2:57 am

One Way Ticket: Goodbye KT

Things to be Thankfull for on the Border

When you have Thanksgiving dinner, birds die.
--

We mentioned Thanksgiving in passing because we all wished we could be at home. There is no turkey here, or cranberry sauce, no pumpkin pie or giant parade, and not a sign of paper hand-turkeys, buckles or feathers.

But our colleagues were intrigued. 'Why? What is this holiday? It is not religious?' For the first time, perhaps ever, I had to explain what exactly Thanksgiving was. There a lot of back story for such a simple day... these questions leaving me struggling to reconcile theft with giving and genocide with thanks.

Being away from home on this holiday stripped away all those familiar things - no question of commercialism, or animal rights, or which relatives to invite so we can have a peaceful dinner where we all get along, or "will this person actually pass the potatoes when I ask?"

Here, this year, we got to have our holiday thrown back at us. It took only a few short discussions before everyone was de facto invited, and serious thought was being put to what would most closely approximate Thanksgiving diner.

And amazingly, in less then a day, from only wishful musings, sprung two ducks, killed, plucked, and chopped in to pieces for a duck curry; pumpkin curry; papaya salad; one or two local Mon dishes; an apple pie; some other type of cake/pie; and the crowning achievement: a chicken, stuff with carrots, spring onions, spices - baked in a tiny oven - and served on a garnished bed of salad, tomatoes, and a gravy-esque sauce (the chef crediting an instructional YouTube video).

When you're this far from home, some bonus has to be given for a holiday so close to what you've wanted. We didn't think it was possible, and for that reason its one of the best Thanksgiving's I've had - not of course in anyway that would surmount the days when one does have family and familiar things - but at its heart, as a time when people are lucky to have each others company, regardless of their differences.


Some photos of the dinner: **all these ones in color are by Aumeon**

The fullest of full moons...

A full moon festival unlike any I've seen yet: It began with an early morning festival after a day at the temple. A giant bamboo boat that was filled with offerings and alter launched into the lake, and the release of hundreds of paper lanterns - ranging from the size of your head to a VW van. After the monk's dispersed lots of Mon covers of the Beatles & the Ramones were played - a pleasant change from the ever popular Nickleback and Limp Bizkit ...

Full moon festivals occur...yep...every full moon. These are your basic day for making merit, where most of a town will visit the temple where they are led in prayer by the head monk or abbot, and then later return with large quantities of food, sugar, coffee, soda, etc. since the monks cannot cook for themselves.