Merit-Go-Round

People lying in coffins for blessing

Today is a Thai national holiday known as "Makha Bucha Day," the Buddhist Day of Lent. The story goes that this celebrates the gathering of 1,250 of Lord Buddha's ordained followers to hear his sermon nine months after he found enlightenment; they all showed up at the same time with no prior intent. On this day, the faithful gather at temples to pray, give alms to monks and participate in many rituals. On my way to a river taxi, I walked into the middle of a busy scene of merit-making at a local "wat" or temple.

Fortune teller machines--One for each day of the week

People gave gifts to chanting monks, laid garlands at statues of Buddha, laid in coffins and were covered with linens (yes, you read that correctly) to be blessed for good luck (and cheat death,perhaps?), and in keeping with their traditions, the fortune tellers--both human and mechanical--did a brisk business. Novice monks spoke over loudspeakers and incense wafted thickly over the plaza. But the most fascinating sight was something I had never seen before in my nearly four years in Thailand: A Monk Alms Carousel. Take a look at the video:

Since taking this video, I have learned that this is indeed an alms collection, in which real monks are supplanted by mannequins, perhaps to streamline the process. The little girl in the video is an orphan, who lives at the wat and will be educated there until she is an adult. Her job is to help out where ever she can, and that day it was to empty the alms bowls from the "Merit-go-round" and put the empty bowls back in the hands of the inanimate surrogate monks.

OTC Opium?

One of the experiences in Thailand that adds to the exotic nature of this country, is visiting a pharmacy. Often surprising, a seemingly simple purchase can take on the aura of a covert operation. Many medicines that cannot be had without a prescription in most western countries are many times available over the counter. Take Valium, for instance. Not long ago, one could simply walk into a pharmacy here and leave with a small bag of the potent anti-anxiety medication. That practice was abolished recently, apparently because, as our neighborhood pharmacist tells it, too many "farong" (foreigners; read "Westerners") were walking around in a haze of the stuff. And not just teachers, although I'm sure there were a fair number of them. One now must have a prescription for the antidepressant. Note: In a recent conversation, a colleague assured me that yes, you still can get it without a prescription if you know where to go and who to ask!

If one has a sore throat, a trip to the doctor is not necessary. Your local pharmacist will load you up with antibiotics (as many different kinds as deemed necessary), antihistamines and fever reducers, throwing in one or two types of lozenges for good measure.

A recent trip by Kat (For some reason, these things happen to her a lot more than to me) to the pharmacist for lung congestion went like this:

"Do you have anything for a cough?"
"Certainly." Pulling out a variety of small boxes, "These lozenges are good for coughs."
"I don't want lozenges. They don't work well enough."
"I have these cough drops."
"No, I need something stronger. Do you have cough syrup?"
"Yes, this may work."
"I need something strong enough to help me sleep."
A pause, then leaning forward and whispering, "Ah, you want the Brown Mixture."
"What?"
"Brown Mixture." Nodding slightly toward a shelf, looking briefly around the shop to see if others were listening.
"I don't understand."
"You want to sleep? Then get the Brown Mixture. Over there."
Picking up a small green and red box with a leopard and five stars, she reads the label, or tries to, as it is in Chinese and Thai, except for the ingredients, which includes: OPIUM TINCTURE.
"Seriously? You can sell this?"
Continuing to speak in low tones, the pharmacist replies, "Well, so far, yes, unless too many people buy it. Then, it might have to be by prescription only, like others."
Leaning forward and whispering in response, "I understand." And then, flipping sunglasses down a la James Bond, "I'll take it."

When one lives near the famous "Golden Triangle" where the poppy trade still flourishes, and in a region where opium was the only pain relief for centuries, when thought about, it shouldn't be unusual to find such products available legally in low doses.

By the way, Kat reports that the Brown Mixture works very well.

What is It?

Every now and then I see something here that is totally alien to my experiences anywhere else. The first time I saw a row of water-filled plastic bottles along the curb, I was befuddled. Drinks for the workers? Some sort of inexpensive sidewalk decoration? Modern sculpture? No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't think of a plausible explanation. Finally, I asked my neighbor what they could be. Her reply surprised me. Take a look, and see if you can guess what they're for. Share your ideas in the comments. I'll post the answer after you've had a chance to respond! OK, as of 11 February, I have posted the answer in the comments. Check to see what this is all about!