Life in the Village

[paranha]

Hahaha :-) great story.

Make a book of it later

[keda]

Luang Poo Mun fest - part 1

Preliminaries:

The villagers have been preparing for this event over the past month, with basic infrastructure set up the first couple of weeks, and as we neared the time literally hundreds were involved with utilities and kitchen prep, sweeping, cleaning and other chores, because monks don't work, not our ones. The school volunteered its 220 kids, boys for manual and girls for girlie chores, and even the bogs were given a makeover.


001 - School kids washing a yearsworth of dust off the fabulous temple stocks, lots of it as you'll see later. Seems if you provide the food they'll provide the means. Pink 88 is a boy but effeminate, and accepted by the gals as one of them.




More girls at the other end.




003 - This is the temple's own toffshop with its covered restaurant area off right; no shortage of volunteers. Yes it was open to all, but the field was more fun.




004 - Some of the utensils owned by the temple, and goes without saying all common stuff used throughout the event also belong to them, courtesy of generations seeking salvation.




005 - The boys, laying pipe.




006 - The field set aside to keep us peasants happy...days before kickoff.




007 - Perimeter piping.




008 - Common pipe, note the considerate layout of support tables, bench and shop front on either side, which gives adequate space for prep and cooking, though at writing time this and the next pic don't seem to have loaded properly.




009 - Our shop, all ours!




010 - Bogs, new last year, imagine their state after 3 days serving thousands, but no joy for DD because I never got closer than this.




011 - The other common pipe, this one allowing more aisle space due to the clump of trees. Benches haven't arrived, they'll be added later.



No drainage. Water is collected in pits dug near the taps and covered with a bamboo frame. It worked fine, didn't spot any major problems though some parts of some work areas were waterlogged because water doesn't always go where it's supposed to.

An observation as they were laying the hundreds of meters of pipe. I asked if the field was used for anything during the year. Nope, it's part of the temple estate and as we know they don't need food and are also not allowed to grow it for sale, so all their lands just sit around doing nothing, just like them. Natural response aside, in that case why don't they lay the pipes a bit deeper into the ground so they can be covered, then plug the tap outlets, and they won't need to uproot, refill, and then re-dig troughs and re-lay everything next year. I forgot the answer, but it had something to do with this being the way it's been done for 49 years so why do I want to change it.


012 - A close-up of water source and covered pit. Bamboo is versatile, and strong.




013 - Our tap, all ours! And they also gave us a power socket tied to the post.




014 - At ma's, Friday or was it Saturday, with the first of two dry run pots brewing, and more dry runs to follow.




015 - Asma, she'll grow up real pretty if she doesn't go to pot like foster ma fat lady. Btw nothing derogative there, just after several months we haven't exchanged more than two passing nods, a mutual and not unpleasant disregard, I still don't know her name, and only recently picked up Asma's by accident.




016 - Dishing it out. I had three bowls, and forced another half. Didn't know at the time that kapor is fish stomach, and glad not because it's delish.




017 - Makro, can't see what all the fuss is about.




018 - More temple stuff...




019 - ...and more...




...and then the main event...

[keda]

Life in the Village

08 - Luang Poo Mun - part 2

Monday morning, the big day, and the village chief is up early with prayer music over the PA, rather than the scratchy 78rpm stuff he normally gets away with, to make sure nobody misses the near enough 150-monk takbaht, after which the show gets on the road for real; not sure if this means there were no spiritual repos for Sunday, or to those that went through the bother of keeping their shops open all night.

On site, many of the Bash Street Kids were done up in their military best, with Black Man in charge and responsible for not sure what but he's been looking important and strutting around the compound and also from one end to the other of the 300-400m main drag that covers the three temple entrances. Police leave was cancelled and they were out in force, all 6 of them, though surprisingly armed considering it's a family do.

Two incidents over the fest. Saturday afternoon a visiting pickup knocked down a 6-yr old kid and didn't stop, lots of witnesses but not one bothered to note its number or even its colour so the driver is at liberty and probably also guilt free via the next takbaht; clinic couldn't cope so the kid's in Sakon hospital but nothing broken and hopefully his parents relent and allow him to play in one of the many safer places next time.

In the other incident, which embarrassed police major Sawat because it's on his turf, Saturday's PA announced the theft of approx 7k from an unoccupied house a couple away from ma's, while its family were at their temple shop. Fingers point at one of the older school kids who was first spotted loitering outside with no apparent cause, and then by someone else on the property after which he inexplicably became wealthy, perfect conditions for a compromise and no arrests at this time.

Notes: We decided early on to properly shop and cook for the real stuff, as though for self and family, not bulk as at a market stall or restaurant. Also, it was 400/kg not 300 for the kapor, nor was it 12kg we bought but a lot more, lost count in the shuffle; the 300 figure mentioned earlier must've been for mushrooms from the Chinese people.

Anyway, we arrived at the shop around 6.30 for the grand takbaht at 7.00-7.30 inside the temple, to a half-cauldron (3 serving trays) that ma had been up early to cook, for the monks. Yesterday's intel indicated she might make up a tray for this morning's takbaht...



...which miraculously turned into two trays when I noticed another one cooling on the side. Jeshu would've been proud of her.

That's the good news, because then I learned she had decided to give the whole batch of 3 trays to the mystical fellas. Shrugged to myself, shit happens, but that's also the good news, because then happened to look closer and was more than mildly pissed off to discover she had used no chicken wings or breast at all, just replaced those cheaper ingredients with extra kapor, and then, possibly because others were watching at this vital juncture, zealously heaped in more, as much as we would generously use for a full pot. In mitigation, regardless of cost the food we bought was after all intended to be given away so it shouldn't matter who eats it, but though I was happy enough to concede a tray for the wrong side of the temple wall, not for a moment did I expect more than a thousand bahtsworth would be going to scammers that wear funny clothes and weave mysteries out of thin air. Still, pointless protesting because that's the way she is and prior knowledge tells me it had nothing to do with the special event or the farang sponsor, and all to do with her being the same even when the family was dirt poor, with a portion of every little they did have coming in earmarked for the fleecers.

I tried a polite barter with Kim, started at a more than reasonable one tray, conceded two with little resistance and then, when she invited me to petition ma I put my foot down in a final act of defiance by scrumping a bowl for myself. Sure, why not!

071 - A taste from my scrumped bowl...yes, good enough for the elite!



Note the bowls under the table...1000, and though we served around 1700 portions at the whistle there were still 3 or 4 bags unopened that we can return, because fat lady went walkies and returned with two huffing lads with a basket of bowls from the temple kitchen. Extra work for the women, having to gather and wash them after each round, but out here work is always justified if it saves money.


The temple takbaht was fascinating, some 1500 takbahters for the 150 monks, winding through the temple grounds, each bearing the standard krathip khao basket, and also many with boxes and bags of extras, fruit, food, candy, etc. Apparently it's the one takbaht of the year with no tiffins, no baskets, and everything goes into the monks' bahts, with the larger things, like trays of kapor, picked up in advance by the bahtmobile.

080 - One of the two larger and well equipped shops inside the temple compound, with people gathering for the grand takbaht.




081 - Police Major Sawat onsite, to make sure nobody nicks anything; did a great job.




Loads of people...







Lots of smiles and meditation and bleating among the givers, who were doubtless hoping for a clean sheet in this or a better deal in their next life.






090 - Some of the pre-begged extras.




092 - The Sting begins, note the lads with the baskets...as the baht's will rapidly fill with khao neow and extras, their job is to reduce the monks' burden.



The monks must've been well chuffed at this gesture of solidarity, but to me it was a criminal waste of good food. People had come from across the country to participate in the joys of giving and receiving, with many needy, so ok let's pay homage to the monks but so much food for 150 breakfasts? - someone was taking the piss, and many others would be chuckling themselves silly as they stack their shelves tonight.

093 - The village octopus.



While other mortals only have 10 fingers this guy gets a slice of everything. Latest gossip he may be unaware of...the gov recently compensated villagers for the compulsory purchase of lands from a few years ago, for the small dam just north of the big dam. The final agreed sum, negotiated by the chief and his brother or cousin the village negotiator who were paid for their services separately by the gov, was 150k for each of the 55 involved villagers, though the final amount they received was only 130k apiece, and with not the hint of protest or complaint. Apparently when they were told the amount was 150k, they collectively expected at most 100k and were pleased with the bonus 30. Got them well trained, he has, but that ought to piss him right off.










099 - The handover.




The swag truck.



No coincidence in my book that the event, ostensibly to commemorate Luang Poo Mun's passing, falls at the meeting of rain end, start of the cold, and just before the main rice harvest with Loy Krathong on our heels. No big deal, any excuse to escape the mundane, and the Xtians also have it down to a fine art with their festivals coincidentally also flirting with harvest and seasonal changes.


101 - Black Man and his troops, protecting the temple compound from intruders. They did a fine job, wasn't a single incident.




Then a walkabout::

Shop numbers revised down to a final 60-70, both previous estimates (30 and 120) wrong because many though not all shops were indeed doubled up.

A well considered design for the peasants' field, which is expected in their 49th year, with a strip of tables fronting work/rest benches around two sides of the perimeter, the third and fourth sides owned by the bogs and rice lands. On the inside, two sets of doubled rows, each using a common water pipe running through the middle, see earlier pics, with taps installed at every shop and each common pipe sandwiched in turn by a support table, then a workbench, and then the shop front.

Most shops did food or drink, hot or cold, snacks, delicacies and meals, a couple unloaded their pickups of second hand clothes which went down a treat and the piles picked bare within minutes, more toys and school accessories for the kids, popcorn, k'nom, the lot, and more important everyone having a fun time giving as much and as fast as they could. Each time a truck arrived and the keepers started unloading, bodies swarmed to check out the talent.

020 - Visiting team doing their bit with buttered toasted bread, hot and cold drinks came out later and they stayed till the end.




The event was surprisingly well organised and at nominal cost, a working tap, flourescent light and a sparking power socket at every shop, buckets and a bowl or two for washing, and even an hourly pickup to collect the garbage bags.

No shortage of volunteers for whatever needed to be done, and all in the finest spirit I have experienced over the past 8 years.

021 - The village katoey in pink with two mates and Pasat. She did a stint at some katoey show in Bkk, now back home and runs a meatball stand outside her house not far from us, and doing really well. At the event she partnered one shop and mucked in with a couple of other katoey owned gaffs.




022 - Sunday, arrived early and unloaded, now relaxing before the storm.




023 - Oops, wrong thread.




024 - The cane juice kids next door.




025 - Three teachers from Mukdahan squatted a couple of shops where the owners hadn't yet arrived, giving away bundles of exercise books, rulers, pensils, erasers and crayons. They had the attention of many kids, but teachers are no easy touch, though this one caused a twitch.



No easy earners here, the kids had to answer questions for their prizes, first right gets the pencil or book or whatever was being waved enticingly. When the farang turned up it gave the teachers a chance to test the kids' English, I think. She asked a string of questions about me, in Thai, and the first kid with balls to approach a real live farang for the answer got whatever. By the time she finised that box of pencils she knew quite a lot about me but not the important bits like phone number, and I felt cheated knowing not even her name. When their goodies were gone they stayed the rest of yesterday, didn't turn up next day but lots of talent to make up for that.


026 - Sugar cane kids again, truck in the background unloading, another couple of hours and the place will be heaving.




027 - These two teachers are looking for farangs same me.




028 - Couple of visitor monks taking it all in, the one on the right has tatts also across his back but was shy to show the cig he's cleverly concealing.




029 - Will they, won't they come?




030 - Yep!




031 - Sweet, but only 16.




032 - A view from the inside, home in the background.




033 - First pot brewing, with nerves behind that smile.




034 - Tea and coffee shop.




035 - Unloaded, gone for walkabout, or maybe a freeby lunch.




Pa took time off and did his bit by borrowing a water truck from work to keep the roads free of dust over the three-days. Worked fine till he ran out of water and drove to the small dam just off the village for a topup, where the truck got stuck in mire and had to be rescued by a bigger bro from Sakon, 50km away.

036 - Pa's truck, none the worse for wear after being rescued.




037 - Him too!




039 - Black Man with 2nd-in-command cop guarding the temple entrance.




040 - More stuff...




The event was surprisingly well organised and at nominal cost, a working tap, flourescent light and a sparking power socket at every shop, buckets and a bowl or two for washing, and even an hourly pickup to collect the garbage bags.

No shortage of workers for whatever needed to be done, and all in the finest spirit I have experienced over the past 8 years.

[sunsetter]

great thread mate,cool pics, i skimmed so ill read it all later, and yeah wrong thread for that shot!

[Loombucket]

Lovely stuff keda, nice people shots as well.

[hellofriends]

what a lovely community spirit all the thai people have , bravo

[Bill Donnell]

Keda,, Your description of village life sounds like where I live. You said there was one other farang in the village. It might be me.

Village recreation-
drinking beer
getting drunk
sleeping during the day
gossip
stepping in cow patties
broadcasting latest CD at max volume

Is there anything else?

[keda]

I've heard of but never seen him (German), and recently learned there's also a village Swede that's invested in a local piece of Isaan. Also heard there are other farangs within about 20km, but never seen them either.

The activities you've listed could apply to any village I've been to on my mystery tours and from hearsay the entire province, but if you were within about 50km your mrs would certainly know of the Luang Poo Mun Festival.