We are currently enjoying ourselves in Bangkok. We have been joined by our younger brother Phil, who adds a new and exciting dimension to our travelteam. Since we met up we have felt like we have been going non-stop. This is because it is almost 40 degrees celsius every day and the sun robs us of all will to walk more than 30 feet between spaces of shade.
Here in Thailand, we have been learning quite a bit about Buddhism, and getting chances to see it first hand, even more than in Cambodia. Charlie has been reading about Buddhism in his new book A History of God, while Julia is filling in the two guys from what she remembers from her courses in University.
There are many things about Buddhist spirituality that are beautiful and uplifting, but other aspects will obviously take more cultural understanding to really understand and appreciate. We struggle with Buddhism's position on women; in order for a woman to be enlightened, she must first be reborn as a man, which strongly goes against our personal beliefs. Also, we have been hard pressed to find the good in the worship of idols and statues; there is a large number of resources that we see going to these shrines, which don't do much to further the country's development.
While we were here we visited two royal palaces: the royal palace in Bangkok, and the summer palace in the old capital of Ayuttayah. The palace in Bangkok was amazing. It was similar to the Phnom Penh palace, but about triple as nice. There was gold and diamonds on everything, but the part we all enjoyed the most was the ceramic tiles used to decorate the outsides of buildings. It was something we had never seen before, and it was very beautiful. The old palace was equally as amazing. It was started in the 17th century, and was a mix of European and Asian building styles. Which we felt went together very well. Judge for yourself...
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