Thailand the Land of Smiles/visit Northern Thailand
Thailand is the land of smiles
You will no doubt have heard this said of Thailand and it is by and large true, I say this with tongue in cheek because the Thais are a genuinely friendly people but you
have to bear in mind their circumstances.
Whilst they are a hard working race they get no help from their government. If they have not got, or cannot find work, then they do not eat.
It follows therefore that if they get their hands on a foreign traveller with money they are gonna smile and make sure they do everything possible to keep them happy,
while at the same time helping themselves to some of that money.
Most of my time is spent in northern Thailand, which is considered to be the cultural region.
Should you be going to travel in Thailand please enjoy all it has to offer and believe me that is an awful amount but temper it with consideration for the local population
The King is the most respected individual in the kingdom and is loved by his subjects. Make derogatory remarks about any member of the royal family at your peril.
The second most important institution is the Monkhood of the Buddhist faith, 90%+ of the population follows Buddhism.
Full of beautiful and ancient temples lavished with much adornment by the community it serves. There are more than 7000 Buddhist temples in Thailand.
The wealth of the church in Thailand is probably greater than the monarchy. Every Thai individual will make “merit” by giving to the church at any opportunity. The
theory being that they will get it back in the next world.
The Thais are devout Buddhists in the main with Muslims making up 10% of the population mainly in the Deep South and Christians and other religions