Bangkok Week 20 November 15, 2008 The puppy returns! And Thailand celebrates Loy Krathong, an annual festival held on the full moon in November. View fullsize Banana bread take 2, but this time it counted... View fullsize ... because it was coming with us to Trad! View fullsize Preparing for the little ceremony: you can see the grandparents above the door. View fullsize The various fruits and desserts that were purchased. Each round tray weighed about 5 kg. View fullsize The part of the ceremony involving us lasted about 5 minutes. It took me at least 2 of those to realize I was holding the incense incorrectly. View fullsize Bowing before realizing the pillow was too far to reach with my forehead. View fullsize Now, it's the guests' turns. View fullsize Each guest ties a small string around your wrist, all of which you wear for at least 3 days. View fullsize Another food shot. We brought 10 lbs back to Bangkok, eventually. View fullsize Chillaxin' after the stressful part was over. View fullsize A bigger, stronger, even nippier puppy! View fullsize Although he looks innocent... View fullsize ... do not be deceived! View fullsize At an aunt's house, where the other 2 grandparents reside. View fullsize Similar set up, but with less ceremony. View fullsize At a store in town that is famous for making traditional hats. It turned me into a giant. View fullsize Marouy, patiently waiting at the entrance to the house. View fullsize Big Son helping mom package the desserts to give away to friends and relatives. View fullsize Still hasn't lost his puppy ways. View fullsize Pushing the boundary by lying inside the store on its cool floor. View fullsize And eating the mail. View fullsize Drinking from the world's largest water bowl. View fullsize Lying in the shade, conveniently with a little tail basin. View fullsize We had no idea he could breakdance. View fullsize Enjoying something stuck to the cement, after diving into the fish bowls behind him.Enjoying something stuck to the cement, after diving into the fish bowls behind him. View fullsize Sneakily trying to dash into the house. View fullsize Eying the ball? Or eying the prey? View fullsize Sleepy, complete with gunk in one eye. View fullsize Insisting on eating ice *in* my lap. View fullsize It's unclear who's more crazed here. View fullsize He hasn't figured out human contact yet. "Always" seems to be his policy. View fullsize Rolling around like a maniac. View fullsize Eating a french fry under his trusty shelter. View fullsize A Thai pomegranate. View fullsize The critically acclaimed bread, dubbed by experts as "the best so far." View fullsize Aww, only 1 thumb up. View fullsize An assortment of Pigeon Pickles. View fullsize The doggie damage, after just one day. View fullsize Innocently sleeping the next morning... View fullsize ...and reluctantly waking up. View fullsize Bro and sis, chillaxin' in the cool winter weather. View fullsize Still not entirely convinced it's time to get up. View fullsize Look! His feet are already as long as his brother's! View fullsize "Look Lady, I'm just trying to catch a few zzz's." View fullsize Another maniacal fit. View fullsize Cool, calm, collected. View fullsize The only defense possible against the maniac: a headlock! View fullsize The newspaper is one step up from an arm. View fullsize The traffic is more interesting than the ball. View fullsize But eating a leaf trumps both. View fullsize No comment. View fullsize "Cheese!" View fullsize What is the meaning of a sausage? View fullsize Sleepy puppy. View fullsize Two men come by to take a tree's leaves that are used in some curry dishes. View fullsize Enjoying one of the day's bowls of milk. View fullsize A banana tree that's not quite self-reliant. View fullsize "WALKIN' IN A WINTER WONDERLAND!" View fullsize He can still insert himself under the cart, but only barely. View fullsize Vegetarian noodles for lunch from town. View fullsize Mmm. Balls. View fullsize Dreaming of chasing bugs. View fullsize Enjoying the remains of an iced tea. View fullsize "Anything exciting going on up there?" View fullsize "Now how *did* I end up in this bowl?" View fullsize "Oh well, might as well drink up!" View fullsize The "Map of Trat" at the bus station creates unfair expectations of the town's bakeries. View fullsize Heading out to the annual "Loy Krathong" festival, where hand-made "krathong" are traditionally floated down the river. View fullsize We headed to a big festival at Chula University instead. So did the rest of Bangkok. View fullsize Chula has a little pond in which people were floating their Krathong, for lack of a river. View fullsize That night, I wore my see-through head as a precaution. View fullsize Enjoying fried ice cream sold by a team of students. View fullsize Attendees sat, chatted, and ate, since there was only so much to see back at the pond. View fullsize There was also a stage and a "pageant" in which student groups showcased their traditionally dressed women. View fullsize Behind the scenes at one of the many food stalls. View fullsize The seller from whom we bought our Krathong. View fullsize Behind the sellers' tables, people sat dutifully making the krathong. View fullsize Our krathong, before it was set afloat. View fullsize The traffic jam situation of floating krathong. The problem with a pond is that there's no water circulation. View fullsize While setting our krathong afloat, we ran into a co-worker (RH side) and her friends... View fullsize ... whose krathong went a little over-board.
