2012 Thailand 23 - Bang Pa-In - Project Idea

Cheers

Very cool page. Love the movie reference and then your sharing of how the people feel about it, so interesting.

June 15, 2014

2012 Thailand 23 - Bang Pa-In

In 1862, Anna Leonowens, an English educator & writer, sailed by tall ship with her young son, to become the Royal Governess for Mongkut, King of Siam (Thailand). She was to provide a modern Western education to Mongkut's 39 wives & concubines and 82 children! Believed to have started as entertaining letters sent home; Anna penned a colorful travel journal of her time in Siam. Rich with detail and embellishments her stories became very popular when they were later rediscovered. Included were tales about cultural clashes, religion and race differences, politics, and bigotry. Alleged disagreements with the King over the treatment of women, children, servants, & slaves were intermixed with amazing accounts of Siam's landscape and the mighty elephant.

I found Anna's stories fascinating. She certainly liked to stretch-the-truth including her own importance during that time. The bottom line is...she was English (who were still colonizing that part of the world), white, catholic, educated, a woman, and very opinionated. The Siam government didn't appreciate some of her “impressions” about Siam and their beloved King. Her writings, and movies about her, are still banned in Thailand to this day. Touring Bang Pa-In Palace I couldn't help but wonder…were we seeing the exact spots where Anna taught Mongkut's children? The Thai people don't milk her memory for the tourists so there is no information. But they will show you where the concubines slept.

I figured out how to do rippled reflections in Photoshop ("the king and I" text reflection). If you need tips on how to do it im me.