Its been so long since I updated my blog. I wont lie, life hasn't been easy lately, what with work pressure and household nitty gritties. I awaken everyday with the intention that maybe today I shall sit down with a hot piping cup of coffee and attempt to update my blog but always fail to do so. Its a wonder how we plan to do something but never set out to achieve it. When this happens we console our self and say its okie I will get down to doing it tomorrow. Have we ever sat down and thought what if there is not tomorrow or tomorrow never comes.
OUR HONEYMOON IN CHAING MAI
Thanks to my sister in law Gurjit, our honeymoon in Chaing Mai (8th April-11 April 2009) was really memorable. Our hotel was one far off from town nestled in between mountains and all the greenery one can wish to see. The most remembered part of it was the visit to the elephant farm and the 1 hour elephant ride right across the elephant village. I wish I could take a picture of my hubby;s face when he got onto the elephant. Why u may ask? Well let me put it this way Frankenstein wd have looked less scarier than my husband did when he attempted to sit on the back of our elephant. I was so amused to see my hubby's face when after the elephant show an elephant came n lifted me up with his trunk. If he was a baby i cd have sworn he was gonna cry there and then. After the elephant ride came the ox cart ride. We just sat there being amazed and pondering over the fact of how our ancestors used to travel day in day out on such modes of transport. Once the ox cart ride was over, it was time to don our straw hat and go for a bamboo raft ride. The weather was scorching hot, so hot that half way we decided to take off our shoes and dip our feet into the cold cold water while we imagined we were on a gondola instead of a raft. Once we got off the raft out stomachs were aching for some authentic Thai cuisine so we requested out taxi driver to bring us to where we could feast on some hot hot spicy tom yam. He agreed and drove us to a small hut by the roadside. I was skeptical but my husband kept on urging me to b positive. Well I always tell how can I b positive when my blood group i b negative! Well safe to say, after such a sumptuous meal all we cd do was go back to our hotel and sleep..............................! We were lucky actually because all our meals in Chaing Mai were nice and reasonably priced. The taste out of this world!
Besides this elephant farm adventure, we also manage to catch the night safari. That was interesting. Imagine the animals all around us and we sitting in an open bus like concept for a vehicle. My husband was constantly looking out the window as if a tiger or a lion was gonna make us his dinner and desert. (My husband being the dinner and of course me being the desert). We also manage to visit one of the Buddhist temple in the heart of town. This was amazing because I actually thought the monk sitting in the smaller temple in a glass frame was actually a statute (a replica) but to my amazement, it was actually a life monk who has been meditating and has managed to brings his breathing down to a amazing low. This proves that mind over matter is not just a saying. If we put our minds to it we can achieve miracles! The mind is such a powerful tool and dangerous if residing in a physco.
Finally came time for shopping. Since my h
usband has been to Chaing Mai earlier he knew exactly where to get good bargains. We had goodies for everyone including our selves also. Lastly we were bankrupt happy honeymooners! But the adventure did not end there. The riots were becoming bad in Bangkok and our worry meter rose to an alarming frenzy as we prayed we 
could fly out of Chaing Mai the next day which was a waste cause the Songkran festival was beginning the day we were flying out and we did not have the chance to experience it. Its okie we shall try to make it the next time we plan to return to Chaing Mai. By the time we landed in LCCT there was a storm and we had to sit in our aircraft for at least 30 minutes before the plane doors were thrown open. Normally when it comes to an end of a holiday, paces become sluggish and we were no different. Our thoughts were just to hop onto the bus and get home and that is exactly what we did. The only hitch in our plan came when our bus broke down on the highway and we were required to board another bus which were already filled with passengers. Well this brought me back to my college days where i used to push those shoving me and try to get a seat. If getting a seat was impossible I wd just sit on the floor of the bus just to get a load of the feat. That was exactly what I did here. My husband was amused and slightly puzzled but just to tired to say anything so the moment passed without any comments. His thoughts I am sure was just to get home and into his bed. 
usband has been to Chaing Mai earlier he knew exactly where to get good bargains. We had goodies for everyone including our selves also. Lastly we were bankrupt happy honeymooners! But the adventure did not end there. The riots were becoming bad in Bangkok and our worry meter rose to an alarming frenzy as we prayed we 
could fly out of Chaing Mai the next day which was a waste cause the Songkran festival was beginning the day we were flying out and we did not have the chance to experience it. Its okie we shall try to make it the next time we plan to return to Chaing Mai. By the time we landed in LCCT there was a storm and we had to sit in our aircraft for at least 30 minutes before the plane doors were thrown open. Normally when it comes to an end of a holiday, paces become sluggish and we were no different. Our thoughts were just to hop onto the bus and get home and that is exactly what we did. The only hitch in our plan came when our bus broke down on the highway and we were required to board another bus which were already filled with passengers. Well this brought me back to my college days where i used to push those shoving me and try to get a seat. If getting a seat was impossible I wd just sit on the floor of the bus just to get a load of the feat. That was exactly what I did here. My husband was amused and slightly puzzled but just to tired to say anything so the moment passed without any comments. His thoughts I am sure was just to get home and into his bed. 
A BIT ABOUT THE SONGKRAN FESTIVAL
The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water. People roam the streets with containers of water or water guns, or post themselves at the side of roads with a garden hose and drench each other and passersby. This, however, was not always the main activity of this festival. Songkran was traditionally a time to visit and pay respects to elders, including family members, friends and neighbors. Besides the throwing of water, people celebrating Songkran may also go to a wat (Buddhist monastery) to pray and give food to monks. They may also cleanse Buddha images from household shrines as well as Buddha images at monasteries by gently pouring water mixed with a Thai fragrance (Thai: น้ำอบไทย) over them. It is believed that doing this will bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year. In many cities, such as Chiang Mai, the Buddha images from all of the city's important monasteries are paraded through the streets so that people can toss water at them, ritually 'bathing' the images, as they pass by on ornately decorated floats. In northern Thailand, people may carry handfuls of sand to their neighborhood monastery in order to recompense the dirt that they have carried away on their feet during the rest of the year. The sand is then sculpted into stupa-shaped piles and decorated with colorful flags. Some people make New Year resolutions - to refrain from bad behavior, or to do good things. Songkran is a time for cleaning and renewal. Besides washing household Buddha images, many Thais also take this opportunity to give their home a thorough cleaning.
The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water. People roam the streets with containers of water or water guns, or post themselves at the side of roads with a garden hose and drench each other and passersby. This, however, was not always the main activity of this festival. Songkran was traditionally a time to visit and pay respects to elders, including family members, friends and neighbors. Besides the throwing of water, people celebrating Songkran may also go to a wat (Buddhist monastery) to pray and give food to monks. They may also cleanse Buddha images from household shrines as well as Buddha images at monasteries by gently pouring water mixed with a Thai fragrance (Thai: น้ำอบไทย) over them. It is believed that doing this will bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year. In many cities, such as Chiang Mai, the Buddha images from all of the city's important monasteries are paraded through the streets so that people can toss water at them, ritually 'bathing' the images, as they pass by on ornately decorated floats. In northern Thailand, people may carry handfuls of sand to their neighborhood monastery in order to recompense the dirt that they have carried away on their feet during the rest of the year. The sand is then sculpted into stupa-shaped piles and decorated with colorful flags. Some people make New Year resolutions - to refrain from bad behavior, or to do good things. Songkran is a time for cleaning and renewal. Besides washing household Buddha images, many Thais also take this opportunity to give their home a thorough cleaning.
The throwing of water originated as a way to pay respect to people, by capturing the water after it had been poured over the Buddhas for cleansing and then using this "blessed" water to give good fortune to elders and family by gently pouring it on the shoulder. Among young people the holiday evolved to include dousing strangers with water to relieve the heat, since April is the hottest month in Thailand (temperatures can rise to over 100°F or 40°C on some days). This has further evolved into water fights and splashing water over people riding in vehicles. Nowadays, the emphasis is on fun and water-throwing rather than on the festival's spiritual and religious aspects, which sometimes prompts complaints from traditionalists. In recent years there have been calls to moderate the festival to lessen the many alcohol-related road accidents as well as injuries attributed to extreme behavior such as water being thrown in the faces of traveling motorcyclists. The water is meant as a symbol of washing all of the bad away and is sometimes filled with fragrant herbs. Songkran is also celebrated in many places with a paegant in which young women demonstrate their beauty and unique talents, as judged by the audience. The level of financial support usually determines the winner, since, to show your support you must purchase necklaces which you place on your chosen girl.
