Haunted Places

[travelmann]

Another vote for Wat Mahabut where the very famous ghost of Nong Nak is said to reside. When you get a murder or suicide in a house in Thailand it is VERY hard to sell on to a Thai. There are many which are empty and overgrown and you can walk right in and stay in them if you wish.

If your friends really want a test, they can obtain a "gooman tong" and leave it in their room for a few days and see what happens. Gooman Tong are stillborn foetuses that are kept, cremated to a degree, and then "trapped" in a glass object by a rogue monk. Not only an upcountry tale, I know of one extremely famous hi-so person in Bangkok who keeps one in her office, hidden away, and strongly believes in its effect. Look after it, give it attention, and it's said to return the favour in good feeling, house protection and tranquility. Ignore it and expect some poltergeist activity, stress and bad luck.

As far as I know, no-one in the West has ever owned one and tested this heresay.

Please let me know where these house are I am willing to buy cheaply.

[mca]

[travelmann]

Wow howling dogs and bad smells........yep thats Thailand alright, Im now convinced they have both here.

[BoonToong]

Most Thai people are superstitious, it comes with buddhism

With respect, I don't think it has anything at all to do with Buddhism. Even the monks who partake in these exorcising rituals will know that it has nothing to do with Dhamma.

[isanbirder]

"I've travelled all around the world and every place I've visited has stories of haunted places. Buildings, abandoned sites, hospitals. I've never heard anything here in Thailand. It strucks me as really strange. Is it because the locals don't believe in haunted places so stories never develop? I'm not talking about whether the places are really haunted or not, just the local talk about it"

No its because actually there are no ghosts anywhere (except in your brain) its all a fantasy.

You miss the point, Travelmann; this thread is about what Thai people say, not about what you believe.

No, it has nothing to do with Buddhism; it's animism, or a hangover from Hinduism.

[GooEng]

Another vote for Wat Mahabut where the very famous ghost of Nong Nak is said to reside. When you get a murder or suicide in a house in Thailand it is VERY hard to sell on to a Thai. There are many which are empty and overgrown and you can walk right in and stay in them if you wish.

If your friends really want a test, they can obtain a "gooman tong" and leave it in their room for a few days and see what happens. Gooman Tong are stillborn foetuses that are kept, cremated to a degree, and then "trapped" in a glass object by a rogue monk. Not only an upcountry tale, I know of one extremely famous hi-so person in Bangkok who keeps one in her office, hidden away, and strongly believes in its effect. Look after it, give it attention, and it's said to return the favour in good feeling, house protection and tranquility. Ignore it and expect some poltergeist activity, stress and bad luck.

As far as I know, no-one in the West has ever owned one and tested this heresay.

Carl, I think you might have surprised a few people here, can't ever recall Gooman Tong being mentioned here before. Normally if you happen to mention this to a farang you will get looks of disbelief. In fact I know various long term farang residents who flatly refuse to believe me on this subject, maybe it shakes their core beliefs, don't know. Certainly its not something that Thai's feel comfortable talking about. However I will back you up in your assertion that this is not something confined to upcountry folk, far more common than might be believed. Those that do practice this also firmly believe its a double edged sword and that if they do not put back in what they get out then harm can befall them. i suppose therefore a sense for good.

there's loads about the goo-man-thong amulets on posts related to news articles about the recent discovery of thousands of foetal corpses at a bangkok temple. these corpses were supposedly from illegally performed abotions. check the thread out for further info.

[Forethat]

16th green at Bangkok Golf Club golf course is allegedly haunted by a ghost. Judging by the level of attention this ghost gets from the caddies and ground staff this is a pretty pissed of "pii" as well. According to the legend, this ghost has the ability to give you the correct numbers for the lottery: some - note everybody - are able to rub the bark of the palmtree where they are giving alms and the numbers magically appears.

Personally, I dont play around with these ghosts anymore: I once made an attempt to sling-hook a 5-iron 200 yards to this green only to see my ball get pushed straight out in the bush some 80 yards off line. When I walked up to the green my ball was found 2 feet from the hole for a tap-in birdie. From that day I always offer alms to this ghost.

Since that day, I have never bogied the 16th at Bangkok Golf Club. Haven't seen any numbers yet, though, despite rubbing the bark...

[isanbirder]

16th green at Bangkok Golf Club golf course is allegedly haunted by a ghost. Judging by the level of attention this ghost gets from the caddies and ground staff this is a pretty pissed of "pii" as well. According to the legend, this ghost has the ability to give you the correct numbers for the lottery: some - note everybody - are able to rub the bark of the palmtree where they are giving alms and the numbers magically appears.

Personally, I dont play around with these ghosts anymore: I once made an attempt to sling-hook a 5-iron 200 yards to this green only to see my ball get pushed straight out in the bush some 80 yards off line. When I walked up to the green my ball was found 2 feet from the hole for a tap-in birdie. From that day I always offer alms to this ghost.

Since that day, I have never bogied the 16th at Bangkok Golf Club. Haven't seen any numbers yet, though, despite rubbing the bark...

Nice one! I knew the lottery would surface soon!

[Kilgore Trout]

In many villages (and in a house just along from ours) they put dummies outside the house with the inscription, "Nobody lives in this house whose name begins with (insert initial)". If it sees this, a wandering ghost will pass by.

Thats pretty insulting to ghosts; I'm sure they're not that stupid

[isanbirder]

In many villages (and in a house just along from ours) they put dummies outside the house with the inscription, "Nobody lives in this house whose name begins with (insert initial)". If it sees this, a wandering ghost will pass by.

Thats pretty insulting to ghosts; I'm sure they're not that stupid

The Chinese have the same low opinion of the intelligence of spirits, and indeed gods. A Chinese god will accept a gold-plated ingot as being genuine gold. The barrier inside the front door of a Chinese temple is to stop ghosts entering, because ghosts can only travel in a straight line. Ghosts, or more accurately spirits, are indeed 'that stupid'.

In this thread we have been muddling ghosts (the spirit of a dead person) with spirits(Thai 'pi'), which are nothing to do with dead people, and are indeed of low intelligence. It is 'pi' who live in the spirit houses outside Thai houses, who are placated by tying yellow cloth round trees, and burning joss-sticks at the base of the tree, and so on. The Western concept of ghosts and the Thai concept of spirits overlap, but do not coincide completely.