An immigration card for Thailand
Lewis the Lion was a bit panicked as he sat on the flight to Thailand. As he was reading up in his guide books on the flight, it appeared that for their entrance visa they needed to have evidence of an onward bound ticket before arriving on Thai soil. Even though Helen had their ticket from India back to the UK, he wasn’t sure if that would be enough? He crossed his little paws and hoped for the best…it was so unlike him not to do his research beforehand. As a responsible traveller, what was he thinking of? He remembered right at the start of his journey the lines, “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” He hoped this wouldn’t be the case this time.
The futuristic looking Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok
As the plane touched down at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, Lewis the Lion was intrigued to see such a futuristic and distinctive looking airport. He later discovered that it is one of the most photographed places to be found on the internet. How surprising! The Suvarnabhumi airport is so vast that Lewis the Lion just loved to see the policemen whizzing around it on specially powered wheels as you can see in this photo.
Policemen find a quick way to get around the airport
He also learnt that this was perhaps one of the busiest airports in Asia as it served as a commuter hub for onward destinations like Australia and New Zealand.
Lewis the Lion is welcomed to Thailand
Lewis the Lion could see signs around the airport welcoming him to Thailand and it in fact called itself “The Land of Smiles.” As one of the world’s top tourist destinations, the Thais had a reputation for their warm hospitality and easy smiles. Lewis the Lion only hoped that the customs officers would be in a similar mood today…
Lewis the Lion smiles to himself as he is welcomed to “The Land of Smiles!”
Phew! Lewis the Lion gave a massive sigh of relief when he realised that just recently certain regulations for entering the country had been relaxed and that as a British citizen, Helen no longer needed a visa for entering the country just a valid UK passport for which she was granted 30 days permission to stay as a tourist.
Huge art pieces shine in the Suvarnabhumi Airport
What fantastic news and now on the other side of the airport controls they could really begin to enjoy their time in Thailand!
A couple of things struck Lewis the Lion as he wandered through this huge airport:
Lewis looks up at the arrivals boards with the Thai script
1) that the Thai language had a different script – it seemed very decorative and fancy to Lewis the Lion’s untrained eye.
Lewis the Lion loves to see the swirly Thai script at the airport
It almost seemed to match the intricate pieces of artwork that were placed around the airport, and 2) the Thai royal family seemed to have an important presence here.
The Thai Royalty are celebrated across Thailand
As Lewis the Lion got into a metered taxi at the airport (that was so much easier than haggling all the time like he had had to do in Indonesia!), he looked out of the car window and was excited to see very distinctive and colourful Thai looking buildings. Perhaps they were temples with their coned roofs?
Lewis sees his first Thai buildings through the taxi window
Even in the taxi itself the taxi driver had Buddhist images and so Lewis quickly understood that Buddhism is the main faith in Thailand.
Buddhist images in the taxi
However as his short journey progressed, he couldn’t help but notice the grand pictures of the Thai King celebrating his recent birthday. He is clearly a much-loved man in Thailand, along with his wife, the Queen.
Billboards paying tribute to the Thai King adorn all of the streets
Another picture of the Thai King is by the roadside
During Lewis the Lion’s stay in Thailand, he noticed that everywhere he went there were pictures of the Thai monarchy: in hotels, hostels, restaurants, shops and homes. Lewis the Lion learnt that they even play the national anthem in public places such as the cinema and the theatre. He also discovered that the Thai royal family are so respected by the Thai people that it is socially unacceptable and a criminal offence to make any critical or defamatory remarks about them.
Seeing all these royal pictures made Lewis the Lion conscious of the important royal celebrations that he had missed this year back in the UK. After all, Queen Elizabeth had celebrated her 60th Jubilee: quite an extraordinary feat for someone to have served their country for so long. He wondered what special events had taken place in cities across the UK to thank the Queen and celebrate her achievement?
Why don’t you write a newspaper report of the special events that you were involved in for the Queen Elizabeth’s 60th Jubilee? How was this special event marked in your school, your street or your town?
