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Published: September 27th 2008
Leon's lunch
The special salad was made just for me and my low tolerance for spicy food. The Chang beer was courtesy of the shop across the street.Lost In Translation
Tuesday 23rd September
After a late night at the disco I woke at around 11.00 am in my apartment which is conveniently located above a 7/11 store and net café. The Chock Chai market is also adjacent to the building with the night bazaar the next street over towards Korat. I was supposed to be picked up at midday to go to the village but no one arrived and my friend’s mobile was not answering. After a big night out I guessed that it was sleep time in Chock Chai which I later found out was a correct assumption on my behalf. This meant the rest of the afternoon was spent in the net café and at 20 baht per hour is great value. Everything is Thai priced in Chock Chai with no tips expected by the restaurants or Tuk Tuks.
By 5.00 pm I was tired of waiting and rang brother Ben’s mobile and found out the motor cycle was not available to pick me up. I then arranged for the first time to catch a Tuk Tuk for the 6km trip to the village instead of being picked up. I was amazed when
My bed
It's more comfortable than it looks. the Tuk Tuk driver only wanted 80 baht and he stopped twice to ask directions and rang the family on my mobile to confirm the location. I will need to make a map but I have had the foresight to have a Thai mobile number and the address of the family home written in Thai script.
It was another pleasant drive through the rice fields and a large glass of Chang beer was thrust into my hand as soon as I arrived. A community dinner was in progress at the family home after a council meeting had been held earlier in the afternoon. The father of the Thai family that I am visiting is the leader of the village and I was asked to sit with all the other council members at their table. Fortunately one of the men spoke English and was interested to learn about my work and travels which he explained in Thai to everyone else. They were all eating Thai style pork which is black in colour and not suited to my palette and it was nice that a plate of well cooked Aussie style pork arrived with a bowl of the Marlee 105 rice
Our Soi (street)
Taken on my morning walk at 6.30 am which is locally grown and they advise me is the best quality rice in all of Thailand.
Later I sat with the teenage guys and kids which is more fun because they are all trying to teach me to speak the Thai language. One of the guys had an Ipod playing Thai music and my favourite Carabou and soon they were all dancing the Isaan way, there is never a dull moment at a gathering here. About 9.00 pm my bed was setup with the usual mosquito net and the family and I watched some Thai soap operas for an hour which seems to be a nightly ritual before sleeping. Everyone was tired and soon we were all in our beds fast asleep.
In Thailand you should not stress too much when your plans do not go to schedule or something unexplained happens that defies logical thinking. This is a different culture and I am slowly learning a little about how they think and I guess they are trying to work me out as well. The moral of the story is - “Don’t Worry - Be Happy”
Wednesday 24th September
I did not sleep well last
night and as per usual everyone was out of bed by 6.00 am. There is not much farm work happening at present and most of the day is spent relaxing playing cards, fishing, getting feed for the cattle and chatting around the table in the front yard. The kids are also on a school break except for 16yo Ben who failed an exam and returned to school for the next two days on shortened hours starting at 9.00 am to re-sit the test.
The family are putting a special effort into preparing meals palatable for a foreigner as most of the food they consume is far too spicy for me. The music is always playing loud from the stereo and the kids have great fun playing cards or other games, no one sits around watching television much here. All the kids are teaching me to speak Thai with Fah bringing her 1st grade reading book and a 6yo Poi from across the street teaching me the number system. They all laugh at my pronunciations and every day my group of teachers seems to be getting larger and it is great fun to be surrounded by all the kids.
The dam near the village
A nice place for a picnic or to relax Before school started Ben took me on a motor cycle ride to deliver some documents to the local council office and then we met another brother 14yo Sek and cousin 11yo Bom at the nearby lake which is a picnic area and quite a pleasant spot to relax. These three guys are real gems and always laughing, smiling and joking and have been great to me while I stay at the village.
Lunch included a specially prepared salad just for me and a bowl of rice. After lunch I said that I needed some exercise and five of the kids grabbed some umbrellas and we were off down the street to the local pond where a farmer released some ducks which raced past me on their way to the water. The kids love being my guide on these short excursions and I really enjoy spending some time with them as well.
After we returned home I was taken to another field where we collected feed for the cattle and watered some plants. On the way back we picked some plants off a tree which tasted like celery. No one will ever starve here as there are all types
Ducks on parade
They were heading for a swim in the pond of fruit and vegetables growing in the wild or planted in everyone’s yards and farms.
It is an idyllic lifestyle, everyone seems happy and there are no tantrums from the kids except for the very young babies. The children are all great and always smiling and have fun whatever they are doing. My extended Thai family are wonderful and have made me feel very welcome in their home. After another tasty dinner and drinks we were all inside watching the usual soap operas on TV till 9.30pm and then to sleep, no discos tonight.
Thursday 25th September
I have been sleeping better and must be getting used to the village environment. Mother wakes at 5.30 am to prepare for the day ahead. Father is the leader of the village and at 6.30 am today started up the very loud P.A system with speakers mounted on a tower outside the front of the house to make some announcements. The rest of the family are usually out and about by 5.45 am but today are still sleeping because of the school break.
There are heaps of mosquitos about because of all the rain so everyone sleeps inside a
mosquito net for protection. They are most annoying when taking a shower and they buzz around you in the outside bathroom, there is no fly wire on the windows here. I have learnt to use the shower which is quite an experience using a bowl to rinse myself from large containers filled with rain water, again especially for me as the family use clean water from the local dam which they reckon is not suitable for me.
At 6.30 am I decided to go for a walk as I have been eating big meals and drinking too much beer since arriving in the village. The sun was rising as I walked along the road and it’s many pot holes while the traffic passed me on their way to work and shopping at the markets. Some kids must be still at school and as I passed two cute little kids perfectly dressed in uniform they curtsied, bowed and waied all in the same motion automatically after I greeted them with a sawasdee khrap (hello) which brought laughter from the older kids nearby. I got some strange looks and lots of “hellos” and smiles as it would be most unusual
A wild vegetable
You would never go hungry in the village. for a foreigner to be strolling along this road at any time of day. I walked all the way to the temple in the next village with a few dogs barking at me which can be a hazard when walking these streets and especially late at night.
When I finally returned home all the boys in the family were cooking breakfast, everyone does there chores happily and there are no complaints. While they were cooking I went next door and sat with grandma and grandpa who is looking better and he smiled and waved to me. I then had a great breakfast of home made pork sausage and rice while the rest of the family had a spicier meal.
I then had a shower and decided afterwards that I needed to do some washing so young Sek showed me how the process worked. We filled more containers with water on the side pavement of the house, one for washing and two for rinsing, I washed and Sek helped to hang out the clothes on the line.
For lunch Sek went down the street and purchased some noodles, meat pieces and brine which turned into a delicious meal.
Straw being dyed for mat making
Making straw mats is an age old skill handed down by each generation - all the kids get involved to help mother make the mats The afternoon was spent playing cards and some more intensive Thai language lessons with the kids in the front yard in the shade. In the evening 16 of the extended family and I went for a great BBQ meal where everyone cooks their own food. It is a Thai style smorgasboard where you cook the food on a plate heated with hot coals. We had two very large containers of Leo beer and a great night was had by everyone. When we got back home we sat around chatting before the inevitable hour of Thai soaps on television and then it was time for sleeping.
My trip to Chiang Mai has been put on hold and I really don’t want to leave the village; maybe tomorrow, maybe not. I like it here in the village and the family are happy to have me stay with them.
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