If you've ever seen the movie, the Beach, you might remember the scenes in a hotel called "On On" where Leonardo DiCaprio meets a crazy man who gives him a map to the secret beach. I hadn't actually seen the movie until after I stayed at On On my first night in Phuket Town (pronounced poo-get). Still, I should have taken fair warning when another traveler handed in a can of bug killer as she checked out. It was 7am and I had just arrived after taking an overnight bus from Bangkok. My pack weighed heavily after a decent walk from the bus station. It couldn't hurt to stay one night, right? By afternoon, I felt differently. Giant cockroaches crawled out of my squat toilet. I ran for the front desk, where the guy first held up a can of air spray (I later realized that the toilets emit an unpleasant smell during the heat of the day) and finally gave me the insect killer. I sprayed my bathroom three times, until the can emptied. The dirty walls were covered in yellow splotches of paint, an attempt to cover up warning messages from other travelers. I could still read some of them, and wished I had noticed sooner. The staff made no apologies for the roaches, and just as I was drifting off to sleep I heard yells down the hall, followed by the thump of a thrown shoe and cheers of victory. I wasn't the only one with bug problems.Luckily, I found a cleaner, cheaper hostel on the main street of town, where I could better enjoy the upcoming Vegetarian Festival. Before the event started, I explored the town, climbed up a big hill overlooking the city and ventured out to two beaches- Kata and Kamala. Phuket Town is located on the island of Phuket, an easy commute to many different beaches. I chose Kata and Kamala because of their mellow reputation. On both beaches, I enjoyed sunbathing and swimming in the slippery turquoise water. I only had to share the beaches with a handful of others.
By the time the festival started, the main street boasted stall after stall of amazing vegetarian food, packed with pedestrians perusing their options. For a veggie like me, it was amazing to be able to eat anything I saw as I walked along the street. And tempting it was: steamed sweet rolls, fake meat on a skewer, fresh tropical fruit, noodle soup, coconut pudding balls, corn on the cob, roasted chestnuts, fried EVERYTHING, fresh spring rolls, morning glory leaves stuffed with coconut, starfruit, peanuts and ginger, tofu cooked in every possible way, and so on. My favorites included noodle soup with crunchy wood-ear and white-flower mushrooms, steamed corn buns, vermicelli topped with thick curry, pickled greens, sprouts, pineapple, cucumber and fresh greens, fake meat skewers with chili sauce and the best mango sticky rice I have ever tasted.
Before the festival begins, a pole of bamboo is decorated with gold leaf and then raised to bring the power of the gods to the event. Another American, Kuulani, and I went to the temple and placed some gold leaves on the pole. We were pleased to see it raised the next day. On the evening of the opening ceremony, we went to watch the monks go into trance. They welcomed the spirits, one by one, clad in white pants and a colorful apron. They stood over the smoke of incense, shaking their heads back and forth as if saying "no" over and over again, breathing heavily through their mouths and mumbling, whispering or sometimes yelping like monkeys. Big drums beat slowly in the temple and they raised their flags at the sound of a chime, rocking back and forth from one foot to the other. At first, I felt extremely nervous, and doom filled my stomach as I thought they were to begin the acts of self-mutilation. They all carried something harmful like a spear or a whip. Once I realized that it was a peaceful demonstration, I relaxed and was quickly absorbed into the the feeling of the ceremony.
Phuket historically contains a high percentage of Chinese inhabitants. When they first arrived in Phuket, the settlers became extremely ill, and abstained from meat to purify their body. The vegetarian diet worked and most of the sick were cured. Since then, the Vegetarian Festival has been repeated each year. In accordance with the Chinese calendar, the festival lasts for the first 9 days of the 9th lunar month. It is not a festival of vegetarians flocking to the area; rather, it's meat-eaters choosing to abstain from meat, alcohol and sex as a purification ritual for the body. Thus, those in attendance wear all white clothing as a symbol of purity. The festival is celebrated all over Thailand, yet Phuket leads the way, with Thai tourists swarming in from all over to attend.
Throughout all the processions, people throw fire-poppers at the feet of monks to scare away the bad spirits. The monks also demonstrate the power of their gods by undertaking acts of self-mutilation during their trance. It is said that they do not feel the pain during their demonstration and they heal quickly after the festival is over.
During the morning procession, I saw the monks walking with all kinds of things stuck in their cheeks, such as vegetables, swords, guns, and even a large chain connecting three monks through their cheeks. They don't appear to be comfortable, yet they didn't show signs of pain either.
The afternoon procession followed a ceremony blessing the food. Giant pots of food and rice were placed steaming in front of the altar. The monks came by, placing incense in the food and blessing it with the dragon tips of their whips. Men prepared bowls of food for the gods and placed them near the altar. Then, the crowds of people followed the monks into the streets for the procession. I joined them, and witnessed at every intersection a circle formation of monks wildly throwing axes over their shoulders and yelling. I turned, horrified, to find right next to me a monk sharpening his axe on his tongue, blood spilling down his chin. Later, I saw another monk hitting his forehead repeatedly with a sword. In the video below, you can see the circle of axe-swinging monks. If you look closely, you'll see one kneeling on the ground shaking his tongue back and forth against the blade of a sword.
The evening procession was intense in it's own way. Crowds dressed in white lined the streets, holding fire-poppers and amateur fireworks. Monks skipped through the streets, fireworks went off from every direction (often set off by little kids) and processions of drums and altars flashed by. Some monks would stop and bless babies, others handed out candy, and a few stood patiently while people threw fire-poppers under their feet. It was loud, it was crazy, it was a good farewell parade for me. I left the next morning, before the monks walked on coals and climbed ladders made of knives.
I made my way to Surat Thani, a gateway to many islands in the Gulf of Thailand. There, I spent one night and stumbled across the Chinese Temple. Kind women ushered me to the back of the temple, where they served vegetarian food free of charge. They handed me a bowl of rice and motioned for me to sit at a table with three other women. In the middle of the table, we shared dishes of sweet and sour vegetables, fake meat soup, yellow curry and crunchy greens. The cook asked me in Thai if the food was delicious or not delicious. I said delicious. One woman at my table spoke English and asked me questions about my life and travel plans. Another woman kept arranging the food and pushing it towards me. The third woman asked me again if the food was delicious or not. The woman that spoke English explained to me that most people find vegetarian food to be too bland. I kept saying that since I only eat vegetarian food their food tasted amazing to me. After I couldn't eat any more, I sat there among the women while they spoke in Thai, so grateful to be among them and their motherly tendencies towards me.
I left on a ferry early the next morning on my way to Koh Phangan Island. More to come...
Click HERE for more pics of Phuket. Careful if you're squeamish!
...And if you missed Bangkok, you can find it HERE.
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