London Olympics Logo

The eyes of the world will be on London for the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games at 20:12  on Friday evening  27 July. It is expected to have a global TV audience of more than a billion people.. The Queen will be at the ceremony to officially open London 2012

The Olympic Opening Ceremony parade will feature 10,000 athletes from 205 nations. I have been fortunate enough to see the Opening Ceremonies of the Moscow, Los Angeles, Seoul, and Sydney Olympics. They were never to be forgotten experiences.

Lord Sebasian Coe is the Chairman of the London Olympic Games Organising Committee. He has the qualifications and experience to do a good job.If the residents of London give the Games their support, I hope they will be a great success.

Thailand will field 38 athletes in 15 sports. The National Olympic Committee of Thailand  website is here.

For the opening ceremony an English meadow is being  created, complete with animals.

An arial view of the completed stadium

“The Olympics remain the most compelling search for excellence that exists in sport, and maybe in life itself.”
– Dawn Fraser (Australian swimmer, 3-time winner at the Olympics)

Olympic Trivia. Did you know?

The Olympic Games Motto means “faster, higher,stronger”.

“Let The Games Begin” is not said during the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

Great Britain is the only nation to have won at least one gold medal at every Summer Games.

When London hosts the Olympic Games in 2012, the city will become the first to host the Games three times: 1908, 1948 and 2012.

Australian Team Uniforms for the Opening Ceremony

Adidas Uniforms for Sporting Events

Click here for the Official Home Page of the Australian Olympic Team

The group Koreana sing “Hand in Hand” at the conclusion of the Opening Ceremony in Seoul in 1988.

This morning at the Expats Club meeting, the guest speaker was Tom Fawthrop, a journalist and South East Asia specialist. He showed a 30 minute cut of his film  ‘KILLING THE MEKONG –  DAM BY DAM’.

The Mekong is of course one of the great river systems of the world, rising in Tibet and discharging into the sea in a delta in southern Vietnam. It flows through 6 countries (China, Burma, Laos PDR, Thailand, Cambodia, and Viet Nam ). Because of it’s international nature, the Mekong River Commission has been set up to undertake management responsibility  and is in the hands of its four Member Countries; Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam. China and Burma are not members.

Daming the river is of course very controversial. China has already built 4 dams and one is planned for southern Laos at  Xayaburi. Daming causes un-natural rises and falls in river levels in a non-seasonal way. and converts flowing water into still systems. Some fish migrate hundreds of kilometers and dams will cause migratory species to die out.The proposed site in Lao PDR includes the picturesque 4000 islands area and associated rapids and waterfalls. It is also the home of the already threatened Irrawaddy dolphins.

Four Thai banks have been critised for their financial support in the Xayaburi construction project ( Siam Commercial, Kasikorn, Khrung Thai, Bangkok Bank ).

The film presented one view. Like all issues there are other views. Some would argue that generation of “green” hydro electricirity instead of using fossil fuels is sufficient reason to continue with dams.

Teacher Appreciation Day

Today is Teacher Appreciation  Day in Thailand. Thai culture fosters  a deep respect for teachers and educators, right through from kindergarten to university. Today schools have a “Wai Kru Ceremony” which is very formal and decorative but it also is a vital part of the traditional Thai educational system.

The teachers are called to sit in front of the students as the students repeat a Buddhist chant and sing a song that demonstrates their appreciation for the teachers.Towards the end of the ceremony, students crawl up to their teacher on their knees with their heads down. Then the students bow to their teachers and offer them their individual bouquet of flowers wrapped with candles and incense. The teacher receives the flowers and gives the student advice. Some teachers will also pat the student’s head to encourage the knowledge to absorb into the child’s brain.

On this day Thai students bring flowers to their teachers as a symbol of their respect and readiness to learn. The most popular flower to bring is called “dok khem” (needle flower) because it represents the student’s promise that his/her brain will be as sharp as a needle

There is another day which pays respect to teachers which occurs towards the end of the school year, National Teacher Day. Every 16th of January schools are closed in honor of Thai teachers across the country.

Another example of a delightful part of Thai culture.

Needle Flower

Wat Jed Yod

Wat Jed Yod is my local Wat (temple). It is so close that sometimes I can hear the soft temple bells early in the morning.

It is also known as Wat Photharam Maha Vihan.

Built during the15^th century, the name means seven spires. It was copied from the Mahabodi Temple in Bodh Gaya, India, where the Buddha achieved enlightenment.

It is of course one of many wats in Chiang Mai which is dotted with wats (temples) built by kings in centuries long past.

Wat Jed Yod from my apartment balcony