Country Life in Thailand
31. März - 8. April 2023
- Rural Life in Thailand
We had the opportunity to stay with the Thai family of a friend for a few days. The family lives in the Nakhon Ratchasima province in a village. From Bangkok, we took a 5-hour bus ride to the capital of the province. From there, public transportation was no longer available. The last 60 kilometers, about 1 hour of travel, apparently requires a private vehicle. The family was so kind and picked us up from there. Anourak and Nut (our hosts) are approximately our age and have a young son named Musik. But one thing at a time.
- The Dog Competition
Nut used to be a dog breeder and has also participated with his own dogs in competitions. A national championship like this one was taking place in Nakhon. And he wanted to watch it, so we said we'd go with him. (To my shame, we unfortunately missed a lot because I forgot a bag with money and identification at the hotel, and we had to go back.)
Once we arrived, I was again amazed by the Thai animals. I expected to see dogs... but not that there would also be cats, rabbits, chickens with chicks, snakes, and other animals without any problems... (including a crab-like creature that looked like it came from another planet - Birgus latro).
The competition was as follows: each dog was supposed to pull a ramp with weights up. If a dog managed to do it, it could take a break until it was their turn again. Then more weight was added. We were able to meet a dog there and pet it, which half an hour later, with much enthusiasm, pulled 1.7 tons.
Later, we went for a walk through the market and then drove to the family's house.
We stayed here for 7 days and got to see how the family goes about their daily lives. The aunt, Ba Kaow, also lives in the house. There are also several chickens, two dogs, three adult cats, and three kittens on the premises. The house consists of a bedroom and a living room with a sleeping area (for the aunt). The toilet and kitchen are "outside." The toilet is located adjacent to the house in the garden, which is essentially a structure with a roof (more on that later).
There is no "front door." In front of the entrance are a refrigerator, rice cooker, and kettle. Otherwise, the kitchen of the restaurant is used for cooking. The restaurant is located outside the house under a roof.
- The Restaurant
The restaurant serves noodle soup with various toppings. It seemed like everything was thrown in and done. The noodles used here are the usual rice noodles that are often purchased soft and not dried. They are then cooked in a kettle with multiple chambers. Different broths can be used. The noodles and other ingredients are briefly held in a sieve and a ladle of broth is added to the bowl at the end.
Anurak has another shop a few streets away. There he sells cold drinks and ice cream. Music is always with him. Here he showed us his funny faces again. We didn't miss the opportunity and got a very tasty chocolate ice cream.
- The Bathroom
There is a toilet, but no flush. Instead, there is a bucket of water and a large ladle to rinse the toilet. Not to be confused with the shower. That consists of a different colored bucket, and here, too, there is a large ladle. The water is poured over oneself while standing outside the structure. Since there is no cabin, the entire bathroom serves as a shower and has a drain. In this case, it is a small hole in the corner of the room. The water then flows into a ditch in the garden. Here, it either flows into a nearby body of water or simply evaporates. We couldn't see the drain from the toilet, but it probably ends up in the same body of water.
We also made a short video of me taking a shower. For those of you who wanted to see me shower... here you go.
📷 You can find more photos in this photo album.
- Infrastructure
In the beginning, I mentioned that the last kilometers require a private vehicle because there are no buses running. It is not because the area is sparsely populated. The Nakhon Ratchasima province can be compared quite well to Brandenburg. In Nakhon Ratchasima, 2,493,000 inhabitants live on an area of 20,500 km2. In Brandenburg, 2,538,000 inhabitants live on an area of 29,600 km2. In short, the same number of inhabitants, but Brandenburg is one-third larger. It is probably more due to the fact that there are no large bus companies like in our country. There are probably smaller providers that also run buses there, but there is no timetable. So it is difficult to find out when and where to find such a bus.
Whenever I think about things like this, I am very grateful for our infrastructure.
- Elephant Temple
In the first few days, we were taken to an impressive temple. We had already seen several temples, but this one was different.
On an artificially created lake (where crocodiles live alongside the usual fish), there is a huge elephant head protruding from the building. The entire temple is adorned with mosaics and statues on the outside, but instead of the usual Buddha images or other important scenes, it is decorated with monsters and beasts, with figures and shapes.
Inside the temple, there are incredible paintings. Here, too, you can find stories of Buddha, but with more artistic flair and more intense colors. There are also pictures and paintings of important monks.
We were already impressed by the large hall when Anurak took Janine to pray.
That's when they asked if we wanted to go up? Up? We hadn't seen a temple yet that had another floor, so of course we wanted to go up.
A ramp ran along the outer wall of the round building and climbed up the temple. There were more pictures and paintings (you should take a look at the photo album, it's really hard to choose which pictures we want to upload because they are all so impressive).
The scenes seen here contained subtle modern elements. At first, one would think "Wow," and then gradually wonder, "Hmm... is that an iPad?"
Upon arriving at the large hall, we found, among other things, an art gallery with a meditation room. There were also cabinets for divination. There was a hexagonal metal box, almost completely closed. There was a small hole. One shakes the box until one manages to shake a wooden stick through the small hole. There is a number on the stick. Then all one has to do is find the compartment with the corresponding number in the cabinet and take out a piece of paper. Anurak returned her piece of paper dissatisfied and told us that she usually doesn't receive promises of luck here, but rather warnings...
Janine was not quite sure how to understand it, but it was nothing bad. On the other hand, I was very pleased: "Good things are happening. Life is changing in a Better way. You will reach the top."
So we went "To the Top."
A bit further, we arrived at the roof of the temple. Here stood a large golden Buddha statue, which occasionally began to recite prayers.
We were standing on the head of the elephant, which protruded from the front of the building.
On the way back, we encountered the temple's elephant. Without further ado, some vegetables and sugar cane were handed to us, and we were allowed to feed the elephant and take pictures with it.
For me, it was the first time standing next to a living elephant. No bars, no glass, no distance. Maybe 15cm from my head to the elephant's head. It was still munching on the sugar cane and already starting to play with its trunk. I hope I get the opportunity to spend time with such an animal again, in a more animal-friendly context.
-The Market
The term "cool chain" is missing from the vocabulary of local market vendors.
There are various morning markets that are mainly visited by the Thai population. In our case, it was an evening market that takes place three times a week. In the afternoon until evening, various vendors gather to offer their goods to the public.
Among the noodle soups we got from Nut, there was always crispy fried pork skin on top. Like a good roast crackling.
One morning, Aunt started chopping a large bag of pork skin into small strips. Around noon, she started a fire behind the house and began frying the pork skin. The small leathery pink strips turned into golden-brown, fluffy, crispy crackling pieces. After they had cooled down, they were packaged in two different sizes.
The next day around 2 pm, we went to the market with Nut and tried to help him sell the bags of crispy skin. As it turned out, we were not very helpful. The friend we came here for was probably a greater help. (We were probably better off as attractions in the restaurant.)
Right next to our stand was a meat stall.
Here, everything from the pig was offered. From the head to the foot. And all of it was not refrigerated.
Even though it was initially somewhat strange for us when we saw this for the first time. But it might not be so strange for our parents or grandparents. 50 years ago, there were markets in Germany where meat was offered without refrigeration. If it is fresh enough and processed quickly, it is not a problem.
Overall, especially here in the countryside, many things are similar to how they were 50 years ago in our country...
Seat belts in cars are known, but maybe only used during police checks. Child seats are known of, but the child can also sit on the lap. And working on cars is fun: Some vehicles could be heard from a kilometer away, thanks to the new exhaust.
-Trash
There is no real waste separation here. Food scraps go into the bucket for the chickens, and the rest goes into the other bucket. Every few days, everything is dumped into a pile in the garden and set on fire. It was very strange to observe. We had already seen attempts in the south of Thailand to recycle at least the PET of the unspeakable bottles. But here in the middle of nowhere, there was no infrastructure for garbage (or I believe there is none in all of Thailand). Even if you sorted everything properly and didn't burn it: Where would you take it if there were no landfills or recycling facilities, and no garbage trucks that regularly pick everything up?
This strengthened our commitment to reduce our waste while traveling.
Sometimes it is difficult.
-Tuk Tuk 3.5€
Anyone who has been to Asia has probably encountered Tuk Tuks and may have ridden in one as well. The typical Thai Tuk Tuk actually comes from the Italian Piaggio, which came to Thailand via China. Nowadays, there are different types and designs of Tuk Tuks depending on the country and region. The original has the two-wheeler at the front center and passengers sitting behind. However, in the southern islands, the sidecar version has become popular. In this setup, the scooter is connected to a sidecar-like structure. The advantage is that the "sidecar" can be easily detached, allowing for easy replacement of the vehicle itself. Passengers can sit on this "sidecar," or it is used to transport various items. Some even set up a kitchen on it to offer freshly cooked food at markets.
We have ridden in a Tuk Tuk many times and chatted with the drivers while they took us to our destinations. During these rides, an idea came to me, but implementing it was difficult. I wanted to drive one myself. Most drivers just smiled and shook their heads, and scooter rental agencies repeatedly said they had no idea where to find a Tuk Tuk for self-driving. But now was my chance. Anurak and Nut allowed us to use their scooter anytime in the city. After a few days, I asked Nut if I could take the Tuk Tuk. He seemed a bit puzzled and asked me again if I was sure and if I could really do it. But he gave me the keys. So, we quickly parked, Janine got in, and we hit the streets. It was my first time driving with a sidecar, but after a few minutes, I got the hang of it. Maybe someday I'll work as a Tuk Tuk driver 🤔.
-Conclusion
It was nice to get to know the family of our friend.
We also enjoyed the opportunity, as most travelers don't get to stay in a place where there is nothing, absolutely nothing for tourists. It was great to get to know the lives of the Thai people and the people themselves more closely. Sometimes, it was challenging to adapt to the culture, but I believe that locals often have a distorted image of Westerners. The only thing that helps in such situations is to communicate, even if you don't speak each other's language. And it's important to be open to sharing your life and inviting others to be part of it.
I am very glad that we were here.
📷 For more photos, check out this photo album.
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