Marine Ball

The United States Marine Corps was created on November 10, 1775 and since 1921 the Commandant of the Marine Corps has directed all Marines around the world to commemorate that date as the Marine Corps Birthday.  At Embassy Phnom Penh's 2014 Marine Corps Ball, Guest Speaker Brigadier General Paul J. Kennedy joked that the other branches of the armed services think that the entire Marine Corps takes off the whole month of November to throw itself a birthday party.  And at U.S. embassies around the world, there's a bit of a joke that the Ball is simply an excuse for an embassy prom.  There may be a kernel of truth to both these jokes, but the Marine Ball offers a perfect opportunity to remember the sacrifices that Marines make and to appreciate the Marine Security Guards assigned to our embassy.

Because the Marine Ball is a formal occasion, I decided to go all out.  In Cambodia, weddings are often the occasion when ladies get all dolled up.  It is common for ladies to go to the salon for fancy hairdos and layers of makeup.  I chose to follow suit.  I went to my neighborhood salon, Windsor, and got the full package - makeup, false eyelashes, and hair reminiscent of an 80s punk band!

My funky 'do!

Although my hair  made quite a statement, it was actually Jeremy's shoes that stole the show. He wore fabulous silver shoes that transformed him into a god on the dance floor, complete with Michael Jackson sound effects and scene-stealing moves.

Erica's red shoes outshone by Jeremy's silver ones

When the DJ played "Summer Nights" from Grease, it turned into a battle of the sexes on the dance floor, with Jeremy dropping to his knees proclaiming his devotion to the ladies.

The dueling sexes sing "Summer Nights"

It was a great night - a wonderful excuse to get dressed up, dance until we couldn't dance anymore, and party with our Marines!

Erica and Jeremy

Erica with the Embassy Phnom Penh Marine Security Guards

Cambodian Water Festival

Last week, Cambodia celebrated Water Festival for the first time in four years.  Water Festival is normally an annual event, but the festival hasn't been held since 2010 when over 350 died in a stampede on a bridge.  Since then, Water Festival has been cancelled for various official reasons, some legitimate, others questionable.  However, since the announcement that the festival would go on this year, the city has been abuzz, both in excited anticipation of the celebrations and in trepidation of a possible repeat of tragedy.

On the first night of the festival, Jeremy and I went to check things out.  Although Water Festival is centered on the waterfront, every public plaza we passed along the way was packed with people, lined with vendors selling food and goods, and filled with stages for entertainers.  Normally it takes us 30 minutes to walk to the waterfront, but this time it took an hour to make it through the crowded streets.  

Arriving at the waterfront, we were greeted with one of the primary attractions of Water Festival: the illuminated boats!  Those of you familiar with my love of Christmas lights can imagine my excitement at seeing these colorful displays on the water!  Each boat was also playing traditional music.  Lights AND music - I was in heaven!  

My favorite boat:  Ministry of Commerce's map of Cambodia

The boats made such a pretty sight lighting up the dark river.

I also love that the Royal Palace was lit up for the festival.

The next day, I went to see the other principal feature of Water Festival:  the boat races.  Teams around the country have been competing for months to qualify for participation.  I was not prepared for how long these boats would be!  Each boat had at least 75 rowers in it, and sometimes I could see a boat bouncing in the water as the rowers moved in unison to propel it forward.  The races seemed continual, without any fanfare as each race ended and the next one began.  But spectators were clearly cheering on specific teams and having a good time.

Long boat race

Although only three hours out of the three-day festival was enough for me, the excitement was palpable in the air and I definitely caught some of it.  I'm so glad that I had the chance to participate in this unique Cambodian experience. 

Fun Temples of Chiang Mai

Last weekend, Jeremy and I visited Chiang Mai in Thailand.  Visitors to Chiang Mai essentially have three main options for activities:  1) tour the many temples in the city, 2) visit animal attractions to do things like feed elephants, or 3) travel outside the city for sporty activities such as ziplining.  Not having the energy for a sporty vacation or an interest in animals after our many great safaris in Kenya, we chose the temple route.  We discovered that Chiang Mai has several quirky temple features!

Directly in front of Wat Ket Karam was a dog fountain.  Most of the dogs were spitting water out of their mouths, but one was shown lifting its leg and peeing!  Another one was laying flat on its belly with his legs sticking straight out behind him.  We wondered if this was the "dog temple" because in addition to the fountain, we saw lots of dog statues scattered around the complex.  Very interesting!

Wat Ket Karam Dog Fountain

Located on a mountain just outside the city, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is one of Chiang Mai's most popular temples.  It required a 15-minute taxi ride up a windy, motion-sickness-inducing road.  My stomach was able to settle itself along the 300-step staircase to the temple.  Just inside, we were greeted with this fabulous shrine of Buddha statues wrapped in leopard and tiger prints!

Tiger Buddha at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Around the back of the temple was another puzzling display of statues.   I think most were Buddhas, wearing extra adornments such as caps and eyeglasses.  Communing with the Buddhas were some deer and a turtle.  The whole scene reminded me of garden gnomes and the over-the-top lawn displays that can be found sprinkled across America.

Garden Gnome Gathering at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

After this trip, I can say that I am officially templed-out.  I've gone temple touring in three countries - Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand - and also seen temples in Vietnam and Malaysia. Perhaps I should take an offering to the local wat to earn enough merits not to have to visit another temple again!