Thailand

It was a bless my soul, rock and roll pink and purple lifting crane 3-5-2008

Even the buildings are colorful 3-6-2008 9-36-52 AM.JPG

Not your typical Little Black Crane 3-6-2008 9-13-34 AM

Even the Concrete Blocks are painted 3-6-2008 9-18-05 AM

The pink truck 3-6-2008 9-45-29 AM

On the road to Laem Chabang 3-6-2008 9-13-26 AM

Port of Laem Chebang in living color 3-6-2008 9-10-31 AM

The Colors of Thailand are wonderful

Thailand is a land of color. We docked at Laem Chebang, a commercial port about two hours driving distance from Bangkok. Everywhere I looked there was color. Cranes, trucks and even the buildings are painted every color of the rainbow. In some ways the colors are a reflection of the people. Thaisare charming. They adore their present King, Rama 1X who, during his 60year reign, has shepherded them successfully into the 21st. century. The country is a democracy in spite of the recent coup by the army. The irony is that, when the army organized new elections, the people voted for the same party that the army tried to get rid of. Just the Prime Minister had changed.
There is a cute story about the King. He gives a "state of the Union"address every year on the eve of his birthday. A few years ago he was concerned that his subjects were not putting enough money aside for their retirement and so he advised them all to start saving. He obviously did not discuss this in depth with his economic advisers. The King is greatly loved by all, so his subjects did as they were bidden and saved. Goods started to pile up on store shelves, inventory started to back up, and factory orders dropped. Soon workers had to be laid off. The next year he was heard exhorting his subjects to "Spend! Spend!"
Thailand, which means freedom, was called Siam until the end of the First World War. It has been ruled by the same family for centuries. Rama 1V was the first king to be educated at Oxford University, a tradition that has been followed since. His son, Rama V abolished slavery, no doubt an unpopular decision at the time. He was also responsible for building many of the palaces scattered throughout the country. Afraid that his concubines might not get along harmoniously he built a palace for each of hem. Then he spent most of his time visiting these palaces. Reputedly he was heard to mutter, "Does it get much better than this?'