Thai Times

Sawasdee khrup!  :)

I wanted to sum up this blog as it has been nearly 5 years since my last post and a lot has transpired in that time.  This will likely be my last post and I think you will probably understand after reading the below and given that our time living in Thailand has ended.

Our planned 5 years in Thailand was coming to an end in 2019 so I left early at the end of 2018 returning to Australia and paving the way for the rest of the family to follow.  When the rest of the family joined me we moved back into my old home in Sydney in 2019.   We exported our two dogs from Thailand to Australia and also brought a 40′ container of stuff back.   No mean feat and quite an expensive exercise to organise, particularly the costs associated with transport and jumping through all of the Australian quarantine hoops in order to get our dogs into the country but everyone finally got back in one piece and we have been rebuilding a life here. When I got back I decided to go back to work and was very lucky to find work for my skillset a 20 minute drive from home so worked for 2 years until the COVID-19 pandemic struck.  My health has not been very good since my return with  multiple health issues flaring up or surfacing which eventually forced me to stop full-time work in November of 2020. 

 In the meantime, my wife set up and has been working in her own business for 18 months, our daughter finished High School last year here while our son starts his senior High School years next year.

We also have my wife’s oldest son, his wife and their 7 month old baby living with us and I have to say it’s great having them here and being a Grandad for the first time!

While I enjoyed a lot of my time in Thailand I did not find it an easy place to live and ended up actually being quite bored. If you have plenty of money or a continuing decent income life can be very good for you however, if you live on a tight budget it might not be so good.  

Living there requires you to go through a lot of red tape and bureaucracy on a regular basis with the associated costs.  While it is a great holiday destination catering for many different tastes I don’t believe it is such a great place to put down roots unless you can easily afford a comfortable lifestyle. Arranging almost anything can quickly become a very frustrating experience due to the lackadaisical attitude common to many Thai people.

If one has pre-existing medical conditions that need follow-up and regular medicines it can be quite expensive as there are no health arrangements for you such as in Australia.  Good medical care in hospitals is quite expensive and obtaining medical insurance can be difficult and expensive. 

I know of many people who have now left the country due to continuing difficulties such as those mentioned above and moved elsewhere such as Spain, Portugal or Vietnam where I have been told it can be much easier for a foreigner to live/retire.

Notwithstanding any of the above I do not regret the experience and learnt a lot about people and life during my time there.

Beautiful Phuket Sunsets

Nothing more to say on these.  These were all taken from our accommodation in Phuket Town.  

Kang Rhao Hill.

One of the many beautiful lookouts around Phuket.

Wat Khao Rang - Phuket.

A Beautiful temple  on the slopes of Rang Hill.  For more information click on the below.

Kiew Tien Keng Shrine - Phuket

Jui Tui Shrine - Chinese Temple Visit

Phuket sites worth a visit - 1

The Festival of the Nine Emperors

(aka The Phuket Vegetarian Festival)

The Festival of the Nine Emperors

(aka The Phuket Vegetarian Festival)

Part I of IV

 12 - 22 October, 2015:  The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is an annual event held during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. It is believed that the vegetarian festival and its accompanying sacred rituals bestow good fortune upon those who religiously observe this rite. During this time, local residents of Chinese ancestry strictly observe a 10-day vegetarian or vegan diet for the purposes of spiritual cleansing and merit-making. Sacred rituals are performed at various Chinese shrines and temples and aesthetic displays such as walking barefooted over hot coals and ascending ladders with bladed rungs are performed by entranced devotees known as "Ma Song".

The Festival of the Nine Emperors

(aka The Phuket Vegetarian Festival)

Part II of IV

Though the origins of the festival are unclear, it is commonly thought that the festival was bought to Phuket by a wandering Chinese opera group who fell ill with malaria while performing on the island.

 They decided to adhere to a strict vegetarian diet and pray to the Nine Emperor Gods to ensure purification of the mind and body. To everyone's amazement the opera group made a complete recovery. The people celebrated by holding a festival that was meant to honour the gods as well as express the people's happiness at surviving what was, in the 19th century, a fatal illness. Subsequently the festival has grown and developed into a spectacular yearly event that is attended by thousands with participants flying in from China and other Asian destinations.

The Festival of the Nine Emperors

(aka The Phuket Vegetarian Festival)

Part III of IV

The afternoon before the festival begins, a great pole at each temple is raised, called the Go Teng pole, with which the gods are invited to descend. At midnight the pole is hung with nine lanterns, signalizing the opening of the fest. Two important gods are also invited down at midnight to preside over ceremonies; these are Yok Ong Hong Tae and Kiew Ong Tai Tae.

 Aside from this, there are other ceremonies throughout the fest, notably: invocation of the gods Lam Tao, who keeps track of the living, and Pak Tao, who keeps track of the dead; processions of the gods' images; and feats of the Ma Song-like bathing in hot oil, bladed ladder climbing and fire-walking. The festival ends with merit making ceremonies at each temple (sadoh kroh) and the send-off of the gods on the last night (when fireworks are at their most impressive).

 Ma Song, or entranced horses, are devotees whom the gods enter during the fest. They manifest supernatural powers and perform self-tortures in order to shift evil from individuals onto themselves, and to bring the community good luck. Ma Song fall into two categories: those who, having had an intimation of impending doom, want to extend their lives; and people specially chosen by the gods for their moral qualities.

The Festival of the Nine Emperors

(aka The Phuket Vegetarian Festival)

Part IV of IV

Participants in the festival keep to a strict vegetarian diet for a varying number of days, usually no less than three. This they do to make themselves strong in mind and body; they refrain from all vice, eating animal flesh, and killing animals. The festival thus promotes good hygiene, brightness and inner peace.

น่าสลดใจ (sorry) :( Lack of updates even though I have got some great photos having holidayed and visited some interesting places and events recently.  

I have so far kept to the simple aspects of using Tumblr in it's "free" form and a few friends and acquaintances have said some of my photos are worthy of coming from professional travel photographers or something like Nat. Geo. etc.  I am humbled and thank them for their comments and think myself it's more luck than anything many of us now having digital cameras in our phones as well as dedicated digital camera devices and social media available 24/7 providing both means and opportunity aplenty to contribute some truly beautiful and wonderful imagery and stories.   In any case, for what it is worth the result of the above has been a decision to put a specific copyright statement into my Tumblr Blog which now appears at the base of the "Thai Times" header image.

Working out how to achieve this has given me all sorts of troubles particularly I think as I use a "free" version of Tumblr.   In any case, for what it is worth it's done now so you can expect an initially flurry of posts while I "catch up".  I hope you enjoy "Thai Times"  :)  

My first new post immediately following or beforre (I don’t seem to be able to reconcile that in my mind) is about the Phuket Vegetarian Festival aka Festival of the None Emperors the family and I attended in October.

Thai Poverty and Slums, Welfare and Support

A friend of mine runs a business here in Thailand and today, together with his main supplier, Sangthong Canvas & Awning, we visited a relatively new Christian based charity in Pattaya called the "Hand to Hand Foundation".  They were in need of a structure to provide shade for a playground.  They have agreed to provide three shade structures at minimal cost with my friends business, his supplier and some others donating time, money and materials.

Hand to Hand is registered as an official Thai Foundation providing services and support such as assisting to provide Legal documentation, food, clothing and education to the poor in the area.

When I visited school was in for 46 children mainly of pre-school age.  These kids come from three different slum areas of Pattaya.  Generally the parents cannot provide proper food or decent clothing for them let alone giving them any sort of halfway decent learning opportunities.  Some don't even have proper shelter and most would otherwise be staying at "home" with their parents/relatives/friends or even left unattended in the local slums every day.

Ms. Margaret, an expat Australian is the Vice President and Founder.  She started Hand to Hand  last year using a significant amount from her own funds as well as donations to put the vision into practice, acquiring the building and then starting  to provision and provide services. Since then they have had many helpers and lots of materials donated to assist in establishing the services. They have rejuvenated many old school items, furniture and other donated equipment to create an immersive learning and supportive environment.   Being a qualified teacher Ms Margaret, fluent in English & Thai teaches both languages at a standard better than most public schools here.  They have even had applications which are not accepted from families willing to pay for their kids to attend.  

Every week a short story book written, made and handed out for the kids to learn the short story in both Thai and English.  They have many donated books and also a well provisioned music room.  Onsite kitchen facilities provide the kids with nutritious meals and also provide facilities for meals to be readied for provision to other poor and needy people in the area. Overnight accommodation is not provided as the kids do all have parents and go home (whatever it may consist of) to be with their family each day.  Hand to Hand also have a temporary well provisioned baby care facility to provide a safe and nurturing environment for vulnerable babies.

Some of these kids are obviously "damaged" being too quiet and withdrawn however, others are friendly, vibrant and lively and came up to see us with curiosity and wide smiles.

The Foundation also provides weekend activities for kids aged from 5-15 years.

It was surprising to see many mixed children and this reminded me that prostitutes here don't necessarily make a decent living off their occupation, nor are they "looked after" by their "boyfriends".

Hand to Hand is a very busy place also providing weekly visits to local prisons where food, water and support is provided to inmates feeding over 1,500 each month.  Many families in the slums are also visited each week in the provision of support and assistance.

Dengue Fever Season

It seems strange that my last post quite a while back was on water also.  What can you expect from a Piscean eh?

Pic above with my Dengue fever “friend”, bite me...  We’re in the thick of Dengue Fever Season here and the authorities are big on also spreading public awareness. This was a procession on our “Soi” this morning promoting the risks, causes and how to treat areas of stagnant water, identify the infection and what to do if you contract it.

It is wonderful wonderful to see promotion to the public like this with a procession where doctors and nurses take part and give out heaps of handouts (only Thai of course) and free water treatment satchels that look and act like teabags.  I wouldn’t try putting those in your morning cuppa! 

The lady wearing the mossie suit must have been very warm to say the least as it was about 30c and humid of course. Nonetheless she was typically Thai, a lovely person with a smile and working for a good cause.

Being an Aussie and from an area that has non-disease carrying mossies it can be difficult to remember to put on insect repellent before venturing outdoors here. Then you get bitten and start to wonder.... Mind you most locals don’t bother either and you can still get bitten inside your accommodation anyway although we’ve got screens everywhere but you never know.   So far, so good....  

Songkran Festival 2015 - 3 of 3

A short 3.5 min. video to give you some sense of being at a Songkran water festival.  I hope you find it interesting.  The least you will see is that the Thai know how to have fun!  Most of the music you can hear on the video is very loud coming from PA systems some shops hire for the event and also from the local bars.  Then there is also the massive sound systems that many younger Thai people like to put in their vehicles and blast our streets with.

Songkran Festival 2015 - 2 of 3