26 August 2008 - Mundane day

Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Mundane Day

Today was to be a rather mundane day for us. We were planning to go to Nongwha to do laundry. For some strange reason I decided to bring the small camera with us. As we headed out the door, Duang asked me about bringing the camera. We are starting to think too much alike.

The mundane day quickly became exciting. First there were opportunities to photograph Kwan - Duang's cousin's 5 month old baby girl. We were there in time to watch her get her bath. Every day she is placed in a basin of water underneath the thatched roof raised platform outside of her house and washed. After drying her with a towel, she is powdered from head to toe.

These raised wooden thatched roof platforms (I guess I need to find a name for them one of these days) are a central fixture of Isaan village life. Most houses have one in front. It is here that people sit and perform all kinds of activities. Some people just laydown and relax or even sleep. Others sit and chat amongst themselves and anyone as well as everyone who walks by. These platforms are also used for dining, food preparation, chewing betel nuts, drinking Lao Kao or beer, and listening to music. It is underneath these roofs that babies are raised by the extended community. Hammocks are hung from the columns for babies to sleep in or their small cradles are placed on them.

Younger children sit and play while under the constant gaze of grandparents and older siblings.

Dogs and chickens wander in and out from underneath the platform. Somehow the pecking order has been resolved for I have never seen a confrontation between the dogs and chickens. My theory is that dogs here understand that they do not rule the roost - unlike dogs in the USA. I am sure that due to unnatural selection, any chicken eating dog would be eliminated quickly from the breeding pool.

After fully documenting little Kwan's bath, there was an opportunity to photograph some fisherwomen heading out. They were covered from head to toe with only their eyes and nose exposed. They were carrying long bamboo poles, fine filament nets, and dipping nets. They were so interesting that I decided to follow them. Duang was concerned because it was so far to walk but I was determined to follow through with my quest. Duang brought me a farmer's bright yellow straw hat to shield my face from the sun. She led the way on what was to be a short cut.

We walked to an area on the outskirts of the village that I had not been to before. We encountered Kwan's mother and another woman walking along the shore of a seasonal pond. They were gathering snails to eat.

In this same area a large group of ducks were being herded towards the water by a farmer. There must have been over 150 ducks.

Duang and I continued on our way and turned to start our traverse of a rice paddy. Part way across the paddy a torrential downpour started. Duang had had the forethought to bring an umbrella with her so it was not a catastrophe. We made our way back to the village and stopped to take shelter from the storm under one of the ubiquitous "raised wooden platforms with a thatched roof" Apparently the law of the land is that shelter is provided to those who need it. The homeowner arrived on his motor bike in the middle of the storm completely drenched. He acknowledged our presence and did not seem to mind that we were on his property. After about 20 minutes the rain relented and we completed our walk back to Duang's house in the village after stopping to photograph orchids, and banana trees glistening with rain.
Since it was obvious that our laundry would not dry today we decided to return to Udonthani. We walked to the main road to await a songthaew headed back to Kumphawapi. We waited at least 45 minutes with no luck. Duang then offered to take me where her sister and husband were working. They were working on "what I had eaten before - Kowput". I had no idea what that was but I was curious if not eager to find out! Although the sky was threatening to open up again and there were flashes of lightening in the distance we set out down the main road. Not too far down the road, Duang stated that she was tired. Shortly a man on a motorbike stopped and talked. The next thing that I know is that he is going to drive us to Duang's sister. Both of us hopped on the back of his bike and off we went. We find Duang's sister, her husband and another woman about two miles down the road. I offered the man some money but he would not take it.

Upon seeing Duang's relatives I realized and more embarrassingly remembered that "Kowput" was corn on the cob. They were harvesting part of their crop and cooking it over an open wood fire. I immediately started photographing the operation breaking only to eat some of the freshly boiled corn for lunch.

The corn was being harvested and cooked to sell along the roadside. They are earning 1,000 to 1,500 baht ($30.30 to $45.45 USD) a day doing this. A small bag sells for 10 baht ($0.30) and a large bag sells for 20 baht ($0.60).

People in cars, songthaews, pick-ups, and on motorbikes would stop and buy the corn. The songthaews were all headed in the wrong direction for Duang and I to return home. I decided to help sell the corn by imitating the Thai farmers that I often see along the superhighway selling their products. As a vehicle approaches they squat up and down while their arms are raised up and down from shoulder level to knee level to get the vehicles to stop. When people stopped I would tell the potential customers in Thai and sometimes in Lao that the corn was delicious. After they bought the corn, I thanked them and said goodbye. With this being Thailand, purchasing corn is a social event. It is not a simple matter of selecting the bag and paying for it to be on your way. There is a great deal of conversation and when they had babies, Duang got to hold them. It was fun and entertaining.

After two hours and still no transport back to town, it was not so much fun or entertaining although Duang's sister claimed business had never been better - thanks to my marketing efforts. Duang was teasing me about having to sleep out there and using the sugar cane field across the street as a bathroom.

A pick-up truck with two men pulled up and they bought some corn. After an animated conversation, Duang says that they would take us to town. They drove us 20 minutes into Kumphawapi. The entire time they were busy talking to Duang and she was busy translating. I am constantly amazed at the openness and sense of community that people here exhibit. They would not accept any money for their efforts.

Life is different here.