Paying Respect to Thai Teachers

This week I am back to school after the long summer holidays. So, I thought I would share with you some of the highlights of life in a Thai school. This first picture shows the "wai khru" ceremony which always takes places towards the beginning of the academic year. As you can see in this picture, the students all come to school with flowers which they present to their teachers. In return, they are given a blessing of good luck.

Merit Making with Mons

Thai Masked Play

The Khon masked play is a kind of classical dance drama in Thailand. It depicts episodes from the Ramakien, which is the Thai version of the Ramayana. Originally it was only for royal audience, but these days anyone catch watch and enjoy these plays. I watched this play at the Ancient Siam in Samut Prakan this morning.

Buffalo Racing

Buffalo racing is not really like a day at the horse races. It takes a long time to prepare them for the start of each race. There are also many false starts which again takes time for them to get back to the start line. Even though four buffaloes and their riders are at the start line, not all of them reached the finish line. Some never even start and some riders fall off along the way. As you can see from this picture, there is no saddle for the rider and it cannot be easy for him to stay mounted like that. However, it is fun for all of us to watch.

Thai Wedding Reception

Every now and then I get invited to a wedding. Though, the chances are they want me to go as they need someone to take pictures. I have done a number of weddings for free. I don't mind doing it for friends but really it is hard work. I had to take pictures of everyone as they arrived at the reception. The bride and groom stood near the door and we had to do group shots. By the time everyone had arrived, it was time to take pictures of the speeches up on stage. Once that was over, I then had to take pictures of them standing at each of the tables. The food looks good doesn't it? However, I wouldn't really know as by the time we had finished the last table, all the food had gone!

Mardi Gras in Pattaya

The name "Mardi Gras" is probably more famously linked with the carnivals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and New Orleans, Louisiana. The first Mardi Gras that I have been to was here in Pattaya, Thailand. It is another classic example of how the Thai people love to adopt any festival if it is colourful and fun. This certainly fit the bill.

Red Shirt Parade

The city where I live, Samut Prakan, is a red shirt stronghold as they voted for Thaksin. Today there were about 4-5,000 people parading through the town demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit steps down. You can see more of our photos at www.paknamphotos.com.

Chinese Street Opera

Whenever there is a Chinese festival, they always set up this stage on one of the side roads in our city. Then for three or four nights local people are entertained for free with some performances.  If you get a chance it is worth going to watch. It is very colourful, loud and so bright that I didn't need to use a flash.

Cock Fighting

One of the more popular sports in rural areas in Thailand is cock fighting. This is a traditional game that goes back hundreds of years. Gambling is prevalent during matches even though it is illegal. The sport is not as bloody as it was in the past and the number of deaths among the cocks have decreased. Nevertheless, it is still a cruel sport.

Horse Polo in Thailand

The first time I watched horse polo was in Gilgit in Pakistan. I always thought that it was only played in the Indian sub-continent and by the old colonial powers. I didn't realize that Thailand also has an active polo team. Apparently polo was first introduced to Thailand during the reign of King Rama VII. But it was only recently that the Thailand Polo Association was formed. This picture was taken at the King's Cup 2010 at VR Sports Club in Samut Prakan.