Farang Farang

Bangkok seems to be overrun with alleyways like this, with tables on one side and food vendor carts on the other with little room to pass between. These are great places to get a bite to eat. Nowhere near as comfortable as a restaurant but the prices are much better and the food is at least as good. There’s something magical about being right next to the place where your food is cooked and getting to smell all the ingredients as they cook away.

Another video from the good folks at Nanfeng Oranges. This time they take on Ayutthaya. I love the descriptions in their videos and the enlightened, informed way they go about their journey. I bet they would be cool folks to hang out with. If only I could get back to Thailand…

Oh my goodness. This is a little taste of heaven. You have to try this recipe. It’s incredible.

I never saw such a wrapper during my time in Thailand, so I wonder about the authenticity of this. However, it does look mighty good and is sure to impress your friends when they come over for dinner. Give it a shot!

The hotel this was filmed in, The Oriental, is probably the fanciest and most expensive hotel in the city. Nice place. I got taken there for an after-dinner coffee and dessert by some folks I met in Bangkok and was very impressed with the food and service.

This market near Bangkok has a train running through it. The merchants simply pull their awnings back and the train goes through. They don’t even have to move the food they have spread out on tarps on the ground, as the train is high enough to go over it. Pretty cool!

I read this over at The Lost Boy. Matt, aka The Lost Boy, reports:

Out of nowhere, a spokesman claiming to represent 11 separatist group from the Deep South has declared an end to the violence.

What. The. F***.

Any groups who do not comply with this newfound peace will be dealt with accordingly, said the spokesman.

“We want to see peace and stability in the region. All forms of attacks have come to an end,” he said.

Hmm… That’s strange, because I just read about an attack on a Pattani police station. This makes me wonder about the validity of the statement. I am glad to be in good company with Matt, who is equally doubtful:

Surely a group of militants who have beheaded, burned and butchered innocents for years would not simply call it day and not have a strong reason for doing so. This makes them look weak.

We will see what happens. I would love to see the day when Thailand can put this mess behind itself and have the people all get along. I know it makes me sound like some darned hippy or somethting, but peace in the country would certainly be a boon in many respects. You can’t argue with that.

Kwampenthai refers to “Thainess” and is a word that refers to national pride. According to Pai Nai Ma, “The essence of kwampenthai is love of the nation, religion and king.”

This video shows some interesting tidbits of Thai culture. Enoy!

This video shows an important side of the tensions in Southern Thailand but does not do justice in really talking about Thailand’s role in causing the distrust between Thais and Islamic ethnic Malay people. Thaksin Shinawatra, the previous prime minister, did a lot to fan the flames and fomented violence in the south but this is almost glossed over in the video. After all, it is a VOA production, and the US government is on an anti-Islam kick, so I am not too surprised by this.

In case you somehow missed it, here is a video from the Songkran festival in Chiang Mai. Songkran is the Thai new year. The new year is 2551, which is the time since the Buddha’s life, just as we measure our years against that of Christ. Something interesting about Songkran festivals is the presence of water.

People splash each other with water and it has become quite a sport over the years. The water ritual started off as something much more meaningful, though. The role of water in many rituals, including this one, is symbolic of washing away the old and sullied parts of life so we can properly arrive in the new, glorious time. This is also seen in our own culture in the form of baptism.

Enjoy!

I don’t know about you but the Boy Scout troop I was in did not do any sort of dance performances. I think it’s interesting to see this kind of cultural difference - how Lord Baden Powell’s idea has picked up local flavor as it has traveled around the globe but has not deviated in spirit from the original intentions.

I looked further into Thai Scouting and found this page, which states:

Scouting was first introduced in Thailand on July 1st 1911 by King Rama VI. Thailand was the third country in the world to take up Scouting. King Rama VI received his education in England. He was the first Thai monarch to have studied abroad. He graduated at Oxford University and also attended Sandhurst Military academy. He brought back with him many new ideas that he had seen. In Thailand he established the “Wild Tiger Corps” for adults and created a junior branch which continues today as the Scouts. King Rama VI is fondly remembered as the “Father of Thai Scouting” and every year on Scout Day, on July 1st, Scouts pay homage to his image and take part in parades. Thailand is the only country in the world where Scouting was directly founded by a monarch. It is also honoured with being one of the Founder Members of the World Organisation back in 1922.

Scouting appeals to the people of Thailand and receives strong support from the Royal family and government which has facilitated the steady growth and development of the organisation. The present monarch, King Rama IX, is the Chief Scout and under his patronage, Scouting has flourished in Thailand, and continues to develop many programmes to fulfill the needs of its young people and of the country. Thai Scouting has received much publicity due to its impressive work during emergencies. Such work includes taking part in ambulance and first aid teams, helping the Fire Brigade and assisting in flood control.

As a former Boy Scout myself, as well as a lover of Thailand, I found this very interesting. Cool stuff!