Hi! Glad you found us.
Thailand is Calling is a website about the work we, the Bryans, are doing as we seek to spread the gospel of Christ to the world around us. Currently, we are living in Bangkok, Thailand and working with the Somprasong 4 Church of Christ.
Our wonderful church family, the Highland Heights Church of Christ, in Smyrna, TN sent us to Bangkok and oversees the work we do in Thailand.
10. Up until 1917 a white elephant appeared on the national flag of Thailand.
11. The founding year of the nation of Siam (now Thailand) was 1238.
12. A law was passed in 1921 decreeing that all white elephants automatically belong to the King, making it illegal for them to be bought, sold or used commercially.
7. The name Thailand means Land of the Free. The Thai people actually call their country Meung Thai (เมืองไทย), which translates “city of Thais”.
8. King Ramkhamhaeng, who ruled at the end of the thirteenth century, created the first Thai alphabet.
9. There are approximately 3.6 million rice farming families in Thailand totaling around 20 million people.
4. Thailand is the only country in south-east Asia that has never been under a European power. Its neighbors Myanmar, then Burma, and Malaysia were part of the British Empire. Other neighbors, Laos and Cambodia were under French control.
5. Bangkok has the worlds largest Chinatown.
6. Every Thai male is expected to become a monk for a short period in his life, optimally between the time he finishes school and the time he starts a career or marries. Women who live the monastic life are largely outnumbered by males by 46 to 1. The first female ordination on Thai soil was in 2002.
1. The country’s official name was Siam (สยาม) until June 24, 1939. It was again called Siam between 1945 and May 11, 1949 when it was once more changed by official proclamation.
2. In Thailand, even though the months and days of the week are the same as those used in the western calendar, the year is counted from the Buddhist Era (B.E.), which is 543 years earlier than the Christian Era (A.D). So this year, 2007, is actually 2550 in Thailand.
3. It’s illegal to own a copy of “The King and I” in Thailand. They view the movie as an insult to their culture.
