Arcane Candy

Thursday, June 25, 2015
Dan Sai, Thailand

Welcome to the Mountain Green Resort in Dan Sai, Thailand.

Tidying up at the Mountain Green Resort in Dan Sai, Thailand.

I spent the first part of the day just resting and catching up on writing my journal and processing my photos. Before I headed out this afternoon for a day on the town, I wanted to have San shoot a photo of me wearing a Phi Ta Khon mask. The only problem was a foreign girl was using all three of the masks available at the Mountain Green Resort for some sort of video she was shooting on the event. I anxiously waited around for a while for her to finish up, as time was running short: I only had a couple of hours left to visit the Dan Sai Folk Museum and a couple of local temples, and I was itching to leave. Finally, her work was done and I asked a Thai man who was helping her to shoot a couple of photos of me. He happily obliged. The one mask available (the other two were hanging up) was way too small to fit over my head, so I had to hold it in front of my face instead. It still looked amazing.

The rooms, teepees and tents at the Mountain Green Resort in Dan Sai, Thailand.

A Phi Ta Khon mask statue at the Dan Sai Folk Museum in Dan Sai, Thailand.

After that, I was ready to cruise the mile down into town on a bicycle I rented from San. Outside the Dan Sai Folk Museum, vendors were setting up their stalls for the first of two big days tomorrow: the Phi Ta Khon festival. As I took off my shoes at the entry to the museum, a very friendly man with a British accent started chatting with me. After a couple of minutes, he mentioned something about his web site and I asked him if he was Richard Barrow, and sure enough, he was! He is indeed from the United Kingdom and has been living in Thailand for 20 years.

Detail of a Phi Ta Khon mask statue at the Dan Sai Folk Museum in Dan Sai, Thailand.

A Thai film crew gets to work at the Dan Sai Folk Museum in Dan Sai, Thailand.

Richard runs several web sites and social media accounts that cover all things Thailand. You should check them out if you’re at all interested in this area. After our chat, I entered the museum, which contains a bunch of intricately-painted, handmade Phi Ta Khon masks, a 10-minute video on the phenomenon–which is narrated in Thai only, without subtitles–and a few short panels of text that explain the traditions behind the festival. Overall, it’s a neat little place. If you’re ever passing through town, it’s definitely worth a look.

A couple of Phi Ta Khon masks at the Dan Sai Folk Museum in Dan Sai, Thailand.

Some girls make Phi Ta Khon masks at the Dan Sai Folk Museum in Dan Sai, Thailand.

After cruising around Dan Sai to have a look at the tiny town and buy some fruit at the local market, I pedaled back up to the Mountain Green Resort, where the girl I had met that morning, Mari, and I started chatting. She is from Norway and works for a travel magazine and web site called Magasinet Reiselyst. She writes at least an article or two in every issue and gets to travel for free all around the world. As soon as she gets home from Thailand, she leaves for Zanzibar in Africa 24 hours later! She said it’s her dream job, and it’s safe to say it’s also mine. Mari, may I have your job, please? Around midnight, I hit the sack to get a little bit of shut eye, as the first activities of the Phi Ta Khon festival were due to commence at 4:00 am!

The Mountain Green Resort owner San and his wife Jam surround Mari from Norway in Dan Sai, Thailand.

Words and photos ©2015 Arcane Candy.

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