Posted by Jackie Hewett on Mon 8th September 2008 at 12:36 AM, Filed in Far East
I personally don’t like Singapore that much, especially when compared to other places in the Far East such as Thailand and Bali which both seem more culturally rich and steeped in history. The Island city feels claustrophobic and ‘plastic’. By that I mean everything seemed too clean, perfect and sanitised, even the press! Newspapers are factual, but bland, with no in-depth comment or analysis of political figures, their decisions or current affairs, ditto news reports on radio and TV. This seems to pervade the whole culture of the country. Everyone is almost ‘too good’ and law abiding. Many of the recommended tourist attractions I found somewhat contrived such as the man-made pleasure island of Sentosa and the much heralded zoo. Zoos aren’t places I generally choose to spend much time in and if that’s one of the main tourist attractions I am not too impressed!
The Merlion
That said Singapore does have its good points. Obviously it’s a useful stop-over destination en-route between Europe and places like Hong Kong, Bali and Australia. It is great for a couple of things – food (a huge variety and wonderful quality) and shopping. Also, if you need to work somewhere in the Far East it is probably a great base – things work very efficiently here and I presume it is easy to get your stuff fixed, unlike some of the nearby countries.
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This is arguably on of the largest Buddhist celebrations in the world, and over one million people attend annually (July / August) – so it will be crowded! Kandy’s Temple of the Sacred Tooth was built on the edge of Lake Kandy specifically to house the left canine of Buddha that was allegedly salvaged from his funeral pyre. It is said to be the most revered Buddhist object and in 1988 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Kandy Temple
The original wooden temple was built between 1687 and 1707 but it was destroyed during the colonial wars in the 18th century. It has since been replaced by a stone temple. The tooth now rests on a gold lotus flower within jeweled caskets (so it can’t be seen) and is ‘protected’ by two elephant tusks. During the festival the tooth use to be paraded around Kandy but today it remains within the temple and a replica is paraded. The procession today still has elaborately decorated elephants, fire dancers, torchbearers, jugglers, musicians, acrobats and more.
The Parade
On the last night of the festival (10th day) millions enter the temple holding candles and circumnavigate the shrine to pay their respects making a very photogenic sight.
Many of the Ladakh festivals take place in winter which is a relatively idle time for the majority of the locals, but the Thak Thok (pronounced Tak Tak) festival takes place in the on the 20-29 of the ninth Tibetan month (around the 11th / 12th August).
Thak Thok means ‘top of the rocks’ and is 4-km up the valley from Chemrey on a lumpy outcrop of eroded rocks, and the small Gompa (fortified place or monastery of learning) here is the sole representative in Ladakh of the ancient Nyingmapa order. The wonderful monasteries are fanstastic centres of Buddhist art, literature and culture and Thak Thok has many new temples adorned with gleaming new Buddha’s and garish modern murals and has a sacred meditation cave at the centre. Many of the festivals take the form of dance dramas (including the secret masked dance) and take place in the gompa courtyards that are meant to revitalise the spirit of the people.
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Posted by Jackie Hewett on Sun 27th July 2008 at 12:20 PM, Filed in Far East, July
On the 11th to 13th every July Mongolia holds its ‘national games’ (also known as ‘Eriin Gurvan’) showcasing Mongolia’s three games of men (horse racing, archery and wrestling). Some say the festival stared in the 1920’s whilst others claim it is centuries old. Whilst celebrations are held throughout the country the main games are held in Ulan Bator and on the open steppes just outside the city.
Details of the games:
- Opening Ceremony – where monks, soldiers and athletes parade in colourful Genghis Khan style costumes
- Wrestling – Mongolian wrestling is similar to sumo wrestling and is the only actual all male event. The bouts are not timed and a competitior loses if they touch the ground
- Archery – men shoot over a distance of 75meters and women over 60 meters.
- Horse Riding – this event dominates day 2 and Mongolians are renowned horsemen (and children). The races are broken down into different ages of horse. The youngest horses (1 year olds) race 15km whilst the older horses race over 30km. There are around 400 participants in every race and the horses reach speed of up to 80 km per hour. Riders are all children, some as young as 5 and it said that Mongolian children learn to ride before they can walk!
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Posted by Jackie Hewett on Wed 12th March 2008 at 01:08 AM, Filed in Far East, April
This is possibly Thailand’s biggest annual festival and marks the start of the Buddhist New Year…..with water! It starts on April 13th and lasts at least 3 days to the 15th, but in some parts of the country it goes on for up to 10 days and Pattaya celebrates in the following week. As it is an official holiday most businesses, including government offices and many shops, are closed.
Everyone gets wet, including Buddha images, which are bathed on the 13th as part of the ceremonies. Today families pack into the back of pickup trucks use water guns, hoses and buckets to fire their water missiles in ‘drive-by’ squirtings that go on until sun down. Traffic can be bumper to bumper, and one downside is that unfortunately road fatalities increase as people ride on bus and train roofs and driving can be even more erratic. Tourists are not exempt from a soaking as eager water throwers have been known to board buses or hurl buckets of liquid through open windows and even police officers are considered fair game, albeit a little more gently than the general public. The important thing is that it is all in good spirit, and as it’s quite a hot time of the year an impromptu shower can be a welcome relief! Be warned however that some Thais also throw white powder to ward off evil spirits, but its not good for your eyes (wear sun glasses) or your camera (keep it in a plastic bag and be careful when you are using it).
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