Thailand Elephant Encounters

Thailand has many attractions to visit and enjoy whether you are a tourist or a resident. The off shore islands are famous for their beaches and beautiful waters. It is not surprising that many international class resorts have been developed to exploit the natural beauty of the islands.




Bangkok is a large international capital city with certain charms and quaintness that appeals to all types of visitors. We have been there several times and still do not believe that we know the city. After 5 trips to the Grand Palace, I am only now beginning to understand it. It never seems like you can take a long tailed boat tour of the Thonburi canals too many times. Each tour surprises you with different sights, sounds, smells and experiences.




Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai offer smaller provincial cities with rich histories and architecture. Many days can be pleasantly spent exploring and photographing these culturally rich locations.




Another attraction that Thailand has to offer is elephants. Elephants are important parts of Thai culture, religion, and history. The elephant was part of the Siam (predecessor to Thailand) national flag for many years. The White Elephant remains a symbol of divine Royal power. In historic times the number of white elephants held by a SE Asian King determined his power in the eyes of his neighbors. Today the King of Thailand has 10. Although he is the only King in the region, the powerful symbolism of the white elephant has not been lost by all of his neighbors. The military regime in Burma did a national search a few years ago to obtain white elephants and maintains 4 in captivity.




There are around 2,600 domesticated elephants in Thailand today. During the good and bad old days, the King would have up to 20,000 war elephants at his command. The King needed all that he could get for the history of Siam/Thailand as well as SE Asia is a long history of wars. The elephants are found throughout the country. I have seen elephants walking along the roads here in Isaan, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Maehongson, and Phuket. I have heard of elephants blocking traffic in the streets of Bangkok.

Rather than wandering aimlessly around the countryside looking for the elephants, or waiting endlessly for an elephant to pass you bye and it could be a long ordeal in both cases since there are only 2,600 in the entire country, you can go to the elephants.




Elephants perform in simulated battles at cultural shows. There are botanical gardens and farms that have resident elephants that perform. The elephant shows typically include the animals bowling, dancing, playing basketball, playing soccer, and creating paintings. The shows often include the elephants interacting with selected members of the audience. The interaction usually is in the form of an elephant or two picking up the person and giving them a ride or perhaps giving the person a massage while they are laying on the ground. It might only be my imagination but it seems like the only people that get selected are young blond buxom women who are on the verge of falling out of their blouses. I guess that even the mahouts (handlers)who perform the same show every 2 hours three to four times a day seven days a week need some entertainment of their own.




There is an internationally famous elephant round up in Surin each year. The most accessible locations to interact with elephants are at elephant camps.

Elephants were used in the harvesting of teak and other exotic woods in Thailand's dense forests for many years. Due to economic and political pressures (less places for Communists to hide), the forests were decimated. With the introduction of conservation measures, many of the working elephants and their handlers became unemployed. Some elephants remain working and can be occasionally be seen walking to and from their work sites hauling their heavy logging chains on their backs. Just like unemployed semi-skilled people, the elephants along with their handlers migrated to the cities to try to make a living. Think in terms of the person at the freeway exit with a cardboard sign, or the people who wash your windshield while you are stopped in traffic and then expect payment. This was not an acceptable situation for anyone. In response to the problem, camps in the countryside were set up to maintain the elephants and their handlers through revenues generated by tourism. Elephants can work for up to 40 years so the solution is for the long run.

Today the camps provide the opportunity for elephants and their mahouts to earn a living. Mahouts handle a single elephant for life - either the elephant's or the man's life. Since the life expectancy of an elephant is approximately that of a man (especially of the man does not have a motorbike) often a mahout's son will finish the work that his father had started.

There are three ways that a mahout controls his elephant. The first way is by verbal commands. Elephants are intelligent and respond well to human verbal communication.

Another method the mahout uses to control his animal is to use his feet and legs to apply pressure to various parts of the elephant's body.

The last method available to the mahout is his prod. The prod is a short wood stick with a steel hook on the end. The mahout taps parts of the elephant to communicate what and how the next task is to be done.

Besides handling his elephant, the mahout is also responsible for feeding, cleaning and watching over the elephant's health. They are a team whether logging in the forests or performing in the arenas

At the camps you have the opportunity to pose with an elephant (even if you are afraid) and to go on an elephant trek. Elephant treks are also available at the farms and gardens but at the camps you trek through more realistic terrain. At some camps you even get to cross a river while atop an elephant.

Isaan Area Back Roads

Driving along the roads of Isaan presents a series of challenges as well as "surprises"

Having developed a certain familiarity with driving on the left hand side of the road is not the conclusion of adapting to driving in Isaan. Isaan is an agricultural area so many of the roads traverse fields and farming villages. Although the roads are typically paved, there are many dirt roads or partially paved roads that add to the challenges of driving here.

In areas where sugar cane is grown and along the country routes to the sugar refineries, the roads are seriously degraded. The large and heavily laden trucks hauling cane breakdown the pavement very similar to the breakdown of roads in northern climates due to frost heaves. The soil in Isaan is mostly clay which is not a very good engineered fill material. Houses and roads are built upon elevated sections of land created by backfilling upon clay with more clay. These elevated portions of ground are not resistant to infiltration of moisture or worse yet - errosion by rains during the rainy season. I was advised not to buy a home that had not weathered at least two rainy seasons. Some newer houses have cracks and settlement issues during the first two rainy seasons due to improper backfilling operations.


The United States has areas with similar soil conditions as in Isaan but utilizes different construction methods to ensure adequate structural soil base for roads and homes. In Louisiana, oyster shells, lime stabilization, geo-textile fabrics, and importation of granular engineered fill materials are used in combination to provide structural integrity.


Here in Isaan the techniques used in Louisiana are too expensive if they are even available. After the heavy haul season, which will end in about 4 months, the roads will be repaired. They will be repaired by removing the damaged pavement, filling in the ruts with more dirt, compacting the backfill, blading the surface to required contour, and paving with asphalt. This will provide a fairly nice road until next year when it will all have to be redone - just like this year.


The ruts, dips, and in some spots - holes create a maze and challenge for driving. When I first started driving here, I seemed to hit every road hazard that there was. Now my driving skill has evolved to the point where I can dodge just about all of the hazards. Dodging involves swerving or driving in the wrong lane along with driving on the shoulder to avoid obstacles.


Now that we are in the dry season, large clouds of dust are kicked up as you motor along the roads out to the villages. Young women driving motorbikes have adopted a technique of squinting their eyes, covering their mouth and nose with one hand as they drive with the other hand. The young boys, in general, just tough it out.


Just outside of a local village the road has been undermined by running water creating a fairly large as well as deep hole that encroaches into 1/3 of the road lane. When the hole first appeared about 9 months ago, one of the villagers placed a broken tree branch in the road as a warning ahead of the hazard. In Thailand as well as Malaysia, broken branches are used to warn motorists of disabled vehicles or road hazards. As you drive along and see a fresh tree branch in the road, you need to watch out. The use of the broken branch is a good idea except that most of the time it is only 10 to 20 feet from the hazard - you see and have react to the branch at the same time as the hazard. Now that the hole in road has been there for 9 months the villager no longer sets out broken branches. A more permanent warning has been installed for the dangerous hazard - a long bamboo stick has been placed in the hole. The bamboo pole protrudes about 5 feet out of the deep hole.

As you drive along avoiding all the road surface hazards, you must be aware of the surrounding traffic sharing or in some cases usurping the road. Along the country roads there are many farm vehicles similar to trucks. These vehicles, called "etan", transport workers to and from the fields as well as tools along with harvest. They are always slowly moving no doubt due to the small (lawn tractor sized diesel engine) engine that powers them. As they move down the road they make a "tuk, tuk, tuk" sound. They are not pretty. They are not fast. But they are reliable. I have yet to find one broken down along side of the road. One of my favorite sights here is to see one of these running down the road with the driver's wide brimmed bright yellow straw hat with the brim flipped up vertically in the front from the breeze with 6 to 12 family members of all ages standing in the back cab on their way back home after a long day in the fields. These farm vehicles are a menace only in that they are so slowly moving.

As you drive in addition to all the motorbikes, driven by 12 to 80 year olds, you will encounter three wheeled motorcycles called "somlaws". Somlaws are used for just about all purposes. They are used like taxis to take people to where they want to go. Some people own a somlaw rather than a motorbike or car. At the markets you will find many somlaws parked waiting to be hired. Somlaw drivers like most people here carry cell phones and can be called for door to door service. There are no posted rates. The price of your journey needs to negogiated and agreed to prior to departure. The charges are reasonable - one way within Udonthani limits is around $2. We pay the somlaw driver that comes to our home, takes us into town for shopping, and brings us back - $6.00 USD for our 2 to 3 hour trip. On main roads there are locations will congregate. These locations are where people get off of songeaws (songtels). The songeaws are pickup trucks that have a canopy and two benches in the pickup bed for passengers. The songeaws travel a set route. The trucks have a number as well as color that specifies the route that they travel. Duang and I have traveled fro Udonthani to Tahsang Village entirely by songeaw - a journey of 30 miles for 50 baht ($1.43 USD) each - one way. It is a very economical way to travel but slow. It takes 2 hours whereas I drive it in 1 hour. It is reassuring though to know that if we did not have a vehicle we could still get around even if it is slow.

Regular trucks drive the back roads of Isaan. But, this being Thailand, "regular" is a relative term. Just as in the case of songeaws where I have seen 20 people riding in the back, outside of the back, AND ON TOP OF THE PICKUP BED CANOPY, passengers, sometimes ride outside of the cab of trucks. There appears to be no problem in this behavior. The police stop mostly motorbikes for lack of helmet by the DRIVER (Passengers are apparent exempt from the requirement), and to check for the appropriate license. Cars are stopped mainly for driving in the passing lane without actually passing anyone (Yes,I was guilty as charged - 200 baht, $6.00 USD fine "on the spot") or speeding.

Besides the other vehicles you encounter livestock along Isaan roads. All cattle here are "free range". There are no feed lots for cattle. The cattle with their herder wander about from early morning until sunset foraging for feed. The cattle consider the road to be an intigral part of their territory. They have a great deal of practise in that they do not panic when they encounter any type of motorized vehicle on the road. They continue at their determined pace in crossing the road or in their ambulation along the side of the road oblivious to the speed, size, or number of vehicles trying to get by them.

Sometimes you will come across an "etac". Etacs are versatile devices. I refer to them as mechanical mules. They can be used to plow and prepare the ground for planting. A compartment can be added to them to transport goods or in this case a family and their best friends. These vehicles which are much smaller, and slower than the etans share the road with everything else. As you drive your full sized pickup truck you execute all kinds of twists, turns, swerves, accelerations, and deaccelerations to avoid the roadway challenges as well as perils.

With this being Isaan, it all seems to work out somehow rather harmoniously. You don't get upset to see someone coming straight at you in your lane. You pull slightly over to make way for him and they only take what they need of your lane to get around whatever is in their lane. Lane designations are more of a suggestion in people's minds than a territorial demarkation. Everyone gives and takes without emotion as required by the current situation. To avoid having to travel a little out of their way to find a turnaround along the road, some people driving any and all types of vehicles will travel in the wrong lane towards on coming traffic. They do this in the breakdown or shoulder along the road so as far as I can tell (so far) head on collisions are avoided. I have become comfortable to expect the unexpected here and I am seldom left unamazed at what passes for driving

Duang has remarked that I drive good in Thailand now. She then smiles and adds that I will need to be afraid, and the police will complain when I drive again in America.

I believe that she is right. It will be different.

It's Entertainment

Yesterday we were off to Tahsang Village on family business after completing our grocery shopping. We got there at a good time - the lighting was good and the children were coming home from school.

It was nice to see some of our local friends excitingly headed back to their homes from their day in the class room. The younger school girls wear red school uniforms and the older school girls wear blue uniforms. The boys wear either brown or blue uniforms. The blue uniform is the most prevalent including university students. On certain days of the week the students wear military type uniforms - boy scouts, girl scouts, sea scouts type organization. But that may all be a topic for a future blog not today's which is about "Entertainment"

I stopped the truck to photograph some of the houses in the village to use in a future blog and to add to my photography portfolio. At one of the houses there were some young children who do not go to school. They were curious about the foreigner taking pictures. So curious that they quickly overcame any reservations or shyness that they had.

They had a couple puppies that they had been playing with and were eager to show them off to me so that I could photograph all of them. The little boy and his two sisters posed for several pictures with their puppies. They enjoyed seeing their pictures on the camera's screen. It was entertaining for me to be able to share with them something that they had never seen before. Cameras and photography are luxuries well beyond their family's or village's means.










Children in Isaan do not have the sophisticated toys or quality toys that clutter the homes and yards in the USA. They pretty much make do with what is available to them. This often involves plastic containers, old bicycles, sticks, pieces of cloth or string, and often dogs. The children use their imaginations to entertain themselves and seem no worse for wear. They are always active, happy and apparently never bored.

We stopped by to see Kwan, Duang's cousin's 14 month baby but she was not home. Fortunately Tahsang Village is very small and we found Kwan with little difficulty. She was sitting in on a small but hot card game in some one's backyard. The temperature was in the high 90's and six adults along with Kwan and Fern were sitting in a circle on sahts. Gambling is not allowed in Thailand other than the daily national lottery. I did not see any paper so I guess the coins that I saw on the ground were being used to keep track of the "points". Gambling is illegal in Thailand. But then again not everything is always what it appears to be in Thailand. But it was certain that everyone was having a good time on a hot and sunny afternoon in Isaan.




















As we got into car I saw some of the school children, that we had seen earlier, either playing or working a little further down the street. We drove down and stopped to photograph them. They were hard at it - either playing or working on a large pile of sand. Three little girls, two plastic buckets, a shovel, and a hoe in the golden glow of the late afternoon of a hot Isaan afternoon - that's entertainment for me. The adults watching over the scene got into the spirit of the moment. They liked seeing the results of the photography efforts. They also posed for their pictures. In no time at all we had spent 30 minutes at this rest stop along our way.

There are many photographs here with us in Thailand of my life going back to when I was a baby. There are many more back home as well as photos of my parents when they were young in the USA that we will view during our stay. Duang, on the other hand, does not have any photos older than 5 years ago. Even at that there are only 8 pictures.

I enjoy being able to give a little something back to the villagers even if it just a small print. It is something that I know that they most likely would not have had if not for sharing their time with me. I still remember the expressions of the Hill Tribe people around Maehongson when I presented them with prints of their photographs that I had taken on a previous trip to the region.

Last night we went out to dinner and take in one of the newest movies - "Valkyrie". We enjoyed our night out a great deal. We had dinner at a small restaurant owned,and run by a German expat. The pork at the restaurant is from his local pig farm. I had my favorite Cordon Bleu - not Chicken Cordon Bleu but "Pork Cordon Bleu". I never had or even heard of "Pork Cordon Bleu" until I came to Nobi's. Duang had Thai food which was also very good - not unexpectedly since Nobi's wife is Thai.

After dinner we walked to the mall and went to the Cinaplex to see the movie. It was our first time at the Cinaplex. The theater is very big and modern. It is comparable to anything in home town USA including Los Angeles. The only difference is the price of the ticket - last night was bargain night 70 Baht ($2.00 USD) rather than the normal 90 Baht ($2.57 USD) price. The movie was a first run feature. Tom Cruise was in it but the film did not have much character development or reveal anything enlightening about the failed plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. It was entertaining and the price was definitely right. Our entire night out cost a total of $13.52 USD.

Khantoke Dinner

I have been busy the past few days with myriad activities. My biggest investment of time has been creating another gallery, "Runny Noses and Dirty Faces", on my photography website http://www.hale-worldphotography.com/gallery/7422101_oLip3/1/478397481_nSuvY

This gallery are some previously unposted photographs of children from SE Asia and the USA.

Last week we spent half of a day applying for a new passport in Duang's new name. Fortunately, Thailand now has a passport office here in Udonthani so we avoided the necessity to travel to Koen Kaen or worse yet - Bangkok. The process was very straight forward - show up with old passport, national ID card, blue house book, marriage certificate, MY US Passport (?), and 1,050 Baht ($30 USD). No need for photographs, digital photos are taken at the office as part of the application process. They told us that her new passport would be mailed to our home and that we would have it in 7 days. They were correct, we did have it on the following Tuesday in fact we had it on the previous Saturday. Saturday afternoon, a man on a motorbike pulled up to our gate and rang the bell. He was a courier delivering Duang's passport - 4 days after she had applied for it.

Yesterday we went out to the villages - to take Duang's father to the hospital for dental work and to visit her two week old grandson. On the way out of Udonthani towards Kumphawapi, we came upon an accident scene - 4 cars, a pickup truck laden with propane cooking gas cylinders and a motor bike. The cars had banged up quarter panels. The bike was lying on its side in a large pool of blood. Duang remarked that she thought the motor bike driver had been killed. Looking quickly as we passed, it appeared to me that the motor bike had pulled over into the far right lane to make a U turn or a right turn. The road is divided but there are some locations where there is lane that you can pull over into to make a cross or U turn. Unfortunately many Thai drivers, especially the ones who drive fast and aggressively also use the same lane to go straight. The motor bike was apparently struck by one of these people who did not see him or could not stop in time. We found out later that the motor bike driver had been killed.

Two weeks earlier a falang on a motor bike had been killed. Some people claimed that the motor bike had been deliberately struck by a sugar cane truck. The police caught the truck driver and he denied that he DELIBERATELY STRUCK the bike, "HE WAS ONLY CUTTING HIM OFF".

Since we have lived here in Udon the past 9 months we have come upon 3 fatal motor bike accidents. Not all of the accidents have been the fault of the other participant in the accident. I have been stopped at an intersection in the right hand lane giving a signal to make a right hand turn only to have a motorbike come up on my right side and make a left turn in front of me as I started making my turn. Luckily, I am aware of Thai driving practices and do not drive aggressively - I drive much more defensively around here than back in the USA and anticipate the unexpected as well as the stupid. Not every one does. There will be blood - I am certain.

On to more pleasant things - Khantoke Dinner.

Northern Thailand in the area around Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai used to be the Kingdom of Lanna. In English it is translated as the "Land of Million Rice Fields". In the Lanna kingdom people were given enough land to raise 60 kilos of rice. Princes were awarded 1000 rice fields. The Kingdom of Lanna was not incorporated into the Kingdom of Thailand until the late 1800's. The Northern Thailand regions has a distinct culture from the central and coastal regions of Thailand.

An entertaining introduction into some of the Lanna culture is to attend a Khantoke Dinner and Show. These productions are a modern interpretation of the hospitality and culture given to important guests during the days of the Lanna Kingdom.

Duang and I attended a Khantoke Dinner and Show during our last visit to Chiang Mai. It was a great experience as well as wonderful food.

We started dining around 7:00 PM. We entered the combination restaurant/theater and were graciously seated at a 3 foot diameter black lacquered circular table. At the front of the room there was a stage area. The tables like ours lined the rectangular perimeter of another performing area at the elevation that we were seated at. We sat on the "floor" but unlike the traditional Thai custom of sitting cross legged on the floor, our floor was raised so that we were able to sit in a customary Western seated position at our table.

Hostesses dressed in traditional clothing brought bowls of typical Northern Thai food to our table on circular woven bamboo trays called "toke". The hostesses wear colorful ankle length skirts called "Bhasin" that have intricate designed patterns with a close fitted long sleeve blouse called a "Suakhan Krabok" along with a shawl or sash called a "Sabai Chiang" over the blouse. In their hair the hostesses wore orchids. It was very elegant, and beautiful.

The night that we were there we had: Chiang Mai Style Banana Fritters, Clear Vegetable Soup, Chiang Mai Styled Pork Curry with Ginger and Tamarind, Deep Fried Chicken, Grilled Young Chili Paste with Steamed Vegetables, Minced Pork with Tomato Sauce, Crispy Pork Skin, Stir Fried Vegetables, Crispy Rice Noodles, Sticky Rice or if you preferred Steamed Rice, Fresh fruit, and tea. The food was very tasty and the portions were huge. It was delicious and very enjoyable.

At 7:45 PM the show started. The dancers entered the building from outside and walked between the row of tables up to the stage area. As the performers entered the room, they were performing a "Candle Dance" as a combination of worship and to greet guests in the Lanna tradition. It was very beautiful as well as elegant.

On the elevated stage the men performed a "War Dance". The war dance included some very acrobatic beating of various types of drums. In the old days these dances and drum beating motivated the Lanna troops into battle. The history of Northern Thailand is littered with battles, wars, and rebellions so there must have been a great deal of drumming in the old days.

The remainder of the show was performed at the level where we were seated. Photography as well as video was not a problem. The performers were very photogenic and reacted well to being photographed and filmed.


After the war dance, the women performed a "Tee Dance". "Tee" in Thai means "umbrella". The umbrella is often used by women in Northern Thailand and it is a symbol for Lanna women.

Following the tee or umbrella dance, a man and a woman danced an episode from the "Ramakian" The Ramakian is Thailand's greatest ancient literary work that is heavily influenced by India's "Ramayana". The man is "Hanuman - The Monkey Warrior General" He was on his way to attack a city when a female perhaps a goddess interfered and blocked his way with stones. He is upset and chases her to kill her. The female dancer represents the woman who interfered and caused Hanuman's wrath. When Hanuman catches up and meets her he changes his mind. Yes there is no telling what a good looking skillful female dancer can do to a man's heart. The dance performed is about that long ago event.

After the episode from the Ramakian the women put on traditional Hill Tribe clothing and performed a traditionally inspired "New Years Dance". It was followed by a young man doing a "Sword Dance"

The sword dance was followed by a dance called "Sueng Ka pho". The "Sueng Ka pho" is a dance that I have also seen performed in Cambodia and Isaan. It is a country dance more typical of farmers than professionals. It has the rhythm and beat of the rice paddies. It utilizes everyday items such as coconut shells and pottery to make the music or serve as props in the performance.

The last dance which included audience participation was "Rumwong" - a cheerful simple dance started in the early 1900's.

The conclusion of the show was setting off of fireworks and lighted lanterns into the night time sky. The show ended around midnight - too soon as far as we were concerned.

Writing about that special night gives me itchy feet. My feet are itchy from the mosquitoes that seem to love me but the itchiness is also to travel once again to the "Land of a Million Rice Fields".

Additional photographs from the Kingdom of Lanna can be viewed at:

http://www.hale-worldphotography.com/gallery/7122834_w8iKa/1/456786498_pCnX3

http://www.hale-worldphotography.com/gallery/7114224_bmq5E/1/456181140_E8v6r

Yes, We Can; Yes He Can; Yes They Do

During the recent US presidential election, the Democratic Party's slogan was "Yes we can!" I watched and heard with interest a CNN International report on television this morning where during President Obama's visit to Canada some spectator's were shouting "Yes he can!" I don't know if this was the case of Canadians misunderstanding the original campaign slogan or the case of some people expressing their confidence in him and their lack of confidence in the remainder of Americans.

In my MySpace website, www.myspace.com/aahale, I was asked to list who were my heroes. I responded without listing any "heroes". There are people that I admire. There are people that I respect. What is a hero? To make or declare someone a hero is to give them a free pass. People should not be given free passes. Each and every day we need to prove ourselves and to be judged on what we did or did not do that day.

In my opinion there is a danger in anointing someone as a hero. Many times it sets up unrealistic expectations for future behavior or accomplishments. Lest that I be accused of being anti-Obama, I will admit that I do hope that he does succeed in resolving many of the issues confronting the United states today however I have more confidence in the American people to solve the problems.

Idol worship is not limited to American politics. Yesterday as I was being driven around the Isaan countryside, the radio was tuned to a talk radio station. The station was informing people about a rally to be held in Bangkok later this month in support of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin. The radio commentator as well as his call in listeners were all very passionate regarding Thaksin. It was obvious that in the mind of the radio participants all problems would be solved and everything would be better if he was back in power. It sounded familiar to the line of thinking in other political arenas. I was thinking that these political zealots needed a theme song when the commentary stopped and some music started. The music was distinctively Isaan. Not too long into the lyrics I started hearing "Thaksin", "Thaksin" over and over. They apparently already have their theme song.


We made our way to Tahsang Village. I walked around with my brother-in-law, we came upon a villager sitting astride his hammock weaving a fish net. I don't know how long he had been there underneath the shade of the large trees supporting his hammock. He had already created a fine fish net about 20 feet in diameter. The center of the net was tied to a branch above where he was sitting. The edge of the net was at the level where he was sitting and he was essentially using crocheting techniques to add length to the net. The net was made from very fine nylon filament from bobbin on the ground and some kind of a shuttle in his hand. He used a crochet needle in conjunction with the shuttle to produce row after row of 1 inch mesh net.

The villager took some time to show me slowly on how the nylon thread is looped and placed on a piece of flat bamboo and with some twists as well as turns using the needle to create more net. After all his patient efforts to instruct me I am still not sure exactly how it is done but I am convinced that he was very skillful at creating nets. He had a rhythm to his work that in addition to passing the long hot afternoon quickly expanded his new net. From his position at the corner of his property at the intersection of two village roads he was able to converse with passerby while continuing his repetitive and monotonous task. In Tahsang Village as well as the other villages in rural Isaan walking down a village road is not a single minded focused task. People who are not out working in the fields are sitting outside on their raised platforms tending to small children, eating, drinking, or just relaxing.

As you pass the villagers along you way, you are expected to stop and chat. Gossip and curiosity are major pastimes on a hot and sunny day. Short walks take much longer to complete due to the many stops along the way.

Watching the man creating his own fishing net got me to thinking about the self reliance of the Lao Loum people. Tahsang is a typical Isaan village - one of hundreds dotting the countryside. I am familiar with the activities of the village due to it being Duang's village and most of the villagers being her relatives. It gives me an opportunity to more fully understand as well as witness Isaan culture.

The villagers of Tahsang as well as the other Isaan villages are very self reliant. They raise their own rice. People who do not own the actual land provide labor and thus share in the fruits of the harvest. Man and women go to the many bodies of water around the countryside to fish and collect snails for food.

The flooded low land areas are harvested to provide reeds to create sahts. The reeds are cut, and dried in the sun along side the roads outside of the villager's houses. After drying out in the sun, the reeds are hung from the exposed elevated house floor beams to air dry. The reeds are dyed bright colors in barrels heated over open fires in the backyards. The colored reeds are hung out to dry. Women then weave the reeds into sahts on hand made looms outside of their houses.

In addition to rice the farmers grow peanuts, cassava, sugar cane, corn, and vegetables. The fields where the crops are grown also provide other food items such as crickets, ants, ant eggs, grasshoppers, rats and crabs. Very small birds that feed upon the rice crop are trapped and eaten. Foods that are not familiar to most westerners but enjoyed and cherished by the Lao Loum people. Coconut and banana trees are very abundant.

Many of the trees growing in and around the villages provide fruits, leaves, and flowers that provide food for the people. Many of the plants that grow in the mud puddles, drainage ditches, flooded plains and roadsides are eaten.

Water is collected off of their roofs into large ceramic or concrete vessels for household use.

Just about everyone has a few chickens that provide eggs and meat for the table. Some people also raise pigs, cattle or water buffalo. There are also some people who raise ducks for eggs and meat.

Village women weave cotton in their homes for their use or to earn some money for the family. Other women have industrial style sewing machines in their homes for assembling clothes provided vendors.

The Lao Loum people pretty much fend for themselves. Whereas we may not think that have much in terms of physical wealth, they are pretty much masters of their own fate. They are able to provide for themselves. What they have is their own. This subsistence economy provides them with independence and provides them with some protection from the vagaries of the world economy.

Their Buddhist and animist beliefs provide a moral compass and binds their culture to their shared past as well as providing reassurances for their future.

The life is not easy. They survive and are happy.

Yes we can.

Yes he can. Maybe.

Yes, they do.

Wot Sothon Dancers

Dance comprises a large part of Thai as well as Lao culture. Dance runs the gamut from 60s and 70s style Go Go dancing in the tourist venues to classical Thai dances performed on Buddhist temple grounds or part of stage productions.


Little Kwan from Tahsang Village, who is a year old now. is into "dancing". Although she can not walk yet she has been dancing for about a month. It does not take much a rhythm or beat to set her off. Hand and arm movements are essential components of Thai dance so Kwan's inability to walk is not a liability. She does try some dance movements with her legs - standing unsupported on her own and flexing a few times from her knees prior to landing on her bottom. Sitting on her bottom watching the older people dance does not prevent here from imitating their leg movements as best she can while seated. She does all this with a large four toothed grin from ear to ear. She seems to enjoy it as much as everyone who watches her.

Even in somewhat isolated villages such as Tahsang, there are numerous opportunities for dancing. In addition to someone always playing mahlam lao music loudly on their radio, there are many celebrations or festivals with live bands. The festivals and celebrations are truly family affairs with four generations attending as well as actively participating together.


In Kwan's case her care givers have some sort of Isaan rap routine that chant which sets her off to dancing. Not that Kwan needs too much structure to start her dance routines. I have seen her dance to the sound of a rough idling motorbike.

Weddings, Monk Ordinations, and many Buddhist Holidays are occasions for street processions. The villagers and friends after drinking beer and Lao moonshine will parade through the village in front of a large stake body truck laden with huge speakers, and sound system. While the truck blasts out the driving beats of marhlam Lao, the participants continue their drinking all the while dancing. It is a very merry affair.

It is a little strange to witness this merry band of "good natured" dancers in such "great spirit" to march through the gate and enter on to the temple grounds. Odd at first but after seeing it so many times and also attending stage shows complete with people getting drunk on temple grounds, you learn to accept it as a part of the fabric of Isaan life.

Last week, I wrote about the Lakhon chatri dancers at Erawan Shrine. The Erawan Shrine is not the only place to see Lakhon chatri dancers. Dance groups perform at many different Wats on special occasions and regularly at others. My favorite Wat to observe Lakhon chatri dancers is at Wat Sothon Wararam Warahan, commonly referred to as Wat Sothon.

Wat Sothon is located 100 KM east of Bangkok on the bank of the Bang Pakong River in the city of Chachoengsao. The region is heavily agricultural with many rice paddies and mango groves. I first visited it when I was living in Pattaya. Duang had arranged for my company driver to take us there one weekend morning.

Wat Sothon contains a very sacred statue of Buddha called "Luang Pho Sothon". The temple is the most heavily visited Wat in the Bangkok area. Many Thai people visit the Wat to worship. In thanksgiving for favors granted, pilgrims make offerings of boiled eggs, cooked pig's head, or commission performances by the resident Lakhon Chatri dancers.

The area where the dancers perform as well as the adjoining room where the statue is located is very crowded and filled with smoke from burning joss stick offerings. There is no air conditioning. Ventilation is provided by some large fans. Some how the sweltering heat seems only to underline the experience of this special place.

In addition to the dancing, the resident troupe also chants. Photography and video taping the performances is not an issue. The dancers are very photogenic. Outside of the area where they perform you can sit and watch them eat, drink, and relax prior to performing. Some of the performers have their children with them. It is apparent that the next generation of Wat Sothon dancers are being prepared.

You can also board a boat tour of the Bang Pakang River. The boat takes you down river to an old market built upon wood piles along side of the river. The old market has many food vendors and some old shops. The boat returns you to Wat Sothon.

The boat tour is predominately Thai families. Our tour was no different. It was especially entertaining to one little girl - a "naughty girl". I took some photos of her and she vacillated between shyness and curiosity. after awhile she evolved to the point of being precocious - a "naughty girl" and rolled her tongue as she stuck it out.

Although the dancers at Wat Sothon may not be high lighted or even mentioned in many guide books, a day trip to Chachoengsao is highly recommended.

Still At It - Sugar Cane and Corn on the Cob

This is the 100th post of http://www.hale-worldphotography.blogspot.com/. Time has gone by so quickly. Creating and maintaining this blog along with my photography website at http://www.hale-worldphotography.com/ has kept me occupied and have given me the opportunity to learn new things related to Internet technology. To call them skills at this time would be giving myself undserved credit. I do hope at some point in the future to be justified in claiming them to be skills.


The weather has definitely changed here in Isaan. The high for today was 34 C (93 F). The forecast high for Tuesday is 36 C or 97 F - "hot" in either system.


Today we went out to Tahsang Village to take Duang's father to Kumphawapi Hospital for dental work. Rather than wait at the hospital I went off to the local Post Office to mail a letter back to the USA. It was a very busy day at the Post Office and in the small villages of Isaan.


Today the government was giving out 500 Baht ($14.28 USD) to elderly people. In Tahsang village, three government officials dressed in uniforms that resembled U S Navy aviator uniforms complete with gold wings and campaign ribbons had set up tables in the "community center" across from Duang's parent's house. "Community center" is a bit of an exaggeration. It is an open air pavilion with a concrete floor. Along three sides there is a concrete block wall about three foot high. This place is used for community affairs such as voting, and distribution of monthly allowances.


In more populated areas like Kumphawapi, the monthly allowance is distributed at the Post Office. By the numbers that you pick up when you enter the Post Office, there were 36 people ahead of me with only one clerk working. After a while the clerk made some kind of announcement and a bunch of people each holding an envelope or box to be mailed walked up to the counter - followed closely by me. The elderly would have to wait for the paying customers to complete their business.


I got back to the hospital just as Duang and her father had completed their business. We returned to Tahsang Village for a short visit and then on to visit Duang's daughter, well actually her brand new grandson, on our way back to Udonthani.

As we approached the Sugar refinery in Kumphawapi, we came upon a group of workers harvesting a field of sugar cane. I pulled over and got out to photograph the activity. The sugar cane harvest is still going on here in Isaan and will continue for about 6 more weeks. It is a very labor intensive process. The night before the harvest, the field is burned. The intent of the burn is to reduce the amount of dry leaves attached to canes and to open the field a little better for access to the stalks. The fire is hot and fast and does not burn the cane up. The sound of the fire racing through the tinder dry cane can be heard from far away. The leaping flames light up the night sky. Despite the absence of any fire fighting equipment or personnel, the fires do not get out of control and the fire remains contained to the designated field.


The next morning the workers arrive carrying their heavy machete type knives along with their jugs of water along with plastic bags of food. They are covered head to toe in typical Isaan farming clothing to protect their skin from the glaring sun and dust of the Isaan fields.


There are actually two types of sugar cane that is grown here. One type is very tall and develops a flowery head sort of like pampas grass. The other type of sugar cane is shorter and does not come to a head. Both types of cane when mature dwarf the farmers. Today the farmers were cutting the flowery head type of cane. Their clothes soon were spotted with dandelion type seeds from the cane flowers.

The harvesting of the burned off fields is done by hand. The farmers set off and cut the cane one stalk at a time. Due to the previous night's burn, the stalks are scorched and sooty. The ground is also covered with patches of soot. In no time at all, the workers as well as an occasional photographer get covered soot. Some of the harvesters short circuit the process and wear all black - either to not show how much work they are actually doing or to just look cleaner.


The farmers wear a glove or two gloves to protect their hands from the rough stalks. With one hand they grasp a single stalk and hold it. They then bend over and with their other hand chop off the stalk about 6 inches above the ground with a single powerful slash from the heavy machete type knife. The severed stalk is then lifted high into the air as the harvester trims off any leaves that remain on the cane from the burn off. The leave debris falls to the rutted dry ground and soon the field is a quasi minefield covered with ruts, dry leaves, ashes, and weeds. It requires a great deal of attention to not trip, fall, or worse yet avoid twisting an ankle.


The trimmed canes, about 8 feet long are cast to the side to create a row of just canes. Some of the workers go along and bundle the trimmed canes into 20 piece bundles that are tied together with cane leaves. Tonight the bundles each containing 20 stalks will be loaded on to a transport truck either by a mechanical loader or by hand using a 12 person crew.

As I have found throughout SE Asia the people did not mind being photographed either as they worked or took their rest breaks. They were somewhat amused about the foreigner scrambling around the debris and soot filled field taking their picture. I share the results with them and always thank them for allowing me to photograph them.


Just before the turn off to Duang's daughter's village, there are several stands selling local products - usually produce. Even though it is the middle of February and the first corn harvest was at the end of September, we are still able to buy corn on the cob. In general corn on the cob is sold cooked in Isaan. Wood fires boil water in large metal tubs filled with fresh unhusked corn. A bag of 8 small ears costs 20 Baht ($0.29 USD). The corn is eaten right off of the cob without the addition of butter or salt. In Pattaya we were able to buy fresh corn but it was much more sophisticated - the vendor cut the kernels off the cob into a plastic bag, added sugar, shredded coconut, and a plastic spoon.

We bought three bags and brought them to share with Duang's daughter's in-laws. They have been very generous in sharing with us the fruits of their garden and fields. They are Lao Loum people and eat the same foods that Duang is fond of. They have given us a large bag of rice from their field and many vegetables out of their garden. Whenever we visit them we always try to bring something to share with them. I am especially fond of the baby's great grandfather and great grandmother.

After our visit we drove back to our home to begin editing today's photos and to write this blog.