Lanna hospitality at your service!

Muang Thai Chiang Mai Half Marathon 2016
18th December 2016

"Sir, you are representing Malaysia?" she (or ze), the volunteer at the registration counter asked with her heavily Thai-accented English. Till then it did not strike me. Wow, I am at an international participant attended by representatives from 53 countries, and three of us were there to hold our national flag!
She handed me a racing bib with my name proudly printed against my multi-hued country flag.

The Start

I would like to believe I am holding the good name of my country on my shoulders and it is my responsibility to make my motherland proud. It just gives a lame justification to motivate me to try harder. That is all. Nobody gives two hoots, actually. There is no 'the other' that I need to satisfy, to compete with or to set an example for. It is all in my mind. But then, it feels good, though.

In keeping with the sombre state of affairs in accordance to the recent demise of the much-beloved monarch, the festivities were held in a much low key setting. Even the running attire was printed in mellowed monochrome - black and white. Lacing the roads at intervals were long black and white long ribbons to set the tone. Hospitality, the smile and the humble Thai salutations of 'Sawadee' and 'Kho Khun Kha' were still abundant. Hey, life has to go on. One cannot live on fresh air and sympathy alone!

Right on the dot, at 5 am, the half marathon runners were flagged off without much unnecessary bantering and needless speeches by VIPs. Even though the temperature was recorded as a cooling 17 degrees C, it did feel so comfortable, though. As I cruised along the first kilometre, I noticed that I was sweating again like a pig (yeah, pigs do not sweat!). Even though the temperature was moderate, the humidity was surprisingly high at 85%, slighter better that the one day before, 100%! The air was almost still. The morning was young or rather the night was way late as it was still very dark. Sunrise in Chiangmai on that day was almost 7 am. In the still of Chiangmai streets, almost seamlessly in well-coordinated fashion, runners, mostly amateur fun-loving ones, moved along the streets.

Basically, the town is built around a canal with an almost rectangular lattice of road networks. We ran in the form of two quadrangular loops, extending to the airport and back. The Thais must be very hardworking people as they were already busy on the road at 5 o'clock on a Sunday morning. It could not be Saturday night revellers who partied through the evening as they seem quiet. The only boisterous crowd appear to be gweilos in taxis. Despite the inconveniences by the race, in the form of traffic congestion and long waiting times at junctions, the Thais took it in their usual docile fashion - quiet and patient. They know they have to play dance monkey to appear inviting to foreigners. That is their bread and butter or rather tom-yam and mango glutinous rice pudding! Like their Indo and Malayan counterparts who found pleasure in horns blasting, they stayed silent.

Paradoxically, as the race progressed, the ambience became more comfortable. With the rise in temperature, the humidity must have decreased, and it became more pleasant to just cruise along. One sees the culture and civilisation of a country by looking at the ordinary folks. What better way to observe this then to weave through the streets amongst the denizens of Chiang Mai. It was a common sight to see Buddhist holy men, with their bowls chanting sacred texts to kneeling people for some exchange of alms, I presume.

Without any untoward incidences, the race ended at where it started. What puzzled me afterwards was the seemingly seamless flow of events at the finishing line. After crossing the timing belt, runners are given the usual complimentary drinks and medals, together with a print out of their run timings! Nothing is going to stop them from issuing laminated finishers' certificates in the very near future! The post run galore continued with coconut drinks and signature foot massage for the sore feet and legs. A well-organised race to showcase the superb hospitality of the Lanna folks.

Lanna hospitality at your service!

Penance to soothe divine wrath?

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2014/01/16/did-god-ask-for-this/
Did God ask for this?

Narinder Singh

 | January 16, 2014

With prices of goods skyrocketing, will the Indians still indulge in spending lavishly to appease Lord Murugan during Thaipusam?

Thaipusam is here and preparations are at full swing at almost all temples in the nation. The Batu Caves Temple being the lead runner and a tourist attraction will once again be thronged by devotees asking for their annual forgiveness from Lord Murugan.


From Perlis to Sabah and Sarawak, Thaipusam will be celebrated, no doubt. The only difference will be the intensity and magnitude as the population of Hindus in some states are insignificant.


Nevertheless the spirit and ambiance will surely mesmerise all in terms of culture, religion and peripheral entertainment.


The limelight of Thaipusam is anchored around the kavadis. Devotees who make various vows fulfill them during this time and carrying kavadis up the temple steps from the river is symbolic in nature to show gratitude towards Lord Murugan.


While we shall not question the religious and cultural believes and practices of Hindus in expressing their ways of paying homage, it is a wonder if there is any requirement in the Hindu religion or customs to carry outrages kavadis up the hill temple.


Annually we witness some devotees who are too carried away emotionally in exhibiting their kavadis; that get a many dumbfounded.


In the name of the different Gods, we have seen devotees who carry kavadis that can be easily perceived as little armory with spears, machetes, and whips.


And if that is not enough, there are little stunts like walking on razor sharp knifes all the way to the main entrance of the temple grounds. Some arrogantly smoke cigars, apparently to appease certain demigods.


What really took me aback a couple of years ago in Penang was the sight of a devotee being practically hung from his back with giant hooks up-side down from the kavadi which he is suppose to carry in the first place. Now I wonder if he was paying penance or was the kavadi paying the penance for his sins!


Are devotees mocking their own religion in the name of prayers? Is there anywhere in Hinduism that requires one to perform such stunts which can guarantee thorough cleansing of the soul and spirit?


Some devotees have even carried durian kavadis. Well, creativity is always welcome in any society, but when it infringes into the concepts of religion and its practices, one will be bound to be questioned not only by Hindus but also by all other right thinking persons.


Holy wastages


Is there extra bonus from the God to those devotees that carry heavier, bigger, more fanciful and expensive kavadis to His footsteps as compared to the smaller versions like the milk kavadis or other mini kavadis?


And if carrying kavadis is not sufficient to please the heavens, we have got devotees and their families offering hundreds to thousands of coconuts and litres of milk in the name of prayers.


The reason why this is being questioned is that will a poor devotee be blessed too if he or she cannot afford such offerings during the festivities? Has the current practices turned into material might over the lesser being in the worldly practices of Hinduism?


Is Lord Murugan corrupted too, that He demands such material poured in his name instead of being channelled to those underprivileged?


Are these ‘wastages’ considered holy and religiously right when we have fellow humans in many parts of the world that cannot even afford a single decent meal a day?


Is Lord Murugan sanctioning such sacrifices during Thaipusam and rewarding the grandeur kavadi bearers and the rich who break more coconuts in front of the chariot? If that is so, it can be assumed safely that one gets premier ‘cleansing’ as compared to those with lesser means to offer.


It is incomprehensible at times to see the Indian community lamenting about rising cost of living but willing to take on exorbitant expenses during festivities like Thaipusam.


When the thosai price goes up by 50 sen, they are willing to hail their dissatisfaction via protests right up to Putrajaya and take on the streets. But they keep their peace and silence when the prices of coconut, flowers, milk and other prayer paraphernalia go up; all in the name of not offending the Gods. Astonishing indeed.


Anyways, again, it is not to denounce and run down any community or religion but as creation of God, should we not think a little more critically and with reasonable questioning for the betterment of mankind.


Eventually it is the good deeds in this worldly existence that will determine our afterlife. Or does it not just because one did not carry a thousand ringgit worth kavadi or break a thousand coconuts or pour 100 litres of milk on Lord Murugan as a Hindu?


I contemplate at times on these issues!


Narinder Singh is a FMT team member.

First there was nothing

Aonang Beach

First there was nothing.... Krabi was just another sleepy hollow in the malaise evoking town in the Kra Isthmus. The Hollywood doyens looking upon an exotic location to shoot their next money spinning movie remembered such a place on their tour of duty to Vietnam. Their mission (The movie: The Man with the Golden Gun, 1974) was a great success. Suddenly everybody wanted to be James Bond and would not sleep until they had seen the exotic location where the baddie operated!
Everybody knows Bangkok (with its golden temples, bars, the massage parlours...), Chiengmai, Hatyai, Phuket but Krabi...

Leo does not necessarily refer

to lion lineage. Here it is a

short form for Leopold!

The businessmen got excited. Boom came the highways and the travel tour agents. Since everybody could fly, swoosh came an international airport plying routes to include lands whose occupants could pronounce 'Kr' as easily as kroner and to those where the alphabet 'r' is deemed unpronounceable! Wham, came the pebbled washed walkways and palm tree lined streets in pseudo 90210 posh fashion and designer labelled lifestyle shops...
The landscape of the sleepy hollow is anything but sleepy these days. Dancing to the tunes of the foreigners who revel late into the night in the name of unwinding, celebration and what not, the locals join in the fracas. Hey, everybody loves a good time and what's more? You are making money out of it. Even, their conservative brothers do not raise their eyebrows at the visitors' unholy behaviours. I guess the sight of money lubricates all relationships.
The capitalistic landowners and businessmen are laughing all the way with the killing over their mammoth profits with their deals. The little men at Krabi, albeit gaining marginally from the invasion of foreigners to their backyard, had little change in their lifestyles. They earned more but living became more expensive!

James Bond Island

It is ironic that a strip of lonely islands which just stood pretty exposed to the forces of nature now stands as national heritage park! All because of a movie... The power of the silver screen! Before James Bond it was nothing... Maybe not even a name!

A scene from the said franchise

She- Bruce Lee

Chocolate (Thai, 2008)
Why Chocolate? I am still wondering after completing the film. The only thing remotely linked to chocolate is that the protagonist loves M&M and in one of fight scene there were stacked boxes labelled 'Chocolate' on it.
Generally, I do not fancy violent shows but this is an exception. Kudos to the believably natural stunts in place unseen before on films - in a pork market with cleaver swinging thugs and the climax fight scene off a roof and parapet. At the end of the movie, we are shown that many stuntmen and even the actress (Yanin "Jeeja" Vismitananda, a 3rd dan taekwando exponent) get injured on numerous occasions. The story is nothing to shout about but the martial arts are out of this world. It is a combination of Bruce Lee's acrobatic moves, Jacky Chan's practical fighting using things that come along the way like doors and muay thai type of kiss-ass movements!
Zin angers the Thai underworld warlord (no. 8) when she leaves him for Masashi, a Yakuza gangster. After things gets too heated up, Masashi returns to Japan.
Zin, now discovers to be pregnant, leads a quiet life away from the city lights as waitress. The child is born, Zen, later found to be autistic. Playing with herself all the time, she develops extraordinary reflexes. Staying next to a muay thai academy and watching kungfu movies all the time on TV, she self taught herself martial arts. Meanwhile, an orphan boy, Moon, is adopted as her brother and they grow up together.
When Zin  has to undergo chemotherapy for cancer, Moon and Zen do street performances using her reflexes to earn money for mother's treatment.
One day, they found a little diary with list of people who owe Zin money - Zin was collecting for the underworld earlier. Together, they (the siblings) go hunting for the debtors who gave a lot resistance before paying after a good beating. This is where all the action is displayed in the movie.
No. 8 gets involved and a big showdown happens. Masashi comes to know about his daughter, he returns and a finale ensues. After much fighting, Zin succumbs to her wounds, Father and daughter are reunited.
Looks like the Thais have accepted the third gender as norm. Many of the gangster's henchmen (err, henchpersons) are actually transvestites! They are not made to look comical and degrading as in Malaysian or even Indian films but are actually mean dudes (err, people) who shoot for real!
Thumbs up for great display of believably real fighting scenes, not the dish-dish MGR vs. Nambiar kind of fights!