Thawd Kathin, Isaan Thailand’s annual festival in the thirty days immediately following the end of Buddhist Lent. There are a lot of provinces in Isaan, a lot of towns, a lot of villages, and whilst there is a traditional formula to follow, it is down to the individuality of each location to stamp its mark… Continue reading Comparing The Ways Of Conducting Thawd Kathin Festival
Whilst the processional part of a Thawd Kathin festival, is something light-hearted, musical and fun, the ceremony that actually matters - the presentation of the cloth and the monetary donations to the abbot of the temple – is a far more serious event. Actually, even the atmosphere of the processions can vary, depending on where… Continue reading The Serious Side Of Thawd Kathin: Presentation To Our Local Monk
The host house has been vacated, cleared of all the elements of the Thawd Kathin ceremony. A line-up of vehicles carrying these various items, as well as those participating in the procession, waits to begin the slow drive to withing about one hundred metres of the temple, whereby on reaching the designated assembly point, this… Continue reading Naa Tan Village’s Thawd Kathin Procession: A Photographic Gallery
I have written several times already about the annual Buddhist festival of Thawd Kathin, describing how it is when it has taken place at Wat Klang, one of the four temples in the town of Don Tan. The fact that it is the temple which used to be the main location for our Don Tan… Continue reading Our Local Version Of The Thawd Kathin Festival
I always used to think that being in a big city like Bangkok would provide me with far easier to access to the more specific needs of my diet than where I actually live, in the North-East. It does seem, however, that I thought wrong, and I am suddenly appreciating what I can actually get… Continue reading Nam Dao Huu Cafe
When someone says they are going to Chinatown, it is not always just a case of going for Chinese food or to gold shops. There is a complex jigsaw of all the different elements that go to make up the Chinese culture, and subsequently Chinatown, anywhere in the world. My reason for going walkabout today… Continue reading The Delights Of Chinatown
Turning off a busy, Bangkok Chinese business-orientated main road, into a narrow red and gold, winding tunnel can feel a little surreal, to say the least. It can also be exciting, as a childlike sense of wonder and curiosity leads us along a tunnel that is probably only a few metres in length, but instead… Continue reading Inside Chinatown’s Wat Mangkorn
With the seasons changing once again, as we reach the end of this calendar year, it is a time when I always ponder the conflict between what Nature does naturally, and how we humans deal with things. I have mentioned this before, the logic seen from both sides, that whilst planting vegetables at the time… Continue reading Reflecting On Our Lower Level Garden
It was on one particularly grim day, as I was sitting on the bus, stuck in a traffic jam and thus reduced to watching the world go by outside in order to pass the time, that I first noticed Sam Yot underground railway station (สถานีสามยอด), situated on the edge of Bangkok’s Chinatown, and part of… Continue reading From Sam Yot Station To Wat Mangkorn Tunnel
Not every walkabout has its starting point at the beginning of the planned exploration. Sometimes you have to walk a part of the way to get there first. And sometimes, that initial walk can be as interesting as the intended adventure itself. With the aim of this particular walkabout being to find a little shop… Continue reading When The Walk To Get There Is As Good As The Destination Itself
Are You Looking At Me, Or Wat?! 