April 13
The world has gone mad I tell you….this is getting pretty
crazy! Happy New Year....2556 on the Buddhist calendar! They have started early today and
are in full swing by noon. We have
agreed to meet up with Ohm and Mae today to go to another temple called the
Golden Mount which is a little farther afield, but we think we can manage. We meet in the hotel lobby at 1:00 and are
off through the back alley once again, until we emerge onto a really busy
street where we are once again fair game for the water cowboys. We get to the Golden Mount and walk up and
endless maze of stairs that circles around a waterfall as it goes up. Once we
reach the first platform, there is a series of large brass bells and you are
supposed to ring each one before ascending the next series of steps. We continue to climb and finally reach a
covered area where we can take refuge from the blazing sun. Once inside, we circle around through the
interior and find a small set of stairs that we climb to reach the top
platform. When we arrive, we are told
that we have to walk around the outside three times and then we can ring a
large gong three times and we do as we are told. Afterward, we descend another small staircase
where we come upon a small shrine and people are praying and shaking a cup with
a series of sticks inside. The object is
to eject one stick with a number on it and then go to see what prophecy your
number holds for you. We all give it a
try and the prophecies are a bit cryptic, but all seem to be pretty good luck
for us. We return back to our
neighborhood via an outdoor market selling food and the best popcorn in the
world. The make shakes an open mesh
basket over a stove with red hot coals and his basket is soon full of freshly
popped corn. He then sifts out the old
maids and coats all of the remaining corn with a sweet mixture. Yummy!
We are nearly back home, when we become entangled in a hoard of water
throwers and clay painters (they put clay on your face as a sign of renewal and
good luck!). We simply have to suffer another
drenching, however, we are starting to
run out of dry clothes. It is fortunate
that we have been shown a rooftop deck where we can dry out our clothes and
watch all of the fun below without getting wet.
Once we return, we cannot stand to simply watch the action. The kids are
back out there playing in the water and squirting everything in its path. The
streets are getting pretty full and the craziness is starting to ensue. At one point, we attempt to join in the fun,
but we are getting pulled into the crowd and the kids are too short to keep
track of. It gets to be a little scary
so we decide to enjoy more inside (ie drier) activities. We watch yet another movie before trying to
figure out exactly what to eat for dinner.
We venture into the back alley and they have now been somewhat invaded
by water throwers. We manage to find a small
seat at a tucked away shop and eat a bowl before scurrying back to the hotel
for the night. Might be hard to ignore
the revelry below, but we will do our best.
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