Thailand is still an exotic, exciting place, as this story about a pythons in Thai toilets, demonstrates.

A woman was almost killed by a python that came out of her toilet last night. The woman, Rampeung Onlamai, 57, had just finished her shower at her home north of Bangkok when a python emerged from her toilet and attempted to drag her down the drain. The snake sunk its fangs into her right hand and then started pulling her down toward its toilet nest. Rampeung defended herself with a broom and called out for her daughter, who rushed to her rescue and pried the python’s head off her hand. The python then crawled back into the toilet.

Rampeung was admitted to the hospital, where she needed 20 stitches to seal the gash. Samkok district officer Metha Taweekunchai said he’ll order his officers to capture the snake in Rampeung’s toilet so the family can resume using it.

Here’s my friend Vern, from Snakes.org, telling you what to do about a pythons in Thai toilets:

Snakes are common in Thailand. The other day I watched one swim across the river towards me. Snakes are cold-blooded so, when he reached my side he hauled himself (herself?) out onto a giant lilypad into the sun and lay there to warm up. This gave me an opportunity to study it closely and I was amazed and delighted at what I saw. The snake was a brilliant, emerald green with two lines of shiny gold scales running down its back. Though I was close, it seemed quite at ease and took its time before slipping back into the water to complete its journey. I wondered what caused it to undertake such a crossing – probably the equivalent of a mile-long swim for a human – when it could not, I suspect, have known what was on the other side. It also had to elude the big fish that live in the river and will sometimes surface and grab unlucky birds. Ah, Thailand!

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Creating a form, thousand-armed, each with a weapon,
Mara on the elephant Grimekhala roared frightfully with his soldiers.
The Lord of Munis conquered him by means of Dhamma-giving and so-on:
By the power of this may you be of wholesome victories.

More than Mara making war all night
Was the frighfulness of Alavaka the yakkha, impatient and arrogant.
The Lord of Munis conquered him by means of well-taming with patience:
By the power of this may you be of wholesome victories.

The noble elephant Nalagiri became quite mad,
Very cruel, like a forest fire, wheel-weapon or a thunderbolt.
The Lord of Munis conquered him by means of sprinkling the water of loving-kindness:
By the power of this may you be of wholesome victories.

Very cruel, with a sword upraised in his expert hand,
Running three leagues along the path he was, Garlanded-with-fingers.
The Lord of Munis conquered him with a mind performing marvels:
By the power of this may you be of wholesome victories.

Having made her belly like a pregnant woman (by tying on) a piece of wood
Cinca spoke lewdly in the midst of the people.
The Lord of Munis conquered her by fair and peaceful means:
By the power of this may you be of wholesome victories.

Saccaka, whose speech habitually departed from the truth,
Raised up, like a flag, his theory with a mind become completely blind.
The Lord of Munis conquered him by wisdom’s shing lamp:
By the power of this may you be of wholesome victories.

Nandopananda the serpent of wrong understanding but great power,
The (Buddha’s) son, the Elder (Moggallana) serpent-like set out to tame.
The Lord of Munis conquered him by means of a demonstration of power:
By the power of this may you be of wholesome victories.

Like a serpent well coiled about the arms were the wrongly grasped views
Of the Brahma-god named Baka of pure light and power
The Lord of Munis conquered him by means of the medicine of knowledge
By the power of this may you be of wholesome victories.

These are the eight verses of the Buddha’s wholesome victories.
Which should be chanted and recollected every day without laziness
(So that) being rid of the many kinds of obstacles
The man of wisdom can attain Liberation and happiness.

– Translation by Ven. Khantipalo

And here’s a video of Thai monks chanting The Buddha’s Wholesome Victories:

Some reading about Thai monks chanting The Buddha’s Wholesome Victories

• Learning Pujas from Gen-la | Tsem Rinpoche – And Tibetans, and have you seen the Thai monks chant? Oh, wow, when they start chanting and they pass down that cord to bless you, it’s like wrap me around twice, I love it! Have you seen the Japanese monks chant?
• Wesak a day to reflect on the teachings of Buddha – Health … – Thai Monks Chant New Home Blessing 1 of 2 in USA. Buddhist Theravada Thai monks from Wat Washington Buddhavanaram chant Pali blessings in recently rented house. From left to right they are: Ajahn Padet, Ajahn …
• Theravada Buddhism (TB): Imee Ooi – The Chant of metta ( Lyrics … – May (6). Buddha Puja · Thai Monks Chant 2 · Thai Monks Chant · Is Nibbana Guaranteed? The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta [Part one] · Imee Ooi – The Chant of metta ( Lyrics: Pali & Eng… ▻ 2010 (4). ▻ December (1).
• Could Luis Suarez be Arsene Wenger’s Cantona … – Present a wisp of fairy spirit?The fairy spirit is really extremely precious, common of Ning palace monk, which afraid is a core pupil to want to acquire 1 wisp, all through his entire life don’t necessarily have this opportunity. …… Strong suits are regional Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese, but don’t stop there – Las Vegas is jam-packed with Thai restaurants, many of them better than you might be used to back home, unless home is, say, Thailand. Procedure is …

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