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Published: July 10th 2008
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Jeroen at Baan Klang Tung
Front of the organic home stay...Baan Klang Tung, Jeroen Hoogenboom ; dutch writer who is fascinated the thai ways.
One day, when I heard from a dutch friend (Who I’d known him at the time we found the death of a friend in the south of Thailand) that he was going to visit Thailand for 1 month to work on his soulful novel. I thought of my teacher who I have worked with her long time ago about researching. And this time, September 2006; it’s in the rainy season, It was a good chance to see the life at the field of Ban Nong-Kao which is a place of rice field of Kanchanaburi. So I didn’t hesitate to drive to Ban klang tung Organic Home. During the way to the home stay, I saw many kinds of birds flying like this field was their paradise and at this moment, I absolutely realized that this place was wonderful for my foreign friend who was finding the place to work peacefully.
After I told my friend’s purpose to the owners of this home stay. They said welcome so kindly to me and attended to my foreign friend. However they looked a little bit anxious because they were afraid of their
Jeroen and Bhang Bhond.....
Jeroem and Bhang Bhond, every morning, they were walking together......good exercise...... English not good enough to take care of my foreign friend. I said to them the truth that my guest is very simple and familiar to stay with asian people because he traveled many times in Asia. So they felt better about their language and prepared the room and everything for him. Then I said thank you to them with all of my respectfulness.
The first day that Mr. Jeroen Hoogenboom arrived this place. He said thank you to me many times that I took him to this place. First impression was a wonderful life of thai ways during the way to the home stay. He saw the farmers helped each others grew rice in the field and the birds flew everywhere in the nice long field. He was no doubt about his peaceful life must be happened there and it was such a nice place to work well with nature of thai lives. I promised him to visit often and I was sure that he got the good care from the uncle Korn and Aunty Add as a special guest.
The first day at the home stay started so slow but nice. Mr. Jeroen ( I call
Vegetable Dishes
Yuummy dishes...... him Khun Ja -Roon because it sounds similar to thai name) spent his nice time by walking in the morning with his new friend, Bhang Bhond, the honest dog of Uncle Korn and Aunty Add which was this time to be his body guard. Khun Jaroon felt falling in love at first sight with the dog which became his real friend. (After he went back to Amsterdam, his homeland, he always asked me to send Bhang Bond to him there. But I said it’s easier if he comes back and visits him by person next time if he has a chance.) I told Khun Jaroon about the idea of the owners that they built the house on the belief of slow philosophy to make life slower, enjoy the wonderful surrounding and live with the beautiful seconds of life. Khun Jaroon impressed in the words “ slow down and live longer” because his life was slower than he’d ever been and this time was worth to relax with reading books and thought of the plot of his new novel.
My guest was staying so wonderful and peaceful. One thing that he was interesting was the food. Organic foods at the
Nong Kao village's Product
Seeing Nong Kao village's product..... home stay made him forgot the big meal in Europe which was not made from the inexpensive ingredients but the owners were very proud of their foods because they grew vegetables in their house by the ancestors’ ways of without chemical used. Fertilizer was made from local material and ancient’s knowledge. Fresh veggies and organic ingredients in the thai traditional cooking made the taste fascinated and full of benefits for good health. After trying, he realized that the food here became the one of his favorite food. He said “Organic foods here made his life longer as the slogan of the home stay”
During one month that he stayed here, Aunty Add and Uncle Korn took Khun Jaroon to see lives of Nong Kao which makes a kind of cloth called as 100 colors cloth which is become the product of Nong Kao village nowadays. Villagers talked to him like he was a member of their families. Even different language, but body language was used for explaining every things like talking same language and everybody always take care of the visitors with full of service mind. Khun Jaroon told me that he will learn thai next trip in Thailand.
I advised to stay with thai people more than 1 month must be advantage to understand and communicate in thai.
Another impressive thing was the warm relationship between monk, people and children. In Nong Kao village, Monks support school. People support temple. And all children come from village. So three things relate with each other for a long time. Aunty Add, Uncle Korn and khun Jaroon accompanied to school to see activities of students. At the thai music room Khun Jaroon sticked himself here listening thai songs and saw the ways that students enjoyed playing thai instruments and girls danced in front of the thai band. Khun Jaroon asked the teacher about the instruments. Because of the different languages, He didn’t get many answers from the teacher, however he can understand thai culture by the music and so meaning even it’s not the same as his language like the word saying “Music is a simple language” . He promised to come back here once and study to play thai instruments with the children.
Some others day later, It was the end of Buddhist lent. So we went to the temple near the homestay to see the culture of the
Thai Music Instrument
Listen to Thai music........ Buddhist ceremony. Almost every family of the people in the village joined with this ceremony. There was a thai traditional instruments band from the school played the nice songs. Khun Jaroon enjoyed talking with villagers. They asked to sit beside them and enjoyed having lunch together. One group to another group until he said he was enough and can not eat anymore then he said nice thank you to them with acting “Wai” for their kindness and only took photos with them. There was an impressive ways of life that he has never forgotten. Then we all together did merits by giving dry foods to monks. It is the Buddhist belief that it’s for a wealthy life and plenty of food in life. Khun Jaroon asked me to find coffee and gave to monks because he likes it and he preferred to drink it all of his life too. I think Khun Jaroon felt very happy to do the thai ways of life.
Before he left Thailand, Khun Jaroon told me that during one month of his time in Thailand was very happy. It did not only relax his body but also his soul. He worked well in the
Meal..........
Yummy ....LOL.... cute nice surrounding and realized that lives here are so wonderful, peaceful and warm with full of love between villagers. This community seems to be a great one which people are so grateful in their minds and sharing everything to each others without expecting for something. Khun Jaroon told me that he would like to stay here in the rest of his life and the last words before he left…HE WILL COME BACK !
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Enjoyed very much reading this...