concept

The ‘classical’ theme is so called because it encourages you to enjoy local Thai lifestyle day to day living closely with your tour guide Adisak who is a practising Buddhist as are millions upon millions in Thailand. The goal is to explore why Thailand is known as “The Land of Smiles” and to regenerate yourself from inside out with the help of the local people and their great traditions. Cynics would have us believe the smiles are just a veneer. We expect once you scratch below the surface here, you will begin a journey of a lifetime in this enchanting country; a country where even limbless severely handicapped street beggars can muster the most beguiling of smiles; a country devoid of much of the vulgar and drunken behaviour sadly so common in parts of the West these days. Thailand is a paradox. To some of us, Thais have relatively little; to the rest they have more than we can ever have in the West. In Buddhist concepts, every gesture, every breath, everything you experience and think and moments to cherish in full consciousness. The aim of this particular holiday is not to convert unbelievers into Buddhism or even into die-hard fans of Thais and Thailand; afterall Thailand still has its downsides, but for all of any faith or non to take advantage of the learnings to enrich your own spirit and heighten appreciation of life generally. What you do experience in a rich cultural centre such as Chiang Mai is a sense of accomplishment and happiness with the state of life for the vast majority. People in Thailand have time for you, for each other, to chat, smile and enjoy the moment. It's just down to us to find clues and learn from this. You will have fun on elephant rides and seeing exotic plantations and fine examples of new and old Buddhist architecture etc., but more importantly you will experience how Buddhism effects the minutiae of daily life in Thailand. You will chat to monks and sense the massive influence of their teachings upon daily life, and you will be impressed by the peace and tranquillity of local people. Living in a Thai wooden teak house ( www.baanbooloo.com ) your sense of harmony between man and nature will be reinforced with regular Thai massages, classic and Thai Yoga as well as and Meditation classes just a stone's throw from the bustling spiritual hub itself. In the garden a careful eye will find chameleons, frogs, dragonflies, butterflies and many a surprise; over the wall there are ancient temples where monks chant in the mornings and locals go to do Tai Chi exercise, Thai Yoga etc. What you notice is so much life outdoors before the midday heat wafts in, dogs, monks, young men exercising, women shopping in markets, smiles, laughter, fresh food stalls and a vibrancy hard to match outside Asia. You will gain a better understanding of Thai way of life and hopefully how you can adopt many of the good things you see into your own life. For example, we hope you will gain an appreciation of Thai healthcare by way of massage and in the way that locals are tactile and openly warm and smiling to one another. Then when you return home hopefully you will feel more positive about life in general, with a calmer mind and stronger spiritual you! Perhaps you will wish everyone the same experience to those around you and you could then imagine how things in western countries might be different with a little Thai influence. Many of these good things cannot simply be put on an activity list in the same way as touring a temple, but as you wander in back street markets seeing market traders offering food to monks around 7am, who cannot be touched by the beauty of such tender scenes? At the same time Adisak will be on hand to explain the importance in Buddhist terms of such common everyday occurrences. Siam Horizons Programme Loi Krathong Festival Chiang mai Nov 2010

The floating of a ‘Krathong' – a banana–leaf cup – is intended to float away ill fortune as well as to express apologies to Khongkha or Ganga, the River Goddess..... Thai Massage Study Chiang Mai Feb 2011 Traditional Thai Massage is a unique form of body therapy dating back thousands of years that incorporates yoga, acupressure and reflexology along with its own techniques of gentle rocking, deep stretching and compression.....