Today's Lesson in Chinese - (actually Mandarin per my roommate who is from Beijing, I think)
Zao shang hao! Good morning!
Wan an! Good evening!
Shi shin! Thank you!
Bu yong xie! ou're welcome!
ni shi wo jian suo jian guo zui mei li de nui hai - You are the most beautiful woman that I have ever met in my whole life.
( Guys, I have been told this last one can very handy if you want to meet girls -
although I have heard that a usual thing to say is the equivalent of saying - Nice dress! - how boring! )
First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Unfortunately, it is not celebrated here. Just a normal work day. But what can I do. Well, it has been almost 3 weeks since I came back from my bi-monthly flyback to the US. I was great being back home as well as catching up with most of you. I apologize for those who I was not able to see.
Well, since coming back, much has happened. On my first weekend back, I return to Bangkok although this time not so much on a party mood but rather than in a cultural mood. I was able to go see some of the monuments - and yes, I have pictures...actually I have a presentation. However, because the resolution of the pictures is high, their size is too big...I have opted to hold of sending it in this message. The file is 12 mb in size so Lotus Notes does not allow me to send anything bigger than 8 mb. I have split up the file into 2 smaller ones, but I am afraid some of you connect through a Dialup and that may take up a very...very...very long time. So those who are interested, please let me know and I will send you the pics...those who would rather not...I can show it when I come back or figure a better way to send them.
Well, my trip to Bangkok was very relaxing and a learning experience. Got to see the wonderful monuments of the Grand Palace and Wat Prah Kaew - a.k.a. Emerald Buddha and the Wat Po - a.k.a. Reclining Buddha. And no...I did not go see the other monuments (Pat Pong) - in case you were wondering. The Grand Palace used to house the entire Royal Family, and one of the sections was the Court Ladies only and guarded by female sentries. In the old days, the rice fields started outside the Palace walls. The Wat Po is considered the earliest university in Thailand. It is home to the 200 year old Reclining Buddha which measures about 46 meters. There are Chinese Mandarin statues which can be seen almost everywhere within the grounds of the University. They still teach traditional Thai medicine and massage - please notice that I said traditional Thai massage. Good massage places can be found almost anywhere. You just have to make sure there is a little sign which should read "raksaa tang nuat" or "Traditional Thai Massage" in English. If not, you may be in for a mattress wrestle with a soapy mistress. The traditional massage is great for all sorts of muscles, aches and of the sort - then again the other kind of massage does the job as well. Unfortunately, I did not get a massage as they wait time was too long, so I skipped.
I was also able to go to one of the most important festivals in Thailand - the Loy Krathong festival. The Loy Krathong Festival is one of the most beautiful of all Thai celebrations which began 700 years ago. This festival takes place the night of the full moon of the twelfth lunar moon when the water in the rivers and canals throughout the country will be at their highest. What does this mean...I have no idea...I am no astrologist...but you could probably ask Walter Mercado...Dionne Warwick and her Psychic Friends or simply and Astronomer or Astrologer. If you want to know when this day falls each year...it may be easier to just ask a Thai person. Anyway, this is a Buddhist celebration of Waterways by floating elaborate "Krathongs" - and no...they are not Thongs or G-strings or anything like that, it is pronounce "Kra-tong" (the "h" has no effect on the pronunciation). The Krathongs are made of banana leaves and flowers, supporting a candle and incense sticks along with a coin placed on the bottom. It is said that this is done to honor the water spirits and carry away their sins - and boy did I have sins to carry away, thank god my little Krathong did not sink!!! Tradition says that if the candle stays lit, their wishes will be fulfilled - as for me...I am still waiting for my wish to come true...I will let you all know if it does happen. This celebration takes place in the evening. People come out to the river or any accessible body of water with their krathongs, say their wishes and float their krathongs on the water. The Chao Phya River is the main venue for the sight, the fun, and the games. Think of it as a huge nationwide fair - una Feria!!!! Unfortunately, we did not make it to the river but rather went to partake in the festival as well as experience the festival at the Chulalongkorn University - and no...it is not a "cute long corn" as it would mean in Spanglish, the national language of Miami - it is actually one of the most prestigious universities in Thailand. They even have a joint MBA program with Northwestern, in case you were wondering.
For additional reference on the Loy Kratong Festival, I have included the following web site.
http://www.oocities.org/Tokyo/Towers/5265/main2frame.html
One last note on Thailand...even though I did not get to go...I have attached the following website:
http://www.samui.org/attractions
Believe me...it is all natural. You can read it for yourself...look for the 3rd attraction - Hin Ta Hin Yai - also known as Grandpa & Grandma Stone - I guess this Grandpa did not need Viagra. (Please note that I do not mean to offend anyone - my apologies in advance).
Last Friday, the project took us on a team building activity. The activity was aboard a Traditional Chinese Junk. This type of boat was the workhorse of the Oriental sea routes through the centuries until modern vessels took over the seas. These boats were built by the 'eye and the rule of thumb' methods - from iron wood - it is as robust as steel construction. The tour included navigation through Keppel Harbour, the busiest port in the world, with an average of one vessel leaving or coming into port every 10 minutes. The whole bay area looked like a gigantic parking lot of cargo cruisers...they were by the dozens, everywhere. We cruised by the island of Sentosa (just South of Singapore) which is were the famous Merlion is located - half Lion half Mermaid - it is the national symbol of Singapore. Sentosa was famous to be Singapore's impenetrable fortress during World War II. Too bad the Japanese came in from the north and stayed there for over 3 years...until the British came in and took over. We disembarked for a short period of time at Kusu Island (a.k.a. Tortoise Island). On Kusu Island, there is a Malay shrine and a Chinese temple with an interesting legend woven around them. A giant sea turtle is believed to have turned into an island to save two shipwrecked sailors - a Malay and a Chinese. Taoists make annual pilgrimages to the Tua Pekong Temple during the ninth lunar month, while Muslims visit Kramat Kusu, a Malay shrine.
On Sunday, I went to Sentosa - a resort like island. Unfortunately, I did not take my camera b/c it was raining all day and the visibility was not good. To get there, I took the Cable Car. You can get there by Ferry or by bus as well. If only it was not raining...the view was just spectacular, but of course it was cloudy. Next time...i promise. Anyway, at Sentosa, there is the largest Seaquarium in South East Asia. Inside the Seaquarium you can find a conveyor belt that will take you through the gigantic fish tank. This way you practically are able to sea all the fish from different perspectives.
There are several nice resorts as well as other attractions - like the Pink Dolphin Lagoon where they have the rare Pink Dolphins perform. They are called pink because of their skin color - although they are born in their natural gray color, through the years they lose the pigmentation of their skin and therefore look pink.
Well...that is pretty much it for now. I hope everyone is doing well.
Please take care of yourself and hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving.
-Nicolas