Soon

18 January 2009
Sunday

Thailand's Answer to Costco or Sam's Club?

The other day we drove to check out "Tang Ngee Soon Superstore" on the outskirts of Udonthani. No, the attached photo is not the store. The photo is from Maehongson and I just wanted to share it.

Shopping for groceries in Udonthani is an adventure especially if you are looking for foreign foods. There is not a single source for falang needs. The large supermarkets are Big C, Tesco-Lotus, and Tops. Big C is a sort of Thai K-Mart and we pretty much avoid it.

Tesco-Lotus is a British company that has grocery stores around the world. They are on the verge or at least were on the verge of entering the US market before the economic crisis hit. We sometimes shop there but because this is Isaan they have a great deal of Lao food cooking inside the store. This might not be a problem if the store had a properly designed ventilation system. In the meat and fish section of the store, they are always deep frying some Lao food that is very spicy. There are no fume hoods or fire protection system above the deep fryers. The pungent and irritating fumes permeates the entire store. I find it to be unpleasant and prefer not to shop there. Many expats avoid the store because of all the loud music. The store does have some foreign foods for sale. However it doesn't always have the stuff that we are looking for. The store's fruits and vegetables leave a great deal to be desired.

We normally shop at Tops. The Tops store is located on the third floor of the main shopping mall in the city center. The store is much smaller than Tesco Lotus but carries just as many and for some items (frozen turkey) more foreign foods as Tesco Lotus in a more appealing environment. The problem with Tops is that many other foreigners shop there so the foods that we all buy are not always in stock. Once you have finished shopping you have to carry your groceries down two fights of escalators through a crowded mall and across the main street of 4 lane traffic to where your vehicle is parked. Tops's fruits and vegetables are even worse than Tesco Lotus.

Duang buys our fruit and vegetables at one of the main markets in the center of town. This market is a labyrinth of booths selling prepared foods, fruits, vegetables, and all sorts of dry goods. The fruits and vegetables are excellent. However there are no imported or foreign foods available there. Because it is in the center of the city and carries local foods, parking is very difficult to find in the narrow crowded streets bordering the market. Inside the market, the narrow aisles are congested with people. Duang warns me about being aware for pick pockets so it is not one of my favorite places to shop. Duang usually goes there once a week with her son and girlfriend to shop for our needs. She ends up spending around 500 baht ($15 USD) a week.

Carrefour, a large French based grocery company is building a large store near our home. I am hoping that it is similar to the store where we did all our grocery shopping in Pattaya. It had a great selection of foreign foods, great meats, seafood, fruit, and vegetables - a one stop source for all our needs. Time will tell.

Any how we checked out the "superstore". It is very convenient to our home and the road is wide and not congested to get to it. The store has a large parking lot with plenty of space for me to park the truck (I am still not comfortable in pulling into narrow spaces driving on the right hand side of the truck).

The superstore is huge. It is a large warehouse structure very similar to a Costco or Sam's Club in the USA except that it is much cleaner. In Thailand labor is very cheap so stores can afford to maintain large cleaning staffs.

The superstore had all the dry goods as well as brands that we normally buy each week. The prices were also cheaper than what we typically pay. Unlike Costco or Sam's Club, we did not have to buy jumbo sized containers or bundles of the product.

There were many foreign products. However the store had no fresh fruits or vegetables - I suppose that they realize that they can not compete with the local markets.

The meat section of the store consisted of a small upright freezer about the size of the soft drink refrigerator at a small pizza parlor in the USA. The freezer had small packages of frozen hamburg patties, two types of sausages, pork chops, and beef steaks from an English butcher in Pattaya.

The dairy section consisted of two similar sized refrigerators. One contained packages of processed cheese slices, about 8 small packages of three types of cheese, and Kraft's Thai equivalent of Velveeta cheese. The other case had yogurt, and fermented milk products.

The dry goods section of the store was excellent and all the prices were cheaper than we pay elsewhere. M&Ms were 17% cheaper at the superstore. We ended up walking out of the store with 5 plastic bags of groceries for $20 USD.

I guess our shopping regime will now be Superstore + Local Market + Tops. Hopefully this will only be until Carrefour opens up - soon.

I have a little joke with Duang. I often tell her that something will happen "soon". I then remind her that in English "soon" means "in a short period of time" but in Thai "soon" means "zero". I tease her about whether I am speaking English or Thai when I say "soon". She has caught on and now will ask me if I am speaking Thai or English.

So it may be with Carrefour, they are rumored to be opening "soon"

Life in Isaan is very rewarding and I can not complain. However when we were in Bangkok at the end of December, we got to go to a "real" grocery store in the basement of Paragon Center. It was heaven. It would have put many grocery stores in small US towns to shame. All kinds of spices, cheeses, meats, seafood, bakery goods, and foreign foods!

Perhaps soon we will have the same here in Isaan.

16 January 2009 Lack of Privacy

Earlier this week, I obtained an important Thai document, my Yellow House Book.

In Thailand, Thai citizens must be recorded in a House registration Book called a “Tabien Bahn”. For Thai people, their name is recorded in the blue registration book for the house that they live in. If they are not “permanently” living in one place, they have their name registered in the house book of one of their parents or grandparents. Thai people who rent a house, condo, or apartment are registered in the respective house book.

The house book is used to establish identity along with the National ID card for legal matters such as voting, banking, getting a driver’s license, registering motor vehicles, obtaining utilities, obtaining credit, getting married, getting divorced, and receiving certain government services.

For foreigners like me, the “Yellow House Book” will allow me to register a car in my name, and most importantly of all help me in proving my residence to Thai authorities.

Obtaining my yellow book was a rather involved process. We had to go to the Amphur Office, a sort of state office. I had to submit stamped translated copies of my US passport title page, and Thai Visa page. Along with those papers, we had to submit our marriage certificate, and Duang’s Blue House Book. There was also a requirement to submit two passport photographs.

The process had several steps. After each step, we had to go to the next room and obtain Xerox copies – along with everyone else who was doing official provincial business that morning! There is only one Xerox machine and one operator so the line and wait to get your documents can run up to 15 to 20 minutes – EACH TIME.

Fortunately the process of getting a Yellow House Book was on the same floor as the Xerox machine. When we registered our marriage in December, we made at least 6 trips up and down the stairs for copies and signatures.

The final action prior to picking up my yellow book was to sign the plain paper ledger book where my photograph and a bunch of Thai writing had been added. The completed book was available to pick up a week later.

Like many countries in the world, Thailand has a National ID Card. There is no current National ID Card required in the USA. Such a requirement is opposed by many people based upon personal privacy issues and others for religious beliefs.

There is a prophecy in the Bible that predicts a time when everyone will have to have a mark or a number, without which they will not be able to participate in the economy. Some Christians believe that this imposition of a National ID Card will fulfill the prophecy for the “mark of the beast” in the “Last Days”.

The day that we registered our marriage, Duang also changed her last name from “Veeboonkul” to “Hale”. This necessitated her to also get a new National ID Card.

The National ID Card is a credit card sized plastic card similar to a driver’s license in California.
At the top of the card is a unique 13 digit number. Below the unique ID number is the person’s name written in Thai. Below the Thai spelling, the name is written in English.

The date of birth is written underneath in Thai followed by the birth date in English. Following the birth date information, the person’s home address is written in Thai. The last section of the center of the card indicates in Thai as well as English when the card and when it will expire (7 years later on the day before the person’s birthday).

In the lower right hand corner of the ID card is a photo (mug shot) of the person digitally taken when the card was created. Underneath the picture, Duang’s previous ID card number was printed.

There is a bar code on the left hand side of the card.

The big feature of the card is located on the left hand side of the card approximately ½ way down – an embedded computer chip. This chip is amazing. Prior to giving the new ID Card to Duang, the government official placed the card into a card reader. The computer on the desk top quickly refreshed and showed Duang’s information – everything that I have described previously PLUS digital copies of her fingerprints from a central government database.

The computer chip has holographic protection on its reverse side. The entire ID Card has holographs on its face as security protection.

This was astounding to me.

Privacy is a big issue and concern in the United States. My opinion is that it is already a lost cause.

Although there is no National ID Card in the USA, much of the information expected to be contained in such a card as well as much more that we may prefer to keep private is readily available from other sources.

Remember those unsolicited offers to refinance your house mortgage that you got in the mail? They had your address, the current balance outstanding, as well as your current monthly payment – all correct and obtained legally from public records.

Some time ago, I purchased a camera lens on EBAY. It was a large lens with limited application. When the lens arrived, I was curious about the person that I purchased the lens from. I knew his name from EBAY. The person had included a return address on the UPS box.

Using Google, I searched the Internet and determined that this person was associated with two of the largest sporting goods stores in the Chicago area.

From the zip code of his return address, I went on the United States Census website and determined more about this person. From the Census site I found out the median income of families in that neighborhood, education levels, racial make-up, family size, as well as other details – quickly, easily and legally.

My curiosity was appeased and I ended at that point. I had invested little time and no money to get a fairly good profile of this “unknown” person.

If I had wanted to spend some money, there a multitude of services that will provide detailed information from public records such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, divorce papers, court records, etc.

With a person’s social security number, a copy of their credit report can easily be obtained which provides very detailed financial information.

As part of developing my photography website www.hale-WorldPhotography.com, I obtained a free Google “key” that allows me to geo tag my photos on Google maps.

Google maps use a combination of commercial satellite and traditional maps to locate coordinates around the world. Coordinates can be uploaded from a GPS unit tied to the camera, manually entered, or determined by locating the spot form Google maps/satellite photos.

My efforts were astonishing. In late July, I had photographed Duang’s relatives planting rice. They were planting rice on their plot of land outside of Tahsang Village about 10 miles from Kumphawapi in the Isaan region of Thailand. Kumphawapi has a population of 29,000 so I did not expect it to “be on the Map”

Utilizing a combination of traditional map along with satellite photography I was able to see and identify the actual field where the photos had been taken. A small field in the middle of rice paddy country in rural NE Thailand easily identified with readily available resources – to anyone.

Intrigued I used Google Map and www.zillow.com to find my property in Walnut Creek. Sure enough, I was able to view my house with my former car parked at the side of the house. Tweaking the system a little more I was able to view a ball park in Walnut Creek to such detail that I saw people playing on the field. I could not identify them but I could count them. This was performed using commercial satellite technology. I can only wonder what “state of the art” technology is capable of doing.

The battle for privacy was lost long ago.

Be it in Thailand or the USA, your information is available – it is only a question as to the ease that it is available.

Baby Business - More Days At The Hospital

A recent blog entry concerned itself with Udonthani General Hospital. Today's blog will be about Kumphawapi Hospital and will provide more insight into Thai life or more specifically - Isaan life.

Duang's daughter is 8+ months pregnant and is due to deliver in three weeks.

On Saturday she came into Udonthani to have an Ultra-Sound scan. Isaan is different than locations that I have lived in the USA. There are many private places throughout the city where you can go in and have a Ultra-Sound - unless it is a Saturday or Sunday!

Manchester United Football (Soccer) Team has a slogan "You will never walk alone". Their team paraphernalia is very popular over here including apparel with the team slogan. That slogan only needs to be slightly modified to describe life here in Isaan - "You will never be alone". Beside all of Duang's relatives (92 cousins), there is a very strong sense of community in Isaan. These two factors create an atmosphere that is unlike any I have experienced elsewhere.

Duang's daughter, her husband, Duang, Duang's son, his girlfriend, and I all piled into the pickup truck and headed into the city center in search of an Ultra-Sound Clinic. There seems to be an Ultra-Sound Clinic every 5 blocks in the city center. Unfortunately the clinics are not open on the weekend. The clinics have signs written in Thai - a sort of Sanskrit script rather than Roman script that English is written in. Often the signs will be written in green and at times will have a green cross to indicate medical related. As we drove around and around the city in our quest, I developed or thought that I had come to an understanding of what the writing for a clinic looked like. As we went along one street, I looked to the side and saw a clinic. I motioned Duang's son to pull up to the place. As we approached, we realized that the clinic was open, had ultra-sound scanning, but was a veterinary clinic. We all had a good laugh - well everyone except for Duang's daughter. Late term pregnant women don't have the greatest senses of humor. My honest mistake was not mitigated any by Duang's son's continual hysterical laughing. I did point out that ultra sound scanning a dog was the same as scanning a woman and most likely much cheaper. This only encouraged Duang's son to laugh more once she had translated to everyone. The quip did not amuse her daughter.

After wandering around the city for about an hour, we went to one of the private hospitals in Udonthani. We went to the scanning room and everyone was allowed in. The ultra-sound was much better resolution than the ones that I remeber for my sons thirty years ago. We could see ribs and internal organs in addition to counting the number of fingers as well as toes. Oh yeah - the baby is a boy. The cost of the Ultra-Sound scan with report for the doctor was $35 USD.

On Monday morning we got a call that Duang's daughter was in the hospital with pain. I drove Duang to the Kumphawapi Hospital about 25 miles from our home. One of my earlier blogs in August was about the Maternity Ward of this hospital. The parking lot was filled so I dropped Duang off at the front of the hospital and drove off to find a parking spot elsewhere. Duang told me to meet her where we had gone before.

After parking the truck, I went into the neo-natal ward where we had visited before. I entered the ward and walked around looking at every patient to see if she was Duang's daughter. No one seemed to mind me wandering around although it was obvious that most were curious about a falang walking around. After assuring myself that she was not there I walked outside and headed towards the main administration/reception building. On the way, Duang's son-in-law saw me and brought me to the new area where she was.

Duang's daughter was in the labor ward along with three other pregnant women. The ward is very spartan - a sort of first aid type facility for a large industrial plant. The room had concrete walls covered with a sort of plastic paneling riveted on to it. There was a completely exposed nurse's station consisting of two desks, two chairs and one computer set in the ward by the entrance.

There were 10 beds in the labor ward. The beds were rather spartan as well - metal frames with a plywood base with a 3 inch thick foam mattress on top. There were two air conditioning units in the ward that cooled and heated the room. Since it is now cold (63F) at night the units warmed the room. The room also had a single fetal monitoring machine which was being used for one of the other patients.

At one end of the labor room was the birthing suite(?). The birthing suite was a large room that to me resembled a cross between the autopsy rooms shown on TV and a barber shop. The room had three chairs with stirrups in a row - side by side. The room was drab without any semblence of decoration or sense of high technology. I was a little concerned that there were four women in the labor room and only three birthing stations.

Duang's daughter was not in labor and after about two hours she was released with some antacid and some pills.

We returned home and about two hours later received a call that Duang's daughter was back at the hospital. We went back to the hospital with Duang's son and son's girlfriend.

Since it was now night time, people were setting up for the night. Just like Udonthani General Hospital, patient's families camp out at the hospital. Duang's son-in-law and his mother had claimed one of the concrete benches along the outside open aired corridors to spend the night. They had brought some sahts, blankets, and plastic bags with clothes and food for the night. Other people were setting up their spots throughout the complex. This hospital was different from Udonthani General in that there were hospital cats wandering the area.

There were three other women in the labor room. One was hooked up to a fetal monitor machine. Another patient was in advanced labor and was tended by her mother and husband. She was in pain but kept her suffering in silence.

The third patient was in labor and was tended only by her mother. She was in very much pain but like the second patient was fairly quiet.

After awhile, the woman with the fetal monitor was discharged - so now there were three women for three birthing stations. I was more at ease.

We stayed there and gave support to Duang's daughter. She was going to spend the night in the hospital but was not in labor yet. In no time at all we knew the conditions of the other patients and they knew about Duang's daughter. I am continually amazed at the openness and resulting lack of privacy of Isaan society. The people love to talk, chat, and gossip and there are few topics not up for discussion.

We returned to the hospital this morning. Duang's daughter was still in pain but not in labor. She will spend two more days in the hospital.

The biggest news was that the two other women had their babies. We went over to the neo-natal unit to check them out. One woman had a little girl. Since she was a cesarean birth, the baby was not birth molded at all although she was in an incubator. The mother was in a bed about fifteen feet from the incubator which was in the aisle way from the ward entrance across form the nurse's station. The proud grandmother and father were also visiting so Duang got into an involved conversation about the birth.

The other baby was more serious - he was born with a heart defect and had already been transferred some 40 miles south to a specialty hospital. We found all this out from the Grandmother. After awhile the new mother walked out carrying two bags of clothing with her husband. Isaan women are definitely tough. They were going down to see their son at the new hospital.

It is eye opening to see the medical facilities that are available to so many people in the world.

It is also a revelation to see how little care is available to people.

Here in Isaan there is no air of mysticism or invulnerability associated with medicine or medical care. Healing, birthing, and dying are not hidden behind doors in pastel walled, brilliantly lit rooms in the company of strangers.

Injured patients and post operative patients are wheeled along outside aisle ways filled with children, toddlers, and adults of all ages. Doctors, nurses, and cleaning personnel are indistinguishable in their uniforms. Each one has a job to do. Each job being just as important as the other.

Some of this may be attributable to the Buddhist attitude towards life and death ... "The Buddhist spends their entire life preparing for the moment that they know will come - the moment of their death."

In the Wast, many of us spend all our life trying to avoid or deny the moment that will come for all of us. Our faith in our percieved medical capabilities and facilities helps support our efforts.

11 January 2009 - Hello

Hello

I am expanding my horizons by developing this blog in conjunction with the creation of my website that focuses upon my photography. www.hale-worldphotography.com

I have been maintaining a blog at www.myspace.com/aahale but I am looking for the abilitiy as well as capability to reach a larger audience.

The first blogs are be copies of the previously posted MySpace blogs with the addition of a photograph for some of them.

If this effort is successful and meets my needs, my blogs will be dedicated soley to this site.

7 Juanuary 2009, Busted Up In Isaan

Busted Up In Isaan
7 January 2009

This is my second attempt to write this blog. On Sunday, I spent a couple of hours composing the blog only to lose all my work on MySpace by hitting an incorrect key - Grrrrr!

I will now try resurrecting it from memory and first write it in Word so that all I have to do is paste it into MySpace.

We had to go into Udonthani Sunday morning for a family emergency. Duang had gotten a phone call that one of her relatives had been in an accident and was now hospitalized. I have written before about the number of her relatives. Here in Isaan it seems that just about everyone is an aunt, uncle, cousin or “cousin of my cousin”.

In Isaan, one’s family extends beyond what we typically define as immediate family in the USA. For me family was made up of aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, and their children. I am not even familiar with the term for the “cousin of my cousin”. But this is Thailand and things are different.

In preparing to rewrite this blog after a day of sulking or perhaps mourning over my lost original work, I sat down with Duang to get a better understanding of just how many relatives that she has. I restricted my questioning to just aunts, uncles and cousins. I was shocked but developed a better appreciation for how so many people seem to be family for her. Duang has 7 uncles, 9 aunts, and 92 cousins. Now I understand – a little bit.

Duang has difficulty with possessive pronouns – your, my, his, her, our, and their. This leads to some interesting but interesting conversations. Sunday was one of them. She informed me, if I remember correctly, that “cousin of you uncle of my sister” have accident last night.

She assured me that I knew the victim and that he had “taken care of me the other day at party”. “Take care” of someone means to say hello to them. Since half of the village was at the party, I am certain that the victim had spoken to me but I had no idea who he was. I decide to just wait and find out once we were at the hospital.

Her relative, “cousin of you uncle of my sister”, was at Udonthani General Hospital. Udonthani General Hospital is similar to a county hospital in the United States. The farmers of Isaan go to that hospital because they do not have good medical insurance. When their condition can not be adequately handled at the more local facilities such as the Kumphawapi Hospital (Maternity Ward Blog) or the outlying clinic that I had previously described where Duang and her aunts had enjoyed a medicinal sauna, the patient is transferred to a facility in Udonthani.

Udonthani has five hospitals – one Army, three private, and one public. Udonthani General hospital is the public hospital.

Udonthani General Hospital is located across from the park in central Udonthani. The hospital is located on one of the main 4 lane divided streets in the city. The far side of the street is bordered by the park, a sidewalk, and a lane of pull up parking. The sidewalk is mostly taken up with sidewalk vendors and sidewalk restaurants as well pedestrians weaving their way through the gauntlet. The one row of pull up parking is no where adequate for area so people park in a single row perpendicular to the parked pull up spaces. This only uses about one-half lane of the street so there are one and one half lanes of vehicle street traffic. The Thais have a system for parking that seems to work rather well. People park behind other parked cars leaving their locked vehicle in neutral. If your vehicle is blocked, you just go up to the offending vehicle and push it out of your way – no problem, no emotion, no anger – it’s just the way it is here. Can you imagine this happening in the USA – blocking half lane of street traffic, blocking another car, and putting your hands on someone else’s vehicle? I think not – not in our lifetimes!

Duang’s son parked the truck in the single remaining pull up parking space a short distance up from the hospital. As we left I started to think about how difficult it would be to remove a blocking vehicle behind the truck if the offending vehicle was one of 4 or more parked bumper to bumper. When we eventually returned to the space, we were blocked. Maybe we were just lucky but there was room beyond the offending vehicle so we only had to push one car out of our way. Perhaps there is an unwritten code to park so that someone only has to push two cars to free up their vehicle. I’ll keep an eye out to understand what the system is – if there is one.

The other side of the divided street is similarly congested. The sidewalk is cluttered with street vendors, sidewalk restaurants, and pedestrians. There is no car parking on this side of the street but one half lane is occupied by parked somlaws (three wheeled passenger carrying motorcycles). The numerous somlaw drivers are scattered about hustling potential customers, eating, drinking, smoking, gossiping, or napping. Neighborhood and street dogs wander in and about the masses of people making their way to and from the hospital. It is quite a congested sight.

Udonthani General Hospital is a large complex of three story concrete structures reminiscent of 1960’s era urban school architecture in the United States. It is apparent that there was little advance planning in developing the hospital site. Buildings were shoe horned into the restricted sight as their need was identified. Each building is connected to others through a maze of open sided covered walkways. The combination of walkways and cantilevered balconies of each building creates many sheltered areas at ground level. Some of the sheltered areas have been turned into gardens with plants and benches along the edges. The other sheltered areas have been paved over with concrete.

The paved sheltered areas were occupied by many people. The people of Isaan who use Udonthani General Hospital are typically poor people from the outlying farming regions. There is no Ronald McDonald House for relatives of patients to stay at while their loved one is being treated. Transportation to and from the hospital is difficult and not convenient - pickup truck – up to 10 people per vehicle. No problem. The people of Isaan spend much of their time outdoors. So it is at the hospital. In the sheltered area families set up their sahts (woven reed mats) and camp out for the duration of their loved one’s stay. Atop the sahts, they place their woven baskets of sticky rice, plastic bags of other Lao food, plastic bottles of water, plastic bags of clothing, and plastic bags stuffed with blankets.

Typically the grandparents sort of hold down the fort at the sahts while watching over the grandchildren who are running all about trying to amuse themselves all the while annoying others and being nuisances. The children are so cute and precocious that they are easily tolerated.

There were not any elevators in the hospital. Access to the upper levels is by stairs or ramps. Since the ramps were congested with patients being transferred in wheelchairs or gurneys, we used the stairs.

Duang’s relative was in a typical 24 bed open ward. We were not the first ones to arrive at his bedside. With our arrival, he had 12 family members hovering around his bed. I had expected to see an older man before me and was surprised to see a 12 year old boy in the bed. He was hit by a pickup truck with no headlights on while driving his motorcycle across the road to visit his uncle. Twelve years old! Driving a motorcycle on a public road! No problem – this is Thailand. There were no arrests, no charges and the pickup driver will make restitution after the boy is discharged from the hospital.

We were not the only people in the hospital ward. The ward was about 1/3 filled with patients. Patients ranged in age from about 6 years old to 70 years old. Some were on machines to assist their breathing. Privacy was at a premium. Although there were curtains that could be drawn to isolate a bed, no one was using them. Each patient had about 8 family members tending to them. Family members perform many tasks that nurses do in the USA. Family members wipe brows, feed patients, and assist them with going to the bathroom.

Visitors brought their own food and drink for their consumption while visiting. Children of all ages visited along with their older relatives. It was all very free and open as well as somewhat chaotic. Once again the sense of family and community was very prevalent.

Thai people have a fascination with pain and suffering that at times I find rather disconcerting. On television news broadcasts it is common to see up close and intimate filming of accident or victims of crime. I have seen broadcasts where the film crew followed the victim into the ambulance focusing on the victim’s anguished face or injuries. At ambulance facilities they have display boards with photographs of the victims that they have assisted or those that they just ended up picking up off of the road. The photographs are very vivid and leave little to the imagination. They are also very popular. I always feel like an intruder when confronted with these types of displays. In fact, upon leaving the hospital, Duang, her son and his girlfriend made a point of looking at each and every photograph on the “Don’t Drink and Drive” display in the hospital lobby.

Duang’s family is no exception to morbid curiosity. When we arrived, a point was made to show us each and every injury that the boy had endured. The blood stain on the hospital bed was pointed out and hospital gown was adjusted as needed for full viewing as well as for the convenience of the onlookers. The boy had an injured knee and would be operated upon in about two hours. His other injuries amounted to scrapes, and some cuts that required stitches.

After our visit we went off for awhile and returned later to give some family members a ride back to Tahsang Village. If you have a vehicle in Isaan, you are often called upon or expected to provide transportation for family members. When we were walking towards the boy’s ward we were called up by Duang’s sister to the second floor of a different building. This building was apparently the surgery building. The second floor had a door that indicated that it was an Operating Room. The exterior of the Operating Room resembled the exterior of a 60’s era high school classroom – metal, and glass curtain wall within concrete structure. Access to it was by way of open air covered ramps. Abandoned gurneys and wheel chairs cluttered the walkways outside of the room. In a corner a large bin was overflowing with used hospital linen. The boy’s family was congregating on the second floor outdoor hallway outside of the operating room. There was no nurse’s station or any other sign of life around the room. The windows to the room were heavily tinted so I had no idea what was on the other side. After surgery the patients are wheeled outside to their ward.

We gathered up the clan and I drove them back to Tahsang Village – about 40 miles. The boy did fine and will be released from the hospital tomorrow.

01 January 2009 - Ants In Their Fish, Ants In My Pants

Ants In Their Fish, Ants In My Pants
02 January 2009

Yesterday was New Year's Day here in Isaan - a day of family gatherings just as in many other lands around the world.

We went to Tahsang Village at 10:00 in the morning for a "family" party. I should have suspected that it would be more than a simple family get together. I have often joked with Duang regarding the number of aunts, uncles, and cousins she has.

After a stop at the market in Kumphawapi to buy some squid and shrimp, we arrived in the village which was alive with the sounds of mahlam lao (Lao Music) and partying from several houses. We walked to a "cousin's" house which happened to be the house with the loudest music, and greatest amount of people.

People of all ages were enjoying themselves inside and outside of the house. To prevent accidents, a cousin had removed a portion of the sliding door. With the door removed people and dogs could freely wander about unimpeded.

Inside the house, toddlers were sitting or standing on the sofas along the wall. The adults were either sitting on the floor eating and drinking or dancing. Wherever they were, they were talking or more closely screaming with each other. It was apparent they had been partying for awhile. I later found out that they had started the night before and this was just a continuation of New Year's Eve festivities.

In the middle of the room were several large speakers and large amplifier. The television was showing Isaan karaoke videos - loud, pounding, and driving beat. A microphone was passed among the revelers to participate in the "singing". People were very friendly but several kept forgetting that they had previously wished me a Happy New Year and drank a toast with me.
People sat on sahts placed on the floor in the center of the room drinking beer and whiskey along with eating Isaan food - chopped up raw beef with chili, marinated fish, broiled fish, dried fish, sticky rice, pauk pauk, and assorted green things.

It was an overwhelming scene. Our contributions of a bottle of whiskey, shrimp, and squid were welcomed and quickly dispatched. After about one and one half hours, I was in the groove and comfortable. Our glasses were never empty.

One of Duang's female cousins, who is a real party animal, told us that she wanted to be "Village Headman". The Village Headman takes care of some aspects of village life in Thailand. I have to get a letter from our Village Headman stating that I have been living in our home since September so that I can get a "House Book". My "House Book" will allow me to register a car in my name, and allow me to make contracts as well as agreements such as utilities in my name.

Running for office, Duang's cousin decided to organize an event for today's festivities. She chipped in some money with everyone else to hire the people who performed at the Christian Christmas party that we had attended the other night. Only in Thailand could you set up and organize a street party at 2:00 PM for that evening.

Duang and I took a little break from the partying and walked about the village. Walking around the village is always such an adventure. Unlike Americans, the people of Isaan live much of their life outdoors. If they are not out working in the fields, they are sitting outside. You can not walk by without stopping and having a little chat - especially if they are one of your relatives. The population of Isaan is more youthful than the USA which means there are many more babies around. Yesterday during our walkabout, I got to hold one month old, two month old, and four month old babies.

Duang and I eventually arrived at a home where the young men including her son were having their own celebration. The guys were outside busy drinking and preparing some food. Duang had told me that the boys had caught some "big" fish. I expected to see some large catfish around 25 pounds (10 Kg) or more. The "big" fish were definitely larger than the typical fish that I have seen in Tahsang Village - 1/4 pound or less but at around 3 pounds each I wouldn't consider them to be big. I guess size is in the eye of the beholder.

One young man was busy tending the cook fire. The fire was contained in a manufactured cook stove. The cook stove is a cylinder about 12 inches in diameter and 18 inches tall. It is lined with refractory material. There is a shelf in the center of the cylinder where about 6 small diameter sticks are burned to cook food that is placed in pots or pans at the top of the cylinder.

In addition to tending the fire, the young man stirred the pot of boiling water, garlic, and greens.

Another young man was busy drinking and preparing the "big" catfish. The fish had been dressed out when we arrived. The heads, entrails, skin, and fins were set aside in a container. I was initially surprised that they were not in the pot with the boiling water and greens to create an Isaan version of Bouillabaisse. The young man was sitting cross legged on a raised wood platform with a large chopping disk in front of him. He was using a heavy knife to chop the fish fillets into a paste - the same process used to prepare beef or pork. I noted that the fish paste was rather dry but surmised that when it was put into the pot of boiling water it would become juicier and might even be tasteful. Little did I imagine what was going to happen next!

There was some talk and I picked up the word "mot". "Mot" is Thai for "ant". From Duang I learned that the men needed to get some ants for their meal. I had seen Duang eat "kie mot" (ant eggs) with her fish before but today the actual ants were to be used. One of the young men, who had not been previously involved in the food preparation, took the lead and set off with two other guys to get the ants. This was something that I had to witness so I tagged along. We went to a couple houses and walked around their houses looking up into the bushes. We stopped at one bush and the young men grabbed a couples leaves. The leaves were covered with active and aggressive red ants. The ants were dumped and stripped into the bowl of fish paste. The ants bit the young men and they energetically swatted and brushed the furious ants off of them into the bowl.

At the last house that we stopped at, I saw the object of the young man's desire. Up in a bush, there was a large leafy mass that resembled a wasp's nest. The mass was about 12 inches long and 9 inches in diameter. The young men broke the twigs off that supported the nest and dumped the nest contents into the bowl of fish paste. The bowl exploded into a mass of red - red furious ants! Ants were everywhere. It reminded me of the scene where you step or dig into a fire ant mound in SE USA. The young men were also very much more animated at this stop - many more ants biting them. They threw away the nest, and the leader devoted his attention to killing the ants in the bowl by squeezing them into submission in the fish paste with his bare hands taking time to remove attacking ants from his body.

We returned to the cooking site to continue preparing the meal. I was busy telling Duang what had happened in the neighboring yards to get the ants so I don't know exactly happened next. The next time that I saw the ant/fish mixture was very moist - I don't know if this was attributable to the addition of the ants or water. Anyhow the young man was kept busy for the next five minutes squeezing the ant/fish paste to kill the remaing ants that were alive and to get the mass thoroughly mixed. The remaining ants did not go quietly into that good night. They fought to the end. Due to the intensity of the mixing activity, an ant flew up into the air and laded on my neck. It promptly bit me. The bite was like a small sting similar to a fire ant bite but without any swelling or blistering. It was just a plain ordinary bite - no toxins, or venom. I promptly swatted the ant and tossed it into the bowl.

Once the ants had been killed and mixed with the fish paste, the young man to the bowl to the boiling pot of greens and squeezed the liquid from the ant/fish mixture into the pot of boiling water. The removal of excess fluid was repeated three times.

Finely chopped fresh scallions, celery leaves, and some spices were added to the dewatered ant/fish mixture. I was appalled at the amount of MSG that was used. Earlier in the year I had some concerns over my heart. My concerns were over a period of five days. I finally got an idea what might have been the cause. I asked Duang what she was putting in the food that she was preparing. She told me that she was using "Vietnam Salt" (MSG). In Vietnam, MSG was sold in 5 kg bags (11 pounds!). Mystery solved - no further concerns. No more MSG in my food! Well yesterday I was concerned at how much MSG was used. Duang assured me that it was OK "Isaan not same as Falang". Perhaps the red ants counteract the effects of MSG.
The fish heads and other parts were placed into the pot of boiling greens. The soup chef seasoned and sampled the soup. He offered me a taste of the broth. I tasted it and found it to surprisingly astringant and bitter. It was edible and I could eat it although it did ot suit my tatse. I believe the bitterness came from some of the plants used in the soup. I have tried some Kao Lao (Lao Food) sticks and twigs before and found them to be bitter.

Duang and I continued our walkabout as the young men commenced to eat their feast. As a boy, it was our French-Canadian heritage to eat pork pie on New Year's Day. Perhaps Ant/Fish salad is an Isaan tradition as well. A tradition that I will not be adopting.

As we walked along the main road we came upon some squashed fruit and a small piece of road kill (a frog). The debris had red ants on it. We saw and recognized the ants but in no time at all we were getting attacked by the ants. My sneakers were crawling with angry red ants. My pant legs had several ants running around on them. Some ants were running up my socks. Other ants had rapidly made their way up my pants and were biting my legs. I responded by stomping my feet, jumping around swatting ants off of me - all to the amusement of a local family sitting outside across the street from us. Duang was also under attack but to a much lesser extent. We made our way to safety and the local family turned out to be cousins so we stopped. As was many stops that afternoon, we had to talk and drink a toast to the new year. The people of Isaan are very hospitable and definitely know how to party. While I was drinking my glass of whiskey, I got another bite on my bare leg just below the knee. Now I was getting very worried as the attacks became higher and higher up my legs. Fortunately that was the last as well as highest bite of the day. Everyone got a good laugh at my encounter with the ants. Duang said that ants like falang but not Isaan people - the same thing that she says about mosquitoes. It may very well be true. I get many more mosquito bites and more severe bights than her. She says that I am too sweet. Perhaps I should eat some of those bitter Kao Lao foods or pala (fermented fish). Better yet I will go find some "OFF" repellent.

At the midpoint of our walk we came upon a group of older men including Duang's brother the entertainer. They were drinking and playing petanque - a French version of Bocce Ball. I even got to toss a couple balls and did not embarrass myself or Duang. The newly elected government representative from the village was there. He ran on a campaign saying that he would fix the roads. On the way out Duang had remarked that the roads were bad - still. They were actually getting worse - the heavily loaded trucks of sugar cane just tear up the roads. Repairs consist of filling ruts and repaving - to be destroyed during the next harvest season. The sub base needs to be removed and replaced to do the job properly but is too expensive. Anyhow I had Duang tell the man that I wanted to buy a new truck but that with the way the roads were I was afraid to. He told us that the roads would be repaired in 5 months. We all enjoyed a good laugh. Everyone understood the joke as well as point.

We returned back to the original party sight just as the enertainment arrived - well not really the entertainment but the venue. We were to be the entertainment. The people that were hired provided a stage, lights, sound system, and karaoke system. It was awesome. They set up in the middle of the street in front of the Buddhist Wat in the village. The speaker system was the same that they use for their live shows. They played Isaan music and people went up and sang. They even had some English songs and had me go up and sing a couple songs. The highlight was Duang's brother and one of her female cousins. They perform for a living and last night they put on quite a show for us. It was very entertaining - singing, drinking, and dancing under the stars. We left at 8:30 PM. Today we found out that the party lasted until 2:30 AM - a party that had gone on for 32.5 hours - only in Thailand.

I am not sure about Duang's cousin becoming Village Headman. There was a pitiful man from the village that was a problem. He is insane and completely drunk. He was falling down, soiled himself, and was a danger to himself as well as others. He became a nuiscance and it appeared that there would be a fight if he remained. Duang's cousin who was in charge of the party ignored the situation and him. One of Duang's older aunts went up to him and escorted him away. I made a big deal out of it and had Duang tell her cousin that as Headman her job would be to take care of situations like that. She had not and I did not know if I could vote for her. Since the aunt took care of it, I would consider her for Village Headman. I then pantomimed looking at a ballot and then their faces, to end up checking off the Aunt's name on the imaginary ballot. We laughed like crazy and had another drink

It was a very nice way to welcome the New Year.

31 December 2008 - HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year – 2009
31 December 2008

New Years Eve is here and now in Thailand.

In less than 6 hours we will be in the year 2009.

We will be staying home tonight - New Year's Eve has never been one of my favorite holidays. I find that too many people use the night as a sloppy excuse to drink themselves into oblivion.
New Year's Eve in Thailand is similar to it is in the USA. There are organized parties at hotels and restaurants as well as family or friend get togethers.

Some people have jumped the gun already and set off some fireworks this afternoon. I expect that there will be many more later tonight. However I doubt that there will be as many as are set off in Curitiba, Brasil. When I lived in Curitiba, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve were pyrotechnical extravaganzas. Most of the fireworks were set off by private citizens.

Duang and I will have a celebratory toast or two and watch a recent DVD - save and sound from the madness outside.

Duang started the New Year's celebration early this morning. According to her 31 December is a good day - one-half old year and one-half old year. Yesterday she went to the local market and purchased flowers, fruits, and sweets to be used as offerings at our home. First thing this morning, Duang got up, showered, and put on some fine clothes.

Duang went outside to tend to the spirit houses that were placed in our front yard when we moved into our new home in September. Offerings of soft drinks, bananas, mandarin oranges, cookies, and coconuts were placed in front of the spirit houses to appease the spirit of the garden and the spirit of the house. This is not part of Buddhism but remains from original animist beliefs. After lighting candles, incense, and praying at the spirit houses, Duang repeated the ritual at the upstairs shrine in our home.

Newspapers and television shows here go over the past year and speculate at the prospects of the upcoming year. As can be expected most people are very happy that 2008 is over. The prospects of continued political unrest and a world economic crisis have most people very pessimistic over the upcoming new year. Most people are also focusing on the events that made 2008 such a bad year.

2008 was a year of big changes for Duang and me. We started the New Year in Halong Vietnam and yes I was one of the fools that drank themselves into oblivion that New Year's Eve.

In February, I visited the USA on a Rest and Relaxation Leave. Duang returned to Thailand to visit her family since she could not get a Visa to visit the USA. We reunited in Bangkok on my return to Vietnam and travelled back to our home in Vietnam together.

While in the USA I visited my oldest son and his family as well as my parents in Connecticut. I got to play with my grandson and granddaughter which was a treat. I had a quality visit with Mom and Dad back in Connecticut.

No matter how old you get to be, you are still their child and you can't fool Mom for sure. Along with viewing some of the videos, and photographs that I had taken in SE Asia, there were explanations of life choices that I had made. Their love remained true and although they may not have truly understood my actions, they gave me their support.

In March, my assignment in Vietnam was completed. At that time I made another life changing decision. Duang and I relocated to Isaan (Udonthani Thailand). I decided to retire and live in Thailand. In late April we returned to Vietnam as tourists to visit Sapa near the Chinese border. Upon returning to Isaan, I continued to photograph and document rural village life.

I returned to the United States in late May to complete moving out of my home in California, attend a court hearing regarding dissolution of my marriage, and meet my new grandson. On this trip I also was able to see my youngest son. I returned to Thailand with my Thai retirement visa - permission to remain in Thailand for a year.

In July, I started this blog to keep family and friends informed of life and culture in Thailand. Mom and Dad are not able to travel anymore so they will not be able to visit or experience the wonders of SE Asia. Sharing with them the photographs and narratives of this blog is a means for them to learn about life here. For people who are able to travel, the narratives and photos may help motivate them to travel and experience for themselves.

I returned to the USA in August to testify in a trial related to a construction claim. It was a fitting conclusion to closeout a matter that I had been deeply involved with during my last USA assignment.

While away for the trial, Duang had a motorbike accident. Her cheek and chin were scraped and cut. When I returned to Thailand, she greeted me at the airport with large scabs on her cheek and lower jaw. I was so happy that she had not been seriously injured. Her injuries healed without scarring apparently due to the herbal ointments that she applied.

In September we purchased and moved into our new home here in Udonthani.

At the end of December, my divorce was final. On Monday 29 December, Duang and I were married here in Thailand.

There were personal challenges, and personal disappointments during the past year. If we were to concentrate on these, we could become angry or bitter. But that would not change what has happened and would adversely affect the present that we have or the future that we expect. Getting angry or becoming bitter also will not change what has happened.

We do not forget the challenges and disappointments of the past year for they can be lessons learned and are part of our legacy. As I often told people at work "Otto Von Bismark used to state that the finest steel was tempered in the hottest flame".

So it is in life, we can use the challenges and disappointments of the past year to become stronger and better people. The events of the past year can also be used as springboards to a better life. The value of history is to have learned how to avoid the same mistakes from being repeated and knowing that life can and will go on despite the events occurring.

Our sincere hope for everyone is that the events of the past year will serve you well to achieve happiness in the coming year. Challenges and disappointments will occur in the upcoming year but we have the power to use them to our advantage to achieve what we realistically desire.

Happy New Year!