by Loti | Mar 18, 2013 | Buddhism, Religions, Thailand
Thailand. Another interesting mystery. This is the largest gold Buddha in the world weighing over 5 tons and standing (well actually sitting) almost 10 feet tall in the Wat Traimit temple in downtown Bangkok. The origins remain unclear but it is believed to have been made in the 13th century. No one is sure where the statue was cast which is part of the mystery. At some point, again no one is sure, the statue was covered completely in plaster to hide it from thieves, possibly marauding Burmese. And then it was completely forgotten for a couple of hundred years. Made of over 175,000 ounces of gold it is worth $300 million at today’s prices. No small amount to be just forgotten. Seriously how do you overlook a few hundred million dollars for over 200 years? At any rate, in 1955, as a plain plaster Buddha, it was being moved to a new location and was dropped. Some of the plaster chipped off and it was discovered to be be made of solid gold underneath the stucco. So viola. One of the most stunning statues I have ever seen. ...
by Loti | Mar 13, 2013 | Animals, Birds, Food, Thailand
Thailand. Here we are back in the Andaman Sea looking at one of the many caves appearing in the limestone karsts. The caves are home to a bird species, of the swallow family, who builds its nests high inside the dark caves. And somebody has to harvest the nests since they are highly prized by the Chinese for making bird nest soup. You can see one of the bird nest gatherers in the photo along with some of the bamboo scaffolding they use to climb up to the nests. This goes on my list of most unique jobs ever. The nests are only woven by the male birds and made of bird saliva so in essence, bird nest soup is the same as eating steamed bird spit (yummy). But don’t cringe as bird nest soup is one of the most expensive animal products consumed by humans. The gatherers live in the caves for up to a month at a time and most are heavily guarded to prevent theft. Luckily this guy appeared friendly as he waved at us. And on an interesting note, a synonym for gatherer is magpie, another bird friend who we know recognizes him/herself in the mirror. So the world comes full circle. ...
by Loti | Mar 11, 2013 | Animals, Art, Thailand
Thailand. What are all these intricate patterns on the beach, I wonder? Where did they come from. Aliens? Reminds me of the mysterious corn maze circles. But on closer observation, there are tiny little sand colored crabs scurrying around. Every time I get near they descend into their burrows. It turns out, the sand balls shown in the photo, are made by sand bubbler crabs native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The crabs take sand into their mouths, sift thru it looking for organic materials washed in by the tide, and then spit the sand out into a ball. They can make 360 balls an hour (I am not sure who sat and counted) forming the most amazing patterns radiating from their burrow holes. At high tide, the balls are washed away and the crab starts all over at low tide. The longer the tide is out, the more detailed the pattern. Quite the little artists in nature....
by Loti | Mar 5, 2013 | Food, Thailand
Thailand. I always heard Pad Thai had too many calories, too much salt but I never really investigated it until arriving in Bangkok. This is the way Pad Thai is served at The Oriental Hotel where we stayed. Really delicious. So what is in it? Well fish sauce, tamarind paste, red chilies and rice noodles, with cilantro, lime juice, chopped peanuts, bean sprouts and maybe some protein and dried shrimp thrown in. All things I regularly have in my house. Not! And Pad Thai was voted the #5 food in the world by 35,000 people in a CNN poll in 2011. Interestingly, Rendang was voted #1 and cheeseburgers were way down the list at #30. Rendang??? I have so much to learn as I have never even heard of this exotic food from Indonesia and I consider myself to be fairly well travelled. So I tried making Pad Thai at home, finally locating the tamarind paste at Whole Foods, and it was really good. A restaurant portion of Pad Thai comes in at a whopping 900 calories, but my at home version was about 350 calories. The American Heart Association even recommends Pad Thai as a healthy option when eating Thai food. So just watch the portions and enjoy....
by Loti | Mar 4, 2013 | Animals, Thailand
Thailand. With the opening of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) yesterday in Bangkok, Thailand has announced they will move to ban all ivory trade including domestic trade. (I like to think my signature on the petition last week really moved this along). This is potentially good news for the elephants depending on when and how it is enacted. So what is CITES? Having never heard of it until last week, it certainly has been in the news recently. Well it is a treaty signed by 197 countries (called parties) with a goal to ensure the international trade of plants and animals doesn’t threaten survival of the species in the wild. Over 34,000 species are covered. Wow. Plants and animals are categorized into 3 categories with Level I addressing plants and animals faced with the threat of extinction. Included in this list are Asian elephants, some populations of African elephants, jaguars, gorillas, red pandas, tigers and manatees. Woah. Manatees? Yep. Manatees are an endangered species. And even more interesting (to me) is DNA evidence suggests manatees are related to elephants. So that sweet manatee you see in the coastal waters of Florida may be related to the baby elephant I am feeding in Northern Thailand. Once again, the world comes around in a full circle. Absolutely amazing! ...
by Loti | Mar 2, 2013 | Religions, Thailand
Thailand. I admit I don’t know much about Buddhism, but I am learning, a lot. And there is so much to learn. With over 350 million Buddhists worldwide, there is great debate – religion or philosophy? Well, it depends on who you ask. The Dalai Lama says “From one viewpoint Buddhism is a religion, from another viewpoint Buddhism is a science of mind and not a religion. Buddhism can be a bridge between these 2 sides.” OK, so it is neither or both? Not really sure. Some of the tenants of Buddhism are: Lead a moral life Be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions Develop wisdom and understanding Sounds pretty peaceful. In fact, while Buddhists have fought in wars, there has never been a war in the name of Buddhism. Hmmmm. So, while I have no idea whether it is a religion or a philosophy, nor am I sure it really matters, I do know it is a fascinating way of life. One I sure want to know more about! ...
