Making merit is a part of Thai religion and culture which visitors can not only witness, but take part in themselves. One of the easiest way to take part in this ancient ritual is to visit any temple throughout Thailand and find one of the many stalls filled with cages of birds, buckets of snakes and other small animals. These animals are for sale, with the idea being that you pay to set the animals free. In setting the animals free you are doing a good deed and hence, you’re creating good karma for yourself. It isn’t expensive to buy the right to set a cage of small birds free, with the usual price being approximately 50 baht.

Another excellent way to make merit and really get a great insight into local customs and traditions is to give alms to monks in the morning. You’ll have tp get up very early for this, but it is absolutely worth the experience. Every morning, local residents come out in front of their houses to give food to the monks as they pass down the street. This is a long standing ritual in Thai society, and is indeed a very special experience for any visitor to Thailand who gets to take part in this.

Thailand covers an area of of 514,000 square kilometres, which is roughly the same size as France or about the twice the size of Wyoming in the USA. Located in Southeast Asia and bordering Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Malaysia, Thailand has a population of more than 65 million people.

Thailand is a tropical country and the weather is typically hot and humid, with periodic rain during the monsoon season. Thailand has a variety of geographic regions – varying from mountainous regions, jungles, plains and plateaus, as well as a number of stunning beach areas and numerous islands.

There are 76 provinces in Thailand with Bangkok (krungthep) forming the capital. More than 10% of Thailand’s population live in Bangkok and around 60% of the country’s wealth is concentrated there.

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with a long and interesting political history. The current monarch is His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who celebrated his 60^th year on the throne in 2006, making him the world’s longest reigning monarch. The King is highly revered within Thailand and respected throughout the world.

Thailand’s political history has proved rather turbulent, with an impressive total of 18 coups d’etat since 1932. However, not a single shot was fired during the last coup on September 19^th 2006, and Thailand is generally a safe and friendly place for visitors.

Despite the economic crash in 1997, which severely affected the country’s prosperity, Thailand now enjoys a booming economy once more. Thailand’s strong export growth allowed the economy to expand by 4.5% in 2007. Exports include computer technology, office machine parts, transistors, rubber, motor vehicles, plastic, seafood and rice.

Although Buddhism is by far the main belief, Thailand prides itself on religious freedom and welcomes the emergence of newer religions and beliefs.

The strain of Buddhism worshipped in Thailand is Thai Theravada Buddhism, which is supported and overseen by the government. Most men are expected to become a monk at some point in their life, and this is often undertaken during the three monk Khao Phansa period, which begins in July.

Monks can be easily recognised by their saffron coloured robed and shaved heads. Monks cannot carry money and so can be seen early in the morning collecting their daily food. Monks also receive a number of government benefits, such as free use of public transport.

Religion forms a cornerstone of most Thai people’s lives, entwined with daily activities and special events. Most people will worship at the temple (known as a wat) during festivals and monks and spirits are consulted when important decisions need to be made such as weddings and staring a business.

Unlike Western boxing, in Muay Thai the hands, shins, elbows, and knees are all used extensively.

There are many strict rules governing public Muay Thai matches. For example, only boxing shorts are permitted to be worn, and the colour depends on which corner the fighter is in; red, pink, or maroon or with a red stripe for the red corner; blue, bright blue, black for the blue corner.

Both fighters perform the Wai Kru (paying respect to the teacher) before the start of the first round, and a special dance called Ram Muay (accompanied by the appropriate Thai traditional music.

A Muay Thai matches last for five rounds; 3 minutes per round with a 2 minute break between each round.

Muay Thai matches can be scene all over Thailand, especially in tourist areas, where small rings are often set up in go-go bars.

A great place to enjoy a match is Lumpini Stadium, where matches are generally of a very professional level.

Another uniquely Thai sport is takraw, which is very similar to volleyball except that it uses an odd looking rattan ball and players are allowed to touch the ball using their feet, knees, chest and head.

Groups of people (usually boys and young men) can be seen in the streets all over Thailand playing this highly addictive and entertaining sport. There are even murals at Wat Phra Kaew that show the Hindu god Hanuman playing takraw in a ring with a troop of monkeys.

All you need to play is a special rattan ball, a net and an area of roughly 13 m x 6 meters free from all obstacles.

Football is naturally very popular in Thailand and many people worship teams from the English Premier League such as Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal. Thailand also has it’s own Thai League.

The destruction that gripped Bangkok will take months to repair, but the wounds that have been left in the national psyche will take even longer. This land of smiles is now irrefutably a divided territory. This a country at civil war where two diametrically apposed bodies seem hell bent on destroying each other, and everything else in between.

But this is not a hopeless state of affairs. Ordinary people will be so horrified with what’s occurred that perhaps a new moderate sense of unity can be achieved. Thais have so much in common and are normally so peaceful and welcoming that this shocking turn of events has appeared even more brutal.

Both sides must see that there are absolutes which can never be achieved – Thaksin in power and deputy PM Suthep facing criminal charges being two insurmountable obstacles that should be forgotten. If you look at Northern Ireland and the progress made there it is clear that conciliation is possible even in the most bleak circumstances, but real effort has to be made to make it happen.

But what are the options for staying in Thailand long-term? One of the most popular solutions for people desiring the lifestyle of their dreams is to undertake a TEFL English teaching course at a reputable institution and helping local people master our mother tongue. Teaching English is a rewarding occupation which bestows a myriad of different skills upon participants. Teachers must learn to lecture, converse, listen and, most importantly of all, have a great deal of fun in their day.

Teachers who have taken a TEFL course are also on path to an actual career with many doors open to them. Taking a TEFL course in Thailand gives the freedom to teach and live here without any visa or work permit problems, and then travel and work elsewhere. After a few months working in Thailand, teachers with TEFL qualifications can gain employment in South Korea and Japan where wages are extremely competitive.

For throwing 1,000 litres of blood at Government House is an act so bizarre that even Caligula would have pondered the point. And news that the Nursing and Midwifery Council  could punish nurses who aid in the collection of said crimson weaponry, only makes the cloudy issue murkier.

For is it better to enlist trained medical personnel to assist in a barbaric act and have it administered safely? Or refuse to help and have an army of oozing self-mutilators wandering the capital feeling distinctly light-headed?

It is a question that should surely never be asked in a developed country. In these modern times of AIDS and blood shortages you would imagine more people would think for themselves and abstain from such foolhardy action. But the passion of the red shirts in undeniable, and if it did not raise eyebrows there would be no point. Red paint would create fewer column inches and not be the action of a truly incensed mob.

But should this action actually have the desired effect and Abhisit quits his post as PM, heaven forbid what bodily fluids the yellow shirts are going to fling in response..

And let us not forget that four grenades were launched at banks in the capital just a few days ago. And although nobody was actually hurt in these attacks, they easily could have been and things are going to get more heated in the next few days. So what is the answer then? Button down the hatches may be one solution but for many of us who have to live and work in Thailand it is near-on impossible to avoid travel and completely remove oneself from life altogether.

But for people who plan to be in the capital next week it would be a good idea not to frequent any of the protests and to prepare for distruption. There is little doubt that there will be some trouble, and although Thailand’s beleaguered security forces are attempting to put down any problems before they happen, when you’ve thousands of people in one place it can be difficult to avoid.

Thaksin made his fortune through telecommunications and lost his seat after he apparently abused his power in office to enrich himself and his family. A small bomb was set off at the Bangkok Bank in the capital on Friday, perhaps as a protest against the court’s decision, but maybe now that the arguments surrounding Thaksin’s billions have been legally settled, there will finally be a chance to let the deep wounds heal.

And despite losing $14 billion before the weekend, at least Thaksin’s football team, Manchester City, beat Chelsea 4-2 on Saturday. And with a row between players from each team all over the English press, you can only hope another hatchet was buried that day.

According to the Energy Ministry, solar farms to be built on the elevated plateau of Isaan in the northeast of the country, as this flat, rice-growing land receives the majority of Thailand’s sunshine.

Both coastlines and mountainous areas tend to bring with them a higher chance of cloud coverage and Thailand is apparently leading the South-East Asian pack when it comes to the use of solar energy.

Most of the South-East Asian countries have a couple of things in common. The first is that they have very minimal budgets when it comes to promoting green technologies, and the second is that they are blessed with more than their fair share of sunshine.

And while I am certainly not one for breaking age-old traditions and modernising the few authentic parts of Thai life that remain, this one strikes me as a fool proof idea, as sometimes things have to change in order for them to stay the same.