In the evening I also spent some time wandering around the night market, where one can buy “genuine” Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Prada, etc., for a laughably small price. I haven’t bought anything “name brand” yet and am wrestling with the dilemma of who I might be supporting by buying these goods, but I did buy some silk boxers for Heath and Garrett and some other surprise gifts which I won’t name is the people they are for might be reading this.
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| At the market |
We also visited the Jim Thompson house museum. Jim Thompson was a legendary American who pioneered the international silk trade in Thailand. He was also an architect and art collector, so he built a beautiful traditional Thai house filled with antiques and works of art, right on a Bangkok canal. The Jim Thompson silk company provided all the beautiful silks made in the costuming of the film “The King and I”. Jim Thompson mysteriously disappeared during a visit to Malaysia, but his house had been preserved and is quite interesting (of course, if you visit there you are invited to spend big bucks on the silk products that the company still produces).
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| Jim Thompson house |
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| Traditional Thai silk loom |
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| Traditional Thai houses are open-air and on stilts |
Spirit Houses
I can’t remember if I’ve written about spirit houses previously. Each Thai house and business has one. The idea is tied to animism and Buddhism. The spirit of the earth would be disturbed when a building is put on a piece of land, and would leave and cause the owners bad luck. So the “spirit house” gives the land’s spirit a place to dwell. The owners must keep the spirit happy by providing it with offerings to the best of their ability. It’s okay if a poor person has a little spirit house and meager offerings, but a wealthy landowner had better provide his or her spirit with appropriate riches. So fancy hotels will have spirit houses the size of a tool shed, whereas lowly shacks can have a little birdhouse looking home for its spirit. The oddest thing about this practice is the offerings one sees in the spirit houses. A good landowner will always tend to his/her spirit house and keep fresh gifts inside. Usually it’s flowers and fruit, but I’ve seen cigars, cans of beer, glasses filled with tea (and a straw!), toys, and bowls of rice in some houses! I think I’ll get myself a spirit houses when I return to DeLand. I’ll tend to it, feed it, give it pretzels and iced tea so our spirits will be pleased and we’ll have an even more harmonious home.
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| Spirit houses can be grand or humble, depending on the homeowner's financial status |
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| Do the spirits really want superhero toys? |
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| Offering drinks to the spirits of the land |
