Loy Krathong Water Festival | Chiang Mai, Thailand

We were incredibly lucky to be in Chiang Mai for the Loy Krathong Water Festival.  It is held on the full moon night of the 12th lunar month.  It is a time to pay respect to Buddha and thank the Goddess of Water.  I had made my own floating Krathong a day before, filled with banana leaves, flowers, candles and incense.  Our hotel, The Chedi Club, had a celebration that night and everyone lit the candles and incense and placed the krathongs into the Mae Ping River and watched them float away.  You make a wish and as it drifts away it symbolizes letting go of old grievances and starting life anew.  Supposedly the longer your candles burn, the better next year will be.  You also light a very large lantern and it flies up into the sky.  It was an amazing sight to see the whole sky filled with thousands of lit lanterns and a firework display that lasted into the wee hours of the morning.

Earlier in the day we passed these monks having a celebration of their own.  They sent a couple of lanterns to the sky but one fizzled out.  They were having a great time.

As this Loy Krathong festival also celebrates a new year, so do we.  Here's to a happy, healthly and peace filled 2014.  Happy New Year.

Chiang Rai, Thailand and the Hilltribes

While in Chiang Rai, we visited the Hill Tribes.  These villages are made up of the Yao, Lahu, Akha, and Long Neck Karen tribes.  The most fascinating of these tribes, to me, were the Long Neck Karen tribe.  As very young girls, they get their first coils put around their neck, each year having them cut off and getting a new one with an additional coil.  These coils can weigh up to 30 pounds.  They don't necessarily make their necks longer, they just push their shoulders down.  You ask "why?"  One myth is that long ago tigers would grab them by the neck and take them away.  This coil was used to protect them from the tigers.

The woman below has the largest brass coil of all of the tribe members.

And the little girl below is probably the youngest to wear the brass neckless.

Richard Avedon: Women, at the Gagosian Gallery

The Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills was having an exhibition of the photographer Richard Avedon.  The exhibit spanned 6 decades of his work and was the first in Los Angeles since 1976.  Gorgeousness everywhere I looked.  No other words necessary……………...

Bangkok, Thailand and the Buddhas

Wat Pho is home to the 160 foot long Reclining Buddha.  What an amazing sight.  His body is made of gold leaf and his feet of mother of pearl.  Wat Pho is the largest temple in Bankok and has over 1000 other Buddha statues.  It also houses a monastery .  We were lucky enough to be able to see a monk initiation ceremony performed while we were there.  The monks were chanting, incense was wafting through the air, the family were seated at tables, eating and praying.  

At Wat Traimit you will find the Golden Buddha, which is exactly that, solid gold.  It is just short of 10 feet and weighs 5 1/2 tons, and is estimated to be worth 250 million dollars.

While in Bangkok, we stayed at the Sukhothai hotel.  This is a beautiful hotel and in a great location.  Just 2 doors away is the Moon Bar and Vertigo Restaurant at the Banyan Tree Hotel.  These are both on the roof of the hotel with an amazing, panoramic view of the city of Bangkok, all lit up with lights.  Gorgeous and quite the romantic spot.  Not to be missed. 

Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, Cambodia

We arrived in Siem Reap one very hot and humid day.  Well actually, every day that we were in Cambodia was so intensely hot and humid that I felt like I would actually melt into the ground.  I have never felt heat like that before.  And supposedly April is the hottest month of the year.  I am glad I was there in November.  I really loved the town of Siem Reap.  It is quite the happening spot.  There is a street called Pub Street, including its surrounding streets,  that have one bar and restaurant after another.  There is no lack for food or drink though I would say that I preferred both the Vietnamese and Thai food over the Cambodian.  There was even a Mexican restaurant, if you can believe it, called Viva, that we ate at.  There is so much Asian food a Southern California girl can eat before she gets that craving for a good taco and a margarita.

Our purpose for stopping in Siem Reap was to visit the ruins of Angkor Wat.  We booked a 2 day tour with Kim of Hidden Angkor.  Kim grew up with Angkor as her playground.  So she really knows the best of the best as far as what to see and what time of day.  She loves photography as well and was always pointing the way to the best shot.  Our itinerary included Angkor Wat, Ta Promh, Banteay Srei, Angkor Thom, Prah Khan and the floating villages of Tonle Sap Lake.    

Angkor Wat

The building of the city of Angkor began in 802.  The largest religious monument ever built is Angkor Wat.  It was built in the 12th century and was dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu, the preserver.  In 1431 Angkor was invaded from Siam.  Buddhist monks came with the Siamese and placed a figure of a Buddha.  It was eventually abandoned.  Vines and trees took over the city.  In the 1970's, the Khmer Rouge overtook Angkor and looted it's temples and stole the Buddha heads, as you can see above, to raise money for war.

Ta Promh

Do you see the Hidden Buddha?

Lights, camera, action.  They were filming a TV commercial for some jewelry line from China while we were there.  Ta Promh is probably the most visited of the temples in Angkor and to me the most beautiful with the massive tree roots and jungle atmosphere.

Banteay Srei

Banteay Srei is a 10th century Hindu temple dedicated to the God Shiva, the god of destruction.  The temple is built of red sandstone.

Angkor Thom