The Son of the Dragon of the Sea

Last week, whilst visiting Pattaya to conduct a hotel survey, I noticed something on the beach. There was a small Buddhist Shrine on the edge of the water with the opportunity to light a joss stick. Following my previous visit to Chiang Mai where I had watched the staff and guests make an early morning offering I wondered if there was something similar in the Cape Panwa area?

I was surprised when I arrived at Cape Panwa Hotel and found there was a Chinese Spirit figurine placed in one of the trees on the Cape Panwa Hotel beach.

There is a plethora of Chinese Spirits that are usually known as good, evil or simply unhappy spirits. Phuket has a great deal of history linking it to the Chinese which is clear if you choose to walk through Phuket Old Town or visit it during Chinese New year celebrations. 

The name of this particular spirit, placed in one of the trees on the beach, is Lee-Lo-Chia, who is the Son of the Dragon of the Sea. This spirit is placed near the edge of the water to protect those using the beach and sea. 

So, along with the beach staff and the life saving rings, there is a Chinese Spirit to protect you.

              

The Buddhist Morning Alms Offering

The Thai (and Indochinese) tradition of offering alms to Buddhist monks in the early morning is a beautiful part of Thai culture that is often missed by most tourists.

In Theravada Buddhism offering alms to monks is an opportunity for lay people to earn merit by performing a good deed. Each monk has a large brass bowl to collect the alms of food offered him by the people. At Cape Panwa Hotel, guests can witness this is ritual when we take them to the temple on Songkran.

This ritual actually takes place on a daily basis – the monks leave their temple at dawn each day and make their rounds (on foot) of the community where their temple is located in order to give local residents, who wait for the monks to pass by the front of their house, a chance to make merit.

I always leave at 6:30 in the morning to witness this – don’t worry breakfast at Cape Panwa Hotel is available till 10:30am!

(Ed - But if you visit Kantary Hills Hotel in Chiang Mai the monks come to you right in front of the hotel!)

              

Purchasing alcohol in Phuket, Thailand...

image courtesy of Sunset Bar

We all acknowledge that when there is free alcohol, 

there will be more drinks drunk, don’t we?

Also, the addiction to caffeine, by our friends, and the ramifications of it is well known.  

Every country, around the world, is combating addiction to alcohol and drugs in a number of ways: fines, licensing, banning, and for Driving, Under the Influence (DUI): loss of driving privileges, jail terms, community service, etc. 

Phuket, in Thailand, has a specific one: as seen in the picture above.

“Liquor Selling Time: 11:00 - 14:00 Hours, and 17:00 - 24:00 Hours.” 

(However, there is no time restriction for more than 10 litres at a time.) 

We are not sure what this law prevents though...

(Ed - The difference in the amount able to be sold during certain time periods evidently is aimed at distinguishing between types of customers: a purchase for an individual (a bottle, for example) and for a club or bar needing to replenish stock (many bottles)).