Téléphérique du Salève

If you are in Geneva and looking for interesting things to do try heading up to the top of the nearest mountain for some incredible views across the valley. The "Téléphérique du Salève" view point overlooking the city of Geneva and surrounding valley is very easy to get to and is highly recommended.

My wife and I boarded bus #8 at the rue de Mont Blanc neaer the Garre Cornivan for the 8km trip to Mont Salève. 

It is very easy to get there via Geneva's fast and efficient public transportation system.

We crossed the Rhone river with her clear icy blue water and headed south-east towards the nearest mountain range. 

 The city bus passed through the shopping districts along the lake just under the old city and then through several pre war residential neighborhoods towards the French border at Veyrier. 

At the last stop we disembarked and walked down the street a couple of hundred meters past the French border checkpoint. 

No one stopped to check out passports as we walked across the border. The walk to the cable carriage station took about 10 minutes.

 It is a 5 - 10 minute walk from the bus stop to the cable car. The price for return tickets was 13,60CHF.

Wengen to Männlichen in the Bernese Alps

A day trip from Geneva to the Swiss Alps



We boarded the train at the in Geneva bound for the Lauterbrunnen valley under the Junfrau region of Switzerland. Our train left the Garre Cornivan central train station around 8 am and it accelerated rapidly and glided across the Swiss countryside along the banks of Lac Léman. From here we could see snow capped mountain peaks in the far distance.




It took us 1 1/2 to get to Bern, another hour to Interlaken and another hour going up the mountain pass of Lauterbrunnen. We arrived in Wengen just after noon only to find the entire town closed due to it being a Sunday. It was strangely quiet but also quite peaceful exploring the car free town of Wengen. The sharp, high white mountains coupled with the low deep green valleys are an amazingly beautiful sight everyone should witness at least once before they die.




We strolled around the quiet, deserted town for an hour or so then took the Wengen to Männlichen aerial cable up to the nearest mountain peak.




The weather was perfect and the views as majestic as I remember. Fresh soft snow covered the mountain peaks as far as the eye could see.



 It was the first time my wife had seen snow so she was naturally very excited. She struggled walking in the snow due to her poor choice of winter shoes but made it to the top eventually none-the-less.



From the Männlichen peak we were rewarded with views across towards Grindelwald as well as the Lauterbrunnen valley.




We wanted to go all the way up to the glaciers at Jungfrau but due to the distance from Geneva and limited time we have saved it for the next occassion.




We left on the 5pm train and did the reverse trip back to Geneva arriving by 9pm. The next time we visit this region I will plan to spend a couple of weeks based in the Swiss mountain villages exploring the scenery by foot, train and cable car. I really enjoy travelling in this part of the world.




View Larger Map Wengen–Männlichen in Bernese Alps

Phuket Vegetarian Festival เทศกาลกินเจ

Nine Emperor Gods Festival / 九皇爺 / เทศกาลกินเจ - The vegetarian festival is mainly celebrated by the Chinese Thai community during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. A couple of my visits to Phuket coincided with this event so I thought I would post some images of the things visitors may encounter. It is truly an amazing experience. There is nothing I have every seen which compares to the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. The event for this year will take place from 4th - 14th October 2013.

Known in Thailand as the "Tetsagan Gin Jay/เทศกาลกินเจ" and elsewhere as the 9 Emperor Gods Festival it is usually held over a 10-day  period around September or October.



During this time, local residents strictly observe a vegetarian or vegan diet as well as perform sacred rituals at various shrines and temples.



The vegetarian festival is widely celebrated around the country but only in the southern provinces around Phuket will you find these bizarre rituals.



There will be specific ceremonies at Chinese temples and shrines all around the island. You can usually find the events schedule online a month or so before it begins. I've included this information at the bottom of this post.



The are many groups of devotees and each has its own temple or shrine to support. The nature of the event can be quite graphic involving quite a bit of blood.



Each morning at dawn the ceremonies begin and devotees are pierced at mutilated. After which, they parade many kilometers through the streets to Phuket town.



Tens of thousands of people converge upon Phuket town and the crowds gather quite thick along the parade routes.

From dawn till dusk you will hear nothing but firecrackers and fireworks all over Phuket. The sound can be quite deafening and whole city streets disappear completely in the smoke they leave behind. It is  reminiscent of a disaster or war zone if you didn't know it was a cause for celebration.

The Mah Song 

Only the Mah Song (ม้าทรง) perform the piercings and bodily mutilations. They believe that their bodies become the vehicle for the spirit gods. Many believe that the gods skewer the cheeks of the mah song with sharp instruments in order to absorb negative energy as well as to help other people by freeing them from bad karma, illness or sorrow.

Mah song ม้าทรง are the people who invite the spirits of gods to possess their bodies. Mah ม้า is the word for horse in Thai, and the name mah song refers to how the spirits of the gods use the bodies of these people as a vehicle, as one rides a horse. Only pure, unmarried men or women without families of their own can become mah song. At the temple they undergo a series of rituals to protect them for the duration of the festival, during which flagellation and self-mutilation is practiced. The mah song tradition doesn't exist in China and is believed to have been adopted from the Indian festival of Thaipusam. 

Source: Wikipedia 

Each "Mah Song" is usually surrounded by a group of family and friends who encircle and protest them from the large crowds. Some people pierce themselves with extremely large items such as bicycles, furniture, appliances and even the kitchen sink. If it is not bolted down, chances are it will end up skewered through someone's face.

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Vegetarian Festival in Thailand

In accordance with the traditions, many religious devotees will perform ritualized mutilation upon themselves and one another (with the consent of, context and understanding of all involved and the practice itself) while under a trance-like state, including but not limited to: impaling through cheeks, arms, face, legs, back etc., with everything from as small as syringes to as large as is agreed upon between all members; partial skinning (the skin is not removed, just cut and flipped over); slashing of limbs, chest, stomach and especially tongue with swords, axes and knives; bloodletting; removal of tissue (normally limited to cysts) and intentionally wrapping or standing near fire crackers as they are lit.

This is done without anesthetic, always inside or near the temples surrounded by other devotees with only iodine, petroleum jelly and surgical gloves as precautionary measures. Despite this scenario, many of the same people performing the rituals are also the people who will care for many of the people in their recovery, the actual impaling is done by doctors and physicians in the community, is planned out for weeks if not months in advance and medical teams are present in and around temple grounds for the entire time of the festival, with frequently spectators needing more help then the devotees, who remain in a trance during this process and are monitored through the entire event in case they should drop out of concentration, in which case they are immediately take to medical professionals regardless of the circumstances to minimize post trance bleeding.

 Source: Wikipedia

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These items are heavy and the Mah Song risk having them ripped from their faces in the large crowds. They are encircled and protected by groups of family and friends.



The Mah Song need their family and friends to support the during this time. It can be very dangerous if one of them falls or is pushed through the large crowds. You can tell they are afraid of having the items forcibly ripped from their flesh.  The risk of injury risk  of injuring themselves is very real. You will often see people who do nothing but wipe the blood from the wound of spirit medium.

The Mah Song can usually be seen in a trance like state and shaking their heads back and forth as if under the influence of some kind of intoxicant. For the most part, they do not appear to be in pain.

 It is all a very surreal experience. During the festival there are also many other ceremonies and activities which include fire-walking and blade-ladder climbing.



This experience can be quite alien to westerners. Even corporations are starting to get in on the action and you can see that Volvo has even provided some sponsorship in the ceremony.

I wonder how long it will be until Coca Cola, Microsoft and other corporations sponsor their own spirit mediums. 

Phuket Vegetarian Festival Shrines

Phuket Vegetarian Festival Shrines

• Baan Tha Rue Shrine, Thepkrasattri Road, not far from the Heroines’ Monument
• Cherng Thalay Shrine, Sri Soonthorn Road, Thalang District
• Sapam Shrine, Thepkrasattri Road, Koh Kaeo, Phuket Town
• Yok Ke Keng Shrine, Soi Panieng, Samkong, Phuket Town
• Samkong Shrine, Yaowarat Road, on the north side of Phuket Town
• Kathu Shrine, Wichitsongkram Road, Kathu District
• Put Jaw Shrine, On the corner of Soi Phuthorn, Ranong Road, Phuket Town
• Jui Tui Shrine, Soi Phutorn, Ranong Road Soi 4, Phuket Town
• Sui Boon Tong Shrine (aka Lorong Shrine), Pattana Road, Phuket Town
• Bang Neow Shrine, Phuket Road, on the south side of Phuket Town
• Thep Rasi Shrine, Phuket Road, near Robinson Department Store, Phuket town
• Kiew Tien Keng Shrine, Sapanhin Park, Phuket Town

Schedule for street processions of Chinese Shrines

Mon	October 07, 2013	Sapam Shrine
Tue	October 08, 2013	Samkong Shrine
Wed	October 09, 2013	Ban Tha Rve Shrine
Thu	October 10, 2013	Bang Neow Shrine  Cherng Thalay Shrine
Fri	October 11, 2013	Jui Tui Shrine
Sat	October 12, 2013	Kathu Shrine  Yokkekeng Shrine
Sun	October 13, 2013	Sui Boon Tong Shrine

For more information please visit the Official Website for the schedule and other details or download the details in pdf format here.

http://www.phuketvegetarian.com/phuketvegetarian2013_en.pdf

A local expat and blogger Jamie Monk also has information and photos of the event on his site here. 

The Santi Asoke Buddhist Reform Movement

The Santi Asoke Buddhist Reform Movement Of Thailand

This image was taken during the fascist People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) anti-government protests of 2008.

These 8 nuns were sitting on the footsteps leading up to the Makhawan Rangsan bridge waiting for a senior monk. He was listening to speakers on the stage setup directly on Ratchadamnoen Avenue in front of the United Nations compound in Bangkok. The nuns were sitting in various stages of impatience.

The Santi Asoke (สันติอโศก) was established by a former television entertainer and songwriter Phra Bodhirak after he "declared independence from the Ecclesiastical Council in 1975".

He had originally ordained within a monastery recognized by the Thai Sangha, but soon left with a small following to form this group, which he sees as a mixture of both Therevada and Mahayana Buddhism.

Described by Donald Swearer as "a radical sectarian movement" that "reflects the forest tradition's ideals of simplicity", the tradition also claimed an early influence from Buddhadasa, which it later rejected. 

Asoke later turns to play a part in politics. Phothirak has taken part in several anti-government protests, including that of the Yellow Shirts against Samak Sundaravej in 2008. - Wikiepdia

Moments after this photo was taken they realized that they were being photographed and their composure changed sharply.

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Amsterdam City Revisited

Classic Dutch Architecture

Amsterdam is such a great city. One of my own personal favorites. Having made one earlier visit during the 1990's, I have been eager to return ever since. I was working in neighboring Switzerland at the time so I booked a flight and spent a long weekend in Mokum. The flight was quick and uneventful. I arrived at Schiphol and quickly made my way to the station under the airport. I arrived at Amsterdam Central Station and saw this view as I stepped off the train.

I arrived late in the evening just as the sun was setting behind one of the imposing cathedrals next to the central train station. I stepped out of central station to encounter this scene on the Damrak.

Evening crowds on the Damrak

As you walk down the Damrak you will see a line of buildings off to your left across the canal where they park the tourist boats.

Reflections from canal

There were numerous street festivals going on. People were drinking en mass on boats in all of the canals.




Beautiful blue skies behind the Royal Palace and Obelisk in Dam Square near the Amsterdam Central Station.




Boats line this quiet residential neighborhood not far from the Museum district in Amsterdam. A cathedral tower rises in the background.




Beautiful mansions  along sides of a major canal near the Vondelpark and Museum districts. I really enjoy exploring old European cities, especially the ones which survived the world wars. I enjoy the reflections on the canal water.



The stone cathedrals, palaces, statues and sculptures from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries are connected by watery bands lined with beautiful, mature trees.




The water and green space promotes a sense of tranquility among the hectic bustle of city life. The city planners control and prevent change rather than exploit it. The canals are relatively clean compared to the ones around my home in Bangkok.

The bells on the bicycles rang incessantly. One would expect that collisions between wheels and pedestrians would be more common but there remains a sense of order & rhythm arising from the chaos.



Bicycles parked in front of a headshop in the red-light district. These head shops sell practically everything. The Dutch are a very progressive people compared to the rest of the world.



Sex is everywhere in this city. The red light district offers something for practically everyone. The narrow city streets puts all involved parties within close proximity of each other.

Amsterdam street art on local shop house. Strange, colorful splashes of creativity among an medieval city. The Condomerie (Condom Store) and GreenDayz Coffee shops on the Warmoesstraat road.

Warmoesstraat 141, 1012 JB Amsterdam, Netherlands

The city is lit quite beautifully at night. Tourists come out in droves to take photos of all the landmarks around the city's biggest squares.



The boats, bicycles, cars, trams and trains keep the city buzzing with an eclectic sense of movement.


The city is rich in history and works of art can be found prominently displayed all over the city.

Keystone artwork under a bridge in Vondelpark. The Vondelpark is 120 acres of beautiful nature located west from the Leidseplein and the Museumplein..

Overlooking the noisy scenes and nightlife around the Warmoesstraat.

Steep staircase in typical Amsterdam building




Explore Amsterdam Yourself



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