Journey to Peace Village

Last night we had a unique cultural experience. A group of us from the school went out to the Chalong temple festival. This an annual festival at one of the bigger Buddhist temples in Phuket to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The closest approximation is the Wisconsin State Fair. There are all kinds of vendors in the areas surrounding the temple selling food, clothes, jewelry, etc. Some traditional Thai music is featured on a stage and for the kids there is a big ferris wheel. Very close to the temple there are some religous rituals going on. People lit incense topped by little flags and put them on a huge sand mound. Others lit incense on small shrines nearby and some people even put up pictures of loved ones on these smaller shrines.

Perhaps the most adventurous part of this visit was getting to and from the temple. On the way there, a group of six of us managed to find a taxi. However it was not a large taxi and ended up with four of us in back and two on the front seat next to the driver. Then on the way home, my friend from Michigan, Tracy and I flagged down a motobike. I sat on the very back and my foot ended up resting on top of the pipe. By the time we arrived back at the hotel, the sole of my right shoe had been melted by the heat! The staff at the hotel was especially concerned by this and helped me hose down the shoes. Fortunately, the heat only damaged the shoe and not my foot. So today one of things on my list to do is shopping for new shoes. I'm down to a pair of open toed shoes that look nice but are not very handy for walking.