Food vendors

In every town or village you will come across mobile food sellers. They sell almost every variety of food consumed within Thailand. They work extremely long hours, and often haul their heavily over-laden barrows over several kilometers of pot hole ridden, uneven streets, quite often dicing with heavy traffic and pollution.

Despite this they are often very friendly people. For the amount of hours they work their income is very low, an average dish will cost between 25 - 40 baht. You can usually tell when they are coming as they will toot a little rubber horn or ring a bell. How many of you living here can get the little tune the ice cream person plays as they trundle around. I know I can't.

On every street you will most likely see great plumes of smoke bellowing from a barbecue strapped to the side of a motorbike, hot embers spitting out in every direction, an inverted fan being used to clear the air (up to a point)

I've wandered the back streets of several cities and towns within Thailand, and within them you will find food vendors cleaning great big aluminium pans and pots, clanging them around in great big plastic tubs, getting ready for the next days trading, when they will be up at the crack of dawn to visit local markets for the days stock.

You can usually find something to eat at any hour of the day or night. As a general rule its a good idea to look for cleanliness before ordering, that said I can personally can state that over the 4 years I have been living here in Thailand, I have never been sick as a result of bad food off a street food vendor.

They nearly always sell good cheap food, and as an added bonus serve it with a big smile. Times however have changed, and the opening of big conglomerate food chains has no doubt had its impact on their income.

Thai Monks

This a vast and complicated subject that I have condensed to the salient points. This is intended as a rough overall guide.

About 95 percent of Thais are Buddhist, they believe in the Lord Buddha and his teachings (dhamma). Many young men decide to be come monks, or join the 'Sangha' (official order of monks) Most join for a 3 month term, some for much longer. By entering the sangha a young man will bring his family good karma in the future.

The Sangha is divided into two sects, the Mahanikai and the Thammayut. There are about 1 Thammayut to 35 Mahanikai monks. Both sects adhere to 227 monastic vows as written in the Vinya Pitaka (Buddhist scriptures) Below I have listed the 5 basic rules -

Refrain from destroying living beings
Refrain from taking what is not given
Refrain from sexual misconduct
Refrain from false speech
Refrain from taking intoxicants

A typical day would consist of - wake up 4:00 am, one hour's meditation, followed by one hour of chanting. At midday lunch is eaten, followed by Buddhist teachings. At 6:00pm there is two hours of meditation. 8:00 they retire.

For the ordained monk, there are 4 cardinal rules which, if broken will result in his immediate expulsion from the monk-hood. These are -

Engaging in sexual relations
Committing theft
Committing murder
Claiming superhuman powers

Deciding to become a monk in Thailand requires a rigorous life of morality. The making of merit is emphasized in Thai Buddhism, as opposed to the goal of transcending karma as the Buddha achieved. Making merit, especially when it is merit given to someone else. such as family, is both legitimate and widely practiced in the kingdom of Thailand.

Likay

Watching a live 'likay' show is akin to watching a western style panto as everyone is there to have fun, including the actors. Thai dance (Ram Thai) is Thailand's main form of dramatic art. There are two main forms, classical dance and folk dance, likay falling into the folk category.

The costumes are usually comical but also may contain elements of traditional dress. you will normally find men playing the female roles of the mother or grandmother, with heavily applied make up and ill fitting clothes. The two main roles of the lovers are always played by hansom men and beautiful girls wearing wonderful dresses.

The stories told can be either old or new, and include the singing of comedy songs, ballads and hammed up acting. You will most likely catch one of these shows during a local village festival.

There is always a large turnout at these events, the crowd being surrounded by food and drink vendors. Just the thing for a quick snack between songs. They are well worth a viewing, even if like me you find them a bit hard to understand.

Thai Flag

The Thai people are fiercely proud of their national flag, and why wouldn't they be. It can be seen flying outside nearly residence throughout the kingdom. Every time a member of the royal family is around, thousands of paper flags emerge as if from nowhere, and are enthusiastically waved.

The Thai flag (Thong Trairong) consists of five horizontal stripes - red, white, blue, white, red, with the middle blue stripe being twice as wide as the others. The flag was adopted on October 28th 1917. It is thought the first flag used for Siam was plain red circa 1656, but was changed as was deemed not distinct enough for international relations.

Changes to the national Thai flag

1680 - Plain red flag.

1782 - Rama I added a white chakra in to center.
1817 - Rama II further added a hoist-facing white elephant inside the chakra.
1855 - Rama IV removed the chakra and enlarged the elephant.
1916 - Rama VI added items to the elephant, rotated it towards the fly and put it on a pedestal.
1917 (early) - Rama VI changed the flag to 5 equal red, white, red, white, red horizontal stripes.
1917 (late) - The central red stripe was replaced by a blue one.

As a sub note, the white elephant is connected to the mythological origin of the founding dynasty of Thailand, and is an emblem of the Royal family.

Chillies

Of all the spicy flavors used in Thai cooking, by far the most popular comes from the smallest of the chilli family, prik kee noo. Literally translated, means 'mouse shit chillies.' You will see them on racks and pots in the street, drying under the fierce heat of the sun.

Their intensity can be enough to reduce you to tears and reaching for a cool drink, hence the reason why the chilli pepper is king in Thai cooking. Not originally from the kingdom, the Thai people quickly adopted the spice and use it to give their food it's well known taste. Used in almost every dish, from simple vegetarian to gourmet, it literally defines food in Thailand.

They can be used either fresh or dried, worth remembering is the fact that the smaller the chilli, the hotter will be! Prik Kee Noo Suan, smaller than one baht coin is the hottest, but the larger orange Prik leuang or green Prik Chee Fah can be welcome relief.


In Thailand, dinner tables are set not with salt and pepper condiments but instead with tiny chillies cut up and swimming in a dish of fish sauce (prik nahm bplah).
I have found over the years you can become addicted to these little critters, I crave more and more of them with every meal.

Its an interesting fact that while nutritional value has to be considered, the main theory is sweat. Spices stimulate sweating and via evaporation, it causes an increase in cooling the body down in hot climates.

The next time someone asks you what you are sprinkling over your food, you won't be wrong by answering "mouse shit".

Loy Krathong

Loy Krathong is an annual festival celebrated throughout Thailand. It takes place on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month.
'Loi' (loy) means to float and 'Krathong' means raft they were traditionally made from banana leaves, but nowadays more modern substances are used, such as foam or plastic. These have been banned in many places due to environmental impact. They typically contain lotus flowers, candles, incense and a small amount of money. It is also not unknown for some people to place hair or fingernail clippings into the raft to also aid good luck. Some people believe that if the candle remains burning until the krathong is out of sight then their wish will come true.
A krathong usually costs between 40 and 50 baht, but more elaborate ones (presumably for people with bigger problems) can be higher.

On the night of the full moon, many people go down to their local klong (canal) to float their Krathong's and ask water spirits to sail away their troubles.
There are also processions and beauty pageants where all manner of finery is worn. Floats also are highly decorated with lights and flowers.

King Rama IV wrote in 1863 that it was originally a Brahma festival for giving thanks to the deity of the Ganges, and was adapted by Buddhists in Thailand to honour the Lord Buddha.

You will often hear a Loy Krathong song being sung or played over tannoy systems. This is the English translation:

November full moon shines,
Loy Krathong, Loy Krathong,
and the water's high in the river and local klong,
Loy Loy Krathong, Loy Loy Krathong,
Loy Krathong is here and everybody's full of cheer,
we're together at the klong,
each one with his krathong,
as we push away we pray,
we can see a better day.

One year a woman called Noppamas, who at the time was chief royal consort, made some floating lanterns from banana leaves and lotus flowers. The King was so impressed that he ordered that krathongs would be floated on the water every year. In memory of that woman a beauty contest is now held every year called 'The Noppamas Queen Contest'

Markets

Thailand's markets are amazing, not simply because they are places to find cheap gifts for friends back home, but because they are also a slice of the real Thailand. Markets are not just there for the tourists, they are focal points for various communities throughout the country. You will see the 'real deal' in a market, real people going about their daily lives rather than some contrived scene created for the tourists! If you enjoy pottering around markets and hunting bargains, Thailand's markets are just the job for you.
At times, Thailand can seem like one giant market place, Copy's of the latest Hollywood blockbuster, jewelry, fashion clothes, and antiques. Everything is covered in one form or another. Counterfeit brands abound, from Gucci bags to Nike trainers. Often with names that are meant to mislead, like 'Panafonic' or 'Matika'

It's a heady experience of vibrant colour, hustle and bustle. Exotic sights and smells, filling the eyes and nostrils. While eels wriggle about in pots, you can hear the thump-thump- thump of raw fish and chicken being hacked to pieces by giant cleavers. Sometimes it becomes so crowded you can come to a complete standstill! But still bright cheery faces greet you.
You will see flowers that you have never seen before, wild purples and yellows punch out at you filling the air with a thick heavy musk.

As for the indoor markets they are often a maze of tiny dark corridor's, winding there way around tight corners. Thrill voices fill the air all seemingly speaking at the same time. Rivers of water and blood run in tiny channels at your feet. Piles of ice drip-drip-drip off counters. Its a photographers dream, believe you me. In short its organised chaos that somehow seems to work...

Tuk-Tuk

The Tuk-Tuk was so named after the phrase 'cheap cheap' or some say after the noise their original much smaller engines made, "tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk".
They originated in Japan, being built by the Daihatsu motor company, and were imported into Thailand in 1959. They are now perhaps just as much a national symbol of Thailand as the elephant.

It is said they began by people adapting bicycles, attaching a rattan seat, then adding another rear wheel to keep the whole thing balanced. In Thailand it became known as the Samlor (Sam = Three, lor = wheel).
Today there two main engine sizes, 550cc and 650cc. Their engines are water-cooled and they have 4 forward gears and one reverse.
There are reputedly some 8000 tuk-tuk's plying their trade on or around the streets of Bangkok.

If you have the nerve and the stomach, a ride in one will leave you both shaken and a little worse for ware, mainly due to the noise, vibration and exposure to the elements.

While Tuk-Tuks are most commonly used for transporting passengers, many industrial uses for the vehicle have been initiated with dramatic changes incorporated into new designs and models. The relatively small size of the Tuk-Tuk finds the vehicle navigating small alleys on delivery routes, rolling about golf courses and scooting around narrow factories taking advantage of its agility and tight turning radius.

They are now widely exported to many countries around the globe.