Aunt Denise

Hi Denise, you have been asking a few questions in the comments, and there is no good way for me to respond, so I'll do it this way (since I am in charge here...)

You most recently asked: Is this a buddist holy day [Loy Krathong]? Do the Thai wear colorful garments, ordinary blue jeans or what?

I don't actually know what Loy Krathong is for - I assume it is Buddhist since they're all buddhists here, but I'm not sure. Wikipedia won't work from this computer and I'm not sure why not. I have not specifically heard the people talk about Buddhism when describing the holiday, so perhaps it predates the religion? Maybe someone can comment about it.

As for the clothes here, they are pretty standard. I don't think they really dress like Americans, but similar. Not everyone is in blue jeans like in the US, but some are. Most seem to either be in what I would call business dress or casual dress. Business dress would be slacks and a polo for men and a skirt and blouse for women. Many people wear this. Casual dress would be like linen loose shirt or a t-shirt and loose linen-type pants or capri pants (or jeans). Younger people often dress more casually. Probably 99% of people wear flip-flops or sandals. The monks all wear orange, yellow or brown robes just like you've seen on TV - very cool. There are lots of monks.

I think someone asked about food a while ago. Thai food here is similar to Thai food in America. Noodles, rice, veggies - but a bigger focus on meat at most places. We are a bit limited in our eating because we have to stick to places that have English on the menu. Probably about half of the places do, maybe more in the center of the city where we are - lots of tourists here. We have tried Thai food, there is a great Japanese place adjacent to our hotel, and last night we tried pizza and Kane tried a burrito at a place downtown that boasts Thai, American, Italian, and Mexican food (yikes). Burritos were a mistake, pizza was surprisingly good. Generally, you can find whatever food you want here, but not always as good as in CA (i.e. they don't have Mexican people, so you know the food can't be as good). They are keen on putting meat in everything (thai dishes). Especially pork, they love pork. They take perfectly good dishes and just throw some unnecessary pork in it - pisses me off. But there are plenty of veggie places too, so that is nice for us.

Anyway, happy to answer questions about culture and lifestyle the best I can. Let me know if you have any more questions Denise, or anyone!