Keeping the naughty spirits happy

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Geo: 16.3833, 103.933

Friend Lawan who fell off the truck last week goes into the hospital this morning for a check up. In the afternoon, she tells us, a small group will be returning to the scene of her accident to have some sort of ceremony to placate the spirit that made her fall of the truck in the first place. Afterwards everyone back to her place for 'sukwan' or tying string around the wrists. I decide to leave them to it and stay at home with a book.
Jai's sister Bepat comes to see us. She wants to sell her part of the farm but cant easily do it until each of the three sisters has the paperwork proving ownership after their mum passed the land on to them last year. They are that efficient here it can take a few years for the documents to be prepared. She wants to offer the 'land registry' officials a bribe, if you like, or an inducement to be more polite to get their fingers out and prioritise their land. Jai and her other sister dont really care about the paperwork and will quite happily wait for the two years or however long it takes and aren't parting with a penny to help in this instance. She leaves disappointed.

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