Last Monday we took our adopted son to his Mom's home. He will be staying a month with his Grandma. Thought it would be an uneventful trip but before we left, it took on a more festive feel. The wife invited the village head and about 20 people piled into his truck. The motivation was free booze, food, and fishing. I was on Skype talking to a friend and was unaware of how the anticipated mellow trip was evolving. When I grabbed the keys and went outside, I just went with the flow and thought nothing of it.
The drive was uneventful and took about an hour with 80% on a just finished four lane highway. It was a slow, dangerous drive prior to the new road. Stopped by one of the many fruit stands for cantaloupe and watermelon which was the only semi-interesting part of the drive.
We arrived at Din's house, surrounded by rice and sugar cane fields. The house is not much different than houses in the area 200 years ago with the exception of electricity. I think the electricity was a recent addition. This type of experience really helps put my childhood in perspective. Kids grow-up quick here and learn how to survive on what the land delivers. I had to wash dishes and take the trash out. Din helps gather vegetables, wild herbs, insects, and lake crabs for their meals. Below are pictures of the house.
We piled out of the cars and the festivities commenced. We carried the copious supplies to their version of a lake house. A shack on stilts in the middle of a muddy pond. I had my doubts this would be a pleasant experience for all the villagers that came with us. I was wrong!
Within minutes fishing nets were unpacked and hooks bated. The women were readying barbeques for the fish and preparing snacks. The fishing started slowly which is probably the case everywhere in the world. Patience it seems is the trick to pond fishing. It took about 20 minutes to catch the first tiny fish which was a big event. An hour later we had netted and reeled in enough fish to feed the crowd of 40 people, most of them hanging their feet over the edge drinking to excess.
This area of Thailand is dominated by Lao culture. I experienced foods and a style of eating that shocked me. In America, I had issues eating when someone blew their nose in the general vicinity. Living in Asia, I've managed to adapt. Odd foods and their preparations are usually not a major concern.
The first abnormal occurrence was the cooking of the fish. It began as expected. The fish were clubbed over the head, rinsed off, and put in a basket. All was copacetic up to when they took the uncleaned fish and put them on the grill. Apparently a few weren't clubbed with enough force and were still breathing. They didn't flop around so they probably were not in any “fish” pain.
Everybody was busy socializing or preparing something. The village head was cutting flesh from a hog's spine and putting it in a bowl. He was on the edge of then shack fishing and I assumed he was just preparing bait. He did this for about an hour and I thought nothing of it. Eventually he pushed two bowls of raw pork into the center of the food prep area. The women then start adding a variety of spices and herbs. Not how things are done back home, but incorrectly believed I would be capable of inhaling a few bites to be polite.
After the women were done and it was ready to cook, the uncooked bowls were passed around as if the raw pork was an appetizer. It can't be healthy to eat raw pork! Screw being polite, I wasn't partaking. Also, we were all fishing and there was no outdoor sink. Everybody was dipping in with their fingers. A trite concern, considering the raw pork would have done much more damage than anyone's slightly dirty hands.
I knew I had to eat something and didn't want to offend anyone. There were piles of tree leaves and veggies which I consumed with abandon. Eventually after strategically avoiding the fish, a whole fish was placed in front of me and all eyes were on me. I dived in and it was tasty with the rare spattering of fish guts. If you were careful, you could avoid all traces of the innards and I was careful.
Everybody was sharing and there were no utensils. I'm not being disrespectful but it reminded me of animals eating their kill. All the food was communal and fingers a plenty.
Everybody had a good time and I had a fun and interesting day. We packed up around 4 PM and headed home where the party continued well into the night. Not me – I crashed at 9 PM.
About a week prior to our trip to Din's home the village had a gigantic party. Our room shook from 10 PM to sunrise. Our neighbor hired a mini carnival. Must have been 1,000 people from the surrounding villages at 11 Pm and I would estimate a few thousand passed through during the night. Carnival games, a few rides, loads of food, and an outdoor 30x40 ft movie screen with a sound system that dwarfs most theaters. Our neighbors are poor and basically live in an upscale shack. It only cost $600 to rent the movie screen and all the other entertainment is supported by the patrons. Still don't know how they came up with the cash.
This is the first all night party in our village since I arrived earlier this month but I'm sure there will be more in the coming months. Thais are generally extremely laid back and enjoy late nights partying. The local clubs and parties like our neighbors really don't get going until 11 PM and can last well past sunrise. I have never been to a house party in America even remotely as large as this party and it was Tuesday.
Adjusting to the reality of extremely loud nights is a necessity here and is damn near impossible to escape. We have a place near the beach which is on one of the quietest street in Thailand, being that the princess lives at the end of the street, but firework shows among a plethora of other noise producing events happened regularly.
Here in the village it is quiet 19 out of 20 nights and I can deal with not sleeping well on occasion. The windows were literally vibrating all night. I joined the party for a little while since sleep wasn't an option. Below is a video taken when it was dark and lacks clarity but I'm sure you will understand why sleeping would be difficult.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BX5SlKg7nM
In the end, just a minor inconvenience. Didn't have to work the next day and skipped my morning run. Had some dry squid and beer and watched Seal Team 7 dubbed in Thai. The dry squid is at the end of the video.
I'm regularly running by parties of all types. They are just winding down during my 6 AM runs. Couple weeks ago I ran by net fishing party party( pic below ). Lots of drinking and a little fishing. Saw Deuan's brother throwing nets but mostly just jabbering with friends.
Most the festivities are in good fun but many of the villagers are in continuous party mode. Deuan's oldest brother drinks for days on end and sometimes doesn't sleep for 48 hours. He is one of the worst drunks in the area but too many other drunkards in the village to keep him company. It's the life they have chosen and they really don't seem all that unhappy. Most have been at it a long time and quitting doesn't seem to be an option. Local doctors even advice against it because the shock it would cause to their system. In my opinion. the doctors grasp that they are never going to quit and tell the family this to alleviate tensions.
Traveled throughout Thailand the last 12 years and with exception of the Muslim dominated south, it is all nearly the same when it comes to socializing and enjoying life. Only difference are the venues. On the porches and rice fields up country and huge and extravagant night clubs in the cities.
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