Su-sa-die Chnaam Thmei! Happy Khmer New Year! After three
days of official holiday it is now year 2557 according to the Buddhist
calendar. And like all great new year traditions, I was able to celebrate the
close of a great year and the beginning of another in the best of ways:
surrounded by friends and family - a group of people whom I knew nothing about
exactly 9 months ago.
As my community began to wind down as the new year
approached - school closing for the holiday, college kids back at home,
businesses with irregular (even more so than usual) hours, etc. - I took off on
a vacation to Thailand with my friends Sam, Miriam, and Pete. The trip was
marked by a lot of great moments and altogether flew day. We crossed the border
in Poipet smoothly despite warnings that it would be a royal pain in the butt
and arrived in Bangkok to be visually accosted by the sights and sounds of a
bustling city. So many multi-colored taxis, a subway, an air train, water taxis
- the public transportation possibilities alone were new and exciting. We spent
a few days riding as many of these different vehicles as possible exploring the
city and the astounding temple complexes that it boasts - The Royal Palace with
the emerald Buddha, Wat Pho with the 15x46m reclining Buddha, Wat Arun with its
intricate stonework - while eating plenty of pad thai and thai milk tea at
street vendors along the way.
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| view of the Royal Palace from the outside |
Other excursions included an all day bike tour of
the city winding through a lush jungle-like conservation area and in and out of
traffic.
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| Miriam, me, Pete, and Sam |
Taking the train to Chiang Mai (northern Thailand) I fought
a little bit of a battle with my stomach, but that didn’t stop me from going to
an elephant farm to play with elephants.
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| 3 idiots on an elephant (named Tukea) |
From Chiang Mai bused up to the sleepy city of Pai, made
famous by the Thai film Pai in Love. A city snug in the mountains with a lot of
day trip options like traveling by bamboo raft through the Lod Caves, splashing
around in a waterfall, soaking in the natural Thai Pai hot springs, and
watching the sunset from the Pai Canyon, all of which we crammed into one long
day.
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| the "resort" bungalows we stayed in |
Then came the epic journey back to Cambodia…
Arrived back at site and spent a few relaxed days before
traveling down to Takeo province (a total of a 8 hour trip south) to visit my
host family from training for the new year. I spent a lot of my visit angkwelane-ing
(hanging out), eating guo diyo (a noodle and beef soup) and nom baan
chowk (noodles with curry and veggies) and ripe, ripe mango from the trees
around the yard. I met and re-met neighbors and extended family and gave
offerings at the local wat (Ta Phen) led by my yeay (grandmother). We laing
bier-d (played cards) and a boci-like game with round stones that you hit
on the losers’ knee or shoulder.
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| a family meal |
But what I really got out of Khmer New Year
was the importance of family. It reminded me of the holidays back home -
despite the sweltering heat. So as we move into year 2557 I celebrate the old
friends and family whose love and support keep me going on the toughest of days
and the new friends and family whose love and support make this journey even
more worthwhile.
