Phra That Phanom is a temple located in Nakhon Phanom in Isaan (Northeastern Thailand). It is said that some relics of the Buddha are interred in the stupa there. Because of this, it is a pilgrimage site for many Thai Buddhists to come and make merit. Check it out!
Today is Constitution Day here in Thailand, a national holiday. Recently, there have been protests against the government in Bangkok. Many of the protesters are calling for governmental reform and for the prime minister to step down. But how exactly does the government operate under the current constitution?
It is nearly impossible to buy any kind of skincare product here in Thailand that doesn’t have skin bleaching properties in it. Fair skin is the beauty standard here and in order to achieve that look, women buy whitening products. Check out this news report for more.
Yesterday was a very special day in Thailand: the king’s birthday, which is also celebrated as Father’s Day.
The king is extremely revered and loved by the Thai people. His is the longest serving monarch in the world, having ascended to the throne in 1946 after the mysterious death of his other brother. He has done much for Thailand in the way of agricultural and medical reform. He’s also a man of many talents, holding patents for inventions call the Sandwich and the Super Sandwich, which make rain clouds. Not to mention the fact that he’s an accomplished jazz musician and has written original compositions. His has three daughters and one son and is 86 this year. more “Father’s Day Celebrations in Thailand”
Thailand is a tourist destination. Tourism accounts for more that 15 percent of Thailand’s GDP. However, the Thailand that I experience is not the Thailand that most tourists experience. Tourists generally stick to the major cities: Phuket, Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Particularly when it comes to the capital, the differences between tourist Thailand and rural Thailand are extremely stark.
In Thailand, a bpai tiao is a trip of any length. I’ve written about some of my more significant bpai tiaos to tourist destinations here, to be used as travel ideas and tips.
Every year, usually sometime in November, Thailand celebrates Loi Krathong. It’s believed that the holiday originated in the ancient capital city of Sukhothai. Part of the traditions for celebrating include releasing small floats on bodies of water and floating lanterns in the sky.
In Thailand, a bpai tiao is a trip of any length. I’ve written about some of my more significant bpai tiaos to tourist destinations here, to be used as travel ideas and tips.
On the evening of the full moon of the 12th lunar month in Thailand, the holiday Loi Krathong is celebrated. Loi Krathong roughly translates as “floating crown.” People throughout Thailand make or buy little floats made from banana leaves and decorated with flowers. On them they place a candle, incense and their wishes on to send out on the water. The Lanna hill tribe celebrates the same day with the Yi Peng festival by releasing floating lanterns into the night sky.
In Thailand, there are some pretty strict traditional gender roles. Men and boys do manual work while women and girls clean. In the social hierarchy, women are considered lower than men. However, gender is a construct. There are lots of people around the world who challenge the ideas of what gender means and how it’s expressed. Thailand is particularly well known for people who challenge traditional notions of gender identity and expression.
A friend of mine who is serving in Cameroon has a friend who decided to go to Thailand for a month and she put us in touch. I figured I would offer up some travel tips for the country, places to go, must sees. After getting in touch, I offered to let her and her travel companion stay with me if they wanted, thinking that I’m a bit far off the beaten path and they probably wanted to hit the major sites, as there is a lot to do here in Thailand. I was happily surprised when I got a call on Friday asking to be taken up on the offer.
Appearance is everything in Thailand. There is a special emphasis on how you look and what you wear. Thai people have no problem with pointing out to you if you are looking fat lately or if there is a pimple on your face. Comments letting you know they don’t really like your curly, wavy hair and that they think you should wear it up more often are normal. Perhaps this is the reason why Thai people take so many pictures of themselves. Even beyond that, how you dress is also particularly important.