Ya Mo and Karaoke

All visitors to Korat should make a pilgrimage to Ya Mo to pay their respects.

Khun Ying Mo, or Ya Mo, as it is more commonly called, is the statue of Thao Suranari in front of the old gate of "Pratu Chumpon" on the west side of the city. This monument was erected in 1934 to commemorate the heroic deed of Khun Ying Mo, wife of the Deputy Governor of Khorat during the reign of King Rama III, who saved the city from the invasion of the Laotian army led by Prince Anuwong. Ya Mo sounds like a strong-willed lady - she organized her people, convinced the Laotian soldiers to be sympathetic, and "borrowed" weapons for the attack. Her story can be found in either of the two links below.

http://www.dusit.com/hotel/pkk/attraction/attr00052/print/
http://www.thekoratpost.com/ladymo.html

The pictures don't really do it justice. The statue is in the center of the square. You first buy a garland, and a lotus bouquet, including three joss sticks (like incense) and a gold leaf between two pieces of paper. Then you remove your shoes, light the joss sticks, kneel below the statue, and "wai" (hands folded, head bowed - traditional Thai greeting or mark of respect). Many ask for blessings for themselves or for their families.

When you are done, you place the joss sticks in an urn, hang the garland around the statue, and touch the gold leaf onto the statue of the lady. I accidentally set my leaf on fire when I lit the incense sticks, but everything else was right! When you leave, if you walk through the arch, it is a certainty that you will someday return to Korat.

When you do return to Korat, you may find yourself listening to an accented rendition of "Take Me Home, Country Road" - formerly by John Denver and lately by SaNgar, our guide. I haven't space for a description of the Karaoke, but it was a blast. Maybe in the next edition...