Struggling a bit with Thai Temple culture and would appreciate an explanation. Reddit — Thailandtv.news

Hello,

I am currently experiencing my first trip to Thailand and have been enjoying it so far.

However I really do not get Thai temple ettiquette and would love to be enlightend by someone more knowledge than me.
I am used to temples and monasteries being a bit of a world apart, still practising rites, rituals and etiquettes from days of yore.
Thai temples seem so much more worldly to me for a lack of better terms.
Most temples seem to have at least some vendors for food & drink on temple grounds or right next to them, while others seem downright citchy tourist traps ( Mangkon & Saket).
And honestly some people are behaving in ways that I as a deeply anti-religious person found frankly a bit offensive, like walking by a congregation in prayer while playing loud music or a monk talking loudly on the phone in a temple’s main hall ( Suthat Thep).

So did I just end up in tourist traps, that locals do not consider real temples anyways or is this just how things are done in Thailand ( if there is a cultural reason for it, I would love to hear).

Thank you for your help and helping me understand Thailand better.