Bangkok and then some

At the temples, there are ladies who fold the outer Lotus blossoms so that they look like this. You can buy one as an offering to place by the statues before you pray.

The palaces and temples are covered in colored glass and mirror. Gold gilt wood carving is inset with stones and no area is left unadorned. Google Wat Arun, Wat Pho and the Grand palace for the history. Bangkok is predominantly Buddhist with about 6-10% Muslim and <1% Christian. Thai people are super nice and they are known for always smiling. I didn't know this before I came, but this is the only SE Asian country not colonized by European or American powers. Thai means "Free" and although they have moved the capital three times due to wars with Burma (now Myanmar), they credited their independence for not being a target of Japanese imperialism during WWII. I'll say more on this when I post my River Kwae stuff.

It is considered immodest here for women to wear pants that show the delineation between their legs so most holy sites will let you borrow a sarong before entering monasteries and temples. We have sat on the floor in front of several statues by now. Soren has learned not to point his feet toward them (it is insulting since the bottoms of the feet are considered impure). We have been sprinkled with holy water by a nice monk who gave us bracelets with a piece of gold leaf that sometimes flakes off the old relics. People are always saying how handsome Soren is and I am getting used to people asking my age all the time. It is a friendly way to start a conversation among Thai women. They ask, I answer then they say something nice like "Oh so young." Or "Oh we thought 29 at most." The greeting is Sawasdeekaah--(hold out the kaah in a pretty sing song way). Sawasdeekrup for men. After seeing the sun sign (swastika) on the giant buddha in HongKong and knowing that the symbol is actually Indo-European (where Aryans came from and from whom Hitler co-opted the symbol), I am wondering if there is a relation there between the Thai greeting and the sun symbol. It might be a stretch--I'll have to look into it.

Bamboo scaffolding. Works like a charm.

Can I tell you about the jewelry and Thai silk? I went to one store I found that was fair trade gems. (sing "Heaven. I'm in Heaven") They have a 12carat peridot with my name on it. I wonder if it will still be there when Santa needs to pick it up for me in his sleigh. So I bought some Thai silk and am having a skirt suit made--tailor labor here is very reasonable and quick. Becky, it has elephants on the print! I laughed when I saw it--reminding me of my monkey fabric and Jennie's remark about elephant print wallpaper. I had to get it. I will laugh everytime I wear it. I also got some suits for Soren. I tried to channel you Dad, picking out colors and styles that looked dapper. For those of you who don't know, my dad is a sharp dressed man (a la ZZ Top). Soren feels like the "little gentleman" that people call him around here. The shopkeeper, Rahul, is very nice college student and has offered to drive us to the beach in Pattaya. He said he could tell that I was a "good, nice housekeeper woman." (Uh, since when have I given the impression to anybody that I am a good housekeeper woman?) Alright I confess. I am a great housekeeper. So is my housekeeper. Hahahaha. This line of thought reminds me I need to get the carpets and windows clean. I'll think about that some other time.