National Prayer Day for the King

National Prayer Day for the King

Monday June 6, 2016

Today is a day to pray for the health of the king.  Many people and students are praying for the well-being of the King.  It is an honor that shows how much the country of Thailand love their Monarch.

My first day teaching became an orientation to the school and staff.  There were no students because of the national prayer day.  Tomorrow will be my first day.  The school is only two skytrain stops from my hotel and one stop beginning in two days from my new hotel.  It is a 12 minute walk, which is fine in the AM but at the end of class, 2:00 PM, it is too hot to walk even that distance.  I will be back on the skytrain.  You can see the track in the first photo that show the cement columns.  It is very convenient and FAST. (air conditioned). 

Below:  Just off the train in front of the school.  My batteries went dead in my camera just as I took this last picture.  More to come tomorrow.

 Left: The post office in Thailand has seating where you take a number and the you wait until it is called to be served.

Below: There are lots of beggars that are on the streets of Bangkok.  I have heard that they are not Thai.  They come from Myanmar, Tibet, Malaysia, etc. Most have a severe birth defect, amputation, little babies crying and just filthy.  It is very sad but you cannot give to everyone of them or you will go broke.  I wish they would at least make paper airplanes, anything just to show they are trying.  Instead, they plea for money with a cup.

Here are a few cool facts about Thailand.

1. Thailand is slightly larger than the size of Wyoming at 198,115 square miles.  New Hampshire is 9,000 square miles and Florida is 65,000 square miles.  Alaska is 660,000 square miles!!!! I remember reading that Vatican City is .17 square miles or 110 acres.
2. The longest place name in the world is the full name of Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand: Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit. It means “City of Angels, 
3. Siamese cats are native to Thailand. In Thai they are called wichen-maat, meaning “moon diamond.” A 14th-century book of Thai poems describes 23 types of Siamese cats; today only six breeds are left. Giving a pair of Si Sawat cats (a type of Siamese cats) to a bride is supposed to bring good luck to the marriage.^b
4. Thailand is home to what may be the world’s longest snake, the reticulated python. The largest one ever found stretched over 33 feet (10 m) from end to end.^h