Thailand

We were in Thailand for a brief three days. We needed to get our visas to come to Taiwan there, because there wasn't a Taiwanese consulate in Egypt. So we enjoyed the warm weather (Egypt had cooled off by the time we left it!), and lots of delicious Thai food! We had a lot of fun in Bangkok. The second night we were there was a holiday. People were celebrating a deity (I don't remember which.) As was the tradition, we saw people floating offerings of food, candles, and flowers down the river. They also flocked to the temples to pray, make offerings and burn incense. We decided to go to one of the temples. It was a very interesting experience. It was very, very crowded! And started to rain on our way out! Religion permeated everything in Thailand. There were shrines outside of businesses as well as houses. There were also Buddhist monks all around. There are many cultural behaviors that are important to adhere to in Thailand (I think I completely insulted the man sitting next to me on our flight there by putting my feet up on the seat between us - he had a dissatisfied look on his face most of the time, and eventually changed his seat!) When I realized he wasn't coming back to his seat, I started to get the feeling I had done something really unappealing to him! I didn't know until we got to our hotel, and they had a guide in the lobby, that feet are considered very "low" in Thai culture. It is best to keep them on the ground at all times (even crossing your legs could accidently insult someone.) There are all sorts of things about eating food too. Food is not suppose to touch your lips on it's way into your mouth, and rice is never to be left on your plate! And lastly, if you walk near or sit next to a monk, you are suppose to keep your head lower then his as a sign of respect. (VERY challenging for us because I found myself to be similar size to most Thai men, and much larger then the women. Damon towered over everyone!) It's my understanding that these Thai traditions are not quite as prevalent since the influx of Chinese citizens occurred, but they are still, obviously very important. On our last day in Thailand, we took a river boat out to another temple called, "Wat Pho." It is famous for housing an enormous "Reclining Buddha" statue. There are many different types of Buddhism practiced in this part of the world. The Buddhism practiced in Thailand seemed to have a lot of fold traditions surrounding it. The Reclining Buddha image has significance because it is the position in which Buddha spoke his last words. The statue was very impressive. I also really enjoyed seeing the houses and buildings lining the waterfront.



Waterfront buildings.



Wat Pho temple grounds.



Worshippers praying at a small shrine near the large Reclining Buddha statue.



Another riverfront view!



One of the many boats ferrying people and tourists along the river.



It was a bit shocking to see such new cars after being in Egypt! Especially the taxis! Notice the tuk tuk (near the bottom, left of center), an inexpensive way to get around!



Street markets were everywhere, and I loved the colors and shapes of the umbrellas!



Elephants are good luck in Thailand, and their images were everywhere!



Damon and I had to shake our heads at this one. Here's MacDonalds, and Ronald has apparently picked up the the peaceful, spiritual greeting of Thailand. (He comes in peace, while dishing out those heart attacks...)



This is how to write MacDonalds in Thai!



Our stay in Thailand was our first introduction to the most popular mode of transportation around Asia - the scooter! Notice how they all zoom in front of the other traffic! They seem a bit precarious, but they are SO much fun to ride!



This is my favorite photo from Thailand. Look closely and you'll see a women napping at the table. Street restaurants like this one were very common in Thailand.