Take Me Home, Country Roads

Off Hiway 3 in Chantaburi: lush foliage hums with insects, joined by the rustling of leaves in the warm afternoon wind

I've usually enjoyed what Robert Frost would have called "the road less traveled", and sometimes that does, indeed, make all the difference.  You can go from point A to point B in many areas of Thailand via reasonably modern highways, but you can also miss a lot by doing so.

A young man sails along the road on his motocy in Chantaburi

My frequent Thai traveling companion knows how I enjoy being in the thick of things, and he goes out of his way time and again to take the smaller country roads; mainly to entertain me, but because he, too, enjoys the surprises you find along the way. Thank goodness, because otherwise I'd feel bad about the number of times I say "Wait... can you stop and go back for a minute?"

Sure, we get lost every so often - and the Thai aren't all that much more accurate with directions for a fellow countryman than they are for we foreigners - but it's an important part of the journey, I think.

Thorny, multi-colored Euphorbia Milii Splendens (Crown of Thorns) seems to be guarding the laundry that's hung out to dry

For me, it's more interesting to see beyond the polished surface of any country I visit; to be out in the countryside among the locals is to be happier than a hog rolling in the shaded mud on a hot country afternoon.

While his wife and two children waited at the edge of the reservoir, a man gathers lotus buds to have with their dinner.

You don't see a string of 7-Elevens, and you can go entire days without being assaulted by a Starbucks, McDonalds or some other such retail atrocity (a treat unto itself, if you ask me).

What you do see are small stalls, mobile businesses on carts, lots of bicycles and motocy, and houses - both firmly on the ground and standing up on stilts, accessorized with livestock and folks resting beneath them on low platforms.  It's a window into a world we as visitors rarely have an opportunity to view.

This family of shrimp farmers in Chantaburi were amused by our stopping just to say hello. Fortunately, my friend could translate for me.

Rounding a corner, beneath the lush foliage of trees reaching out in an effort to touch each other above your head you're likely to see folks sometimes as surprised to see you as you are to see them.  Invariably they'll smile and wave back if you make the minor effort to acknowledge their existence and show a little appreciation for the beautiful area they call home.

Granted, it's not meaningful interaction, I suppose - but it feels good to be "a part of" on the most minor of levels, and far too many people miss it.

Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan

Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan from the Chao Phraya River

There are hundreds of sources for information on fact, figures and history about today's subject, Wat Arun, so I won't belabor you with a lot of details. Here's a brief overview, though, to give you a crash course on the place:

Wat Arun (or, more correctly Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan) has stood for nearly 200 years in the Thonburi section of greater Bangkok, on the Western side of the Chao Phraya River, just a few hundred yards from the corner of the Grand Palace grounds. The Thai knew it first as Wat Chaeng, a magnificent temple built on some 25 acres of land in the early 1800s.

Wat Arun was painstakingly decorated with pieces of ceramic tile and other broken cast-off materials that trading ships brought from China as ballast and then dumped in Thailand.

Showing some of the detail done from cast-off ceramics

Tourists will know it as Wat Arun, the temple of dawn, but it's at its dramatic best late in the afternoon, when the golden light brings it alive from the other side of the river. It's also quite impressive at night, bathed by an extensive system of lights. I'll follow up with another post featuring night shots of the temple soon.

Seven Buddha statues kneel behind a reclining Buddha image in a nook of the temple

The towering central Khmer-style prang - rising between 66.8 meters/219 feet and 86 meters/282 feet, depending on who you believe - was begun during the reign of King Rama II (between 1809 and 1824), and was finished under the reign of King Rama III (1824–1851). The additional four corner prangs were built not long afterwards.

When it was first built the temple contained the Emerald Buddha, considered by most to be the most holy relic in the kingdom, although the "emerald" part is a misnomer as it's actually made of green jadeite. That beautiful image is now housed within the palace grounds, and we'll make it there in another post - eventually.

People on the lower staircase give some perspective to one of the four towers in the distance and the main central one looming behind them

The day I visited it threatened to rain several times, and the heat and humidity was heavy enough I didn't feel like sticking around in the sun when it did pop through, so it's somewhere I'll visit again some time.  We'll revisit it here again, too.

Shave Ice, Revisited

In the original August 15th post about shaved ice (what most of us in the West would call a variation of the snow cone) in Old Chantaburi Town I'd intended on including a video clip of the young man preparing my cool treat, but I'd misplaced the file. Another attack of disorganization and forgetfulness, I suppose. You can read more about the snack in that post, too, if you wish.

I'd recorded it while he was putting my add-ons into the bowl and shaving the ice but since I couldn't readily find it I just used the stills I'd taken while he was putting my friend's together before mine.  I'm correcting that today.

The Hawaiian version mentioned in that other post is more firmly packed down, so there's actually more ice involved, but this portion was plenty. The little girl having a bowl of it nearby me sure wolfed hers down, and I enjoyed every last bit of mine, too.

The guy preparing them seemed a little amused that I was photographing the process of assembling them, and you can see his "ting tong farang" smile near the end of the clip, but I didn't mind... what  was a simple thing to him remains a nice example of everyday life to me, and I'm glad I found it to share with you.

We're having hot weather through the inland portions of California now, and I may just have to try to find such a cold snack today myself!

The Long Weekend

I'm taking a long weekend away on somewhat short notice, so I'll see you back here on Monday.

Book Report 4: Blundering Around Isaan

"Blundering Around Isaan" is Peter Jaggs' second book about times in Thailand, the first being "From Beggar to Butterfly", published a year before this one came out in 2007.

"Blundering" is based on true people and events, and weaves an entertaining story of his unexpected journey into the Northeast of Thailand, living with a bar girl and the people of her village. Based on that, I took the liberty of labeling this post as fiction and non-fiction.

His original plan was to come to Thailand and immerse himself in the nightlife of Pattaya for a half a year, but that plan was dashed as quickly as his rented jet ski flew up the sandy beach and smashed into a fruit cart, leaving him bruised and cut up. That failed effort to approach the shore, cut his engine and slide gracefully to a stop on the sand as the locals do earned him a two hour visit to the police station, and left him 150,000 baht poorer.  With only four traveler's checks left when he limped out he said to himself "That's the end of my six months in Thailand, then".

As it turned out, a bar girl named Kung suggested he accompany her back up into Isaan to visit her family - a trip he could afford.  They clambered onto a bus to the Northeast. Once there, he was introduced to her sami (husband) - and there the story really begins.

Jaggs style is casual and free-flowing. He has an eye for everyday detail - as do I - so I went through the 291 pages at a slightly slower pace than I sometimes read things, just to enjoy it. I was in Thailand at the time, and on a journey into Isaan myself (you can read that 28-part saga by clicking here) and it was a great way to finish my day before going to sleep. Better than what was on the TV at the rooms we stopped at, that's for sure!

There are many tales of his times with the locals, including Kung's uncle Loong, considered a somewhat loopy elder of the village. Fishing, drinking, gardening, hunting and more drinking filled his days for the time he was there... along with plenty of other more colorful experiences.

The book is available through Amazon (as a Kindle, too), in book stores in Thailand, or in print or e-book through the publisher's site Bangkok Books for $6.99US.

Khaen Pipe Busking - Street Performing

If you visit the Chatuchak weekend market you're bound to run into people playing on the walkways for spare change, or busking to those of you in the UK. The two boys above were working as a team one late morning, standing in the already hot sun and going at it almost non-stop.

Another boy performing at
Chatuchak one morning

Being a musical skill passed along from one generation to the next he music played isn't always high quality, but if you appreciate free-form jazz you're likely of a mind to enjoy the somewhat repetitive, trance-like melodies they perform. What I mean is, the age of the performer isn't necessarily an indicator of the level of authenticity, and I'm not an expert so this kid might qualify as a very good player - who knows?

The variety of melody and tones used has been better with some older players I've heard - I can say that much.

The instrument the boy in the red shirt in the clip is playing is called a khaen; also spelled "kaen" and "khen", transliteration being the imperfect process it often is. There is also a close relative in the same family known as the khene; nearly identical, but tuned to a different (pentatonic) scale.

The khaen is a set of bamboo pipes, carefully cut to different lengths to produce different notes, and I say carefully because unlike a stringed instrument it's nearly impossible to "tune" it once the pipe is cut. There are five basic lai, or modes, of tuning for the khaen. This is beyond my musical knowledge, so forgive me for quoting a bit here from Wikipedia to explain them to those who'll understand:

"The khaen has five different lai, or modes: Lai Yai (A C D E G), Lai Noi (D F G A C), Lai Soutsanaen (G A C D E), Lai Po Sai (C D F G A), and Lai Soi (D E G A B). Lai Po Sai is considered to be the oldest of the Lai Khaen and Lai Soutsanaen the 'Father of the Lai Khaen.' "

More common in the Isaan region of Thaland, it's also a common woodwind used in the music of Laos and Cambodia.

I confess, when I hear this at an outdoor restaurant as part of the entertainment it's difficult to stay seated and not join in with the others who get up to dance. Thankfully, decency usually keeps me seated.

Flowers, Part 18: Euphorbia Milii - Crown Of Thorns

Euphorbia Milii  (or Euphorbia splendens) at Wat Khao Sukim

The color and variety of plant life throughout Thailand is always a treat while traveling through the Land of Smiles. The picture above was taken on the upper level of Wat Khao Sukim on the way into Chantaburi Province. 

At home here it's commonly known as "crown of thorns", a part of the Spurge family (the Christmas flower poinsettia is part of the same family) and while the blossoms are stunning the thorny stems are truly nasty. I suppose if people were in the habit of picking flowers in your yard, this would be something you'd want around the edges.

Yellow blooms of the same plant in a home yard in Isaan

For those of you who aren't horticulturalists, Euphorbus was the Greek physician of King Juba II of Numidia (present day Algeria) between 50BC to 19AD, and Millius refers to Baron Milius, who introduced the species into France in 1821. Eventually it made its way to Asia. Christians believe it may have been the crown of thorns used during the crucifixion.

You're likely to see these as potted plants in home gardens, but in the ground they can become shrubs that can grow to nearly six feet high. They're also part of the family of plants that contains the cassava that grows throughout Thailand, too.  It's what tapioca is made from.

There. That's your agricultural lesson for the day... and no, it won't be on the final.

Thai Smiles, Part 51: Chantaburi Weekend Smiles

Father and daughter in Old
Chantaburi Town

I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was a little overbooked, but some things (like the memorial service and gathering for a family friend) aren't possible to put onto the back burner in lieu of others.

That said, I had quite a few friends and family staying here in town for the past few days, and that's put me a long ways behind schedule for my usual rounds.  While I was hoping to get a post up about another part of the Chantaburi weekend getaway, that's not going to happen.

Instead, here are a few shots I took while away for that weekend, adding another installment to the Thai Smiles series.

Hey... at least they're my photos. All too often trolls with blogs troll the internet for images they alter slightly and claim to be theirs (part of the reason for the watermark on mine, although I've still found a few on other sites with the watermark cropped out - HA!)  Anyway, I'll take another stab at a post tomorrow.

The first three of these were taken on the long Chantaburi weekend, and the last is a leftover from Friday's post about killing time at work.

Couple on a cycle in Old Chantaburi Town

Proprietor of one of two small stores in Laem Singh

Guys on Soi Twilight, filling a slow time

Working Boys: Killing Time On Soi Twilight

Sharing the news in that day's paper

All of us have had those times at work at one point or another: there's really nothing to do for some period of time, and we either have to look busy - in case some supervisory figure comes lumbering by - or are left to fill that dead space in the day by ourselves in one way or another.

Group dinner before work

As one example, here where I live you're likely to see state road crew workers clumped together at a site in their brightly colored safety vests often standing idle, watching one person working with a shovel while they simply lean on theirs. I usually say to myself "there's my tax dollars at leisure," but I know that's not always the case. I feel fairly confident in saying this happens at workplaces around the world.  Sometimes it's borne of laziness, sometimes not; it's not for me to judge, I suppose.

Road workers in the USA (Internet image)

One early evening in Bangkok I noticed just such a group of guys waiting for something to do and filling the void. What they do for a living and where this was isn't important, so I'll leave that unsaid, but it reminded me of the times I'd go to the water cooler or away from my own office just to kill a few minutes.

Something seemed to be holding their interest in the paper

Since it's Friday - a time when many of us are looking forward to "our time" on the weekend - I thought it might be a fitting opportunity to share the thought and a few of the pictures I took of those workers.

"Look at what I've downloaded here..."

While putting this post together I realized it might just as well have been put under the "Same Same, But Different!" category, but so it goes.  Enjoy your weekend, all.  See you here Monday.

Lost to their cell phones, filling some dead time

Trip Report, Part 25: Khuk Khi Kai

The road-side view of Khuk Khi Kai

While on a long weekend getaway this last trip I had the opportunity to stop and see Khuk Khi Kai, a remnant of the French-Thai unpleasantness at the end of the 19th century.

An internet image of Siamese mounted artillery in 1893

The Franco-Siamese War of 1893 was a conflict between the French Third Republic and what was then known as the Kingdom of Siam. The Thai naturally didn't care for the attempted occupation of Chantaburi, and some rebelled. As punishment, those who did were rounded up and put into the small (4.4 meters/14.4 feet across and 7 meters/23 feet high) brick building above.

If you don't already know, Thai culture believes the top of your head is the closest to heaven, and therefore the most "holy" part of the body, and your feet are the most base parts. It's common knowledge that you don't touch the top of peoples heads unless you've been given permission to do so, and that you don't point your feet at someone, step on them, or, indeed, even step over them. 

With that in mind, here's what made this holding facility most odious to the Thai: the French put a slatted roof on the building and kept chickens in a coop up there. The chickens would eat, scratch about as chickens will, and, naturally, poop - and their droppings would fall with no warning on the heads of the captives below. It wasn't a physical torture, per se, but one that was a great insult psychologically.

"Well, that was kind of a chickenshit thing to do," I commented while taking these images, and my friend blushed - he would rarely use such a crude term himself - but agreed. I had to push to get an answer as to how that would be said in Thai, and since I didn't take note of it I can't share it with you today. Probably just as well - there's plenty of that very behavior still going on today, anyway. Man's inhumanity to man, and all.

Being uncomfortable about the whole idea I declined to go inside myself, but you can bend down and enter a 3-foot high doorway, if you visit there.  It's history, but it's not history at its finest.  Still, an interesting stop.

The back side view, with the entrance door on the right