August 13, 2005 Bangkok, Thailand
 |
 |
Yesterday was the Queen's birthday, a big deal in Thailand, and a national holiday. She's considered the mother of the country, so it is also wan ma, Mother's Day. Indeed, when the Queen speaks, I can almost understand her, because she speaks very slowly and uses simple words, like a mother speaking to her children.
The old part of town, Ratanakosin Island, was all decked out in lights and was quite beautiful. And suan luang, the big empty field by the Grand Palace, was packed full of people, listening to the music on the five stages, watching a play, or watching muai thai boxing. It was a huge event. One of the boxers was a farang woman. I didn't get a chance to see how she did, because the ring was surrounded by too many people. Also, a farang man and woman sang Thai classical music, surrounded by dancers. Weird.
Today's my birthday, and as a present to myself, I was going to buy a ticket to Chengdu, China. But my ATM card was expired. So I'll have to wait until I can get a new one sent here.
Click here to see a short clip of the play