Father's Day Trip to Doi Sutep
Posted by Stuart at 05:49 PM on December 05, 2003Today is the birthday of the King of Thailand. Thai people love their king, and so his birthday is a huge celebration. Perhaps the best thing about it is the fact that we get the day off of work.
Another interesting aspect of the King's Birthday is that every year he gives a speech to the country. No matter what he says, the government immediately puts his words into action. Last year, the King said that Thailand should be concerned about drug use. Shortly after, Prime Minister Thaksin declared a "War on Drugs" arresting over 90,000 people and killing over 2,000.
This year, the King focused on the Prime Minister. Thaksin has a well-known reputation for being a hard-working and very successful businessman. But he also tends to be arrogant and dictatorial and hates for people to criticize him. At least that is the impression he gives the public. The King used his speech this year to tell Thaksin to accept and appreciate other people's criticism.
Of course the people of Thailand would never dare to criticize the King. They respect him and what he stands for very much. But the most interesting part of this speech was when the King mentioned his mother. The Nation reported it this way:
"I have no idea why they wrote in the Constitution that the King is above criticism. When the King cannot be criticised, sometimes the King cannot know if what he does is right or wrong. Mother is no longer here; she's in heaven. She was the only one who could teach me. Now all I can do is teach myself, because no one can teach me," he said.
In any case, to celebrate the King's Birthday, Francois and I caught an early plane to Chiang Mai, in nothern Thailand, this morning. We will be here for the next few days exploring the city and shopping at the world-famous Night Bazaar.
As soon as we arrived in Chaing Mai, the exploring began. We rented a motorcycle and went up the mountain to Wat Doi Sutep. It's one of the most famous and most beautiful temples in Thailand. I've been several times before, but I always enjoy the ride up the mountain, the 200 steps to the temple, the view from the top, and the golden chedi at the center of the wat.
