Haven't seen it Fiona but will keep an eye out for it

I haven't watched the film but have visited Kanchanaburi and walked across the bridge. My friend wouldn't do the bridge walk as she is quite small and was frightened of falling through the gaps in the planks. Visiting the small museum and hearing about the life of the prisioners was a very moving experience.

I too couldn't manage to walk the bridge, I found it very disconcerting looking down and seeing the river moving beneath my feet. The train ride over the rickety old wooden structure didn't thrill me too much either. I did however, enjoy mixing with the locals on the train, lots of smiles and they shared their huge bag of nuts with us. I did make a bit of faux pas though, I spied a monk sitting on the train and there was an empty seat next to him...I thought 'goody' I really want to talk to him. But just as I was about to sit down and the man in the seat across shouted "No!! it is not permitted" (because I was a woman) I was a tad offended and reluctantly moved down the carriage to my new bezzie mates with the nuts :-)

I've just read Gerib, that women aren't allowed to give anything to a monk either. We have to pass it to a man for him to hand it over to the monk on our behalf.

Glenis I only wanted to talk to him as I thought his life journey would be fascinating (I love to talk and listen to anybody...anywhere) But I wasn't allowed to even sit next to him in case I touched him (he should be so lucky lol). Although I had read up do's and don'ts with the monks I'd forgotten in the excitement that I had the chance to 'grill' one.

Similar thing happened to me, I was riding the train in Thailand, 4 empty seats (2 facing each other) and my friend and I went to sit down on two of them. A couple of seconds before this a young monk slid into one of the empty seats and we got told off for wanting to even sit opposite him. I research and try to follow customs in the countries I visit but I thought this was carrying things a bit too far, especially as just a few days before we had visited a monastery where the monks were only too pleased to talk to us.

The monks in Laos also talked to and accepted gifts from me when I visited. Different countries different customs.

I think its funny when they have all these customs and you then see monks whipping out their mobile phones when they are travelling. It just doesn't look right

One monastery that I visited in Thailand the young boy monks were playing with toy machine guns. A bit incongruous.

gerib wrote:

Glenis I only wanted to talk to him as I thought his life journey would be fascinating (I love to talk and listen to anybody...anywhere) But I wasn't allowed to even sit next to him in case I touched him (he should be so lucky lol). Although I had read up do's and don'ts with the monks I'd forgotten in the excitement that I had the chance to 'grill' one.

I'd probably have been nervous of him tbh. I'd be fascinated but nervous

Judith: From what I can gather some of those young monks are sent to the monastery by their families because they are naughty boys. They are sent there in the hopes that the older monks will 'sort them out'.

Geri :-)

is that right Geri? I thought a high percentage of men become monks for a short time.

I understand that all young male Buddhists in Thailand are expected to spend some time as novice monks when they reach the age of 18 but the boys that I saw playing with toy guns were younger than that so that ties up with what Geri says.

I also have this memory of reading somewhere (just don't ask me where!) that sometimes Buddhist monasteries in the Far East provide what amounts to temporary foster care where families were in financial difficulties and couldn't provide for the boys? And I have no idea what happens to daughters in that situation - has anybody any knowledge of whether Buddhist nuns also take in young girls for either of these reasons?

SM

I dread to think what happens to the girls that families cannot afford to keep them at home. We have been to Thailand many times and often see young girls working in bars and selling themselves for a week to Western men. These men pay the bar owner a 'fine' for the girls they hire for the week/fortnight. They are fed and watered and earn enough to send money back to the family in their villages.

On our first trip to Koh Samui I saw a very young child (about 3 or 4 ) dressed up in full make up, skimpy clothing and bouffant hair and I felt sick... of course I could have been wrong and she may have been to a dance concert but I'll never know. I didn't think I'd ever return to Thailand. Years later we visited a beautiful small resort in Pattaya . On arrival I opened the hotel information book and it clearly stated Rule no 1. No child Sex. The owner of the hotel was a passionate, community based woman and was adamant to wipe out such vile acts in her hotel.

I have no problems with consenting adults... however, these girls started somewhere and often at too young an age to consent. I also have a problem with children selling roses in restaurants late at night. We never engage in conversation with them but others do. Some kids were full of banter but other kids were dead behind the eyes. Last year in Phuket we walked down a dark lane coming from a restaurant and came across the adults hiding in the shadows who ran the rose selling gang of kids.... :-(

Geri