Thailand
Thailand is a country where today's realities are inextricably entangled with the myths and legends of the past.
Read a Thai daily newspaper and you will probably get the impression of a country which is a hotbed of murder and corruption. Meet Thais and you will usually be left with the impression of a smiling, gentle people.
Unlike most other nations, Thais still hold their monarchy in very high regard. From my observations this is not only very charming, but very sensible. At times of political turmoil, which still aflict many countries including Thailand, respect for the Thai Monarch provides a strong stabalising influence. As recently as the 1990s it has been proved that even a military coup cannot succeed if Thailand's King speaks out against it. Both Thailand's National Anthem and Royal Anthem are inspiring pieces. If you go to a cinema in Thailand, you will stand before the film starts, while the Anthem is played. I cannot explain why, but as a non Thai myself, I am proud to stand at this point and am happy that Thailand has such a King.
For me many Thai food dishes are to Asian cuisine what French cooking is to European gastronomy, i.e. outstanding. Even a simple soup usually tastes wonderful, with underlying flavours including lime leaves, lemon grass, chilies, shallots and kah. Kah is sometimes referred to as Thai ginger. It looks quite like ginger, although the flesh is whiter and the thin skin sometimes has a purplish hue, but it tastes completely different.
My first impression of Thai food was that it was like eating in stereo. All other cuisines I had previously encountered were relegated to mono. Taste can be compared with colour. Normally if you mix blue and yellow, you end up with green. When you mix the ingredient parallels of blue and yellow in Thai cooking, you end up with the blue and the yellow still being distinctly different. Each flavour in Thai food finds a different part of your tongue on which to make it's impression. Try this site for some authentic Thai Food Recipes.
Go to a reasonable restaurant and you will be served by elegantly dressed waiters or waitresses, who will put their hand together and greet you with a graceful wai.
Despite my enthusiasm for Thai food, there a few dishes, I've not been able to bring myself to try. These delicacies are mainly eaten by the people of Isan to the East of Bangkok.
Most Thais look forward to Durian season. So do I!
Unfortunately the wai seems to be a little on the wane, especially in Bangkok. This is a pity, because it is a charming gesture and very infectious. After returning from my first trip to Thailand to the UK in 1990, I found myself wai-ing to the check out girl at a Sainsbury's supermarket in London. I got a very strange look, but it still took a few days to wear off. Unless you are unusual it hard not to fall completely in love with Thailand. OK, it is hot, there is heavy pollution in Bangkok, and many other things which would drive you crazy anywhere else, but somehow the Thai tolerance, smiles and laughter make it all seem irrelevant.
The first impression you have that Thailand is different, comes seconds after you have touched down at Don Muang airport. Those with window seats on one side of the aircraft, will observe golfers, playing on the course, which sits on the narrow strip of land which divides the two runways. Depending on which runway you land on, you may see a few of them waiting for the plane to pass, so they can cross the taxi way to play the next hole.
Of course not everything in Thailand is idyllic. Poverty and wealth sit side by side and it is tempting to wonder just how 'civilising' Western influence is, when you are sitting for hours in a Bangkok traffic jam. The mix of old and new creates many contrasts.
You may see street stalls selling cheap, poorly made souvenirs. Nearby you will probably find other stalls selling beautiful silks, silver work, jewelry, superbly carved wooden statues or some other wonderfully detailed hand crafted work. Apart from cooking the Thais excel at many things, especially arts and crafts.
There are two festivals which I particularly enjoy attending:
Songkran in April (a celebration of the Thai new year), where apart from heading for the nearest water, sea, river, lake or stream for a barbecue, you can expect to get several buckets of water poured over you. If you see pasty looking people or vehicles, this is because the water often has baby powder mixed with it symbolizing rebirth.
Loy Kratong in November. Some people spell it
Loy Krathong or Loi Katong or Loi Krathong. Of course the only
correct way to spell it is
. During this
festival people again head for the water. They then float
Kratongs (circular offerings decorated with leaves, flowers and
candles) on the water. As the Kratong floats away, bad luck goes
with it.
For an English speaker some Thai words are easy to remember in a slightly 'off the wall' kind of way. To investigate this further click Here
Use any of the popular Internet search engines, search on 'Thailand' and you will be surprised by the amount of information out there. Even if you refine your search to say 'Chiang Mai', you will still get a lot of hits.
I have visited Thailand many times, click Here to read about some of the places I've visited. One of my favourite places in Bangkok is Wat Saket .
For information about Northern Thailand my favourite site is:-
"Welcome To Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai" Magazine