Super-soakers and Tentacles

Bali Hai!

 This past weekend, in a spur of the moment decision (literally, from the time I initially thought about it until I was on the plane, four hours had passed) I decided to forego Nakhon’s Songkran celebration and take a weekend excursion out of the country. A friend from college who works in Singapore was taking a holiday to Tioman Island, and I decided to hop on board at the last possible minute. I debated whether or not is was worth it- I would have to fly up to Bangkok, then down to Kuala Lumpur, then take a bus for 5 hours and then a ferry for two, all to spend  the remainder of my long weekend on this tiny little island. But, I really wanted to go. However, I also felt like I shouldn’t. I was being incredibly indecisive (big surprise). Tony and Maureen Wheeler, the founders and original authors of the Lonely Planet guides (aka, the world travelers' bible that I shunned at first but now love), say, “All you’ve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. ” SO TRUE! The stress of decision making is the hardest part, but once you’ve made your choice,  you just kind of ride it out, either weathering the storm or basking in the sunlight. Luckily, this was a trip where I would definitely be basking.

As I packed hurriedly to catch my flight to Bangkok, I thought about how I’d be missing out on the Songkran celebration in Nakhon, but my urge to leave was so much stronger than my urge to stay. At least I had one day to participate in the festivities- I would be spending the night in Bangkok and flying to Kuala Lumpur the next day, so I made plans to meet up with some friends who were staying there and already heavily involved in the holiday.

Songkran is the three-day festival of the Thai New Year. It begins on the 13^th of April and goes until the 15^th. Some cities will celebrate for five or even nine days, and it is easily the biggest holiday in Thailand. Thailand has adopted the Western/Gregorian calendar for many purposes, the Thai Lunar Calendar is their primary system. According to this calendar, it's not even year 2011, it's 2554!! Because Thailand has a mix of many different cultures and customs, they also celebrate January 1st as the New Year as well as Chinese New Year in February. But this is their BIG one. 

Water symbolizes cleansing, and thus is a key component of Songkran- people anoint each other with water to signify a fresh beginning. Misfortune, bad luck, and hardship from the previous year are washed away as friends, family, and neighbors gently douse each other with the symbolic liquid. Young people humbly pour scented water into their elders’ cupped hands to ask for their blessing and families join together to give alms to the Buddhist monks. One of the oldest Songkran traditions is dabbing a white paste on others as a sign of protection and to ward off evil. It is applied mostly to the face. This is the religious and deeply-rooted tradition of Songkran.

If you asked any one of my students what Songkran was, however, and I did, you would not hear any of the above traditions repeated. Unmistakably, what you would hear is, “WATERFIGHT!!!” Songkran has since evolved into a three-day long, no holds barred soak-fest. Gently anointing friends and neighbors now involves a high powered water gun and barrels of water in backs of trucks, with buckets for scooping it and flinging it onto pedestrians, motorists, and anyone else within reach.  The paste is often dyed with food coloring and is no longer dabbed or smeared gently, but slathered with the same tenacity as the water, although it is not as abundant.

Crowded Streets

When I asked my students why they did it and what it was about, they got very excited and everyone began shouting things out. One boy hushed everyone else and told me, expertly, that it was something they did because the weather was hot. I liken this generation’s lack of knowledge about their native Songkran and its roots to that of some American children and Easter or Christmas. It has nothing to do with the Christian belief system, and everything to do with candy, presents, and awkward men dressed up in suits passing out these coveted things.

My Arrival in BKK-
already soaked and pasted!

Regardless, Songkran is definitely an experience. Before I left my apartment, I put my waterproof cover over my backpack- if the screams and shouts and horns permeating through my building were any indication, I would be in for a treat. Complete mayhem on the streets. I wish that I had thought to have my waterproof camera out- the streets were packed with drenched Thais in the backs of pick-ups, lined along the side of the road, and running through the streets, stopping traffic. Within minutes, I was soaked and had pink paste smeared on my cheeks and chin. And this was only a prelude of what was to come once I got to Bangkok. The moment I stepped off the bus that took me downtown, I was soaked and caked with paste once again.
Although I had a lot of fun, I could not imagine celebrating this way for more than one day- it's pure chaos! So I was perfectly content to leave for Pulau Tioman the next morning, a sleepy little island that was Bali Hai in the musical film South Pacific (1958). Here, I met up with two friends and snorkeled in beautifully clear water through vibrant coral reefs, hiked through the lush, viny jungle, ate delicious pizza, and moved at a much slower pace. It was also here that I received my first jellyfish sting.

Getting Better With My Underwater Camera
(except I think Kevin took this photo!)

We were snorkeling at the most beautiful exclusive little beach we had come to during our hike. We were the only people there for a majority of the time- it was AMAZING.
While snorkeling, I was heading closer to the big rocks at one end of the cove, hoping to see some crazy and mysterious marine life, when I began to feel something that I at first thought was sea lice on my leg. Then, it grew more intense and I knew right away something was attacking me. I panicked and kicked my legs furiously, keeping them as straight as possible. Once I felt that I had successfully kicked whatever it was off of me, I checked out my thighs and couldn't see any marks. So I carefully and quickly did a scan around me for the perpetrator. At first I didn't see anything, and then floating about a foot down below the surface, I saw it- a bulbous top with what looked like endtrails hanging below it, seeming so peaceful as it was being pushed around ever so slightly by the soft current. I am pretty sure, after conducting extensive research via Googling the words "pink jellyfish Malaysia", that it was a juvenile lion's mane jelly. It stung with the same intensity as a bee sting, although instead of centralized in just one tiny pinprick, it looked like I had been lashed across the front and side of my thighs and stung the length of it.  It honestly was not as bad as I had imagined a jellyfish sting would be, which, being someone who yearns for a little dramatic flair every once in a while, was a little disappointing.

Under the Sea

But, I still retreated from the water, just in case my legs decided to become paralyzed (they didn't) or I had some other adverse reaction (I didn't) and took the advice of my friends, which was to go to  pee on my stings (I really did). This seemed to help the stinging, however according to my extensive Google research, it is only a myth and is in actuality ineffective. Thanks a lot for the advice, friends. ;) Regardless, I say it helped. I guess you will never know unless you try it yourself. (Please, let me know how this goes, if you do. Thanks!) Whether peeing on yourself is an actual remedy for a jellyfish sting or not, I suppose it was better to be safe than sorry, and we got some hearty laughs from it. And, I now have yet another story worth sharing.

Beautiful Pulau
Tioman
(photo credit: Kevin McQuaid)