Modern Traditional Thailand

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An always polished corridor of the modern Paragon Mall in Bangkok.

Despite outward appearances, particularly in affluent Bangkok, Thais still retain many deeply held superstitious beliefs. A walk around downtown provides interesting contrasts such as this uber-modern shopping mall, outside of which are old men reading tarot cards for wealthy Thai mall patrons.

This post is partially inspired by the NY Times which recently ran an article about this phenomenon, here.

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A spirit house provides an alternate residence for the ghosts that dwell on a particular property.

These spirit houses are outside of nearly every home and business in Thailand. Multiple times a day, Thais provide offerings and light incense to appease the spirits that would otherwise occupy the main residence or haunt the grounds.