Farang Farang

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…

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!

HIV and AIDS have been a serious problem in Thailand for quite a while. The problem has been largely ignored but some social activists, like the one running this hospice, have made great strides forward in bringing the problem to light and helping those who need it.

Wat Rong Khun is an all-white Buddhist temple compound that is currently under construction, begun in 2003 with the artist predicting the whole compound to take 90 years to construct. The coloring deviates from the normal orange, brown, gold and green normally seen in Thai Buddhist architecture. This is really quite a breathtaking video. And just imagine – in 85 years you might be able to go visit it and see the completed compound.

This is a wonderful video that features a Buddhist monk in Chiang Mai talking about Buddhism and the life of a monk. Great stuff and beautifully shot and put together by Kedar Video.

Wiang Kum Kam is an ancient city near Chiang Mai, dating back to the Lanna kingdom and abandoned under the reign of King Mengrai. The city today consists of a few ancient Wats (Buddhist temples) and some ruins, largely built over, but as you can see in this video by Nanfeng Oranges, some of the ruins are still visible and some even rededicated as temples.

Loei is a town in north-central Thailand. The video below shows a number of interesting things – an innovative business funded by microcredit, a strange temple that seems to be both Buddhist and Hindu, and an army of blyth monkeys, among other things. Enjoy!

Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep is at the top of a large mountain near Chiang Mai, and is one of the more spectacular temples in Thailand. This video gives us a pretty good look at the temple grounds, beginning with the steps you take to get up the mountain. 300-some steps. Don’t fret, though – there’s a cable car that you can take for about 25 cents that gets you there faster and with less sweat.