Thailand is one of the most serene places on earth. The form of government is a constitutional monarchy. Thailand is ruled by a king who is an American citizen and was educated in Switzerland. He is more than a king, he is their heart and soul. He has ruled this peaceful country for over 50 years. He has brought Thailand into the new millennium in spite of significant social problems. The Thai people are gentle and gracious. They have not been polluted by the greed which seems to be so prevalent in many countries moving toward the market economy. Family and Universal Harmony are the main themes of Thai culture. Here are a few of the pictures that I took on my trip. Hope that you enjoy them. Larry - Thailand
The Thai People The people of Thailand have roots in China and Malaysia. The influence from China is strong in the northern part of the country and the populace enjoys a Malaysian influence in the south. Buddhism is the dominate religion. The Thai form of Buddhism is the oldest in Asia, and it has a marked influence on almost everyone in Thailand. The belief in Karma has a positive affect on all aspects of this remarkable people. Karma and Chi combine to make it remarkably easy for anyone to work with the Thai people. They speak the same language throughout Thailand, but the different dialects make the language in the north and south sound quite different to visitors.
The Thai people have their roots in China on the north and Malaysia on the south. This woman is from the northern part of Thailand and resembles her Chinese ancestors.
I took this picture at the Grand Palace in Bangkok. This lovely young lady is wearing a traditional dress and is about to participate in a traditional coming out ceremony held at the temple. These ceremonies are for young women reaching their mid-teens and was originally used to indicate that a woman was available for marriage. She is from the central part of Thailand and one can see her Malaysian heritage.
Most Thais have a very strong spiritual connection. This is a Spirit House which is on the property of a home in Bangkok. This where the home owners make daily offerings to the good spirits who inhabit these structures. These good spirits drive away the bad spirits thus helping to bring harmony to the household.
96% of all Thais are Buddhist. All men are required to spend at least 1 year in a monastery before their 21st birthday. The men are taught valuable lessons on conducting themselves as adults in Thai society. In some cases, young men are brought to temples to get an education. These are several young novices going about their duty.
The young man with the shaved head is about to be ordained a Monk. There is a wonderful procession to the temple. This includes friends, family, and anyone else wanting to join in on the joy. I joined the festivities and danced in the streets to help celebrate this joyous occasion. I was fully accepted by everyone. It was great fun!
There are some Thais who come to the city with anticipation of work. They often do not find any or have to live in public places until they can earn enough money to go back home. Here are a few people finding a place to sleep.
This young woman works on the bus collecting the tolls. Bus rides cost 3.5 baht which is equivalent to about $.09 per ride. The mass transit is excellent in the big cities.
I was invited to attend a Thai wedding (a very interesting story!!). This is the groom and his sister. The groom s family brings food, banana stocks, and flowers to the bride s family. The Eldest member of the bride s family officiates at the wedding. The wedding date and time is given by the Buddhist Monk based on the birthdays of the groom and bride.
A nice shot of a grandma and baby. This was taken in the north near the Myamar (formally Burma) border. She was thrilled to see the pix in the viewer of my digital camera after I took it.
These homes belong to a hill tribe in Northern Thailand. They used earn money by growing poppy plants. This has stopped (according to the Thai Tourist Ministry), and they are now highly involved in the tourist trade. They offer their homes to those hiking the plentiful trails in this part of the country. They are very friendly and open.
Some young girls wearing their traditional clothing. This tribe is in the northern part of Thailand.
Life in Thailand Daily life in Thailand is as diverse as the countryside itself. The big cities are filled with enormous activity while the rural areas are as peaceful and serene as anywhere on earth. The Thai marketplaces are a hodgepodge of activity where anything can be bought from diamonds to leather goods to watches to silk to shoes to artwork to??. Family ties are still an important part of Thai culture. Each clan has a leader that gives leadership to the entire group. Most marriages are still officiated by senior family members. Keeping the family name pure is a very high expectation of family.
An Asian toilet. No need to worry if the seat is down or up...
This is a typical street in Thailand. This was taken in Chang Rai which is in the northern part of Thailand. There are a lot of scooters as they are inexpensive to buy and economical to operate. I often saw 4 and 5 people on one scooter.
Typical Thai market. The food is fresh daily, and very reasonably priced.
Lunch, anyone?? This is a lunch consisting of two fish ready for cooking.
This is a picture of the original city wall and moat for Bangkok.
This is the Bangkok city park. This is used by many, many citizens for exercise or just enjoying the peace and quiet.
There are several rivers in Bangkok. Many people have built homes on the shore. This is an example of the typical river home. The people usually live here until they either move back to their village or to another home away from the water.
Bangkok is filled with rivers and canals throughout the city. This myriad of waterways has a life all it s own. The criscrossing rivers and canals have homes on them. This is a typical canal with homes on each side. The upper right is a business building in downtown Bangkok. There are no roads to some of the homes on the canals.
Many of the homes on the river can only be accessed through a water taxi. Here is a water taxi taking people to or from their homes.
Laundry day on the river. The water is used for bathing, washing, trash removal, cooking, and sewage. Yes, there is a reason the water is green...
A few boys swimming in the river. Holy Moley!!! Their immune system has to be unbelievable for them to swim in that water and survive!!
A city shot of Chang Mai in Northern Thailand. It is touted as Thailand s most livable city. This is a city of 160,000 people. The pollution is caused by burning fields, not gas burning vehicles.
Air conditioning Thai style. The sprinkler on top of the store us used to keep it cool. It was 104 degrees and 95% humidity. They are recycling the water in the buckets.
This is the Mai Kong River in the Golden Triangle at sun rise.
The Bridge over the River Kwai. Originally the river was named the Mae Klong. The Japanese tortured and killed over 43,000 allied troops and over 120,000 conscripts in the building this railroad. The railroad was from Burma to Thailand. The cruelty by the Japanese army was beyond belief.
The River Kwai at dawn. What the picture does not show is the sights and sounds of the birds and animals enjoying this splendid sight. The air is filled with the noises from monkey, birds, and small animals beginning their day at the river s edge.
The Religion of Thailand The main religion of Thailand is Buddhism. The Thai version of Buddhism is the oldest in Asia. Each young man has to spend time in a Buddhist Temple as a novice to learn the teachings of this great religion. Each Novice must do 4 tasks: (1) take care of his personal living space, (2) get food by visiting the community daily (most westerners call it begging, although it has nothing to do with begging), (3) learn the teachings of Buddha, and (4) spend time helping and teaching the community. Getting his food is a symbol of humility and gives the Novice a chance to depend on others as well as understand the true nature of man (all things are impermanent ). The Dhamma or teachings of Buddha begin with the Four Noble Truths: (1) life is full of suffering, (2) the cause of suffering is desire, (3) this suffering can be destroyed, and (4) this way to end suffering is by following the Noble Eightfold Path: right views, right thought, right speech, right behavior, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Buddhism is not burdened by the concept of right and wrong.
This stunning Buddha is in Pahrae, Thailand and is an example of the Jahda form of the Buddha. This statue is almost 20 feet high in a temple filled with majestic pillars at least twice as tall. It is a very interesting experience to enter this temple and walk up to the Buddha through the tall, white pillars while listening to the sacred chants of several hundred worshippers. A very, very serene and peaceful experience.
Some of the temples have beautiful gardens. This is an example of the beauty that exists on the temple grounds.
The reclining Buddha represents peace and serenity. This Buddha was located in a hilltop temple in Chang Mai.
This was an ancient temple in northern Thailand. It was constructed in the 13th century. The elephants are considered sacred during that time and the White Elephant was considered a very spiritual being. There are four Buddha's - one on each side. This temple is still blessed with sacred water.
This temple is just outside the rural city of Pitsanuloke, Thailand. It is completely donated by a Thai artist. The construction is scheduled to take over 7 years and is going to be totally white when complete. It is very ornate both inside and out.
This is the only crystal Buddha in Thailand. It is about 5 inches tall and safe behind solid bars and plate glass. I took this picture through the bars (looking in at the buddha, not looking out ).
This is the outside wall where the Emerald Buddha is located. Note the wonderful details of the art work on the wall. This art work was done by hand and quite beautiful.
This picture is of a series pillars in the Grand Palace in Bangkok. All of the art work in the temples are done by hand and without compensation to the artist. Note the exquisite detail of the tops of each pillar. All uniform, but individually done over the years.
This is a garden just outside of the temple where the reclining Buddha is housed. The statues are carved by hand and donated to the temple.
This is the famous Emerald Buddha in the Grand Palace in Bangkok. It is actually 16 high. It is said that lightning struck a Chedi in Chiang Rai province of Northern Thailand in 1434 A.D. and a Buddha statue made of stucco was found inside. The abbot of the temple noticed that the stucco on the nose had flaked off and the image inside was a green color. He removed the stucco and found the Emerald Buddha which is really made of green jade. This Buddha has three costumes - one for each Thai season (yes, Thailand has 3 seasons, not 4).
The vast majority of the Buddhist temples are made of stone. This temple is made entirely of Teak wood. It is quite old with carved icons throughout. The wood looks weathered, but it is actually very strong and durable. This temple is in Kanchanaburi, Thailand.
This temple complex is in Myamar (formally known as Burma). It is very large and overlooks the city. The only way to this temple is by walking up a series of 301 steps.
Temple Artistry Each of the temples (or Wats) are decorated by individual artists. Each craftsman can create what he wants to thus adding uniqueness and beauty to each temple. I found some very interesting and wonderful detail art work. Some of these details are contained in the pictures that follow. Remember that each is designed and created individually. In the case where the pattern is duplicated, each occurrence is done by the individual hand of the artist.
This scene is about 12 inches high and made of mother of pearl. This panel is part of a door which has 15 similar scenes depicting the history of Thailand and some of her myths. Each panel is done with as much beauty and detail as this one.
Hey, why are these elephants smiling??
Ayudhaya The next group of pictures were taken at ancient city of Ayudhaya. The remains of this fabulous city are found in the northern part of Thailand. The city was founded in the 15th century and was the capital of Thailand for almost 500 years. Ayudhaya's income came from its beautiful art, agricultural products, and duties levied against foreign trade. Merchants came from China, Java, Malaya, India, Sri Lanka, Persia, Japan, Portugal, France, Holland and England to trade here. At its height, Ayudhaya became one of the most important trading centers in the area. Its prosperity was vast and many aspects of it s culture are unmatched in Thai history and Sukhothai culture. It is now one of Thailand s more impressive Historic Parks.
An ancient temple gate and shrine.
This final group of pictures are some of my favorite shots. Hope you enjoy them!
There is a rest stop between Chang Mai and Bangkok that serves only pie. That is right, good ol American pie. The owner/chef was trained in the US. This seat is outside under a tree. It was made from an old wagon, and I thought it looked pretty cool.
Well, that is the end of this set of pictures. Hope that you enjoyed them. There are many, many faces of Thailand and an equal number of very enjoyable and memorable experiences. You have not lived until you have experienced a green bus ride in downtown Bangkok. These pictures are only a very few and barely scratch the surface of this fascinating place. Thailand is unique in the world and should be visited, enjoyed and protected (socially, culturally and militarily). Please visit my web site at www.lewolfe.com for other pictures, travel logs and slide shows of past trips. Thanks again, Larry -