Thai Spirit Houses

While spending time in Thailand, one can't but help to notice the beautiful and plentiful "mini temples" seen everywhere.  They are in front of places of business, homes, seemingly everywhere.  These are called spirit houses - and serve an important function in Thai culture.

The origins of the spirit house are older than the Buddhist religion practiced in Thailand.  They originate from the practice of animism, which is the very ancient belief that spirits, or souls, reside not only in humans, but in animals, plants, mountains, rivers and other inanimate objects.  However, no Thai would place a spirit house without first conferring with a monk about placement and the correct "auspicious" day to erect the spirit house.  A sprit house cannot be placed in the shadow of the main house or building, and once properly placed, it assures good blessings for the building or home.  Thai people believe that the spirit of the land must be appeased through offerings made to the spirits who reside in the spirit house.  Spirit houses are usually made of concrete or wood and can be ornately decorated and painted.



The spirit houses are mounted on a pedestal or pillar, high enough to show respect, but low enough for offerings to be easily placed to show respect.  The Thai people believe that the spirits can cause problems if not appeased properly.  One is likely to see a spirit house at the sight of traffic accidents, placed in an attempt to create a safe area in a previously dangerous place!

The spirit houses look like a miniature temple.  In many places one might see two spirit houses, the larger spirit house is for the protective spirit of the land, and the smaller one is a shrine for previous or ancient inhabitants of the land.  A Thai person would likely tell you that the smaller one is for the grandmothers and grandfathers who lived before the previous owners, otherwise known as the spirits of the land.  Offerings made at the spirit houses include drinks, sweets, rice, flowers, incense and small objects for the spirits to use.  Elephants, horses and donkeys are provided so the spirits will have transportation.  Small figures represent servants and dancers, who provide entertainment for the spirits.  Offerings must be made daily to help ensure the families or business' continued prosperity.  If a house or business is sold, demolished or rumored to be a place of bad luck, the spirit house is removed and usually delivered to a Buddhist temple, where it can do no more harm, and a new spirit house will be installed in a ceremony, designed to transfer the spirit from the old house to the new one.

One other interesting belief is that spirits also reside in very old trees.  Brightly colored ribbons tied around the base of the tree indicates that the tree is a "spirit tree", and the ribbons are a way to pay respect and honor the spirit of the tree.

Wai Khru Ceremony

I volunteer at the Pattaya Orphanage, which houses 160-170 children, from birth to University age.  The children begin formal schooling outside of the Orphanage at the age of 7.  Until that age, they are taught by teachers in the Orphanage, and I assist with their English instruction.  As a teacher, I was invited to participate in the annual Wai Khru ceremony, which is held in every school in Thailand during the beginning of the new academic year, which is in June.  It is always held on a Thursday, because according to Thai tradition, Thursdays are an auspicious day for teachers.  The Wai Khru ceremony provides the students with the opportunity to thank their teachers for all their efforts in the past and to ask their teachers to continue to provide them with good instruction in the future.

The ceremony started with a Thai chant, led by one of the teachers.  In this chant, the students express their respect for and gratitude to their teachers and ask for the teacher's blessings on their studies.  At the conclusion of the chant, children representing different classes, walked up in pairs, holding floral gifts for their teachers.  They bowed before a small altar.

The students then knelt down and "walked on their knees" in front of their teachers, showing their deep respect for them.  Once all the children had assembled in front of their teachers, they presented their gifts.

The teachers accepted the gifts and wished their students good luck in their future learning.   Although the children were very young, some as young as 3 years old, they watched the older students, and followed their directions and tried so hard to perform their roles perfectly.  They knew this was an important ceremony, and they all behaved so respectfully.  The English teachers were also invited to participate, and the children presented us roses.

The flowers and objects used in the gifts all have meaning in this ceremony.  The Dok Ma Khue, or eggplant flower, is used to convey respect.  When this tree blooms, the branches bend down in the same manner that the student pays respect.  Ya Praek, or burmuda grass, is used to convey patience or perserverance.  Khao Tok is popped rice, which signifies discipline.  Dok Khem is a needle sharp plant which signifies the student's promise to be sharp-witted and brainy.  Candles are included in the display, they represent light and knowledge. The roses represent love.  

This was a beautiful ceremony, I was so honored to be a part of this, and to feel the respect and love from the children and to feel an important part of this Thai tradition. 

  

Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink

One interesting phenomenon about living in the Thailand is the water shortage.  Because the infrastructure can't seem to keep pace with development, there are frequent water shut-offs, with no notification.  In the month of March, our city water was shut off 4 times.

Fortunately, we have a very large storage tank built under our house, which stores approximately 2000 litres of water.  When the city water is flowing, the tank is always full, but our garden watering can deplete nearly half the tank in one evening cycle.  Of the 4 times we have lost our city water, our tank was empty because of the garden watering.

 If you find yourself with an empty tank, there is a second phenomenon in Thailand, and that is the water truck.  The water truck drives around, filling tanks when ordered.  If you call during the day, the truck usually arrives within a couple of hours, and it takes about 30 minutes to completely fill an empty tank, for a mere 400 baht, which is the equivalent to 12 dollars.  Naturally, our tank ran out both times in the evening, the tank truck couldn't get to our house until the next morning, so we spent each evening relying on our drinking water.

In Thailand, unless you have a sophisticated filtration system, you cannot drink the tap water.  We have a free-standing hot and cold water dispenser in our kitchen, which we use for our drinking water and cooking, including washing fruits and vegetables, making pasta and rice.

Our bottled drinking water is delivered by a local vendor who has a shop down the street.  They come once every two weeks and deliver three, 19 litre bottles, for our drinking and cooking needs at a cost of 105 baht for all three bottles (equivalent to about $3).

Along with our personal water issues, comes Songkran, the Water Festival in Thailand!  Songkran is the Thai New Year, which recognizes the "best season" in Thailand, spring, new growth, flowers, and water is an important part of this festival.  Historically, during Songkran, water was used to clean statues of Buddha, and used by Thais to honor their elders by washing their hands in scented water.  The festival has now become one big excuse for a massive water fight.  Weeks before Songkran, stores begin stocking up with water pistols and super soakers, used by both children and adults.  People will sit on the street curbs with plastic bins of water, waiting for cars to drive by.  One can't walk around the downtown streets of any city in Thailand without getting a good soaking during the Songkran festival.  In Pattaya, the festival was celebrated on Thursday, April 19th.  The main streets were bumper to bumper traffic, with people spraying water from their cars and trucks onto anyone who came into their range.  It's a bit like the Woodward Dream Cruise gone crazy wet!

Food, Fruits and the Dining and Shopping Experience

Medium sized prawns, waiting to be grilled!

The food experience in Thailand is a bit different than back in the States.  Most Thai people eat "market food" or "street food", which is made by vendors who have their portable carts right on the sidewalks, or are in larger market stalls, all outdoors.  The grocery stores here in Pattaya have only begun to carry western products in the last few years, and most items from the USA or Europe are heavily taxed and are quite expensive.  For example, a box of Kellogg's or Post Raisin Bran here will cost about $285 baht, equivalent to about $9.50 US dollars.  A tub of sour cream from the US costs $10 US. Cheese is also very expensive, because it is all imported.  So, we try to buy local, or just decide that a box of Cheerios for $10 is something that we must have!  Ice cream is another luxury item.  A very small container of Haagen Dazs ice cream sells for about $10 US!  We have learned to do without ice cream.  Because of the location, seafood is readily available and very reasonably priced.  Prawns are the most popular, and are sold in the whole form, heads and tails included!  Sea Bass is also very popular and is used in fish and chip dishes locally.  It is very inexpensive and is delicious!  When we were looking for a place to live, we saw several condos that did not have ovens, because Thai people don't bake with ovens, several homes had "Thai kitchens" which were covered, outdoor cooking areas.  We live in a "western style" home with an oven and no outside kitchen.

Pineapple, langsat, mangosteen, tangerines, oranges and rambutan (clockwise from the top)

Fresh fruit from the local fruit stand

Fruit is one area where the cost is flipped from back in the States.  Because of the warm weather in Thailand, the growing season is year round, and the local fruits are very inexpensive.  Pineapple farms surround Pattaya, and I can usually  purchase two fresh pineapples for about $1.75 US.  On many occasions, I will see a pick up truck filled with pineapples that are being sold right off the back of the truck on the street.  A bag of 6-8 limes cost $1 US, a bag of passion fruit, which I absolutely love, cost $3 US; back in Michigan, one piece of passion fruit, when I could get the local market to stock it, would cost $3 US.  I have bought a bag of mangos, tangerines and oranges for $100 baht, which is the equivalent of $3 US.  Other incredible fruit here is the mangosteen, rambutan, langsat, lychee, pomelo, bananas, dragon fruit and papaya.  The markets are filled with this beautiful fruit almost all year long and it is a bargain!  I made several loaves of banana bread with bananas from my friend's banana tree, growing in her backyard.  Once the banana trunk bears fruit, it dies off and is chopped down, to be replaced by a young shoot, growing along side the existing tree.  Banana leaves are also used to wrap rice and noodle dishes.

Banana tree in my friend's back yard

Pineapple farm, about 15 km from our house

Most restaurants will have a western menu and a thai menu, western food is usually double the price of Thai food.  One little restaurant that we frequent, located on the beach, has thin crust pizzas starting at $200 baht, and Phad Thai for $120 baht.  Another expensive item to order or buy in Thailand is wine.  The cheapest bottle of wine I have found is about $300 baht, and the average price for a decent bottle of wine is $500 baht, so if you have been keeping up with your conversions, that is nearly $17 for a very average tasting bottle of wine in the grocery story.  No two buck chucks from Trader Joe's here!  Wine is all imported and they add very high import taxes onto it, to boost the price up.  In many grocery stores, they will not sell any alcoholic beverages from 2pm - 5pm, any day of the week.  I haven't gotten a good answer for this one, other than they want to discourage the Thai people from drinking.  Alcohol consumption is not encouraged by the Buddhist religion.  The bars don't seem to have this limitation and will sell any time to any one.  There are even bars on wheels, little vans that set up shop in town during the evening hours, and provide tables and chairs right on the sidewalks and serve drinks and play loud music out of their speakers.  These "portable bars" are intended for the tourist trade, not the local population.

The "Cocktail Car" serving drinks right on the sidewalk in town.

 Starbucks is the one place that is the same at home as it is here, tables crowded with laptops and wireless devices, and lots of good, strong coffee.  You can get a tall, grande or venti anywhere!  Most restaurants in Pattaya serve espresso, it is very difficult to get a regular, brewed cup of coffee.  When you order a cup of coffee you get one cup, no free refills, because each cup requires a new shot of espresso.  McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken all have a presence in Pattaya, and as they say in Thailand, "Same, same, but different".  They look they same, but they aren't quite identical.  In McDonalds you can order a "Rice with chicken" dish, right along with a Big Mac!

Street Dogs

Sleeping alongside a building

Dogs in Thailand are everywhere!  Most dogs are "street dogs" meaning they have no owners and they live on the streets, begging for food.  If you walk along the side of the road, you will see evidence of dogs who have walked before you, no one is there to pick up after the dogs, so it leaves quite a mess, one must step carefully!  I have seen very few homeless people in Thailand, it seems that the dogs have replaced them, sleeping on sidewalks, curled up in the shade along buildings, and hoping for a hand out.

Many people who no longer want their dogs, will drop them off at a local temple or Wat.  Temples always have plenty of food and the owners believe that their dogs will be fed and cared for at the temple.

Street dogs are very cautious around cars, and will quickly move out of the way.  Although they "hang out" on sidewalks and on the sides of the streets, they clearly understand that the cars have the right of way.  For those dogs that need a little help, a quick honk of the horn reminds them to clear out!  

Street dog waiting for food at the school

We live near a Thai elementary school and in the mornings when the students are being dropped of, I often see dogs patiently waiting for handouts from the students or their parents.  The dogs wander into the school yard, and play along with the children, and it is an accepted practice!  These dogs receive no medical care, give birth to puppies on the streets, not an easy life.  It is hard for a dog lover like me to see the conditions that these dogs live in, but with thousands of "street dogs" in Thailand, it would be impossible to adopt them all.

Another "student" waiting for food

This guy follows me around while out for my morning walk

   There is the occasional dog with a collar, who has an owner, but that dog is the rare exception.  It is such a complete change from our culture, where dogs must be leashed, licensed, vaccinated and cared for.   These street dogs are endearing, but also wary, they are careful of me, and I, in turn, am careful around them.  People have been attacked by strays, but it is very uncommon.  For the most part, they just want to be left alone, unless you are providing food!

The darker side to the life as a Thai dog was highlighted in last Saturday's edition of the Bangkok Post.  The story stated that despite the social taboos against eating dog meat, there are still places in Thailand where this occurs.  Last September, Thai officials seized 120 dogs that were being illegally shipped over the boarder to a neighboring country, to be sold for human consumption.  Fortunately, today's Thai youth are now being educated to have zero tolerance for consuming pet animals.

Fireworks

Fireworks is one way that Thai people observe important events, they will fire them off for any and all special occasions.  The first time I observed this phenomenon was on December 5th, the King's Birthday.  His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, celebrated his 84th birthday this year, and it was cause for much celebration, including many firework displays throughout Thailand.  The King is also the longest reigning monarch in the world and is much beloved by his people.  In celebration of his birthday, lighted displays went up the week before his birthday throughout the city, similar to American Christmas decorations - and the fireworks started around 8pm on the evening of the 5th.  Because we live on a hill overlooking Pattaya, Jomtien and the coastline, the fireworks were visible everywhere, popping up not only along the coast, but in backyards and city streets, everyone wants to explode fireworks, and not just little firecrackers, but giant, exploding and very loud fireworks, all to honor the King!

International Fireworks Contest, Dec. 16-17, 2011

The next opportunity to observe this love for fireworks was the weekend of the International Fireworks Competition, on December 16-17, held in honor of the King and Queen.  This was a competition between 10 countries, held over two nights, to determine which country had the best fireworks display.  Competing countries were: Australia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Philippines, UAE, USA and Thailand - all competing to determine which country had the most beautiful, dynamic and colorful exhibition of fireworks.  It was an amazing two nights of fireworks, fired off from barges in the Pattaya Bay and visible for miles.  Imagine the Detroit Freedom Festival Fireworks times 10! 


The third opportunity to observe the fireworks fascination was from Christmas to New Year's.  Each evening, a different hotel would put on a fireworks display over the ocean, each trying to out-perform the other.  New Year's Eve fireworks started at 8pm, and with a massive crescendo at midnight.  It seemed as if everyone wanted to get in on the action, even our neighbors were blasting off fireworks.  The displays and the noise, continued through New Year's Day - noisy but very colorful!        

Life in Pattaya, Thailand

After living here for 3 weeks, I can safely say that life here is not quite the same as it is in Michigan.  First off, the weather - the average temperature here has been about 86 F, or  30 C.  Everything here is metric, so that has taken some getting adjusted to. Temperature, distance, measurements...all in metric.  At the grocery store, I ordered a 100g of bacon, and got 5 slices!  Most Thai people speak a little English, and I am learning to speak Thai, so I can usually communicate, with very broken and basic English!

Our Christmas tree in Thailand

Thai people have their own currency, which is Thai Baht, 30 Bahts are the equivalent to $1 US dollar.  My math is improving, having to quickly come up with the exchange rate of a purchase.  The local grocery store that caters to Westerners was selling real (not artificial) Christmas trees for $9,900 baht, which is approximately $315!  Fortunately, I brought an artificial Fraser fir tree from the States, not quite as lovely  as a real one from Michigan, but beautiful in it's own way because it is filled with all my ornaments from home, with a few new ones from Thailand.  There is a huge 3 story Christmas tree at the Central Festival Mall, which faces out to the ocean.  As Pattaya is a huge tourist town, located directly on the beach, there are many westerners who vacation here, so although Thailand is a Buddhist country, they recognize the Christmas spirit here.

Bike vendor selling brooms

Many people in Thailand ride motorbikes - the roads are filled with scooters, sharing the space with cars.  Scooter drivers snake their way through traffic and collect at the head of any line of traffic, waiting for a light to change.  When the light changes, there may be as many as 20-30 scooters taking off before any car can pull out.  Car drivers are generally courteous of the scooters, and they share the road with good humor.

Fruit vendor selling from his scooter side car

Scooters are also means for small business owners to transport their portable store, which is carried as a side car to the scooter.  They drive around, park their scooter and open up shop!  Many food vendors travel this way. 

7-11's are ubiquitous.  One can buy a soda, bottled water, snacks, pay utility bills, and add minutes to a phone (an all-important fact to know!)  Non-Thais generally have to have a pre-paid phone before changing to a phone plan so it is important to know how to add minutes.  On a mile stretch of road, one may pass five different 7-11 stores.  The 7-11 stores are amazingly pristine, so clean and well-organized with incredibly high standards.  If a Thai has worked at a 7-11 store, they are considered very employable, and will usually get hired anywhere!  Who could imagine that 7-11 would be such a good job reference!

Our frequent, un-invited house guests are geckos, not quite as funny as the ones on the commercials back home.  They live in and out of the house, feasting off small bugs and leaving droppings across the floor.  They are approximately 6-8 cm long and hang out on the walls, and scoot behind entertainment centers, cabinets or anywhere else that they can hide.  They are harmless, but still startle me when I hear or see one.