Monks are everywhere around Chiang Mai and wonderful to see. They wear bright heavy clothes with their right shoulder revealed. Everything they do in the city is free of charge. They don't pay for anything. When you walk around Chiang Mai there are various gift shops where people can buy gifts for the monks. Monks are treated like loyalty in Thailand. The Royal family and the monks are the two most respected people of the country. Treating the monks with such respect is a great custom that Thai people have. It's wonderful to see the monks be treated so nicely. 

A monk's lifestyle is one of extreme commitment. Here are some facts that I've gathered about a typical Thailand monk's life:

Monks wake up at 4:00 AM and meditate for an hour. Then they get ready for their daily alms rounds, and by 6:10 AM they leave the monastery and are on the streets barefoot making their rounds. They walk around with their alms bowls for about an hour collecting food. As the monks are barefoot, it is a custom for the person offering the monk to take off his or her shoes and kneel down before offering the monk food. While the person offering food stoops before the monk, the monks recite a short prayer in Pali, an ancient language of India that is used in the earliest Buddhist scriptures. Unfortunately I haven't been able to see this happen yet but I hope I will be able to soon. After their alms rounds, they go back to the Temple and chant for a hour and eat a light meal at 11:30 AM. They are not allowed to eat after 12:00 in the afternoon. At 1:00 PM they go to class and learn Buddhist teachings. the rest of the day is dedicated to various chores around the Temple. At 7:30 they do homework right before they go to bed. They are in bed by 8:00. Of course all monks come in different extremities. Some follow their schedules strictly and others are more laid back. It's just like any religion in the sense that there are levels of dedication and stringencies. 

Monks also have various customs. They shave their heads during the induction ceremony and have 227 restrictions that mostly deal with their relationships with women. 

I got most of these facts off of the Internet but it is really interesting to learn about the lifestyle of monks. I hope to learn more about them. There aren't too many monks walking around Dallas so seeing them here is cool and interesting.