, they would not let me, and said I had to see the agent out the counter.  

When we got to counter, the poor booking agent had to repeat herself 3 times before we understood part of what she was trying to tell us.  We did understand there would be no flights in or out of Chiang Mai for the next 2 ½ days.  We did not understand the rest of what she said. 

As a consolation, she managed to get on a flight to Phitsanulok that was still available only because the flight was delayed by an hour.   We agreed to go with the understanding that the Nok Airline people would then put us on a bus from Phitsanulok to Chiang Mai. (Melanie asked how long the bus would take and the agent said 1 hr.)  But she didn’t give us any bus tickets.  When we asked how they would know to pay for the bus, she gave us stickers to wear showing we had been rerouted from the Chiang Mai flight. 

At the gate, we met another couple from North Carolina who’s plans had been similarly disrupted.  They informed us their agent had said the bus ride would take 6 hours!  The only reason they had agreed is that the busses from Bangkok were all full and it saved them 2 hours to take the flight.  After then mapping the new, mystery destination, we find it’s only halfway between Bangkok and Chiang Mai.  Google says it should take 4 1/12 hours driving.  We'll see.

The stickers got us on the bus.
How long will this take?

*********************************************************

I am writing this part of the post 3 days later: 

Nok Air pulled through.  They not only served us a small snack and drinks on a 45 minute flight, they had somebody waiting with a list of names for a private shuttle when we landed.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Our minivan was driven like a bat out of hell for 4 solid hours and they dropped us off at our hotel in Chiang Mai around 1AM.  

We made it to Chiang Mai in time for the big day of Yi Peng.

Bangkok Part 1

Riding elephants in Bangkok

The main drag in the
Weekend Market.
It's the only straight street.

My friend Melanie joined me for the first leg of my Thaliand adventure.  She's already visited several times and was my guide to Bangkok.  We hit 3 Bangkok highlights in 3 days: Shopping, elephants and poverty-stricken neighborhoods. 

The first stop was the huge Weekend Market the day Mel arrived.   It was absolutely enormous and you could find almost anything in its rabbit-warren aisles.  Locally produced/woven cloths and sandles?  Check.  Thai silk scarves and dresses?  Check.  Knockoff name brand watches and purses?  Check.  Weird looking junk?  Check. Elaborately decorated surgical masks??  Check.  (Melanie and I actually had to ask that stall what the heck they were.)  There was something at this Market for all the locals and any tourist.  We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly before treating ourselves to a foot massage and some delicious Thai food. 

You can even buy cowboy hats
in Bangkok

A view through the stalls of the market

The next morning, we woke up early with the plan to find a driver to take us to the Samphran Elephant Park and Zoo.  It took a couple of trys with Uber, but we managed to find a driver who got us there by 9:30 . . . a full hour after the park supposedly opened but it still felt deserted. .  Eventually, they did bring out the elephants and we got to ride a really cute one named Joey around the huge park area.  The park was really pretty even if it's paved.  And we got special treatment since we were the only ones in the park by this point.  The elephant was so sweet!  And so smart!

Because the same elephants alternately give rides to tourists, perform in the elephant show, and are trotted out to be fed by tourists, they were trained it to dance, pose for pictures, and generally be very very cute while still being enormous.   There were other attractions in this “zoo”, including monkeys, tigers and the many crocodiles that Mel and I wandered by to fill the time.  There was even an nerve-wracking crocodile show.  But the elephants were definitely the highlight.

Would you like a banana?

Here's your banana

Mel made sure the babies got fed too

Elephants playing soccer
love it!

Yikes!

Part of the Elephant Show

We got back in time to order custom made dress shirts, which are cheap and high quality here, and then eat dinner.  We happened to be  in Bangkok during the Loy Kathrong (River Festival) period and ate dinner on the river at Asiatique, which is another market.  This market is aimed squarely at tourist and is priced appropriately.  We did get to see the boat show as we took the water ferry to the Asiatique pier where they had set up a separate carnival area, including ferris wheel, celebrating the holiday.

The boat show was part of
Bangkok's Loy Kathrong celebration

The next morning started even earlier than the last so we could meet Pastor Nuam so he could drive us to the Children’s House.  Abba House is a ministry that Melanie has been volunteering with for years that works with people in the slums of Noorsathorn.  They do many things.  One service they offer helps  care for and educate the young children of families living in the slum.  In addition to teaching them how to read, write and speak English, this service help pay for kids birth certificates because these families usually cannot afford the ~$100 fee.  Birth certificates are key in this country because the free public education that starts at age 6 is not available to children without one.

KaiMouk was so proud of
her floating lantern!

Arts and crafts with the kids.
The final products.

So these kids are at high risk of ending up in situations even worse than their parents – prostitutes, slaves, thieves or drug addicts.  In fact, 2 of the kids who had been long-time participants were not there the week we visited because their parents owed money to the neighbors and couldn’t pay it back, and so they moved out in the middle of the night.  We played with the remaining kids, including practicing letters, matching animals to words and sounds, and the arts and crafts project of the day: Making Kathrongs (floating lanterns) in the spirit of the river festival!  The volunteers even let us build adult versions.  The kids were sweet, intelligent, energetic and heartbreaking knowing the hard reality they received in the ovarian lottery.  The pastor and his young wife are doing so much to help out their local community, and it was heartrending listening to them discuss what dreams they had put on hold because funding only allowed them to chase a few at once.  Melanie and I both had a lot of fun with the kids and Abba House volunteers and I left feeling both very fortunate and thinking I should be doing more to help the people who aren't as fortunate as us.   

Some tidbits from Bangkok: 

The big city of Bangkok.

Thais are beautiful, happy people who laugh and smile a lot.  They are incredibly kind, patient and friendly to a lot of tourists who flood their country.  This is known as the land of Smiles.  And they live up to their reputation.

I feel very tall in Thailand!  It is not a feeling I am used to.
Good thing there are so many Westerners living here to keep me grounded to reality.  In fact, there are A LOT of westerners in Bangkok.  And the Thai people appear to have adjusted to them instead of the other way around.

Melanie and I began a running joke about the number of white guys we saw walking around with Thai women.  Granted . . .  there is a lot of prostitution here, and we definitely saw those couples.  But most of the pairs looked like long-term relationships between white, wealthy expats and some happy Thai woman who felt like Cinderella. 

Melanie and I also noticed that Thailand has reached the peak of marketing.  Billboards look like movie screens and multiple billboards were even were coordinated with each other!  There are TVs on the metro, and every building or street corner is advertising something. 

Thai construction standards are not up to USA federal standards.  And there is construction everywhere.  Just a couple of examples to entertain any of my guys back at PEX who are reading this:   

How many splices can you count?
This is pretty typical all over the city.
 . . . At least these look shielded - some aren't.
Notice the vines growing through the
electrical cables

We passed this earlier
no hard hats, no scaffolding
no structure pouring concrete

Yikes.  That's all I'm going to say.

Transitioning to Asia

This trip started very much in my comfort zone with a road trip in the US, then ventured all the way to Western Europe where I have backpacked many times before.

It's finally time to get out of my comfort zone.  Istanbul was a soft landing with a friend/family/guide.  Thailand will push the envelope further but not too far.  After all . . . most signs are still in English.  And the people are some of the most welcoming you'll ever meet.  It's known as the land of the smiles and so far that has been a good description.

A friend who lived in Thailand once told me it was a "Choose Your Own Adventure Country."  It can be anything you want it to be.  He was right.  My friend Melanie is joining me for the first week and a half I am this country.

So far we are choosing the high-octane, made-for-tourists version of Bankok and Chiang Mai.  We'll swing through Cambodia before returning to Bangkok.  Learning Spanish and checking the news have taken a back seat.  I'll get the lazing on the beach in PhiPhi or Vegas-like nightlife in Pattaya versions of Thailand if I want them after she leaves.

Also, I updated my one political post.  I don't like being embarrassed of my country.

Istanbul - Constantinople

The famous Hagia Sophia
First a church, then a mosque, and now a museum

I've spent the last week in the seething, hazy, very cosmopolitan city of Istanbul with my cousin Andrew. I found this blog difficult to write because I saw so much and learned so much.  It was very difficult to choose pictures and subjects!

The biggest city in Turkey is where the east and west join, both literally and figuratively.  It physically straddles two continents.  Downtown is a fascinating bombardment of sights, sounds and smells.  Uptown could be a nice suburb of any East Coast city.

Roman aqueduct meets modern highway

Istanbul openly displays culture from Europe and the Middle East, from both ancient history and the modern world.  Some examples:

• Men in suits in the business district sit on low stools sipping tea during lunch.
• There are as many women wearing headscarves as without.
• The ancient Roman aqueduct has been preserved, but a major highway crosses it so exactly one high speed lane runs through each ancient arch.  
• Westernization is evident in stores, banks, bars, skyscrapers, and billboards.
• On the other hand, the Sultan's palace is still a major attraction (and the subject of a popular Turkish TV series) and the daily calls to prayer remind you that this country is also home to deep-rooted values shared with its neighbors to the East.

People walking the streets are a blend of New World and Old.  What I learned from Andrew is that Istanbul has played this uneasy role of joining West and East for millenia.  And they are still debating if they are Western or Eastern or some version of both . . . does Turkey want to join the EU?  Do they become more reliant on the wealthy Middle Eastern customers buying their goods and services?

The fort constructed by Mahmed the
Conqueror (Fatih) is now surrounded by
one of the nicest neighborhoods in town,
We had breakfast with Andrew's
friend, Serra, at the base of the bridge

Byzantine walls of the old city
now contain soccer fields and fly
a Turkish flag.  In the distance
you can see a mosque topping the hill
across the Golden Horn

A picture of us in front of the newest bridge over the Bosporus
It's controversially being built through an endangered area
But makes for some really cool pictures.

Andrew just completed his masters this summer in MiddleEastern Studies and had already visited Istanbul 4 times before he joined me on this trip.  He's a wealth of knowledge on both the history of the country, the current climate here, and the best places in town to eat and drink.  He even introduced me to a couple of his friends that live here - they were genuinely wonderful and very hospitable people.  Unfortunately no pictures of our evenings with them :(  Andrew also speaks a little Turkish.  In other words, he was the best guide I could have hoped for!

A tiny sampling of Andrew insights that you won't find in guidebooks:

• Istanbul's population less than 1 million people in the 1950s and now more than 14 million people call it home.  Talk about rapid change!

Norman graffiti at the Hagia Sophia

• Want to see the Norman graffiti in the HagiaSophia?  Sure enough, There is a rune carved into the marble banister from one of the crusades, right next to where modern visitors have disfigured the same banister.
• [As we're staring at the coastline across the tiny Sea of Mamara from Kadikoy]  This relatively short stretch of land is were the Trojans fell to the Greeks, where Alexander the Great successfully invaded Asia, and where the Brits perished at Gallipoli.  
• When Ataturk [founder of modern Turkey and longtime president] successfully won independence for his country [shortly after WWI], his government strongly encouraged a movement towards secularism.  For example, his government forbade women to wear head scarves if they were public employees.  In the last 10 years, the recent government has started to slowly roll these and other longstanding reforms back.   
• I know this great restaurant that has a great view of the Bosphorus.  
• And, don't buy ice cream on this street because all the vendors screw with you.

A view from the Bosphorus tour
The Sultan's palace, the Hagia
Sophia and the Blue Mosque

 I saw a ton of famous sites, and learned a ton about the local culture and Muslim religion.  Sadly, I mean REALLY basic stuff . . . like who is Ataturk and what is the Kaaba?   History becomes very real when you're staring at 1500 year old building or 2000 year old sculptures.

French flag next to Turkish

We got into a comfortable routine of sleeping late, doing 4-6 hours of sightseeing, wandering around neighborhoods and then eating well for dinner every day.  Sadly, we arrived the same night as the Paris attacks.  So slow mornings usually included catching up on emails and the latest findings from investigations in  Paris and Brussels. It inspired my first and probably last political post.  We took a tour of the Bosphorus the same day as the Istanbul Marathon.  They hung the French flag next to the Turkish ones from the bridge being crossed by the runners.



Pictures and observations of an fascinating city:

• Istanbul is built on 7 hills, 6 of which are now crowned by mosques.  Visitors must constantly walking up and down very steep grades.  My quads did not burn this bad when I was hiking the Alps!

• The food here is amazing.  The food in Istanbul is as diverse as the population and pulls influences from the Balkans to the Mediterranean to the far east.  Simple food prepared fresh.  All of it is good.  Some of the most traditional foods like Lahmacun (flatbread) and Doner kebaps wrapped in the local tortilla-like bread reminded me a lot of Mexican food.  To further emphasize the point, there are an abundance of tomato, onion and pepper-based sauces.  We also a few of the many high-end restaurants and bars, as well as noshing on traditional street fare like Kokorec.  Thanks to Andrew for finding all the best places in town to eat!   

The baklava is amazing
Pictured here with the omni-present chai tea

Little women in white in the tourist
district roll out the traditional thin
bread that is cooked on the stone stove
to her right.

Bread, cheese, olives, eggs, sausage . . .
The breakfasts here are a feast!
Thank you Serra for sharing!

Kokerec and Kebaps

Bosa

This bartender could hold his
own in New York or London

• Turks are very proud to be Turkish!  Turkish flags hang in windows and are proudly displayed in poor and rich neighborhoods.  Likenesses of Ataturk abound.  Homes and businesses display pictures, there are statues of him in every park, and the coastal highway is lined with mini-billboard-sized pictures of him during his long tenure as president.  

A memorial celebrating Memed
the Conqueror (Fatih) successfully
conquering Costantinople (now
Istanbul)

One of many memorials
dedicated to Ataturk
this one is near Gezi Park

Turkish flags and images
of Ataturk are hung in
windows all over the city
in all neighborhoods.

More flags.  I haven't seen this
degree of national pride
since leaving the USA

The courtyard and surrounding buildings
around the Suleymaniye Mosque

• Such a central part of daily life in a Muslim country, we saw some of the most important mosques in the world in and around Istanbul.  One thing I learned is that Mosques were not /are not just a place of worship.  These big ones included complexes that provide schools for children, hospitals, baths, sometimes lodging for travelers, and shops for local businessmen, and much more.  
• Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, Suleymaniye Mosque

There are always beautiful fountains out
front for the ritual cleaning before prayer

They were performing
restoration work while
we visited the Haghia Sophia

A view of the Blue Mosque
taken from inside the Hagia
Sophia

Standing in the spot where
the Empress used to sit
when she attended church
at the Haghia Sophia

The conquering Ottomans left the
church largely as-is when they converted
it into a mosque, but added the
symbols for Allah and the prophet
in a size that "is befitting of the
Haghia Sophia"
You can still see the Madonna and
child Mosaic in the middle.

One of the many remaining mosaics
inside Hagia Sophia.  This one is curious.
It portrays the empress Zoe and her
3rd husband on either side
of the Madonna and Child

Impressive views of the large dome
in the Suleymaniye mosque, from
one of the half domes

Designed and built by the famous
architect Sinan, marble arches, golden
calligraphy, and ornate details give
this mosque a majestic feel

A view of Sinan's work
The inner courtyard and a mineret 

The marble arches leading to
the courtyard of the Suleymaniye
mosque are carved and fitted
like lock and key.  This could
not have been easy to do!  

The Kulliyah of Faith Mosque
it sits on the 4th of Istanbul's 7 hills

• It's thanks to the leniency of Muslim conquerors, the old churches from Byzantium still stand.  Now museums, they still display the incredible mosaics of Mary and Jesus and other stories from the Bible from their 1300s artists.  A few of the many mosaics in the Pammakaristos Church/Fethiya Museum and the Chora church/museum are shown below.

• The sultan's palace - a window into ancient Ottoman culture.   We weren't allowed to take pictures of the many exhibits, like the holy relics, treasury, or kitchens.

I love mosaics - even
ones that are set into
the doors of the palace

A view of one of many fountains
inside the Harem apartments

Entrance to the palace

Tile from Isnik everywhere

The palace offered some of the
best views of Istanbul

• We even took a day trip to Bursa.   This part of Turkey was conquered by the Ottomans long before Istanbul, so it contains some of the most important mosques in the world.  I enjoyed the outing, not just for the history, but because it lets you see a more industrial city in Turkey.  

Tombs of conquering Ottomans

The oldest mosque Andrew's seen
and that's saying something!

The caption says this is the carpet
laid over the Kaaba when the
Turks first conquered Mecca.
Wow.

Tea in a traditional
Han/Khan in Bursa

• Roman ruins still stand everywhere in Istanbul.  I am so impressed with Roman engineering.

Obelisks from the old hippodrome

Climbing the old city walls

The Sidamara Sarcophagus
This is what Michelangelo was
trying to re-capture

One of the cisterns built by Justinian
This man-made aquifer was
built in the 6th centrury and
covers 2.4 Acres of space
and stored water carried on
Roman aqueducts from the forests in
Belgrade 12 miles away!

• There are a zillion places to shop in Istanbul.  If you don’t care for the wares hawked by the street vendors, there is a high concentration of shopping malls per capita.  And the Grand Bazaar can take care of most of your needs.  

Every city has a pedestrian
strip for the name brands

No joke - there is a hotline
to call if you have shopping problems

• There are stray animals everywhere.  Unlike my home town, these cats and dogs appear to be well-fed by the locals.  They are fat, happy and friendly.

Locals leave food and water
out for the animals

This kid is determined to feed the cat,
and the cat is putting up with it!

• The evil eye symbol is present anywhere there are tourists to buy it - ward off bad luck by wearing one of these!  This blue and white emblem will always remind me of Turkey.

  

  The evil eye is included in everything
  from jewelry to artwork to
  dishes to home decor.

• We are lucky in America that politics and business only marginally interact.  People here are still blacklisted, shut down, and denied work if they become too politically active.  At least, that is the well-accepted perception.  There is no doubt corruption and nepotism still are part of life in Turkey.  
• Our AirBnB apartement was next to the Galata Tower.  For whatever reason, it was perfectly placed to hear calls to prayer from at least 5 different mosques.  The tower itself is a major landmark, making it easy to navigate home.  It was lit different colors on different nights.

Next stop: Thailand