There's a story that the Buddha was incarnated as a really generous king. This king would give anything he had away and one day gave away the village's white elephant. The villagers got really ticked off by this and kicked him out of the village. Over time, they got over their anger and called the King back to the village. When he returned, everyone was so psyched that even the dead awoke to welcome him back.

During the Phi Ta Khon festival in the middle of the Thai countryside, people craft beautiful masks from rice baskets and bark from coconut trees and dress up like ghosts. Through this, they re-enact the return of the generous King who was the Buddha reincarnated.

Another story is tied into this festival. There was a monk who was so good at meditation that he had superpowers. He used his powers to turn himself into a white marble and decided to live in the bottom of a river. Each year the villagers go to the river and call this monk to join them. They believe his superpowers will protect them from evil spirits. After they party with this superpower monk for a few days, he returns to his life as a white marble in the river.

The village where this festival takes place is fairly remote and takes a plane ride and a few buses to get there. We stayed with a Thai family in their house amongst the rice paddies.

The festival consisted of a street filled with Phi Ta Khon (ghosts). They all wore jangling bells and really colorful clothes. And of course, each participant wore elaborately painted masks they had made themselves. They danced in the streets while scaring little kids and poking people with phalluses. It can get kind of raunchy but all in good fun.

I was in the front of a big crowd watching a parade when an eight foot tall giant "woman" doll came up to me and started making some romantic gyrations. I told this giant woman (complete with breasts and other womanly features) in Thai "mee fan laew" which means "I already have a girlfriend". The whole crowd started laughing and the woman continued on her way.

Tourists who visit the festival often like to buy one of the beautiful masks and we were told that you can offer any of the Phi Ta Khon money to buy their masks. I approached one guy who wanted about 80 bucks for his. I thought it was too steep and the next day found a striking mask and got it for about 30 bucks. I ended up carrying this huge mask on the back of motorbikes, on crowded buses, tuk tuks, pick up trucks and airplanes to get it home.