A Boy's Day In Isaan

Peelawat Gets His Hair Removed

The passage of time here in rural Northeast Thailand is marked by the seasonal rhythm of the land - the wet Monsoon season which we are now in, the dry season, rice planting, rice harvesting, cassava planting, cassava harvesting, sugar cane planting along with sugar cane harvesting, peanut cultivation, and corn cultivation.  The passage of time is punctuated by the many religious events and celebrations.

A person's life here is a journey of personal milestones - starting with birth, commencing pre-school at 3 years of age, graduating from pre-school, commencing elementary school, becoming married, and so on.

Last Saturday, 10 September 2016, was a busy day of milestones - the cremation of Duang's ex-husband and the first time that Peelawat, out seven year old grandson became a Monk.

Duang had been married for 20 years to her first husband and had two children with him.  I met her after she had been divorced for 5 years.  I had met her ex-husband under rather odd circumstances - he had driven a car from Bangkok to Pattaya with Duang's children to bring Duang and I  to Bangkok and back to our home so that I could buy gold as part of our marriage ritual.  I did not know who he was until late in the afternoon when I got Duang off to the side and asked her who he was.  She replied "He father, my daughter and my son"  I was shocked.

He attended our wedding in the village and it turned out that one of Duang's best friends was his current wife. He told Duang that he could see that we loved each other and that he would not cause any problems for us.  He kept his word and I have been grateful.

I had seen him several times over the past 10 years with the last time being three years ago when I hired him to be our driver when we flew down to Bangkok for a vacation.  Over the time we had developed a respect for each other.

Two months ago, he was diagnosed with cancer of the liver and spine.  The end came fast for him but not without suffering.  He had been living in the Bangkok area away from his son and other relatives.  Duang's son decided to bring his father up here to Isaan for the cremation and interment of his bones.  Duang joined her son, daughter, and several family members driving down to Bangkok and then immediately back to Thasang Village for the cremation ritual.

The cremation ritual was conducted on Saturday.  It is traditional and expected here that upon the death of a close family member, some male relatives have their heads shorn and  their eyebrows shaved on the morning of the cremation.  After having their heads shorn, often shaved, the males go to the Wat where the cremation ritual will take place.  At the Wat, they are interviewed by the Abbot, don the saffron Monk robe, take some vows, and become Monks for the day.  After they have a meal of food offered by the family of the deceased person, the Monks of the Wat and the new Monks go to the home where the body lies inside of a refrigerated coffin.

I have attended many funerals here in Isaan, many more than I had attended in my previous 61 years in America.  I remember being sheltered as a child from attending funerals.  It was not until I was 17 or 18 years old that I attended a funeral.  Such is not the case here in Isaan.  At the earliest age and more importantly, throughout childhood, children attend and participate in funerals.

Children attend and participate in funerals as full members of the family or community.

I am often reminded of a wonderful quote from National Geographic contributor, Wade Davis, a renowned Canadian Anthropologist.  In his documentary series, "Light At the End of the World" concerning the Buddhist attitude towards death ... "The Buddhists spend all their lies getting ready for a moment that we spend most of our lives pretending does not exist, which is the moment of our death".

In Isaan, death is a milestone of life which is familiar to and accepted by all people from a very early age.  The conclusion of this life, which for many has been very difficult, presents the hope as well as the opportunity for a better as well as easier life in the future - another step towards eventual liberation - enlightenment.

With the death of his grandfather, Peelawat, our 7.5 year old grandson, would mark a major milestone of his young life - he would become a Monk for the cremation ritual.

Peelawat Takes A Seat

Around 9:30 AM the morning of his grandfather's cremation, Peelawat took a seat in front of his great-grandmother's house where he lives.  It was his turn to have his hair removed and then his eyebrows shaved.  His turn had been determined by age ... older male relatives went first in accordance with their age.

Peelawat sat very patiently an stoically as an uncle from the village removed his hair with some electric clippers.  The uncle was also assisted by Duang who took a turn with the shears,

In a short time, Peelawat's hair was all gone.  At most of the funerals that I have attended here in Isaan the head was also shaved but for this ritual the heads were not shaved.  However the eyebrows were shaved with Duang's oldest brother doing the job just off to the side of the hair removal station.

Just like the relatives before him, Peelawat sat down in another plastic chair for his uncle to shave off his eyebrows using a straight razor - one razor for all but a freshly purchased razor from the little market at the end of the street.

Peelawat Has His Eyebrows Removed

After the last young boy had his eyebrows removed, the Monks "to be" walked the short distance to the Wat inside of Thasang Village. In quiet orderly fashion, they climbed the stairs to enter the Bot (ubosoth - ordination hall).

Once inside the Bot, all the men and boys lined up and knelt in single file to pay their respects to the Abbot of the Wat - the Monk that I have nicknamed "Rocket Man".  He then interviewed them to ensure that they were humans - "of this world" and not Nagas.

Peelawat Reverently Holds His Robe

The men and boys were then presented with Monk robes by the Abbot.  The Monk robe was actually comprised of several individual articles of clothing - Angsa - a vest that hangs over the left shoulder leaving the right shoulder exposed.  Peelawat, after removing his shirt, put his on incorrectly but "Rocket Man" corrected him and then assisted Peelawat with getting dressed completely and properly.  The older men who had been Monks before tended to themselves.  Another male relative helped the two other young boys.  I was of no help to Peelawat so "Rocket Man"'s help was much needed and appreciated.

Peelawat Gets Help With Sabong

The second article of the Monk's robe was a sarong called Sabong.  It is a simple sarong ut very important because it is the article of clothing that is worn 24 hours a day.  After putting on the Sabong, Peelawat like all the others. modestly removed his pants from underneath the sarong.

The sabong is held in place by a wide and thick cotton belt called a Prakod.

The last article comprising the robe is the Jeeworn (Mantle Robe) the outer cloak like wrapping that you often see Monks adjusting.  When a Monk is at his temple, his Jeeworn covers his body except for the right shoulder.  When the Monk leaves his Wat, his Jeeworn must cover his entire body.  The Jeeworn has no straps, buttons, velcro, or zippers so it must be folded, wrapped and tucked to be worn properly.

Peelawat Awaits His Jeeworn

After everyone was dressed, they participated in a short ritual that made them Monks.  They then sat down to have a meal.  One of Duang's female cousins made offerings of food to the Monks - taking care now to not touch the boys as well as men since they were now Monks.

Monks Have Their Meal

I was surprised at how much Peelawat ate.  He was the last one to leave the bot!  He eats well when he is at our house but he often does not eat that much at home.  At home he is often preoccupied with playing futball (soccer) or riding bicycles with friends.  At the Wat there were no distractions - the Monks ate in silence.  There were no soccer balls, televisions, smart phones, or bicycles in sight.

After Peelawat had finished eating around 11:00 AM, I returned to the house where Duang and everyone were occupied. One hour and a half later, all the Monks arrived at the house.  There was a 20 minute ritual lead by the chanting Monks.  Upon completion of the 20 minute ritual, the coffin and deadman's personal possessions were removed from the house in placed in two pick-up trucks for the short drive back to the Wat.

Outside of the house, a funeral procession formed up.  The procession was lead by the oldest Monk of the Wat followed by the 6 family member Monks.  A sacred cord, sai siin, was carried by the Monks with the other end of the cord attached to the refrigerated coffin located on the back of a following pick-up truck.

Immediately behind the Monks, close family members walked in front of the truck bearing the coffin.  They also held on to the sai siin.  One of the family members, a brother, carried a basket filled with freshly puffed rice.  As the procession marched along the village street towards the Wat, He threw handfuls of the puffed rice along the route - offerings to the local spirits.

The second pick-up truck carrying the possessions and tributes to the deceased person followed behind the first truck.  Extended-family members, and friends marched alongside and behind the second truck.

The Monks, truck with the coffin and close family members circled around the crematory furnace 3 times counter-clockwise while the other members of the procession broke ranks and settled down in the sala or covered pavilion for the remainder of the ritual.

The refrigerated coffin was offloaded from the pickup truck and placed in front of the furnace structure.  It was opened and the consumable coffin containing the body was removed to be carried up the stairs for placement on steel sawhorses at the doors to the furnace.  The personal possessions were offloaded from the second truck and placed in a pile off to the side and behind the furnace structure to be burned.

There was an extended ritual conducted inside the sala which is located next to the crematorium.  The ritual involved making offerings to the Monks and offerings to the spirit of the deceased man.  For part of the offering, the sacred cord, sai sin was strung out and held by the Monks thereby connecting the Monks, Buddha statue of the Sala and the coffin at the door to the crematorium furnace.  Peelawat did his part and held on to the sai sin as if he had done the ritual many times before.

The ritual then focused at the coffin located at the doors to the furnace.  Offerings were placed on top of the coffin and then the senior Monks climbed the stairs one by one to accept the offerings as presented by senior members of the family or dignitaries at the funeral.

Bamboo and paper mementos, called daugmaichan, were placed upon a tray placed on top of the closed coffin by everyone.  Attendees walked up the steps of the Wat's crematorium to the coffin that was placed upon two metal sawhorses at the doors to the furnace.  They carried with them small paper and bamboo objects called "Daugmaichan", good luck tokens that they had taken from a large bowl placed on a table at the foot of the stairs, and placed them in metal trays on top of the coffin. They first "wai", slightly bowing the head as the hands in the praying position are raised to the forehead, and then placed their daugmaichan on the pile building up in the trays.  The wai is the Thai expression of respect that people use to greet each other or to say goodbye.  Some people will knock three times on the side of the coffin in a final farewell gesture.  Other people will call out in controlled voices words to the effect "Good luck to you, I will miss you, I hope to see you again soon."  The scene is always dignified and touching.Upon completion of the placing of the mementos, it was time for the body to have coconut water poured on it.

The Monks climbed the stairs to pour coconut water on the corpse.  The senior Monks were first in line to pour the coconut water followed by the family Monks for the day.  Peelawat had never performed this ritual before.  With guidance and encouragement from the Monks, Peelawat did just fine - not showing any fear or being shy,

After the funeral, Peelawat's time as a monk was over.  He returned to his home to resume his life as a 7 year old.  His aunt asked him if she could borrow some money from him.  He had received roughly $9 USD (280 baht) from offerings during the funeral ritual.  His aunt was teasing and joking with him about having some money.  Peelawat explained to her that he could not give her any money because he had given it all to his great-grandmother so that she could give it to him each day for school.  Peelawat "needs" 20 baht ($0.60 USD) each day to buy lunch and snacks at school.  His plan is to use his funds from being a Monk to buy some of his lunches and snacks.

It had been quite a busy day for Peelawat.  He had successfully achieved one of his life milestones - being a Monk for the funeral of his grandfather.  Peelawat is quickly evolving into a responsible young man - a young man that we are so proud of.

Learning Faith In Isaan - Starting Out Young

Tey, 4 years old and Peelawat, 21 months, Worshiping

Last Saturday, we drove out to Tahsang Village early to participate in a merit making ritual that is related to Duang's decision to make special merit.  For the close of Buddhist Lent on October 23rd, Thot Kathin Day, Duang dressed all in white and sat with the other women who had decided to participate in a religious retreat at the Wat that night.  As Duang described it to me it greatly reminded me of Religious Retreats performed in the Catholic Church.


Duang and Other Women Preparing to Attend A Religious Retreat

Once we arrived at the Wat located amongst the sugar cane fields outside of Tahsang Village, Duang could no longer communicate or touch me - it was not personal it was just that I was a man.  Just as Monks can not touch a female, Duang and the other female retreat attendees could not touch a man.  There was one bright side to this requirement for me, Duang could not care for Peelawat, our 21 month old grandson, until the next morning.  I had the responsibility to care for him until after the morning alms giving ritual when I would return him back to his mother back in Tahsang Village.

Peelawat and I sat on the left hand side of the Wat while Duang sat with the other women on the right hand side.  Peelawat lasted 45 minutes when he decided that he had had enough of that "old time" religion.  I brought him back to the village and returned to the Wat to await my mother-in-law to complete her worship.  Well, part of the time was spent in ritual but a great deal of time was spent waiting for her to finish eating.  People earn merit by offering food to Monks for the Monk's single meal of the day.  Monks are not allowed to save food after they consume their morning meal so once they have taken their portions of food that they have been offered, people are invited to eat the remaining portions.  With this being Isaan, eating the remaining food becomes a great opportunity to socialize.  Everyone had a grand time eating, drinking water, and most of all chatting.

From the commencement of the morning ritual the women studied Buddhist dharma and meditated .  They also fasted for the entire day.  Breakfast on Thot Kathin Day was their only food until the following morning.

Motivated from their retreat experience Duang and Tey's Grandmother decided to follow up on earning additional merit.  They could earn additional merit by performing a special ritual for seven Wednesdays in a row by fasting, dressing in white, practising abstinence, chanting and meditating.  From their retreat they had a book with teachings and chants written down for the Wednesday rituals.  On each of the seven Wednesdays, they can not touch or even talk to a man no matter how old the male is.  They can eat only a meal of rice in the morning and liquid intake is restricted to just water.

Wednesday 10 October - Duangchan Worshiping At Her Shrine In Our Upstairs Alcove

On Wednesday night they sleep in front of the shrine located in their homes.  On Thursday morning they able to resume their normal life.

Four days ago, Saturday, we went to Tahsang Village for another special ritual.  In addition to the typical morning offering of food to the Monks, Duang and Tey's Grandmother were going to get a shower from the Monk.  This was something new to me.  This was something that I had to see because I had no idea what it was like.  Duang told me that she would wear all white clothing to go to the Wat and wear a change of dry clothing to come back home.  We left our home at 6:00 A.M. in 75F weather to pick up Tey's Grandmother before going out into the fields to get to the Wat.  At least that was our original plan.  When we got to Tahsang Village, we discovered that Tey, 4 years old, wanted to go with his Grandmother.  Since Tey was going, his sister, Mai, 5 years old wanted to go too.  When Peelawat, 21 months old, realized that his friend Tey was going, he wanted to go.  As we were finally loaded up in the truck, Kwan, 3 years old, wanted to go with her cousin Peelawat and friends Tey and Mai.  With the four children all under six years old loaded into the truck we headed off to the Wat.

Tey, Mai, Kwan and Peelawat Prepare to Worship Under the Supervision of Tey's Grandmother



Sometimes Lighting Joss Stick Offerings Can Be Difficult - Especially When You Are 2 or 3 Years Old

 The children are always well behaved and I welcomed their accompanying us out to the Wat.  I was not expecting to witness what was to be a very special morning.  Fortunately I had brought my camera gear to document the morning's activities.

I have written several times about the daily role of spirituality and religion in the life of the Lao Loum people here in Isaan.  The people's faith provides them with answers to daily concerns, a sense of direction for their life and comfort in the face of the hardships of life as well as confidence in the future.  I had noted that even at his early age Peelawat can recognize and demonstrate respect for Monks and religious objects.  Children participate or at least witness all the rituals related to Buddhism as well as Animist rituals that are performed here in Isaan.  There is no sense that the children are "too young" in regards to attending ceremonies or events.  However it was not until Saturday that I saw how much the young children knew about worshiping or witnessed their training.  For me it was a special treat.  Knowing the children personally made the experience even more special.

Kwan Performing One of Three Supplications Before A Statue of Buddha

Tey's Grandmother supervised the children at the various shrines located on the Wat's grounds.  There are different statues of Buddha representing days of the week.  Some of the staues are located in different buildings or pavilions on the grounds.  The children worshiped at two of the three places that we stopped at.

Flanked by Mai and Kwan, Peelawat Makes His Offering

Peelawat and Kwan Finish their Ritual By Placing Their Burning Joss Sticks in the Receptacle In Front of Buddha statue

Tey's Grandmother left to participate in the offering of food to the Monks while I finished with the children - mainly ensuring that they did not set themselves or anything else on fire.  It was so very nice to see the children learning of a power and entity greater than themselves. Peelawat, the youngest, was particular enamored in the burning Joss (incense) Sticks.  After awhile, after giving me sticks and a lighter for me to make an offering, he finally completed his worship.



Peelawat Contemplating His Burning Joss Sticks

 Peelawat and I walked to the large outdoor shrine just in time for the offering of food to the Monks. There were three Monks receiving food; the Abbott around 50 years old, a Monk around 25 or 30 years old and a Novice Monk about 12 years old.  The Novice Monk was excited to see me.  He had reminded Duang that last year I had given him 20 Baht.  I remembered him too.

The Wat's Young Novice Participates In Morning Ritual

Last year, at a village celebration where Duang's brother was performing a Mahlam Lao Show the boy was also attending.  Many of the children were snacking on ice cream, soft drinks, or other goodies.  This boy was not and appeared to be alone.  I gave him some money so that he could buy some treats to enjoy like the other children were able to.  His face was disfigured and I asked Duang about him.  The boy had been mauled by a dog and blinded in one eye from the incident.  He was also an orphan being cared for by an uncle.  He is not the first child that I have seen disfigured by a dog in Isaan.  Dogs are very common in the villages and Wats of Isaan.  The dogs are not kept in the manner and style of pet dogs in the United States.  They are definitely not pampered.  The dogs in Isaan are not neutered either.  The dogs are tolerated and there are no wide spread attempts to control the dog population.  The village dogs coexist, most of the time, with the villagers.  I guess they offer some protection against snakes.  Some dogs help with herding the cattle.  Except for selling them to the travelling dog meat agents, the villagers would never consider destroying a village dog. 

In Isaan the Wats are more than places of worship.  Wats also retain their traditional role of providing education, shelter and sustenance for those in need.  The young boy has been taken into the Wat and seems to be happy with his new set of circumstances.  Duang and I once met and spoke with a 38 year old Monk who had entered into his Wat when he was 9 years old.  The tradition of caring for others continues today. Seeing that the young boy is now in better circumstances made me feel good inside as well as reassured that the Lao Loum people can and do take care of each other without involving the government.

Duang About to be Blessed

At the completion of the morning food offering, we walked to another building.  Duang prayed at the shrine inside the building and then set a saht (woven reed mat) on the ground outside of the building's porch railing.  Inside the building the 25 year old Monk was praying as he dropped burning candle wax into a plastic bucket of water.  Duang knelt ouside on the saht.  The Monk came out on to the porch and sprinkled Duang using a brush made out of coarse reeds or rushes. This was apparently her "shower".  I had seen this type of blessing before as well as been on the receiving end of many of these blessings.  Later I found out that Duang had opted out of the shower because it was "too cold" (23C, 73F).  Tey's Grandmother, perhaps because she has more body insulation, went for the full shower.  She sat on the saht wearing a long skirt pulled up to her under arms and had the same type of water poured on her head and shoulders by the Monk.  After she changed into dry clothing we gathered up the children and returned to Tahsang Village.

Tey's Grandmother Being Showered With Holy Water

A Chicken Relaxes In Buddha's Lap

Once again I went home "smiling inside" thinking about all that I had seen and experienced that morning.

Unplanned Pleasures - Ones to be shared

Fishing the Flood Plain Outside of Kumphawapi

Here in Isaan we are still in the midst of our Rainy Season.  However as we progress towards the conclusion of the Rainy Season, the weather is giving us tantalizing hints that the end is at hand.  No the end that I am referring to is not dramatic like the Discovery Channel's obsession with the imminent end of the Earth or at least the end of civilization perhaps even mankind as we know it.  I am referring to the end of this year's rainy Season.

We have rain just about everyday but it is much more localized and does not last too long.  Thunder showers are more infrequent.  Our daily high temperatures have cooled down somewhat. A typical high for a day is now around 30C (86F) rather than 36C (97F).  The lowlands are now flooded.  The rice paddies have been submerged for a couple of months and the new crops of rice are thriving.

With the rice crops planted, field activities have diminished a great deal.  There are some stalls along the road selling boiled peanuts and boiled corn on the cob.  The main harvests are a good three months away.  Farmers are still tending to their "free range" cattle and their water buffaloes.  No matter what time of the year here in Isaan you have to remain vigilant for livestock on the roads.  Cattle freely graze on fallow fields and walk along the road grazing on the lush vegetation that is thriving along the road shoulders. The cattle are typically tended by a single cattle herder.  The herds of 5 to typically no more than 15 head are escorted by a cattleherd carrying a long switch.  They leave their village around 7:00 A.M. and return back to their village around 3:30 P.M. In between they wander in search of food.  Some of the cattle have a long rope strung through their nostrils that trails behind them as they lumber along or cross a road.  I am not too worried about hitting an animal but I am concerned about causing them a sprained neck or whiplash if I were to run over their leash as they were moving out of the way.

Yesterday morning we set out early for Kumphawapi to take Peelawat home from the hospital.  There is some kind of a sickness hitting the small children in the villages.  I suspect that it is either a flu or perhaps Dengue Fever.  Peelawat the previous day had been running a fever and had a couple seizures - very frightening but typical for fevers in small children and typical for Duang's family.  He went to the clinic and they sent him to the hospital.  We visited him that evening and he was on a IV drip and anxious to leave the hospital.  He knew where the stairway was that led to the ground floor and parking lot.  He kept pointing in that direction and indicating that he wanted to go.  Duang diverted his attention somewhat by talking about monkeys and told him that when he got better we would take him to see the monkeys.

Our early morning departure was delayed for about 10 minutes due to Police activity.  From the man that we buy our floral offerings to hang from our truck's rear view mirror we learned that the King's granddaughter was traveling in our area.  When a member of the Royal Family travels by road, Police will close down the road to all traffic except for the Royal motorcade.  The Royal Motorcade is made up of several cars containing government and military officials, several vans of attendants, several Police escort vehicles, and two to three SUVs or vans of the Royal party along with an ambulance.  The motorcade speeds along a very high rate so I am not sure if the roving road closure is for their safety or the public's safety.

Peelawat Purchases Some Peanuts to Feed His Monkey Friends

Peelawat was discharged from the hospital with some medicines to take.  Duang and I kept our word and took him into the center of town to visit the monkeys.  It was a very overcast day with an imminent threat of rain after some heavy rains the night before.  This seemed to reduce the number of monkeys in the park but their were plenty enough for Peelawat to get his monkey fix.

Peelawat Tosses Some Peanuts to a Monkey Friend

After putting some distance between ourselves and a large monkey that we had been warned had bitten a small child, we spent some time observing the smaller friendlier monkeys.  Peelawat has become very adept at spotting them and pointing them out.  He later got excited about a couple of very large and colorful butterflies.  He kept pointing them out to me so I could take their picture.  As I was photographing the butterflies, we received a big surprise - a young elephant came walking by with three mahouts.  I was thrilled.  Peelawat was not very happy at all.  I bought some small pieces of sugar cane to feed the elephant but Peelawat wanted nothing to do with it.  Although it was a young elephant, it was the largest animal Peelawat had ever seen or apparently ever wanted to see.  He remained in the comfort of his grandmother's arms and did not take his eyes off of the animal until it was long out of sight.  Even then Peelawat would remind me by pointing where he last saw the elephant and it was obvious that he was not asking to go there.

Young Elephant Performs In Appreciation For Some Sugar Cane

Peelawat Keeps His Eyes On the Elephant

Chang and Mahouts Leaving - Much to Peelawat's Relief

To take Peelawat's mind off of the "chang" (elephant), we introduced him to the slide.  After overcoming some technical misunderstandings as to how to properly use a slide, Peelawat enjoyed going down the slide as long as Grandfather had his arm around him as he slid down the slide.  I suspect that the slide and monkey bars will become another reason to visit the park in Kumphawapi.

Peelawat Trying To Figure Out How to Use A Slide On His Own

I returned Peelawat to his Mother back at the hospital and returned home alone.  Duang was going to babysit Peelawat while here daughter worked at a local market.  The one hour trip back to our home took about three hours to complete.  I was carrying my backpack of camera gear and came upon some interesting sights along the way home.  You should always be prepared for the unexpected here in Isaan.  Daily activities have migrated from the fields to the flood plains of Isaan.  With the rice crops in the paddies, a man's and a woman's fancy turns to .... FISHING.  During this late stage of the rainy season the Mekong River is flowing very heavily which causes the many rivers and stream that empty into it to back up.  This in combination with the almost daily rains over the past three months has submersed the floodplains.  During the dry season, you will drive past bamboo fishing stands that are two meters above the ground.  Those same stands are now about 1/2 meter or less above the water.

Fisherwomen Of the Flood Plain Alongside the Road In Isaan

The local people set about fishing using drop nets.  I have written about these in previous blogs but I am still fascinated by the effort and techniques the people use to catch fish.  Yesterday was no exception.  I spotted a location where several "fisherwomen" had set up along side a highway bridge over the flood plain outside of Kumphawapi.  I pulled the truck over onto the side of the road and placed my backpack on my shoulder.  At first the fisherwomen were curious about a foreigner stopping along the road and walking along the bridge.  I said hello and asked if they were happy.  I asked if there were a lot of fish and proceeded to pull out my camera.  My limited Thai and Lao vocabulary broke the ice quite easily.  Their curiosity quickly turned to amusement that someone would be interested as well as would take the time to photograph them.

Yes There Also Are Some Fishermen In Isaan

Across from the fisherwomen was a fisherman and a fisherwomen, perhaps his wife, fishing a different section of the flood plain.  When I first started to take their picture I released that he was answering a call.  No it wasn't a call from his cell phone but a call from nature.  He noticed me and I yelled out in Thai that I wanted to take pictures of fish and not his @#6&.  He smiled and the fisherwomen all laughed like crazy.  Now that all the ice was broken I was set to enjoy two hours of photography and they didn't feel threatened or intimidated. They could relax, be themselves and go about their business which is exactly what I wanted to photograph.  As is often the goal here in Isaan "Good for you. Good for me"

The Best Fisherwoman And Her Catch

The people were catching tadpole sized fish in their dip nets without using any bait or lures.  I showed my wife these pictures and she knew exactly what they were catching - "Bahtou".  I asked if they were used to make Nam Pahla (fermented fish sauce - with the emphasis on FERMENTED FISH).  Duang said No that the people ate the fish.  This was an eye opener to me.  Back in the USA these fish would be considered too small to even use as bait but here they were a highly sort after source of protein.

Just as when I used to go fishing with my grandfather, one fisherwomen seemed to dominate in catching the fish.  We could switch sides of the boat.  We could swap fishing equipment.  We could swap baits or lures.  It all made no difference he always seemed to catch more and the biggest fish.  The best fisherwoman was in the middle of the row of the fisherwomen.  She dropped her net into the water just as the other women.  She used no lures or bait just like every one else.  She waited about 5 minutes like the others did prior to pulling up her net.  Whereas the others might catch 3 fish occasionally, she typically caught 4 to 6.  Her hand made nylon creel was filled with tiny fish demonstrating her prowess.

A Lao Loum Farmer Cutting Vegetation On the Flood Plain

Lao Loum Man Clearing Portion of Flood Plain

I crossed the road and watched a man up to his neck in the water.  he was using a sickle on the end of a long bamboo pole to cut the vegetation.  I had seen people in Isaan doing this alongside the road to harvest food for their cattle or pigs.  I had watched people in China do this to obtain food for their water buffalo.  I asked the man if the plants were food for his water buffalo. He indicated to me that he was clearing the vegetation in order to create channel and space for fish that he could catch with a drop net from his close by fishing stand.  He had finished his cutting for the day so he climbed out of the water up to the road level where I was at.  Prior to climbing up from the water level, he was very meticulous about washing the mud off of his clothing and bare feet.  He was wearing a typical knit pullover polo shirt and thin trousers.  When he came up to my level I noticed that he also had tight elastic bands of recycled tire inner tubes around his ankles and around his waist.  He proceeded to check around and under these straps very carefully when it occurred to me that he was looking to see if he had any leeches on him.  I asked him if and more importantly pantomimed if he was looking for leeches.  He affirmed and showed me some scars on his arms that he attributed to leeches.  I am not aware of leeches leaving a scar, so I suspect that the leech incisions had become infected or that it might have been another parasite such as flukes that he had encountered.  I checked the back of his neck and down his back underneath his shirt to ensure he was OK this time.  I left it up to him to check any other places under his clothing for unwanted critters.  It was time to check out some people fishing closer to town.  Rather than going back to the truck and driving down, I decided to walk.  Talk about being a fish out of water.  There were many people who drove by on all types of vehicles surprised to see a foreigner walking along a main road with a backpack on.  Fortunately there is no ordinance against WWW (Walking While White) so I was not stopped by the policemen that drove past me.

Old Mamma Preparing To Chew Some Betel Nut

I later returned to the fisherwomen near my truck and one of the older women was taking a break.  As she sat on her fishing stand her clothing wet from her fishing efforts, she had opened up her handbag of goodies and was preparing to chew some betel nut.  Betel nut chewing is similar to chewing tobacco and just as disgusting to me.  The process of preparing to chew betel nut is quite involved - taking a leaf, putting what appears to some dry wood chips on it, putting a clump of lime (the chemical powder not the fruit) on the leaf, cutting a piece of betel nut and pounding it to bits with a brass mortar and pestle, adding it to the leaf and wrapping it into a package before placing it in your mouth.  I yelled down to the woman in Lao if it tasted good.  I then told her that she should use the ensuing spittle as bait for the fish.  At first she misunderstood me and was preparing to share her stash with me.  I quickly corrected her and got her to understand that I thought she should use the bright red spit from chewing to attract fish to her net.  She laughed like crazy.  Soon all the fisherwomen were laughing.  The joke was so good or perhaps I was so funny that they yelled over to the fisherman to tell him.  I thought that this would be a good time to break away and finish my journey back home.

Seven Fish To Be Added to the Creel

It had been a day of unplanned activities that ended up providing some pleasant experiences.  I was fortunate to once again participate in Peelawat's personal development - even though he did not appreciate the elephant.  I was also fortunate to once again observe some of the unique aspects of life here in Isaan.  These are the pleasures that come from unplanned and unexpected activities.

It Takes A Village to Heal A Child - At Least In Isaan

It has been a few days since my last blog. The lack of blogs has not been due to a lack of subjects but because we have been very busy. Much of our time has been spent at the hospital in Kumphawapi. Our grandson, Peelawat, has been hospitalized for three days.

Peelawat has been been living in Tahsang Village with his mother at his Great-Grandmother's home. In Tahsang Village, he spends a great deal of his time playing with his two and one half year old cousin, Kwan, and three year old neighbor, Tay. Like all other 16 month old children in Isaan, Peelawat's play involves walking around bare foot, playing in the dirt, running after chickens and puppies. All the toddlers carry evidence of their play on their ankles, legs and arms. Nicks, scrapes, and scabs bear testament to the fun that they have been having on these hot and humid days in Isaan.

Monday morning, we received a phone call from Duang's daughter saying that Peelawat was sick. He had a fever and had experienced a couple seizures. Previously when he had fevers, Peelawat had experienced seizures. At first this was extremely concerning to us but after researching I determined that these seizures are somewhat common in young children. Later I found out that Duang as well as her two children had the same experience with fevers when they were young. This made me somewhat more relaxed but I still had concerns about epilepsy or some other serious condition. Duang's daughter had a cousin take them to a clinic in Khumphawapi to see a doctor. Peelawat had a seizure at the clinic. He received treatment and returned to Tahsang Village.

Later that evening we received another, more stressful, call from Duang's daughter saying that Peelawat was running a fever, had additional seizures, and was being hospitalized. Peelawat and his parents had been taken to the hospital in Kumphawapi by one of the uncles in Tahsang Village who had a pickup truck. Most people in Isaan have motorbikes but out in the villages few people have trucks and even fewer have cars. People with vehicles are often called upon to help out in emergencies. With the emergency notification, Duang, her son, and I headed off to Kumphawapi.

We arrived at the hospital and found Peelawat in the Emergency Room. He seemed so small and defenseless laying on the gurney swathed in a blanket with an oxygen mask on. He was very feverish and in that quasi conscious state that a high fever induces. After a while, he was transported to the Pediatric Building of the hospital. Since the NICU is located on the second floor and there is no elevator, I had to carry him up the two flights of stairs to the NICU.

Although the sign above the entrance to the ward said "NICU" (Natal Intensive Care Unit), the room was more of a children's ward than what we expect to find as a Intensive Care Unit in the USA. The room was very similar to other hospital wards here in Isaan. It was a large room divided in two sections by a five foot high block wall. Each section contained 16 beds. A couple of ceiling fans provided ventilation for each of the sections. At the end of the room there was a large area that had several shower stalls and toilet stalls. Just to the left of the entrance to the bathroom area, there were a couple of large steel cabinets with hospital linens. There was a fairly large Nurse's Office, which was air conditioned, at the middle and front of the ward. Approximately 4 nurses were in and out of the office.

Here in Isaan, the Nurses handle taking vital signs, and giving medicine. They do not provide care for the patients such as bathing, dressing, changing bedding, feeding, or assisting in the personal hygiene of the patients. The family and friends of the patient provide patient care. Since there are such large families and such a strong sense of community here, the hospital wards are always filled with people. In addition there are many people congregated outside of the wards - eating, resting, and socializing while they await their turn to give care and comfort to the sick. While this may be reassuring during times of normal sickness, I fear the consequences of this behavior if the fears of a SARS, H1N51, or some other horrible epidemic become reality. Containment will not be possible.

The ward was filled with patients from two weeks old to about 12 years old. Each patient had two to four people attending to them. Surprisingly, many of the adults caring for the little patients were men. Lao Loum men are very involved in the raising of their children. Uncles are also involved in helping to care for their nephews and nieces. Peelawat had his grandfather, grandmother, mother, father, uncle, a couple of great aunts, a great uncle, and two cousins - a couple more attendants than typical that night. The ward was filled with the sounds of babies crying out of fear and from pain.

The young patients were placed in full sized hospital beds. The beds had been modified for young patients by the addition of smooth nylon string in a lattice pattern to reduce the spaces on the pop up rails on the side of the bed. Very young patients sleep with their mother in the hospital bed. Older patients mothers or fathers sleep under the hospital bed or on the balcony outside of the ward - if they get to sleep at all.

Duang and her daughter kept busy wiping Peelawat down with tepid water to break his fever. I occupied myself trying to comfort him. Peelawat was confused about the situation. One thing that he was sure of as well as adamant about - he wanted out of the hospital. He remembered the way into the ward and he was constantly pointing toward the entrance indicating that he wanted OUT and expected me to take him out.

Sadly just about every time that Peelawat calmed down a little bit and started to get some much needed sleep, a Nurse came by to check his temperature, collect blood, or give him a shot. After awhile, the Nurses decided to connect Peelawat to an IV. Just about every other patient on the ward was hooked up to an IV. One of the younger Nurses tried to put a needle into his foot. She tried and tried to no avail. Peelawat very quickly understood what was going to happen when the piece of surgical tubing was wrapped around his arm or leg. After about 5 minutes of stabbing and jabbing Peelawat to connect an IV, I said "Enough. No More, she doesn't know what she is doing. Get someone else to try". Thankfully, whether they understood me or not, another Nurse took over. Three nurses moved Peelawat's bed over to be in better light to assist in finding a vein. In the end it took a third nurse to finally connect the IV.

A Doctor was not available to examine Peelawat or any of the other patients until the next morning. I tried to determine what medicine Peelawat was getting - fighting against the language barrier as well as the cultural barrier. Medicine in Isaan is similar to the type of medicine practiced in the USA 50 years ago and longer ago in the USA - The Doctor is always right, the Doctor has no obligation to explain treatments, the patient is just to take the medicine given to them, and the Doctor is infallible. After some time I learned that Peelawat had been given an antibiotic. This seemed reasonable to me and reassuring. I was also satisfied that blood as well as urine samples had been collected. After four hours we left the hospital and returned home.

The next morning, we were back at the hospital at 8:00 A.M. I noticed that Peelawat's ankle was swollen, very hot, as well as surrounded by a black band. It was obvious that there were several red ant, weaver ant, bite marks on that leg - not an unusual sight on village children in Isaan. I pointed this out to Duang and she told me that some people in Tahsang Village had the same thing only higher on their body and they had died. This was not comforting news. Duang informed me that some of the old people in the village know what to do. She added that they make medicine and blow it onto the affected area. I asked what kind of medicine and she disturbed me once again - "same same Momma chew" Betel nut? I asked her to make sure that the Doctor took a good look at that area. I was suspicious that Peelwat had what is often commonly referred to, in accurately, as "Blood Poisoning". The actual condition is "Bacteremia", bacterial infection of the blood. The Doctor had not arrived at the ward by Noon when I left. The Doctor had been delayed because of so many adult patients in the other building. Duang called the Village to arrange for one of the older villagers to be brought to the hospital to treat Peelawat. When Duang returned home she informed me that the Doctor had not seen Peelawat but he had authorized more antibiotics for Peelawat. She also told me that a man from the village had visited and given Peelawat the first of his three "treatments"

Duang returned to the hospital the next morning to help her daughter to care for Peelawat. Her daughter and son-in-law had spent two mostly sleepless nights at the hospital. The good news was that Peelawat was feeling better. He had been chasing the same stray cat out the ward that I had chased the night before. The hospital has several stray cats that have run of most of the facilities. The cats eat the uneaten food off of the metal trays that are placed at the end of the corridor awaiting pick up at some time. I suspect that the cat's diet is also supplemented by rodents since I have not seen any around.


At 5:30 P.M. I returned to the hospital with Duang's son and his girl friend. As we pulled into the parking lot we saw a very good sight - Peelawat and Duang were sitting outside waiting for us. Peelawat had a shunt installed in his hand but other than that he looked excellent. His fever was gone and he had his energy back. He enjoyed having his photograph taken and had to see each picture on the camera's monitor after it was taken. He eagerly displayed his "Big Smile" more like a soundless lion's roar when asked.


We went back upstairs to the ward and let Peelawat play on the outside balcony. Peelawat still was pointing to the exit and now that he was mobile, he often took off for the stairway to leave the facilities. Peelawat amused himself by playing with the various shoes placed outside the doorway to the ward. Peelawat kept himself busy by trying on the various shoes. He wore mens as well as women's shoes irregardless of their size. He was very adapt at ensuring that he selected matching shoes. Later he started to play with a bed table that was stored on the balcony. He amused himself turning the crank on the table and pulling as well as pushing the table along the corridor. After awhile he indicated to me that he wanted to get on top of the table. Being a somewhat indulgent grandfather and somewhat bored, I placed him on the table. Peelawat lay on his stomach and had such a big smile as I pushed him down the corridor that I decided to share his pleasure with Duang. I wheeled him into the ward and quickly discovered that the nurses were not amused. Duang scolded me and Peelawat and I went back outside. We limited ourselves to the simple pleasure of sitting in a chair and kicking our feet back and forth while learning the English words for parts of our face.



After awhile, Duang's son returned from Tahsang Village with one of the village elders to give Peelawat his second treatment. The man had a small plastic bag with a green leaf, slices of Betel Nut, and some wood chips. He placed the items into a small brass mortar and ground them together with a small brass pestle. He sat next to Peelawat on a concrete bench on the outside balcony. Peelawat was not afraid at all and sat patiently next to the man. The man, a spiritual leader, chewed the ground up concoction and soon had a mouth full of red liquid. He examined Peelawat's infected leg, said some chants, and sprayed the red liquid on the infected portion of his leg three times. Peelawat observed the ritual with interest. The man also placed his hand on Peelawat's head and said some chants before blow air three times on the top of the head. Peelawat then pointed to a scab on his other leg to the shaman and said "Nee" (here). Somehow Peelawat inherently understood what the shaman was doing and he was pointing out to him another one of his injuries for special treatment. We all had a good laugh. Having been informed by Duang that Peelawat had received more intravenous antibotics at 6:00 P.M. and that the Doctor had scraped the skin on his leg while putting some medicine on it, I was not opposed to the traditional treatment.

After the man completed treating Peelawat, Peelawat thanked him by giving him a wai, the Thai gesture of respect which is similar to the Western prayer gesture. We left the hospital at 9:00 P.M. much relieved that Peelwat is well on his way to recovery. Peelawat will be released today from the hospital once the doctor has checked him.

Once again the differences between health care in Isaan and health care in the USA had been made very apparent. Here in Isaan health care is much more of a community effort. Family members as well as friends or neighbors are heavily involved in caring for the sick. The play on the old African proverb ("It takes a village to raise a child") - "It takes a village to cure a child" is not too far from the truth - at least here in Isaan.