Songkran and Sukhothai Part 1
Well, it has been a while. Songkran is the Thai new year (2549 going back to Buddha's birth or death) and sort of like Christmas. Everything shuts down and everyone goes home. It runs from the 10th until the 16th of April.
Sukhothai is the province in which May's family lives. About 2/3rd's of the way from Bangkok to Chang Mai. Just at the base of the mountains and close to Burma.
We got up early (4AM) to catch a 7am flight. It was May's first time in a plane (well at least one that was going to take her off the ground). It's about a one hour flight to the Sukothai airport in a two engine prop plane wih 19 rows and 4 seats across (76 people I guess) and the flight was booked. The plane then went from Sukothai to Chang Mai. Her brother-in-law (Chip and his 2 daughters (A and M) met us at the airport) in the 5 seater pickup. It was at least an hour from the airport to her parents house. We stopped on the way to buy groceries for the family (whiskey for papa). We also ran into her oldest sister Moon (Chip's her husband). The town (name to come later) was small with about 3 or 4 thousand people. The down town area reminded me of small town America in the 50's with all of the small stores and an outdoor market that sold all sorts of foodstuffs (you could even get your stuffed beetles here).
We traveled from there to her parents home. From this point it started getting hilly - sort of reminded me of northeastern Kentucky. Her parents have a 2 story house in the middle of no where. About a mile or two back a dirt road (reminds me of the old Daniels house in Kentucky). The house had no running water (many do not) and they have those squat toilets which I hate. No heating at all which is not necessay anyway but on the other hand no AC either (fans , fans and fans - did I mention fans?). They did have electric and a frig. Cooking was by gas or charcoal. The downstairs consists of a living room, a storage room (also used to change clothes) and a dining area with the bathroom off of that. The cooking was done on the back porch or patio area. Big vessels of water were also located there used for cooking and cleaning. The upstairs has a small room (for privacy) and the rest of it was open. "Bedrooms" consisted of a floormat, a mattress and mosquito netting - a must in this climate.
The house set back (and up) from the river about 50 meters or so in the middle of an orange orchard. Her family have had the land for over 50 years but the orchard is not a commercial one at the present time. It needs a lot of attention but probably could turn a profit down the road (what about derman as an orange grower?). Also coconuts and Mangoes were in evidence with a few apple trees thrown in.
The family: Papa is 70 years old and probably weighs 100 pounds after a shower. He is retired and loves to fish (caught a couple good size catfish while we were there). Not an outgoing personality until the whiskey, soda water and ice came out. Then he would talk your ear off. A nice guy and loved by the family (most stayed away from him when he was drinking - they had all heard the same stories hundreds of times).
Mama is 60 years old (I had met her previously when she came to visit May and her sister (Bay) in Rangsit. Very nice lady and a great cook. Made sure that everyone was well taken care of and ran the household (sort of).
The oldest child is Men, their son, who is about 42. Then comes Moon who appears to be about 40ish. The middle child is Song and she is about 38. She has never married (attractive and good personality) and takes care of the house and property (come to find out that May has invested in some property and wants to build a house up there (more about that later)) of her parents and her sisters. May is the 4th child and she turns 35 on May 10th and then Bay who is 33 is the baby of the family and works and lives near May in Rangsit. May's son, Golf, is 13 and lives with her parents. A nice kid. We got along great. He seems to crave a father figure which he is not getting from his grandfather or uncle.
Part two will come in a few days - DERMAN
Sukhothai is the province in which May's family lives. About 2/3rd's of the way from Bangkok to Chang Mai. Just at the base of the mountains and close to Burma.
We got up early (4AM) to catch a 7am flight. It was May's first time in a plane (well at least one that was going to take her off the ground). It's about a one hour flight to the Sukothai airport in a two engine prop plane wih 19 rows and 4 seats across (76 people I guess) and the flight was booked. The plane then went from Sukothai to Chang Mai. Her brother-in-law (Chip and his 2 daughters (A and M) met us at the airport) in the 5 seater pickup. It was at least an hour from the airport to her parents house. We stopped on the way to buy groceries for the family (whiskey for papa). We also ran into her oldest sister Moon (Chip's her husband). The town (name to come later) was small with about 3 or 4 thousand people. The down town area reminded me of small town America in the 50's with all of the small stores and an outdoor market that sold all sorts of foodstuffs (you could even get your stuffed beetles here).
We traveled from there to her parents home. From this point it started getting hilly - sort of reminded me of northeastern Kentucky. Her parents have a 2 story house in the middle of no where. About a mile or two back a dirt road (reminds me of the old Daniels house in Kentucky). The house had no running water (many do not) and they have those squat toilets which I hate. No heating at all which is not necessay anyway but on the other hand no AC either (fans , fans and fans - did I mention fans?). They did have electric and a frig. Cooking was by gas or charcoal. The downstairs consists of a living room, a storage room (also used to change clothes) and a dining area with the bathroom off of that. The cooking was done on the back porch or patio area. Big vessels of water were also located there used for cooking and cleaning. The upstairs has a small room (for privacy) and the rest of it was open. "Bedrooms" consisted of a floormat, a mattress and mosquito netting - a must in this climate.
The house set back (and up) from the river about 50 meters or so in the middle of an orange orchard. Her family have had the land for over 50 years but the orchard is not a commercial one at the present time. It needs a lot of attention but probably could turn a profit down the road (what about derman as an orange grower?). Also coconuts and Mangoes were in evidence with a few apple trees thrown in.
The family: Papa is 70 years old and probably weighs 100 pounds after a shower. He is retired and loves to fish (caught a couple good size catfish while we were there). Not an outgoing personality until the whiskey, soda water and ice came out. Then he would talk your ear off. A nice guy and loved by the family (most stayed away from him when he was drinking - they had all heard the same stories hundreds of times).
Mama is 60 years old (I had met her previously when she came to visit May and her sister (Bay) in Rangsit. Very nice lady and a great cook. Made sure that everyone was well taken care of and ran the household (sort of).
The oldest child is Men, their son, who is about 42. Then comes Moon who appears to be about 40ish. The middle child is Song and she is about 38. She has never married (attractive and good personality) and takes care of the house and property (come to find out that May has invested in some property and wants to build a house up there (more about that later)) of her parents and her sisters. May is the 4th child and she turns 35 on May 10th and then Bay who is 33 is the baby of the family and works and lives near May in Rangsit. May's son, Golf, is 13 and lives with her parents. A nice kid. We got along great. He seems to crave a father figure which he is not getting from his grandfather or uncle.
Part two will come in a few days - DERMAN
posted by DERMAN at 11:32 AM
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