Revelations

August 8, 2016

I have come to learn that assumptions I'd made about certain phenomena in Thailand were incorrect.  First, I've written a few times about the lines of glowing green lights that we see out on the water at night.  We wondered about them, finally deciding that they must just be lights on boats to make them visible in the darkness.  I thought perhaps it was related to the international regulations of red lights to indicate port and green lights to indicate starboard.  But why were all these boats facing their starboard side toward land?

Difficult to capture with a camera, but these green dots appear on the horizon every night

Well, a few weeks ago, Mick and his companions were out fishing on the huge cement dock near our condo while we were at dinner.  He left his mates to pick us up, and drove by the dock on our way home.  He said, "You can see my friend there - look for the green color."  Revelation:  when Thais fish at night, they hold a green-colored light near the water to attract phytoplankton, which in turn, attract squid.  All those green lights are squid fishermen. Click here   to read a Wall Street Journal article about this phenomenon visible from outer space!

Second, since we moved to our new condo, we've heard a loud, crackling sound several times a day.  With the four towers of our condo, plus the hill across the way, it was very difficult to pinpoint where the sound was coming from, and just what it was we were hearing.  Our guests this past winter also wondered about the sound, and we shared our theories.  I was fairly convinced it was debris being dropped down a long shaft at one of the high-rise construction sights nearby, as it was a "crackle, crackle, crackle" of some duration, always finished off with a "boom, boom."  Tim was certain it was electrical in nature - perhaps the running of some equipment.

My curiosity increased as time went on, and I asked our driver's wife, when she was at our condo, if she knew anything about it.  She said something about fireworks up on Pattaya Viewpoint, just across from us.  This didn't quite make sense to me, but I tried to look up there when I heard the noise, to see if there was any visual proof.  I had seen puffs of smoke up there before, but didn't really tie it to the sound.  Soon enough, I'd concluded that there was a direct correlation between the crackling sounds and the puffs of smoke up on the hill.  But fireworks?

The statue at the top of Pattaya Viewpoint

 Digression: I have had the tremendous pleasure of studying Thai language with a new tutor since the end of February.  This excellent kruu comes to our condo twice a week as part of the relocation contract with Tim's company.  Tim and I initially started the lessons together, once a week on Sundays.  But Tim really couldn't afford the time to study, and once a week with a middling tutor wasn't cutting it.  I asked about continuing the lessons without Tim, but was given the impression that the employee must be present for the company to cover the cost.  After that, I enjoyed classes twice a week at a language school; thirty hours offered free as a promotion.  That teacher was amazing, and I learned a lot.  My friend and I paid for an additional twenty hours, but the new teacher was not nearly as good.  We took a break for a while after that - traveling and visitors took attention away from my studies.  I was determined to continue, however, and spoke about the lessons with other wives.  Most were under the same impression, that the working spouse had to be present; but one wife thought it wasn't a requirement.  So I pleaded my case to the powers that be, and was rewarded with a new, excellent teacher who would come for an hour twice a week.  Word nerd heaven!

One day, I thought to ask my teacher about this mysterious noise.  He explained that it is a Chinese custom to set off firecrackers as a sign of thanks for prayers answered.  Many Thais have Chinese roots, and a lot of Thai customs originated in China.  I knew the hilltop statue visible out our window shared Pattaya Viewpoint with a temple.  So I imagined that's where the firecrackers were being set off.

A couple of weekends ago, Tim and I walked to the Viewpoint, and all speculation ended.  A large iron or ceramic fireplace of sorts sits to one side of the statue, and someone set off firecrackers while we were visiting.  The area around it was strewn with red - what we now realize was firecracker debris.  Although I couldn't confirm the reason for the firecrackers, I would say this is case closed, my dear Watson.

Where we finally cracked the case of the firecrackers