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I recently got myself a Strida 5 from the market at MaeSai/Tachilek for 5,300 Baht ...very useful....but no idea how much they are in official dealers here in thailand. I believe they are 20,000 Korean dollars (20,000 baht) in their country of manufacture.

At that price it must be either a cheap copy or black market. Strida is an English company and the bikes are manufactured in Taiwan.

Amulets.

You can find shops or markets selling them in most Thai towns. They are usually sold at temples for fundraising, but there is a big market for second hand amulets.

I first became seriously interested in Buddhism while travelling in India about ten years ago. I began reading some books by HH the Dalai Lama there. I then went on to do a course at the FPMT Centre in Dharamsala and visit the major sites of Buddhism in India.

When I returned to Australia I found a very good Buddhist Centre near my home and also joined the Buddhist Society at my university. This is where I really learnt about Buddhism.

I have since spent a total of about two years living in Thailand. I often became quite cynical about Thai Buddhism and Thai "culture". I was fortunate to spend some time working with Sulak Sivaraksa and I learnt a lot from him and also met many wonderful people he was connected to. There are some wonderful monks and people working for Buddhism in Siam, but they are definitely in the minority.

My photos tagged Thailand at flickr

My thailand top picks set at flickr

So, does this mean that Buddhism is the same as any other 'organised' religion? Full of in-fighting and corruption?

Yes, Buddhism as it is practiced in the real world is not perfect. Another good example of a power struggle is that over the recognition of the 17th Karmapa. Two rival candidates are competing for control of the Karma Kagyu lineage which has a lot of wealth and power. The behaviour of certain people in this conflict certainly doesn't follow what we would think of as Buddhist principles.

I am sure there are numerous other examples.

Regarding the appointment of a new Sangharaja if Thai Buddhism wants to truly reform it should democratically elect the Sangharaja for a limited term. For example, the Sangharaja could be elected for a five year term. Any monk who had completed five rains retreats would be eligible to vote.

I think the number of foreign women that get raped in Thailand is probably much higher than the few incidents that get reported in the media. After the trauma of being raped would any women want to subject themselves to the further trauma of dealing with Thai policemen? I doubt it. I guess most of them just leave the country asap and do whatever they can to get support to deal with it, but they never have a hope of getting any justice in Thailand.

What do you think of The Friends of the Western Buddhist Order and their views?

They are controversial to say the least.

Have a look at the The FWBO-Files

Sangharakshita certainly wasn't celibate and his sexual behaviour could not be considered ethical either.

It might be a bit like the Chiang Rai International Airport. The name says international but there are no international flights.

I have been living in Surat Thani for four months now. Although I have tried to keep an open mind I can find very little that I like about the place. I have lived in Bangkok before and travelled fairly extensively around Thailand. I think Surat must be one of the most unattractive cities in the whole of Thailand.

I expect to be living here for at least the medium term. Maybe I can only see the bad side of things. Is there something good that anybody can tell me about this place?

Red Bicycle Samui

http://www.redbicycle.org/

There is also a good bike shop in Surat Thani. they sell TREK and other leading brands. Don't have the address at hand, but it is near the Surat Thani hospital.

woman monk

This is an oxymoron. The editor that let this one through needs a good kick up the bottom.

Incorrect use of language is not helping the women's cause. They should use the word bhikkhuni or fully ordained nun.

Formally speaking you might officially take refuge with a monk. Basically you would make a small offering and then recite the three refuges and five precepts. At a more fundamental level take some time to learn more about Buddhism. There are many good books and you can find a good teacher in Thailand if you look around.

I thought seriously about becoming a monk for a while but eventually abandoned the idea. I would still love to do a temporary ordination in Thailand though -- at least one month or three months if I had the time. If I stay in Thailand for longer and plan to marry a Thai lady I will almost certainly do it.

I started learning from Thai friends in Australia. In Thailand I have never had any formal lessons. Talking to people is probably where I have learnt most although I also use a phrasebook or dictionary regularly. I also find that I pick up more Thai while I am travelling than when I am working and doing the same old thing everyday.

Depends on the length of journey. For anything up to about six hours I would travel during the day. For longer journeys I would travel at night. I have no trouble sleeping on buses. One annoying thing about night buses is they often arrive at four or five o'clock in the morning which is very inconvenient. Always worth spending a bit extra on a VIP bus. It's often still cheaper than the train (and easier to book).

I am all for Siam. Sulak Sivaraksa refuses to use the name Thailand. If you read some of his books and articles you can better understand the reasons for this. I believe the name Thailand reflects many of the major problems that exist in this country. Particularly the manipulation of cultural identity for political purposes. Thailland means the "Land of Thai people". Tough luck if you happen to be a Thai Muslim in the south, from a hill tribe in the north or from Isaan (whose people are essentially Lao).

This imposition of a cultural identity on people is the root of the problems in the south. Essentially the government implements policies that say to people if you want to be Thai you must speak Central Thai, be educated, Buddhist, middle-class consumer, have light skin, etc. These are continually reinforced through the media and education system. The Muslim people in the south simply don't fit this identity and don't want to. They resent having this continually forced upon them.