Life in Isaan

[pharvey]

Richard - had not looked at this thread previously, and have just spent a little while following from the start! Thoroughly enjoyed the whole lot - great stories, great pics..... good to "meet" you!!

Far better than "Corrie" and that southern sh*te in my book!! When's the next episode?

[richard]

Thanks PH

This is my third and I have plenty for a couple more

First 2 were published by the HH Observer

I just feel people ought to know how life is in a village in the wilds

[Spitfire]

Great pics Richard but every village is different.

[pharvey]

Great pics Richard but every village is different.

Sure every village is different Spitfire, but for the likes of me it's good to get an insight to at least one.

I've travelled Thailand for work (for several years overall), but have always been in big towns - in the "north" was Lampang, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai etc. Work in those days (well future) is on the coal fired power plants. Further south, Rayong etc. was on Petrochemical or chemical plants.... Always BIG plants. I did (and do) try to travel to the villages etc., but certainly did not get the insight that Richard (or yourself) do.

As an aside, rather than "PH" or "pharvey" - I'll sign off Pete H, if you don't mind........ so as not to be confused with a varstly superior poster!!

[richard]

got my stats wrong on DON. He is only 8 years old and already 60 kgs and knee high to a grasshopper

[Spitfire]

Sure every village is different Spitfire

Yeah, true, they all have their own banks/shops/water and gas plus electrictity supplies which are nothing to do with government or any officialdom etc, it's a local private business.

Why do you think they are all so pissed off?

....but for the likes of me it's good to get an insight to at least one.

Fair play.

I've travelled Thailand for work (for several years overall), but have always been in big towns - in the "north" was Lampang, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai etc. Work in those days (well future) is on the coal fired power plants. Further south, Rayong etc. was on Petrochemical or chemical plants.... Always BIG plants.

That actually quite cool, lots of good experience which many will never experience.

I did (and do) try to travel to the villages etc., but certainly did not get the insight that Richard (or yourself) do.

I have been in the south, north and mostly in the northeast for the last 10 years so no worries, understand.

As an aside, rather than "PH" or "pharvey" - I'll sign off Pete H, if you don't mind........ so as not to be confused with a varstly superior poster!!

Why is everyone called Pete, must be a cool name.

[caller]

Very enjoyable read Richard - thanks.

[PeteC]

Yes, enjoyable read Richard, thanks. Pete

[STEVE G]

Yes, thanks and well done Richard.
I spend at least a month of every year in an Issan village and it’s a real experience, a genuinely different type of lifestyle to that you get in the towns and cities.
As Spitfire points out above, those places are almost completely self-sufficient, they provide their own food, water, policing, sanitation and the only thing they get from the state is electricity, and they’d provide that as well if they had to.

[migrant]

Nice report, thanks

[Roel]

Very entertaining albeit a bit depressing this time. But that of course is a consequence of describing reality. Thanks very much Richard! Looking forward to the next episode.

[usual suspect]

Read your 1st installment Richard-lad,relate to most of it,will savour your next stories later today.
Yes,all villages vary,all run differently,I've tried to be a model farang in the wife's village near Nong. Ki,my Thai family are great,hard working and good hearted,we have a handful of men & women that regularly do work for us on the land. As for the rest of the locals...it really is hard to be nice and smiley when you know they despise you..in true Thai fashion I don't show my feelings in public,but my wife knows how I feel about 'em all.
cheers for sharing it all with us.

[richard]

An add on

Tonight after several day of extreme heat we got the rains, power cuts and the like. Ran my laptop down over a hour and the mobile was struggling and posted in Candlelight

Packed off to bed with a cold wet blanket and after telling the wife to switch off all power supplies except fans and bedroom light. All was well. A good nights kip in store

No, no I woke up ( 8pm) and power restored, Priority? Thai movie on TV

One wonders about there mentality sometimes. Most are totally oblivious of what is happening in their country

[Khundon1975]

A great series of stories Richard

An eye opener for those of us who tend to frequent the larger towns and cities with only the odd trip to the sticks, like our trips to the farm for R&R in Nakhon Sawan.

We always find that the locals are very pleasant and eager to see us but we don't seem to get the beggars and the like, that you seem to get in Issan. Mind, we (the family) do employ a few villagers there year round, so maybe that's why we don't get hassled. Just chased by the village kids, which I don't mind, as the wife usually brings along chocolate and sweets to give too them.

We always get invited into the villagers houses for food and drinks but I cannot keep up, so try to leave for an early night, leaving FIL there, till he rolls home drunk the wee hours.

Your a brave man to eat all that raw meat etc, I would avoid it like the plague, with my history of bowel problems and have experienced the "In the car and got to go" syndrome, on more than one occasion.

Keep the stories and pics coming.

[johnnyk]

I've had some great times upcountry, too.
Fishing in the klong with the XGF's uncle, up to our necks gathering whelks (I think) and small fish in a net strung across the klong. Making soup outside at night and enjoying Changs together, pood len with the old village ladies (one, 75 years old asked the XGF if it was true falangs had big willies!). No beggars, just two leeches (one married to XGF's aunt, the other to her sister). Little kids surrounding me while I got a haircut and lazy hours in a hammock punctuated by cold Changs!
The XGF used to say, "Dis Thailand, not citee!"
Wonderful memories and 250 pics lost when the camera fell out of my backpack while on a motosai
Every falang should go if they have the chance!