Muay Thai

A few weeks ago I joined a Muay Thai gym here in Bangkok. Chacrit Muay Thai School is a hop and a skip away from my house on Sukhumvit Soi 39. I went in for one session and was hooked. I've never dabbled in martial arts, so I've been really surprised with how much I have been enjoying learning this form of fighting. The instructors are all friendly super skilled Thai guys. One private session is 600 baht and if you want to sign up for 15 sessions the fee is 6000 baht. I'm really sad to be leaving so soon and I will not be able to use up all my pre-paid sessions. Fortunately, the allowed me to let Lisa use one of my credits and we had a great time. I'm hoping to find a good Muay Thai gym in the states so I can continue training. Here is a link to a short film I put togeather. The quality at Vimeo is much better! 

I'll miss..

Last week I bought a plane ticket back to the states. I'll be back on US soil on April 24th. What a trip this has been! I can't believe I have been living in Thailand for nine months. This is the longest I've been away from home.

I have found that since I made my decision to come home, I am getting increasingly excited and eager to return. On a camping trip to Khao Yai national park, Lisa and I spent a good chunk of time reminiscing about our hometown, Arlington. We talked out the beautiful drives down the highway, the delicious spread of ethnic restaurants, malls, you name it-we covered it.

I've also been spending a good chunk of time marveling at the complexities and beauty of Bangkok.  This is easy to do when you spend a large amount of time in transit. (Bangkok is notorious for the heavy traffic. All day, every day.) I've been fortunate to have the opportunity to visit this country many times, but it is a completely different experience living here. Sometimes, I feel like I have it all. Thailand is often advertised as paradise, and I certainly believe it is. Warm weather, delicious food, beautiful beaches with clear water, fields of wild sunflowers--this place is amazing.  Thus, I've decided to write down and record the things that I will and will not miss about Thailand.

What I wont miss:
1.The overcrowded BTS (sky train) during rush hour.

2. Thai banking.
-count your blessings Americans, we have a great banking system. I'll never take it for granted again.

3. Pollution

4. Traffic

5. Playing Frogger in the streets with traffic

6. Teeny-tiny Thai clothes.
 -It's incredibly difficult to find anything that isn't a size 00 here.

7. Having to drink bottled water all the time. Being leery of ice.

9. Health care. Just not feeling it. Hasn't been working out very well.

10. Art and craft supplies stores.


What I will miss:
1. Buying local produce for pennies.
-Being able to buy a whole bag of tropical fruit for less than a dollar on every street corner.
- Being able to buy a fresh coconut any day of the week.

2. The respect for teachers.
-Teachers are held in high esteem here, unlike in the States. When someone finds out that you are a        teacher they become very humbled and are extremely gracious. There are also numerous restaurant and  bar discounts for teachers.

3. My students
- I've yet to hold a full time teaching position in the states, so I can't really compare...but Thai kids LOVE their teachers. They are constantly running from down the hallway or across the school grounds just to say hello and give me a hug.

4. Teaching barefoot
-I've explained this one in the blog already.

5. Street life
-Every Thai street is active. Bustling with people; Thais and foreigners alike amble down sois (streets) filled with eclectic vendors. You can buy almost anything; fragrant jasmine garlands, tropical fruit, knock off DVDS, the list could go on forever. To paint you a better picture, imagine a sidewalk lined with stands of all sizes and goods, with street dogs wandering around aimlessly, students in school uniforms and motorcycle taxis roaring through the whole crowd. Get ready for sensory overload.

6. Motorcycle Taxis.
-Sorry Mom. I know you hate it, but I love it. Traveling via motorcycle gives me the opportunity to soak in all of these visuals and be in the open air.

7. Transport in general
-I have taken advantage of every type of transportation here. From tuk-tuks to the sky train. The city provides numerous ways to get around.

8. The beaches
-Every Thai beach I have been to the water is crystal clear. I can't even imagine what I'll think the next time I set my eyes on ocean waters on the east coast.

9. Buckets

10. The weather
-From monsoon rains to hot hot hot heat. I survived a natural disaster this trip!

11. Thai culture in general.
-Tons of cool stuff going on. Beautiful temples that sparkle in the moonlight. Monks walking around the city barefoot.

12. Rooftop parties.
-Incredible sights.


See you soon America!

Tigers like Bacon and Eggs

This past weekend I made my way through the notorious traffic jams of Bangkok into Chinatown. I had been invited by a new friend to make merit for the Chinese New Year. Superstitious beliefs and customs are prominent in Thai culture. Thus, when I found out that as a Dragon (Chinese zodiac), I would be having a year of obstacles—I figured I should do as the Thais do and make merit. Making merit is a way of life for most Thai people.

My Thai friend Pook seemed to have all the answers. She had alerted me about the prediction and told me that making merit at some specific temples would help me out in the long run. Her grandmother has kept a watchful eye on the Chinese Zodiac and had advice on how to gather good fortune and prosperity for the New Year. Pook was happy to pass along her advice and volunteered to show me the ropes.

My images don’t showcase the density of the crowded temples. When we arrived we bought our merit making supplies; a tray filled of oranges, gold folded papers, cookies, candles and incense. Following the crowd, I dropped off the majority of the items on the tray and held onto the candles and incense. A long line of people gathered around tables hosting small flower shaped candles to light their incense. Upon lighting their large handful of incense, the incense sticks were hoisted into the air. Due to the masses of people the outdoor air was already heavy with smoke. My eyes started to burn. Trying to keep up with Pook, we walked around the temple site where there were various tall urns that we had to place incense in. Separating three sticks from the bunch at each urn, I was shocked at the quick temple staff that gathered and discarded the sticks as soon as they were planted in the sand—making room for the other practitioners. The whole process was quite hurried due to the throngs of people pushing their way around but also because of how uncomfortable the smoke made us feel.   

                            

           

           Outside of the temple was line of people that went down an entire city block. In front of the temple were two Chinese lion statues. I watched as people slid colorful baht bills through the lions’ open mouth—in and out a few times. Pook told me they were doing this in hopes that when they spent the money, it would return into their pockets. I photographed a couple of teenagers who had their hearts set on a bigger fortune. Some teenagers pushed their whole wallets into the tiger’s mouth, stubbornly squashing their wallets into the stone mouth and yanking them out.

We made our way to a second temple in Yaowarat (the Thai name for Chinatown). This visit was to make an offering and pay our respects to the Tiger guardian. I shelled out some more baht for a second tray of offerings at an outdoor stand. I received a tray similar to the first with a new addition of two eggs and a fat slice of bacon. Pook’s grandmother had recommended us to ask one of the merchants to accompany us inside and show us how to properly do the ritual. The vendor guided us inside the temple. Once again, I found myself squeezing through a large crowd. My guide pulled many of the items off the tray and directed me where to place the various offerings. All the sudden, I found myself holding the tray with just the two eggs and the slab of bacon. The guide was animatedly motioning for me to do the universal offering pose. Lifting the small tray upwards and ducking my head in prayer, I laughed internally at the situation. I guess tigers like bacon and eggs. I was then directed to hand over my tray to some temple staff that would see to it that my offering was given to the Tiger guardian.

The guide produced a small piece of newsprint paper. There was a small paragraph printed in Thai. I could make out the blanks that dictated the insertion of my name and birthday. The guide read the piece of paper and encouraged me to repeat the reading. It was a short prayer requesting the tiger guardian to bestow me with good fortune and prosperity. I was then instructed to take the piece of newsprint and tuck it into the golden paper and brush it across my body—head to foot—thirteen times. I began the task and found myself smiling shyly to another girl who was doing her thirteen paper sweeps. She gave me a smile of encouragement and when I finished, I was hurried over to a fire pit and directed to give the papers to temple staff to burn. Now, I would be free of all the bad stuff once the paper was incinerated. I participated in the traditional candle and incense lighting activity I jut described and was then I was told to evenly pour the cooking oil into four lotus shaped oil lamps.

Unfortunately, they did not allow me to photograph the happenings within the temple. It was quite an experience and I’m glad that I have now warded off any bad stuff in this upcoming year. Happy Chinese New Year to all!

Loi Krathong

There is so much to say about my time off from work last year. In October, major flooding affected about a third of the country. Provinces located along the Chao Phraya River and Mekong River basin, including Bangkok were severely affected. As I had mentioned in a previous blog post, my neighborhood wasn’t affected directly by the flood. The only changes in my proximity were the anxious locals and the lack of food and water from every store.

After my school announced that our October break would extend into November, I decided to take advantage of my time off and buy a ticket to Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is a culturally rich city in Northern Thailand. I arrived on November 3^rd and had no idea that my travels would draw me further into Northern Thailand into the next month. When I came to Chiang Mai the only thing I was determined to do was celebrate Loi Krathong.

Loi Krathong is one of the most beautiful celebrations here in Thailand. The festival serves primarily as a means to pay respect to the river gods and goddesses and to let go of all negativity. The celebration centers upon floating Krathongs down the river and releasing paper lanterns (Khom Loi) into the night sky. Krathongs are lotus shaped floats made of a circular base decorated with folded banana leaves, flowers, candles and incense. As a child growing up, my family used to travel down to the Washington monument and float our homemade krathongs in the reflecting pool alongside other Thai families. From what I recall, there used to be a very large Thai community in Northern Virginia. I remember building floats with my Mother in our kitchen. We used to use a circular Styrofoam base and she would collect an array of vibrant flowers from her garden. I can still remember fumbling with the large stapler to adhere the folded leaves to the base. As I grew older, national security became very uptight and the organized Loi Krathong festival became nonexistent.

As the flooding continued to inundate provinces throughout Thailand, most areas had called off this celebration. Spirits were low, and I can understand why it would be hard to give thanks to the water spirits as many neighborhoods remained in high water. Chiang Mai however planned to stay on course with the festival. Once I arrived, I saw grandiose displays of lanterns. From every temple and the center square, bright colored lanterns swayed. At night, the bulbs would be turned on providing a magical display. In Chiang Mai, Loi Krathong is celebrated for a three days. Leading up to November 9^th, small fire works could be heard going off city at all times of the day. It almost felt like the Fourth of July.

I ended up being able to build my own Krathong! A hotel in Chiang Mai was providing a workshop on their front patio. Thai staff assisted in helping all that were interested for a fee of 120 or 150 baht to make a krathong. I was prompted to pick out a circular piece of a banana tree trunk. A sweet Thai girl patiently taught me how to fold my leaves and adhere them to the trunk with pins. I worked diligently to produce my krathong and covered it with bright orange flowers. Since the workshop was winding down, supplies were running low; my krathong wasn’t as colorful as I would have liked it to be. I was delighted to be making a float out of organic material rather than the Styrofoam.

The next day, I headed to the river with some new friends. We carried fireworks, paper lanterns and krathongs, eager to join the festivities. By the time we made it to the river, the streets were filling quickly with people. Families and friends were gathering to light off their paper lanterns and releasing their krathongs into the river. After I released my float into the river, I zoomed around the river site taking pictures. The beauty of the event stunned me.


My favorite part of the whole festival was lighting off the Khom Loi (floating lanterns.)  The lanterns are made from oiled rice paper on a bamboo frame and contain a small circular disc of waxy flammable material. Once lit, the flame heats the air inside the lantern causing it to rise. Some people attached fireworks to the discs that would cause the lanterns to accelerate higher into the air. The firework sparks would cause a trail of light, providing a visual that looked like a glittering jellyfish flying through the sky. The whole sky filled with lanterns looked like flickering golden constellations. It is a sight I will never forget.

2011 in Thailand: A photograhic review

I wanted to share some of my favorite photographs I have taken throughout my time in Thailand. I look forward to sharing more imagery and stories from my backpacking trip. Also, I recently updated my site: Janpim Wolf Photography Stay tuned for more posts! I have tons of traveling advice and pictures to share! Happy New Years!

The flooding continues...

There has been a decision made to sacrifice the outskirts of Bangkok to protect the city center. The capital is protected by hundreds of thousands of sandbags and dikes that stop the flood waters from gushing in. While it makes sense to protect the Thai capital, residents in northern provinces are suffering. As their homes remain filled with water, and with supply stocks dwindling, tensions have begun to surface. In a few isolated incidents, resentful residents, “flood mobs,” have torn apart floodwalls with axes as well as their bare hands.

The following imagery was taken in the Temple district and along Chinatown from within Bangkok. As you can see, some water has already begun to seep into the capital. 

Pray for Thailand

I'm sorry for the lack of updates. It has been a very busy month here with the arrival of three visitors from home. My apartment is full of suitcases and hanging clothes. No dryers here in Bangkok! Never the need for one in Thailand. During this time I have had a fun and relaxing break from school. The Thai academic calender provides a few weeks in October for time off between the semesters. I took advantage of this time and headed off to the Koh Samui area to explore the island of Koh Phangan. Only a few hours after my visitors landed in Bangkok, we departed to the island--just in time to make the monthly full moon party. Before I go off on a tangent about all of my adventures, I must dedicate a few words to reflect and explain my experience with the current flooding crisis in Thailand.

Thai people are familiar with floods--it is a regular occurrence in these parts. Thailand is a tropical country with a monsoon season. The current flooding, triggered by the heavy rain that began in July, is the worst to hit Thailand since 1942. (NPR). More than one third of the country's provinces have been engulfed in water. Nine million people have been effected with 356 documented fatalities. Many factories, schools, and businesses have been flooded throughout the country. On Thursday, the central bank said that the damage to the industry amounted to over 100 billion baht ($3.3 billion dollars). (BBC) As the waters lap around the edges of Bangkok, a mild panic is setting in.

Yesterday, when I was in the grocery store, I saw a woman buy two whole shopping carts full of Ramen noodles. A man in another lane across from me bought twelve pink cases of Evian water. I noticed the empty shelves a few days ago while I attempted to buy a bottle of water. I visited three convenience stores--the shelves of which were cleaned out. One informed me that the next shipment would be at 7pm and that there was a list of customers who had already bought part of the shipment in advance. 7-11 has posted signs apologizing for the lack of products saying that their suppliers have been shut down or have been unable to deliver.

So where is the water? Just a few days ago I had water lapping at my ankles after I disembarked from the  Maharaj Pier by the temple district. Now, as I look outside my window, my neighborhood street looks dry and parched. But I know that the flood is out there. It's a strange feeling. I don't like the waiting. I feel stressed and anxious as I scan the Internet article headlines and Richard Barrow's tweet page. My biggest frustration is the lack of clarity from Thai officials and media. They have not been providing the public with adequate information. Here is a great article in the Bangkok Post that really puts what is going on into perspective.

Just yesterday, my nerves spiked as an announcement on the radio was made saying that a sluice gate had burst and that my neighborhood, along with a few others, had been hit by a meter of floodwater. I was an hour away from my home. It turned out to be a false alarm. From what I have been reading and hearing, the authorities are really screwing up. They are unorganized and do not know what they are doing. The Prime Minister, Yingluck who has been in office for two months has been shown crying on the news. The Thai administration and officials are being heavily criticised for how they are handling the situation. All in all, it's a pretty big mess and I'm wondering who is going to have to clean it all up. One thing for sure is, the Thai population has united and have each other's backs. Volunteers head up to the flooded or soon to be flooded areas and help to build large walls of sand bags. People are collecting donations of food, water and money to help victims. Businesses with large parking decks are opening them so that people can move and park their cars on higher ground.

So, has it hit Bangkok? Yes. Yesterday it finally reached the Don Muang area, which is where the Capitol's second airport is located, as well as the government flood relief center. I've included an image taken from an article by Patipat Janthong of a train pushing through a flooded track as it approaches the Don Muang Station.

The semester break was supposed to end this Tuesday. I received a call from the principle of the elementary school informing me that the school would be closed until Nov 1st. I know a bunch of my own students are from the Don Muang area. I hope that everyone will be ok. Please pray for Thailand...we need it.