Thailand

Thailand is reputed to be a country where "the wildest tales hold true". So, it follows that the various tales, some of which appear in this book, some of which might sound simply incredible, must be treated with due, consideration.

Our intention is' riot to produce yet another book that merely adds to the already swelling collection of literature on the trendy subject of "Unseen Thailand". Rather, we find it more convenient to portray this country, perhaps for the' first time, as "Unbelievable Thailand".

In so doing we have opted to cause a feeling of curiosity right from the beginning. The image that has been chosen for the cover suggests the feeling of mutual curiosity between two individuals who have hitherto been so far apart: an elder Thai from a remote part of the country and a Russian-cameraman. The title of the book "You Yet Know Me Little Go" which is the literal word-to-word (and far from grammatically correct) translation from English to Thai of "You Don't Know Me Well Enough", hut as the story unfolds interested readers gradually become more familiar with Thai culture, places of ,/nterest, certain episodes of Thai history and significant events in the evolution of Thai-Russian :e'ations. And all of that is projected, not through a straight forward description account as seen or understood from one dimension but using a "back to the future approach" whereby actual events seep through fictional context.

Another discovery which is of equal significance is the love of self mockery of the Thais, as evident from the title of this book, and, indeed, this passion could very well rival that of the addiction to the bi monthly national lottery.

The ultimate discovery that follows the initial feeling of curiosity and subsequent occasional journeys into the past is the impression of Thailand as a country where imagination could be turned into reality through the Thai way of life. Another finding is that the communication gap between Thais and Russians are not as wide as anticipated. The Iron Curtains that separated us for seven decades were more apparent than real!

We trust that after perusing this book, which is being published both in English and Russian, readers may feel "we know you little go true true" - .the meaning of which is, in IT language, "4 us 2 know and 4 и 2 find out".

Most would suggest Thailand if asked to say where this magnificent temple is to be found, Theywouid be wrong. This impressive temple is built on the hilltop of Bandarban and is decorated with exquisite sculptural images with the second biggest Lord Buddha statue enshrined in the sanctum. This is regarded as one of the holy site for Theravada Buddhism followers and Buddhist pilgrims.

The inhabitants of the Hill Tracts are mostly tribal. Life of the tribal people is extremely fascinating. Elements of primitiveness are strongly displayed in their rites, rituals and everyday life. The tribal people are extremely self-reliant, they grow their own food, their girls weave their own clothes and generally speaking, they live a simple life.