Culture, Relationships,
Thai Massage, Traveling
For the second year in late November 10,000 monks assembled in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for a two hour morning ceremony of chanting, sermons, blessings and alms distribution. Two of the main purposes were to honor the king and to support poor temples. The crowd of spectators easily matched the number of the monks, and a …
One of the aspects which I always appreciated about Thailand is its refreshing religious tolerance. Nobody ever tries to preach to you, nobody ever tries to convert you, nobody cares what religion you follow. Here in Chiang Mai, where I live, several temples conduct regular “monk chats”. A monk is available to answer questions or …
It seems like wherever you go in Thailand there is a temple. Even villages often have impressive temples. The tourists are all busy clicking away on their cameras and admiring the structure, the gold leaf and the fancy carved shapes of the temple. And when they have seen a dozen or so temples they get …
Have you ever seen 10000 monks assembled in one place? Most likely not, but I was lucky enough to catch this unique event on camera here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It was quite amazing, seeing 10000 monks chanting and collecting alms. This was a profound insight into the Thai Buddhist culture and one of those …
Some time ago I heard that there is a “Thai Yogi” who meditates in boiling oil. That of course peaked my curiosity and I had to go there and check it out. The event took place in a temple called “Wat Tanak” near Chiang Mai, Thailand on February 6, 2011. I caught the entire event …
Please, anything but your real name! Would you mind being called a “pig” or a “buffalo”? I didn’t think so. But lots of people in Thailand are called just that and some other names that seem very strange to us. Thais have first and last names like we do, but they are often four or …
When you travel to Thailand or visit any other country, it is easy to assume that our values apply there also, or that other people think like we do. This can lead to very embarrassing situations when we find out that we just unknowingly insulted someone or made a fool of ourselves. Before your Thailand …