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Wat Po Branch Earth Trading Company

No, sorry . . . doesn't work that way. If you were looking for more tales and tips about Bangkok, you'll have to go back to the Rambling pages and read through until I get ready to give you more! BUT, the good news is I wouldn't just totally ignore your wants and needs. What you will find here are some photos I've taken in Bangkok . . . and I'll even occasionally give you some some background about what the photo depicts.

So, the first photo to the left is a detail of a doorway at Wat Po. What's a wat? (Sorry!) The majority of Thai people are Buddhists, and the wat is their version of a church. Marvelous architecture and each of the major wats in Bangkok are worth visiting. I'm not saying more here on temples and wats, but while we are on the subject of religion . . .

Making Merit

Making merit is an important part of the Thai Buddhist culture, and there are many ways of doing so all geared toward gaining points toward a better afterlife (which means your next life to Buddhists as they believe in reincarnation). One way of making merit is to free a caged bird. This is usually done at temples during a festival. Gotta be symbolic, since the practice means paying a guy a few hundred baht for a caged bird just to open the door and let it fly away. Some of the other merit making practices seem to make a bit more sense . . .

Making Merit Again

This is a beggar on the streets of Bangkok . . . actually on the walkway to the BTS station by the MBK center. Giving alms to beggars is another way to earn merit. On the beggar's side, having a hook doesn’t hurt . . . like training you dog to join in. No doubt the dog brings in more bucks than its owner. The first dog begging companion I saw was about four years ago (this one, in fact). Now this act has sprung up in most of the touri areas. Wonder if stealing someone else's scam is a way to gain merit, too?

Monks

Religion is an important part of the daily lives of Thai people. Most young men serve a year or so as a monk (which also is a way to make merit). Bangkok’s streets are teeming with monks . . . OK, that probably gives you the wrong mental picture, but it is not uncommon to see a few monks daily as you wander about the city. Thusly (thusly!!! I love an excuse to use that word!) I’ve got tons of monk photos. Here’s the first you’ll get to see on this site.

Back To Ramblings . . .

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