Dateline Thailand: Where Mother Earth Goes For A Vacation By Rhony Laigo Balita Media

Dateline Thailand: Where Mother Earth goes for a vacation

By Rhony Laigo

If there is a country where utopia may exist, Thailand may be the place. You may smoke weed in Amsterdam and feel high, but Thailand is where freedom to be yourself doesn't need any hallucinogen, including even becoming the "woman" of your dreams if you were born a man. Say that again?

More popularly known the world over because of its cuisine, Thailand is also the land where the east and west didn't just meet, they stayed there. Here is a country where cultures, languages, religions and whatever makes a nation different is present in Thailand. So don't be surprised if a Thai suddenly utters a word in your native tongue, even if you are from Russia.

For those who have been to Bangkok, they know that the city of more than six million cars and an infinite number of motorbikes snaking through traffic the "opposite way" motorists there drive on the left side of the road, just like the Brits do it in England is a very modern city where sarongs, architecture, religious practices and even paying respect to others may date back earlier than in the 1700s, when the first king, King Rama I, reined over the Kingdom of Thailand.

While Japanese and Koreans bow their heads to greet one another, in Thailand, it is customary for people to clasp their hands, bow their heads and greet you in Thai as if you are someone that they honor. They don't do this because you're just a visitor, they do this to anyone, especially to people who deserve their utmost respect the elders, officials and especially, their bosses.

As a nation of mostly Buddhists (95 percent practice Buddhism in Thailand, but for some reason they don't believe in Dalai Lama, which is explained later), Thailand is where animals, particularly elephants, are revered, which of course the world already knows. But what's best in Thailand is while you can probably see an elephant with a visit to the zoo, elephants in Thailand can be petted, rode on and watched as they do tricks outside of a circus.

If that were not enough, you can actually see elephants grazing through an open field without the need for a safari suit as anyone can witness if you go to the Khao Kheeo Open Safari, located south of Bangkok in Chonburi, where "wild" animals roam free, including deer, macaques, wild boars, etc., some of which even let people touch and feed them. Don't be surprised when as you negotiate a curve you happen to see a set of huge eyes staring at you straight in the eye by an antelope standing by the side of the road as if they are the mountain rangers manning the facility.

Meanwhile, if you like to touch an elephant, a visit to Rose Garden in the Sampran Riverside is the place to be where these behemoths mix it up and interact with people. Here they show their powerful limbs and at the same time entertain visitors in a performance that is also educational. Rose Garden also provides a cultural show where the locals in a colorful theatrical show share with the audience a glimpse of the history of Kingdom of Thailand complete with live elephants as part of the cast, children actors and where you can become spectators to three rounds of Muay Thai boxing in full contactor so it seemed.

But while Thailand's ancient culture is preserved and is part of most, if not all, Thais' everyday lives, Bangkok and its famous beach fishing village, now world-renowned sporting beach destination, Pattaya are a testament to the country's economic standing offering both vacationers and businessmen world-class amenities that are very competitive in the whole of Asia. Even if 19-20 million or so annual visitors flock to Thailand, it is not short on room accommodations and hotels have sprouted everywhere in Thailand's famous cities including Bangkok, Phuket, Chang Mai, Chonburi and many others that cater to tourists. And did I say that Bangkok is the Mecca of all shopping places, where you can "pang" (which we Filipinos call tawad) your way to big bargains for clothes, shoes, jewelry, arts and crafts?

Speaking of culture, Thailand of course is a land of temples around 33,000 Buddhist temples alone can be found in Thailand and is a worldwide destination for anyone looking to pay homage to Buddha statues without trekking high up in the mountains of say, the Himalayas.

One such temple located in Pattaya is the Big Buddha Hill, locally known as the Wat Phra Yai Temple, that sits on Patramnak Hill overlooking the scenic Gulf of Thailand that offers both serenity and contentment. Here, there are statues around the Big Buddha for any day of the week so you can offer your prayers and hopefully be enlightened by the Buddha "on duty" or just be amazed at the beauty of each golden statue all around you.

But while Wat Phra Yai houses the Big Buddha, the most famous of all Thailand temples is the Wat Phra Kaew, or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, in Bangkok housed in the same grounds where the Grand Palace stands, which is a statue that is tiny (just 26 inches tall) compared to the 426-foot tall Big Buddha, but was said to have been carved out from one single block of jade stone. Interestingly, only the king can touch the Emerald Buddha, who needs to change its wardrobe three times a year to signify the three seasons.

As to the question of Dalai Lama, who at the moment is said to be the 14th reincarnation of the spiritual leaders in the Tibetan Buddhism, Thais don't necessarily follow that belief in the sense that to Thais Buddhism is focused on man and not on God, at least that's what our friendly and very resourceful guide Tom, whose real name is Tavatachai Chuensawadee, told us. This is why instead of the Dalai Lama or any other spiritual leader, you will find the photo of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, if not Queen Sirikit's, all over Thailand, some in towering heights as a reminder to Thais that they have a king who is the head of state albeit just a figurehead, but a monarch nevertheless, who deserves utmost respect from all citizens of the Kingdom of Thailand.

As you may well know, King Bhumibol Adulyadej is King Rama IX, a descendant of the ruling dynasty that dates back when the country was still known as Siam until the Siamese Constituent Assembly changed its name to Muang Thai or Thailand, which means, "Land of the Free", on May 11, 1949. And land of the free it is. Just ask the so-called "ladies" at Tiffany's Show in Pattaya, where actors are a showcase of what you can achieve in Thailand where you can be the person you want to be: liberated, carefree, joyful and even look amazingly and stunningly beautiful as the case may be.

Thailand reminds me of John Lennon's Imagine, where the people of all races seem to live as one, be they religious, communist, agnostics or atheists. It is a place where everyone goes for a trouble-free vacation and where you can easily afford to be pampered (Thai massage anyone? Or, perhaps a foot rub?) and have plenty to spare to enjoy Thailand's nightlife like no other.

by: weekendbalita

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