Russ&Suzie

Trip Log
2012-02-10 12:16:20 (UTC)

Bangkok, Thailand, Road Scholar day 1

After our usual lovely breakfast, we met for an early departure that wasn't that easy on the jet-lagged folks, but Susy Doane at least felt amazingly rested and went through her day very well indeed. One trio who had experienced the National Museum peeled off and went home for that afternoon excursion. We'd been before too but our superb guide Anil Kumar provided so much added information, redoing it worked out very well. Plus, I've done some more reading in my Thai History book so the Rama Kings extensive depiction in Building #1 took on much more meaning and I much appreciated the fleshing out of that history.

In the morning we saw the truly immense Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho along with the 108 little pans that received the purchased coins of the faithful. EAch pan received a coin for each of the Buddha's previous 108 lives, with next arrival of him anticipated in about 2500 years (it's presumably happened on an interval of 5000 years). Anil pointed out that it redounds to the benefit of the Wat, of course, with usual Bahts used to acquire the "coins" that then are recycled at some interval with the "usual Bahts" going into the treasury.

We learned now very tolerant the Buddhists, who do not consider themselves "religious" because Buddha did not consider himself a deity nor do his strict followers in the form of Theraveda Buddhists. But they don't at all mind religions mixing into their thinking, such as Hindoism that took strong hold in Cambodia with much exportation into Thailand (we noticed more HIndo influences and figures and deities here than in Myanmar).

Then a great lecture from retired Peace Corps man, Jim Lehman, who lives in Bangkok after marrying a Thai woman in the 1960s whom he met as a fellow student in UCLA. He was enormously instructiive with great info on the spread of Buddhism through the 2.5 millenia after his origins in northern India. We spoke to him at lunch where he was also informative about present day Thai politics. But all for now: we are expected our youngest grandchild's birth any day now and some problems have developed in our receiving email address.

A little later: was able to get in and no news yet from Bloomington, MN




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