On Thursday, the world has lost a big personality, influential monarch and a kind soul.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej has died at the age of 88 in a Hospital in Bangkok.

Everytime I have visited Thailand, I notice how much they respect and adore their king.
A picture of him is hung up in almost every restaurant or shop, and his face is even painted on some houses in Bangkok.

When I was in the Cinema in Thailand, everybody stood up to respect the king right before the movie started!

Bhumibol was loved and admired by the people almost like a god.
Although he didn't influence the state affairs a lot in the last couple of years, he always represented peace.

The Thais are very serious about this loss - they have advised a national mourning period of one year, where all employees of the state are supposed to wear black.

Thai people had been camping, praying and singing in front of the hospital continuously for several days, as soon as the information about Bhumibol's bad health went public.
Now, after his death, thousands are still staying there - mourning.

I can't be the only one who sees these things as creepy and unhealthy in the extreme, rather than merely a reflection of the monarch's character.