Boat Burning Festival, Halloween and accidents in the Kitchen!

Well, I can't believe it has been 3 weeks since I last wrote! Where does the time go?

We have had a rather interesting month. Like I mentioned before we had fireworks going for just about 24 hours a day for about 7 or 8 days. It was all part of a ceremony that happens in Donggang every 3 years, which ends with the burning of a big boat, which costs thousands, if not millions to make, and then they send it up in flames.

This is a little bit about the ceremony:

On the last day, the ceremony of burning the king boat is held. This is the greatest ceremony held in southwest coast every three years. The most important part of the festival is the ritual of burning the King Boat on the last day. Residents from all the villages push the boat to the seashore where a large amount of paper spirit money is prepared and piled up. The offerings of foods, daily necessities, paper spirit money are moved onto the king boat, and this is known as "uploading". The paper statues of devils are placed around the king boat. When it is the time for the ritual, worshippers set a fire on the tons of sacrificial paper money and burn the king boat in hot flames with the hope of driving away all the pains and evil spirits from their lives.

The boys really enjoyed watching the burning of the boat. It was supposed to be around 2am on a Saturday morning, so I made sure that the boys all had a sleep in the afternoon, and then they went to bed at their normal bedtime, and then we woke them up at around midnight. We then went and followed the crowd because we weren't too sure where they were doing it, anyway, we found the place. We had to park quite a way from the beach though as there were thousands of people!

We met up with quite a few foreigners, some who had come all the way from Taichung and Taipei! There was of course plenty of fireworks, and the paparazzi! At one point we were standing watching and I saw all these flashes, and when I turned to where they were comming from I realised WE were the ones being photographed!!! Isn't the boat supposed to be the "main attraction"??? LOL

Well, it turns out they only lit up the boat at around 5am!!! The boys fell asleep on the sand for a little while, and we woke them when they finally lit the boat! I think they should have at least had some bands or something happening on the beach, instead, everyone just stood or sat around waiting!!! If I had known I would have taken a picnic basket with or maybe had a braai on the beach for breakfast! (Now we know for next time!).

We all had a great time, it was a real experience. And to top it all off we found a new beach! The beach where they burnt the boat we had never been to before, so that was an added bonus finding a new beach! Although we are not so keen on this beach anymore 'cos a few days ago we went there and there was a pig that was lying on the shore that was half rotten - it was so disgusting!!! I don't know where it came from or if it is still there, but we are not so keen on going there anymore!

The next morning, well actually it was after lunch, cos when we got home after the burning boat we all went to bed (it was now around 6:30am), and we woke up after lunch, so then we went back to that beach to see what was left of the boat, and all that was left was smouldering ash! Wow!

So at least the fireworks have now ceased, although I have heard a few now and again over the last few days or so, probably the leftovers that they are getting rid of.

Then of course we have just had halloween and Jason's school got the kids to dress up and then took them parading in the streets! They really look so cute! (or scary)!

I spoke of my kitchen skills last time, and I just want to say that I am pretty good in the "burning" department. No, not of the food, but of me! I was frying in oil, well I was not frying, but you know what I mean! I was frying tortillas (or tornanas, as my boys call them - my mom's name is tilla, hence the name tornana!) in oil, and I still don't quite remember how I did this, but I ended up splashing oil all over my tummy!

Let me just explain that since it is so hot here, like I am sure I have said before, my standard dress is my bikini top and shorts! (Much to the amusement of some of the ladies around here - bearing in mind they usually dress from head to toe - probably to protect themselves from the sun), so I was really exposed - and ended up with burns all over my tummy! Ow, ow, ow! You have no idea! Well I am glad to say they have now healed, and I have the scars to show!!!

What else? Oh yea, we have left the minimilistic look, and we actually have some furniture! (Will take pics soon and post them). We bought a 3 seater sofa and a 1 seater in a dark green leather, which came with a matching side and coffee table, a large table which we will use as a dining room table, art table, school table, scrapbooking table. All we need to do is get some chairs - but Rome wasn't built in a day, so we will get these shortly. We also bought a queen-size bed and mattress. It is actually quite amusing, but the cost to transport it here was just about as much as the furniture cost! LOL

I must say that one morning, about a week ago, I woke up and said to J that I have noticed for the first time in absolute years!!!!! that I didn't have any back ache! We have been sleeping on a thin mattress on the floor since we arrived here, but this morning I woke up with such a sore back! And guess what? I have been sleeping on a "real" bed for the past few nights!!! Makes you think! Perhaps I will go back to sleeping on the floor - it is less comfortable, but at least my back was better!

We have started Chinese lessons with a lady in our building - we are doing a language exchange. It is our 2nd lesson with her tonight. Last week J went on his own, but tonight we are all going - should be fun!

I am also teaching - can't remember if I told you this in my last post. Anyway, it is just 1 a week on a Wednesday afternoon for an hour and a half. It is for the church who have a school for kids that can't afford the private English schools. I teach (well actually just review what the teacher has done with them), there are about 12 kids ranging between the ages of 8 to about 12 years old. Totally out of my league (just kidding), but I am not used to that age. I have only ever taught under 4 year olds, and of course my kids, so this age is very new to me, not to mention the language barrier, but anyway we get by!

I was approached by a friend of a friend to teach for an hour on a Saturday, but have turned it down for now because the weekends we want to try and keep open to do a bit of sightseeing/travelling.

J is still enjoying his job, although he is still getting uphill from some of the girls he works with. I think they are just jealous because he is the foreigner, probably earning much more than what they are, and we are friends with the boss, so they try and make life difficult for him, but you know J, he won't let it get him down, he just carries on and keeps telling them how wonderful they look and what a great job they are doing (nothing like killing them with kindness!)!!!

Boys are doing great too! I can't believe my "baby" is going to be 4 years old soon (January), and then TR will be 6 and WR 8 - can you believe it! And it is our 8th wedding anniversary this month too!

Ok, well that is it for now.

~* Peace and Love *~