Back in January, my fiancee's boss prayed and made a wish at Wat Chalong, a Buddhist temple in his home province of Phuket. If his wish came true, he promised, he would return within six months to light off 10,000 firecrackers in a Chinese-Thai votive to the gods.
My mother and I had visited Wat Chalong together a few years ago, and I remember being startled by the noisy gunfire of firecrackers. Now ow so much more about this ritual!
We pulled up in front of the most important of Phuket's 29 temples, to a small Buddhist shop in a market just of the grounds. There, P'Tee bought a roll of firecrackers packed in a colorfully-decorated red box.
a vendor prepares a box of firecrackers
We parked the car and made our way to the main temple hall where people were praying and making offerings. For a small donation, you could buy a small offering bundle of two yellow candles, six sticks of incense, a fresh lotus bud, and three small squares of gold leaf carefully packaged between sheets of thin paper.
After praying, visitors could light the candles and incense, place the lotus in a jar inside the temple, and then carefully press the square of gold leaf onto each of three statues of famous monks.
Other people had placed folded saffron cloth - donated monk's robes - upon the laps of the statues as a donation for the temple's monks. Monks are not permitted to own any possessions except for their robes and their beggar's bowls. They are also not allowed to make any purchases. They must instead rely upon the donations made by congregants.
applying gold leaf to statues of famous monks
After praying, it was finally time to light the firecrackers. P'Tee led us to some sort of brick chimney or kiln. A temple caretaker unwound the ten-thousand firecrackers and strung them up on hooks inside the chimney.
preparing to light the firecrackers
Crack, crack, crack!
The firecrackers exploded in ten-thousand gunshots and a thick cloud of black smoke. The noise broke the peace of the morning, and sent P'Tee's thanks and praise to the deified temple abbot who had answered his prayers.
Apparently, this temple is famous for granting wishes.
smoke from the firecrackers filled the air at the temple
After the sound and smoke had cleared away, we went to explore the 200 foot tall chedi, a beautiful three-story tower built to hold a Buddhist holy relic.
the reliquary at Wat Chalong
The two lower floors were both filled with statues, and the walls were painted in beautiful murals which told stories from Buddha's life and honored the temple's famous abbots.
In the late 19th century, Luang Pho Cham and Luang Pho Chuang, two monks from Wat Chalong, led the people of the Chalong Sub-district in a fight against an attempted rebellion carried out by a Chinese triad. The locals were victorious, and the monks used their herbal knowledge to heal those who had been wounded in the fighting.
Over the next decades, these monks became regarded as very wise and powerful holy men, who are still believed to grant wishes more than a century after their deaths.
The upper floors of the chedi offered beautiful panoramic views of the temple grounds and the rolling jungle-covered hills of the surrounding tropical countryside.
views of the temple grounds and surrounding hills
I climbed one flight further to the very top of the structure. There, a tiny relic was enshrined within a glass orb. This Buddhist relic is said to be a bone fragment from the Buddha himself.
With such an important and historic relic, Wat Chalong is believed to be the holiest site in Phuket to Buddhists.
If P'Tee made another wish, I really hope that it comes true. It was so much fun to fly down to Phuket for the day, and I hope that we can do it again sometime!
I took a short video of the firecracker furnace. You can see the guy hanging the strands of firecrackers up inside the chimney, and then you can hear the loud sounds of a few hundred of the 10k firecrackers going off.
I have been trying to include a few short videos in some of my posts to show small clips and scenes from my adventures. I hope you enjoy!
My fiancee's boss is originally from Phuket, and wanted to visit for the day to make merit at a special temple on the island. Since he's a local, he knows all the best food to eat and sights to see!
When we landed after the 1-hour flight, P'Tee rented a car, and we were soon cruising along the winding roads of the jungle island.
First stop: an early lunch at a famous local roti restaurant.
Penang's population is about 20% Muslim, and there are tons and tons of delicious Halal food restaurant across the island. Some of the most famous southern Thai dishes are massaman curry chicken and roti (a type of unleavened flatbread) which we ate alongside glasses of sweet cha yen (Thai iced tea).
I don't often have to chance to have southern Thai cuisine, but it is always a treat when I do!
After lunch we drove to Wat Chalong, a beautiful Buddhist temple known for its famous abbot, for a merit making activity that is interesting enough for it own post (coming soon).
Later, we drove around the south part of the island to see some of the famous beaches.
It was drizzly, and the waves seemed really rough that day, so there wasn't anybody swimming. We had the beaches to ourselves to take a few pictures.
Phuket famously got hit by a terrible tsunami on Boxing Day 2004. Since then, the province has made an effort to island safer. It was interesting to see the tsunami evacuation route signs posted along the roads leading up into the hills at the interior of the island.
There are some 40 different beaches on Phuket Island, but we just stopped by at two of them.
It was so nice to be able to drive around the province with a local friend as a guide!
You know, I never really thought that I would need a car in Thailand, but this trip showed me how much easier things are when you do. You can visit a lot of spots that might otherwise be hard to reach.
I will renew my Thai driver's license sometime soon, and maybe if I feel confident enough about driving on the left, I could try renting a car someday.
Leaving the beaches, we drove into Phuket Town itself.
Phuket has a fairly high percentage of Peranakans - the descendants of the first wave of south Chinese immigrants who settled the Malay Peninsula in the 15th - 17th centuries. As such, the culture and architecture of Phuket Town itself is quite similar to that of Singapore and nearby Penang, an island that sits just across the Malaysian border.
I had never been to Phuket Town before, and I fond it to be completely charming - especially without any tourists! This really is the best time to travel before the borders start to open back up next week.
It was starting to rain, so we ducked inside a local cafe and ice cream parlor to wait out the rain.
Feeling sleepy after a busy day of traveling, I ordered an esyen - a Thai-style iced coffee.
One day isn't nearly enough to explore Phuket, but it certainly spiked my curiosity. I had never really thought about traveling there. It always seemed a bit too tourist, but after this trip I think I want to go back to explore more of the island.
It seems there is a lot more that Phuket has to offer than just party beaches.
After a quick stop at some outlet shops where I bought a new pair of Dr. Scholl's sandals, we arrived back at the airport right on time. We landed in Bangkok around 9pm, tired but very happy after a long one-day adventure.
It was 5 in the morning, and the first pink glows of dawn were only beginning to grace the Bangkok sky. Already it was humid, though the sky looked clear save for a few large fluffy clouds.
While the city was beginning to wake, I was already in a taxi heading across town for my latest adventure: the chance of a lifetime to take a kayak tour on one of the famous canals of the "Venice of the Orient".
Bow, my friend and adventure guide, had sent me directions to a private dock deep within the twisting alleyways of a quiet neighborhood. The taxi dropped me off in front of a Chinese dumpling shop, then sped off, leaving me alone in the quiet dawn.
Fortunately the house wasn't hard to find, and I was soon sitting on the boat dock sipping hot coffee, which Bow had brought in a thermos, from a small plastic cup.
It was just 6am, I had already been up for an hour and a half, and I was grateful for the caffeine. I sat by the water, which moved slowly and quietly through the silent neighborhood. The only sounds to be heard were the singing of various tropical birds as they greeted the dawn.
We were very lucky to have the opportunity to go kayaking along this local canal, and Bow's tour company is the only one in the city that offers such an adventure.
During normal times it is too difficult to paddle along the canal due to tourist boats and other business along the waterway, but because the borders are still closed, there are still no tourists.
We had met at the home of a guy named Sun, a friend of Bow's who lives in a hundred year-old house along the canal, which was built by his ancestors when they arrived from China over a century ago.
For safety reasons, we were a small group: a family of three from India, two British ladies, and me, along with Bow and Sun.
We started the morning with some stretches and a warm-up, then the guides gave a brief orientation.
And then we packed up all of our belongings into waterproof bags, lowered ourselves into our kayaks, and began our adventure along Khlong Bangkok Yai, one of the most historic and storied khlongs (canals) in Bangkok.
Bangkok Yai Canal was built in the 1500s, when the King of Ayutthaya ordered a canal to cut across a large bend in the Chaophraya River, shortening a journey of a full day into one of just a few hours.
During the reign of King Taksin, when the capital was moved to Thonburi, Bangkok Yai was the site of many temples, palaces, and nobles, and gained the name Khlong Bang Luang, the Canal of the Nobles. Now, it is a sleepy historic neighborhood, but many remnants of its royal past remain.
As we set off, we paddled beneath the towering Great Buddha, which I had visited with Bow just a few evenings before.
Since I had been kayaking before (even though Boy Scouts was a long time ago), I got a 1-man kayak. That ended up being a good thing! Compared to my companions, I seemed to have the easiest time paddling.
On a side note, there is nothing funnier than two parents and their teenage daughter trying to paddle a three-man kayak together!
As we paddled down the Canal, we got a glimpse of local life. A garbage barge chugged along the water, picking up people's trash bags, and every house had a mailbox, implying that even the post is delivered by boat along the canal.
We passed a historic temple with an ancient cemetery , and every so often we stopped to watch the birds - some of which were quite rare - as they went about their life along the river.
About an hour and a half later, Bow slowed to a stop, and we all docked our kayaks at Wat Ratcha-orot, the royal temple of King Rama III.
Of all the royal temples of the Chakri Dynasty, this is the only one to be located on the Thonburi side of the river. It is a bit surprising, as this temple is so far away from the city center, however there is a very good reason for this temples royal distinction.
We disembarked from our kayaks, and, being very careful not to fall in, stepped onto solid ground beneath a grove of beautiful tropical trees at the royal temple.
While we enjoyed our breakfast of crispy noodles with tamarind and bergamont with a side of fresh bananas and longan juice, we took a short break on the banks of the canal whilst Bow taught us about the history of this beautiful first-class royal-grade Buddhist temple.
During the wars with the Burmese, during which Ayutthaya was destroyed and the capital moved to Bangkok, a Thai prince was tasked with defending the frontier. He amassed his army at this temple.
The abbot of the temple performed an ancient Brahmin ceremony called Khon Tawan ("Blessing the Warriors on the Eve of the War"). The prince vowed that if he came back victorious from the war, he would renovate the temple.
When the eve of battle arrived, the Burmese did not show, rendering the Siamese forces victorious without a drop of blood being shed. The young prince eventually became King Rama III, and remembered his promise to restore the ancient temple.
The temple's name means "Temple of the King's Son", a symbol that the king had remembered his vows.
King Rama III was very influenced by Chinese art and culture, and his royal temple reflects that in an architectural design synthesizing both Thai and Chinese elements.
For example, these blessed tablets mark the entrance to holy temple grounds. At this temple, however, there are two identical tablets at each of the temple's four corners. The two tablets represent the two sects of Buddhism: Mahayana (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam), and Theravada (India, Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka). The temple is a mix between the two.
In fact, this was the first temple in Thailand to be built in a Chinese style.
The temple hall featured a large golden Buddha and a portrait of King Rama III.
The walls, unlike those of a traditional Thai temple which are generally decorated with scenes from the life of the Buddha, were instead painted with Chinese motifs.
The temple's exterior was also decorated with Chinese statuary, which had once served as ballast on the great merchant ships that sailed to Siam from the south of China.
The temple features a large reclining Buddha image.
Bow taught us that there are two types of reclining Buddha statues: if Buddha's eyes are open, the statue represents him in sleep. If they are closed, it represents him in death and enlightenment.
We spent some time at the temple, exploring the beautiful forested grounds and resting in the peaceful atmosphere.
While most of the temple was renovated during the reign of King Rama III (1788 – 1851), a few parts of the temple grounds maintain their original structure. There, the crumbling stone gates show how ancient this temple truly is.
After visiting the temple, we walked across a bridge, over a historic train track, and through a tunnel in the trees made from the local trains chugging past, to a very good local coffee shop.
After an hour or so hanging out and resting at the coffee shop, it was time to head back.
We had been waiting for the city to close the locks and reverse the flow of the canal, but it turned out that they had decided to flush the canal that day. In the end, we would have to paddle past the, albeit relatively smooth, course of the khlong.
By the time we had arrived back at the dock, my arms, back, and shoulders ached from the exertion. It was great exercise, and though it was just late morning, I felt exhausted.
What an adventure!
I got the rare chance to see Bangkok as it was in the past, to row along a canal that is normally off-limits, and to see a part of the city that I have never been to before.
I got home just before noon, and spend the rest of the day studying and resting.
It was a beautiful morning and a brilliant experience.
