It's Miller Time - In Isaan

The Tahsang Village Miller Loads The Shaker Table

"It's Miller Time" was the slogan for a beer that is brewed in the United States.  Personally I would never drink the stuff again.  Besides not tasting good and being gentle on my digestive system I totally disagreed with their marketing strategy which blatantly targeted specific groups of the population. Such a strategy might work for electing public officials but i do not have to participate in it for purchasing beer.

It's Miller Time in Isaan is not even about drinking beer.  If this blog were to be about beer drinking here in Northeast Thailand, it would be about It's Leo Time or It's Chang Time.  Most of the people that I know out in the villages drink Leo which is also my preferred brand.  More affluent villagers may drink Chang.  No matter their choice, the locals will drink their beer out of a glass filled with ice cubes.  It may sound a little strange but I can attest to how refreshing it is on hot and humid Isaan days or nights.

It's Miller Time for this blog deals with the final processing of this year's rice harvest.  The rice has been cut, dried in the field, threshed to remove the grain from the straw, the rice grain dried at the Wat or in the yard, and stored in the family granary.  The stored rice has a husk covering the kernel.  Some bags of rice which will be used next year for seed will remain this way.  Some bags that will used to make "puffed rice", sort of like popcorn, which is used in making the Isaan treat (I call it Thai Cracker Jacks) "Kao Tawtek".  The remainder of the rice which will be eaten during the year must have the husk mechanically removed, milled, so that the rice can be steamed.

Gathering Freshly Milled Rice

On the morning that I recently wrote about when we visited our grandson's school, I had visited the home in Tahsang Village where the local rice is milled.  Well today, we had to go back out to the village so I headed directly back to visit the miller.

Like many businesses here in Isaan, the man mills the rice on his home property.  In the USA there was a time when industry was also conducted at home.  The term "cottage industry" refereed to the practise.  Well here in Isaan cottage industry is thriving.

Tahsang Village Rice Milling Equipment

The milling machine is located in a shed at the back of the miller's home.  I had first visited and photographed the operation back in October 2008.  I have written several times about the Thai expression of "Same, Same; but different".  During my visit on Monday after a hiatus of four years I realized that the milling operation was "same same but different".  At first I thought that the miller had gotten rid of two of his machines but upon closer inspection, I realized that the miller had reorientated the equipment 90 degrees.  I pointed the difference out to him and he confirmed that it had been reorientated.  Later when Duang joined us, I had her tell the man that he had done a very good job relocating the equipment because it looked like the very same spider webs from four years ago were still there seemingly undisturbed.  We had a  good laugh.  But seriously, the equipment was just as heavily covered with dust laden spider webs as it was previously.  I guess if you know what you  are doing you don't have to clean equipment to relocate it!

Visiting the rice miller was a smorgasbord for most of the senses.  The first sense that is stimulated is sound.  Even from the street, you can hear the rice being milled.  Once inside the shed you hear a symphony.  There is the sound of belts driving the numerous pulleys, wheels and shafts that power the various sections of the machinery.  There is the sound of dried kernels of rice rustling along the vibrating shaker tables that separate the rice from straw and other debris that was carried over from the threshing or drying operations.  You can hear the rice traveling through various chutes that connect different sections of the machine.  There is a rhythmic slapping of the power transmitting belts.  Occasionally a chicken will shuffle along the compacted earth floor of the shed clucking in satisfaction upon finding some rice that has spilled.

The sense of sight is tantalized by all kinds of oddities and peculiarities of the operation.  The work area is rather dark and the air is dusty.  But the most stunning sight is the actual milling equipment.  The equipment is old; very old.  I suspect that it very well could be 100 years old.  The milling equipment comes from the age when machines were still constructed of wood, rivets, cast iron, steel, fabric, and leather.

Wood?  Yes, the elevated work platform was wood which is not all that unique or surprising.  The support columns were also made of wood - a little less common but again not surprising.  What was unique and definitely surprising was that the housings for the vertical elevators and many of the chutes that transported the rice were made of wood, wood that had a nice patina due to many years of use.

Leather?  Yes, the many belts that transmitted power from the single floor mounted electric motor located about 2 meters from the equipment.  A long leather belt was attached to a large diameter wheel mounted on a long horizontal shaft close to the equipment.  Other wheels of various diameters were also mounted on the horizontal shaft.  Leather belts of various lengths and widths transmitted power to the various specific locations on the machine.  The machine hearkened back to the time before machine guards were used or required.  Care had to be taken to ensure that your clothing or fingers did not get caught up in the belts.  The miller had no need to be around those sections while milling the grain but an excited foreign photographer definitely had to take care!  Besides being used for power transmitting belts, leather was used to suspend the various vibrating trays and tables that separated the grain.

Chute and Fabric Connector Tie Vibrating Table to Vertical Elevator

Fabric? Yes, fabric was used to make the flexible connections between the moving parts of the equipment.  In more modern machines these connectors would be constructed of rubber, neoprene, or Nitrile. In some places coated Fiberglas or nylon fabric would be used.  For this machine I do not know what was originally used.  Perhaps it was canvas.  Whatever was originally used is long gone and replaced by the miller with whatever fabric the family did not need for other purposes.  In some sections of the equipment it appeared that sections were being held together by strips of cloth; cloth that was coated by spider webs and dust.  The dust coated spider webs hung from all sections and pieces of the milling equipment as well as all exposed surfaces in the work shed.  The overall ambiance was of a haunted house or some laboratory where Frankenstein would be created - a great place to explore and photograph.

Milled Rice Spills From Milling Machine Into Recycled Plastic Bucket

The colors in the work shed were rather subdued because of the equipment's age and the uniformity due to heavy accumulation of dust.  The subtlety of the color palette was broken in places where the golden grain had spilled or could be seen traveling through the process.  Richly colored recycled fertilizer or sugar bags also provided a punch of color in isolated locations of the shed.  A small but steady trickle of pearl white milled rice provided .some contrast

Making Some Equipment Adjustments

There was a very pleasant faint smell of grain wafting throughout the work shed.  It was somewhat reminiscent of baked bread but without the alcohol accents of real baking bread.

Checking Out The Milling Process

Just as you should not touch items in a museum, I was reticent to touch the equipment lest I disturb the rich patina of spider webs and dust.  However I was not shy to plunge my hand into the bucket of freshly milled rice.  The texture of thousands of grains of rice pressing against my skin was just as you would expect.  But for me there was a surprise, the rice was warm; warm from the friction of travelling through and being milled in the machine.

Bagging the Finished Product

Miller time in Isaan had proved to be a most pleasant way to pass the morning.  Besides being pleasant it was also extremely informative.  As happens throughout Southeast Asia when you take the time to get closer to the people and their life, you learn that there are so many ways to live and to live happily.  The people are very adept at making do with what they have and prove that you do not have to have a great deal to get by.  they are also very good at solving their own problems either through their ingenuity or cooperation with each other.

As a Westerner, you realize that you do not need all that you would like to have or even think that you need.  Sure the equipment is old, very old but it does the job.  Newer equipment would look better but at what cost to the people who use the miller's service?  Currently his fee is 20% of the finished product.  If he milled 50 bags of finished rice for you, he would keep 10 bags and return 40 to you.  He currently has 500 bags of his own in storage and will some to a broker in Udonthani to obtain some cash.

Thanksgiving 2012

 

 

Today is Thanksgiving here in Thailand; a day like every other day here.

Thailand does not celebrate or recognize this holiday.

However people do not need any government sanctioning of any specific day to reflect upon, give thanks, and to rejoice for all that is good in their life.

Yes, today is a day like any other day for me here in Isaan. Every day I contemplate, give thanks, and rejoice for all that is good in my life. But it is on American Thanksgiving that I celebrate, share, and communicate it with people other than my wife.

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays.

Thanksgiving is a time for families to gather together to feast and celebrate the blessings of the past year. I believe that I am an optimist so a day of rejoicing and celebrating the good in life is not difficult. Some years are not as bountiful as others. Some years are more challenging than others. However Thanksgiving Day is a day to be thankful for what we have and not what we wished that we had or to focus on what we do not have. If for no other reason, being alive is reason to give thanks on Thanksgiving. With life there is hope; hope for a better tomorrow or some day after.

This Thanksgiving I am am thankful for so many things that I have. As much as I am thankful for what I have, I am thankful for the many blessings that I have had and some that I no longer can enjoy.

As much as what we have today brings us joy and contentment, it was yesterday and our past that have brought us to today. It is our past that has prepared us for today and for all the days to come.

Today, as for all days, I am thankful for the love, experiences, and guidance that I have received from family and friends who are no longer in this world. They have passed on and I can no longer enjoy their presence. They affected my life in ways that are impossible to quantify or for me to express into words. Shared experiences with them taught me and assisted me in developing my personal values. The memories of shared holidays, vacations, celebrations, and ordinary days with them remain both a comfort as well as inspiration. The gifts of family, companionship and friendship are reason enough to give thanks today as well as every day. I do not consider myself to be unique in this blessing.

I am thankful for having been raised in a country and time where, at that time, excellent quality free public education was available to everyone. A quality free education is a blessing to be thankful for. Even today in many parts of the world, children do not have access to free quality education.

I am thankful for having been raised in a country where I was free to fail and much more importantly free to succeed to the extent that I, myself, determine. My position and goals in life were not restricted by anyone or any institution. My parent's education, occupation, economic, or social status did not limit my prospects. Today, this is not true for many people even in some Western countries.

I am most thankful for the way that my parents raised me. Too often today, people blame their problems on their parents. They blame their current behavior on their parents. Blaming their parents, to them. absolves them of their individual responsibility and accountability for their own actions. I know that my parents did their very best in raising their family based upon what they knew and could at the time. Should we expect any less or demand anything more? I suspect that most parents do the same.

I was taught manners. Manners and etiquette allow individuals to function, interact and thrive in a society with minimal conflict. Manners and etiquette help to define our value and standing as an individual and to our society. The manners and etiquette that I learned as a child have allowed me to integrate into different cultures easily where I have worked and lived. While these may not be a blessing, they are things that I am thankful for.

I was taught that I was not special. I am not certain how well I learned that lesson. I suspect that most people have not completely learned that lesson well. However I learned to not expect or demand special privileges or preferential treatment. I expect to be treated the same as any other person. An off shoot of this lesson that I was taught throughout my youth was the realization that as an individual I had certain responsibilities to the group. I have the responsibility to not demand that the group conform solely to appease my wishes, practices, comfort level, or beliefs. I just want the freedom to be me and for you to have the freedom to be you. I do not necessarily have to conform but that choice is mine to make and I should be prepared for and accept the consequences.

I was taught that I could have anything that I wanted; as long as I first had the money to pay for it. I was taught and more importantly demonstrated each day. I was taught that anything worth having was worth working for. I was also taught that I wanted something bad enough I would work for it. If I was not willing to work for something, I did not need it. The gift of financial responsibility awareness has been a blessing in the past and hopefully will continue to pay dividends.

Today I am also thankful for my families and friends that are part of my daily life.

I am also content.

More and better possessions will not necessarily make me or anyone else happy or content. Happiness and contentment are a state of mind.

 

It is the longing and preoccupation with what they do not have that prevents so many people from being happy.

I am thankful that I am satisfied with what I have.

 

I am thankful that I am confident that I can have anything that I want if I am willing to wait and work for it.

I am thankful that I know that I do not need everything that I don't have or many of the things that I want.

 

These are trying times in the world today. The economic conditions are serious and intimidating. It is very easy to become overwhelmed about what negative things could happen.

I suspect that, especially in America, people are concerned and preoccupied with what the government can or will do to make things better for them - to solve their problems. Creating and giving away money will be no more of a solution or cure than putting a band aid on a cancerous tumor. It may be aesthetically better for awhile but the problem remains and only worsens.

Expecting others to do things for you and to solve your problems is to set your expectations too high - Who says that they will? What makes you think they want to? What makes you think that they can?

I am thankful that I am confident and convinced that I have the power and ability to solve my problems.

 

One purpose in this blog is to share with the readers how people in other parts of the world live. They are happy and content. They live very differently than people in the western world. Between how we previously lived in America and the way that they currently live, there is a great deal of latitude to be happy.

 

I am living a life in that zone and I am happy.

 

Getting to this point in my life has not been an individual achievement. Many people have influenced and contributed to my evolution to this point.

I am grateful and thankful to all who have taught, influenced, touched, trained and showed me how to be the person that I am today - especially my Mom and Dad.

 

In my travels, I have learned that in Islam, the religion of submission to God and not to man, Muslims do not pray to God for favors for to do so would be to question God's will and who are we to question God's will? I believe that Thanksgiving is a holiday when God is given his due, and not questioned for what he has given or not given to us; a day when we travel along the correct path if but for a short time.

 

My wish for everyone this holiday season is that you too can realize and appreciate the happiness that the opportunities of life provide.

A Morning In Isaan

Rice Drying Out In The Morning Sun

 Monday morning Duang asked me to take her back out to her home village for the second day in a row.  She is working with her cousin to make new slip covers for our patio furniture and the task is taking longer than she expected.  I suspected that she knew that I would be less than enthusiastic to make the trip because she told me to bring my camera because we could visit our grandson at his school in Kumphawapi.  Her strategy was very effective - we left early in the morning, I carried my cameras and wore a smile on my face.



Pre-Schoolers (3 and 4 year olds)  Line Up for Start of the Morning Classes

We arrived at Peelawat's school just in time for the start of the day at 8:30 A.M.  The school is a large public school in Kumphawapi.  There are 1,400 students ranging in age from 3 (pre-school) to 15 (ninth grade).  Since it was a clear day, all students congregated and eventually assembled in the central courtyard.

The central courtyard was a concrete paved area dotted with trees, concrete benches, with several sections that had flowers and ornamental plants.  Portions of the paved area were set up with posts where badminton, volleyball, and takraw could be played.  There were also several stalls where students could buy food, drinks, and ice cream.  Our grandson, Peelawat, always asks for 5 Baht ($0.15 USD) to take to school to buy food.  The school provides milk free of charge to the pre-schoolers.

The school has a band comprised of bass drum, snare drums, xylophones, along with mouth organs (small plastic keyboards powered by blowing air into them through a plastic tube).  At the appointed time the band marched into place and there was a flag raising ceremony.  All the students sang the Thai National Anthem.  Afterwards there was a Buddhist prayer.  Thailand is 97% Buddhist and Buddhism is actually the state religion.  However the country is tolerant of other religions.  I have visited mosques in Bangkok, and attended Christian ceremonies here in Isaan.  I have also seen Mormon Missionaries here in Udonthani.

Pre-School Students and Classroom, Kumphawapi - No Furniture to Get Hurt On

Pre-Schooler's Bookbags

At the conclusion of the prayer the little children walked off to class with their teachers.  The older children seated on the concrete by individual classes, did some warm up type exercises for arms, hands, fingers and shoulders.  The school Principal; then addressed the student body.  He started slowly and gently about having the older students look out for and after the young students. he then built up to saying that too many students were not brushing their teeth and not washing their hands after lunch.  he built up to a crescendo about four "Naughty" boys had to go see him after the assembly along with their teachers as well as parents - apparently. according to Duang, the boys had been caught with video games at school.  The Principal was definitely not happy.

On our way back to the truck, I saw one of the teachers inspecting his students one by one.  Most students passed inspection and were given a nod as they passed.  Some students were subjected to a closer inspection, some passed and some others were told  something and received a swat across their backside.  Each teacher carried a one meter long and about 12mm diameter bamboo rod - something like the pointers that some teachers used for the blackboard when I went to school.  However here in Isaan the "pointer" was more versatile.  For the pre-schoolers it was used to help position the students where they needed to be.  For the older students it was used to strike them when they misbehaved or to humiliate them for infractions.  Yes, there is still striking of students, corporal punishment, in schools - at least here in Isaan.  The striking that I saw would no way near come close to causing injury or even pain but was humiliating for sure.  Personally I find that a little humiliation is a small price, especially a cost that be easily avoided, to learn that there are consequences to our actions or lack of action.

We stopped by Peelawat's classroom to see what it was like.  It was very clean and well organized.  It did not have any furniture for the students.  The students sat on the floor to learn their lessons.  This is just like most of their their homes - no tables, chairs of desks.  Outside of the classroom there was a rack where all the students had placed their shoes before entering the classroom.  On one wall of the classroom student's book bags were neatly hung.  The bags are used to transport their homework assignments to and from school.  Homework?  Yes, even at 3 years old, students have homework.

We spoke with Peelawat's teacher to determine how he is doing in class.  We knew that he was a good boy and behaved well.  However he is also very shy so there was some concern that he might not be learning as much as he could by not fully participating.  His teacher assured us that he was doing fine.  She informed this as she was multi-tasking.  Three and four year olds at the pre-school are toilet trained but for some boys, zippers and buttons remain a challenge.  A little boy had gone to the bathroom but was returning to the classroom with his shorts unzipped, unbuttoned and on the verge of falling to his knees.  With some help, actually she did it all, he was squared away at the classroom doorway and happily rejoined his classmates.

I Can Get By  - With A Little Help from My Teacher

From the school we drove out to Tahsang Village.  A relative wanted me to take a photograph of her second grand-daughter.  I had taken a photograph of her first grand-daughter, Kwan, and given her an 8 x 10 print, so she wanted one of her other grandchild.  No problem - I don't mind keeping my models happy.

The relatives, who live across the street, more aptly "wide sidewalk" from the "Inside" Wat were busy.  I pulled in to the Wat to park and was greeted by smiling, laughing, and exuberant relatives.  Were they happy to see their falang relative?  Perhaps.  Were they happy because although it was 10:00 A.M. they had been drinking "Lao Lao" (whiskey - a sort of moonshine)?  More likely!

Rice Drying In the Morning Sun at the "Inside" Wat, Tahsang Village

The men and some of the women were busy with the rice harvest. They had spread the ubiquitous blue netting on the ground at the Wat across the street to dry in the sun.  Much of the rice had already been collected and bagged prior to our arrival.  The men were loading the filled bags on to a wagon that would be pulled by a lowt thai lek across the street to their home.

Gentleman, Start Your Engine!

The guys started to tease me about taking photographs and not helping them to load up the wagon with the 50 kg bags.  I told them that I was a foreigner and that I could not work; the police would take me to jail.  As a condition of my Visa to stay in Thailand, I am not allowed to work in Thailand. Although true, everyone in the family also knows that it is my favorite excuse for not performing manual labor under the hot glaring sun.  the men were all in a great mood and kept up teasing until I finally gave in.  Just prior to giving in I saw a partially filled bag amongst the stack.  It was about 10 kg.  I went over and picked it up with one hand in such a fashion as to convey "So what is the big deal about loading up the wagon?"   The guys immediately caught on and pointed out that I needed to do a full bag.  I obliged and hoisted a 50kg bag on to my shoulder, walked over to the wagon, and placed it on top of the stack.  After overcoming the initial shock that I did, or perhaps that I could do it, the men all decided that it was time to go across the street for another drink - including me.  Since I was driving and you can not count on other people to follow the driving laws let alone staying out of your way when you may be driving impaired, I declined the Lao Lao and settled for a glass of Pepsi.

Filling the Family Granary

We crossed the street followed shortly by the filled wagon of rice sacks.  As happens in every family, there was one man who was not fully, if at all, to the physical labor.  Everyone was r
teasing him about it.  Strangely enough, when I started taking photographs of the other men working, he decided to help.  Well in all the activity that was going on, I did not get a shot of the one bag that he off loaded.  I told everyone that my camera was not fast enough to catch him working and that I needed my movie camera which was at home. Duang translated and every one roared with laughter.  I guess that it was a pretty good joke because I was offered whiskey once again which I declined.  The man subject to all our joking was sitting down and complaining ( I suspect jokingly) about hurting his shoulder.  I asked where and he pointed it out.  I drew closer to him and blew on it three times like I do when our grandson shows me his injuries.  This is similar to what some Monks do in a healing ritual.  I also gave him a little massage and told him that he was OK now to go back to work.  There was more laughter, and offers to drink whiskey.  He did do another bag and I did get his photograph.

With His Pakama Wrapped Around His Waist, A Villager Hauls A Sack of Rice

The sacks were carried from the wagon to the family granary - an elevated composite structure of wood and corrugated metal.  In the countryside of Isaan, you will see these structures at almost every Lao Loum home.  The year long supply of rice for the family and the seeds for next year's rice crop are stored in them.  I noticed some holes in this one and asked if they were going to fatten up some rats for Duang's mother to cook.  Last week she cooked a rat and offered Duang to eat some.  Duang refused.  I double checked to ensure that I understood correctly.  According to Duang people do not eat "small rats" (I am assuming she means mice) but they eat "big rat like chicken, big rat eat sugar cane" which sounds like your typical rats running around rice paddies, cane fields, and granaries.  Every one had another good laugh.

Another Sack, All In A Morning's Work

Milling Rice In the Morning At Tahsang Village

The morning was getting on but I wanted to show Duang the miller that I had visited earlier in the morning.  While Duang was paying her respects to her mother an father, I had wandered around the village to see what was going on.  It was so quiet because all the children 3 years and older were off at school, that I could hear the sound of some  machines.  I had a good idea what it was and followed the sounds to the backyard of the villager who mills rice.  This will be the subject of an upcoming blog, "Miller Time ...  In Isaan".  I had photographed a couple of years ago and earlier in the morning.  I had left to get more of my gear but had been delayed getting back to him because of the family next to the Wat.  The miller had finished his work, but I got to take more shots of the equipment while Duang talked to him - there is always something to talk about with just about anyone or everyone here in Isaan.

Scavenging For Scrap Metal

Duang was concerned about me getting too tired from the past two days of photography in the hot weather and admonished me to not stop on the way home.  I told her that I would listen - "a little bit".
Although I did not plan on stopping along the way, circumstances did not cooperate.  Once again opportunity presented itself to my curiosity.

Just outside of Kumphawapi is a sugar refinery.  Across the road from the refinery is a large vacant piece of land where the solid waste from the sugar refining process is dumped.  The waste is a very black sandy type organic soil that farmers use to fertilize their fields.  The waste is very smelly - an almost sickening sweet pungent odor; so smelly that Duang and I refer to it as "kee oi" (sugar shit).  Several times as we have passed the area, there have been many people going over the piles of waste.  I asked Duang why as well what they were doing.  She told me that they were looking for mushrooms.  Well this time there must have been 4 times the number of people that I have ever seen on the piles.  The sugar harvest is just barely getting started so the piles were not all that big.  By the end of the season the pile will be about 8 meters high and at least 200 meters by 200 meters.

I pulled over to the side of the dirt road perimeter of the area and parked amongst the somlaws, motorbikes, and pick up trucks.  I quickly determined that the people were not looking for mushrooms but were picking scrap metal out of the piles.  The piles this day were not just sugar refining waste but included concrete debris, industrial debris, rubber machine belts, bamboo, plastic sheeting and garbage - s if an industrial plant was being demolished and dumped on the field.  Despite the sugar shit odor there was also the smells of cow dung and palaa (at least 6 month old fermented fish) - not all that pleasant an environment to photograph in but it was new and different to me.  The people were friendly and I asked if they had found any gold and communicated to them with pantomime and my limited vocabulary that I wanted to find some gold.  We all shared a laugh, most likely at my expense, but it is such a small price to be able to photograph a part of other people's lives.

In the USA, there are special days when people are encouraged to bring their children to work.  I always smile at that concept for here in Southeast Asia everyday is bring your child to work day if not have your child work with you.  Small children are brought out to the cane fields, rice paddies, and on this morning out to the dump.  There was one little boy who was neither amused or pleased with my presence.  He was around a year and one-half.  He at first cried when he saw me but after being consoled by his mother just kept a weary stare at me for the entire time that i was there.  Luckily I had a longer lens on one of my cameras so as they say here it was "Good for me, good for him".  I was able to get my photographs without getting closer to him.

A Nice Drink of Water In the Morning

As Their Son Keeps His Eyes On Me. A Family Looks For Scrap Metal

It had been quite an interesting morning here in Isaan and as I drove back to our home listening to the ethnic Lao music I could not help but reflect upon what I had seen as well as experienced.  For Americans, tomorrow is Thanksgiving a day when people gather to give thanks for their blessings.  It has always been one of my favorite holidays, not necessarily for all the wonderful food and drink, but the realization of the things that matter in your life.  Although we do not celebrate it in our home here in Isaan, I am thankful on Thanksgiving and every other day for the blessings that I have received past, present, and anticipated in the future.  One of the blessings being "A Morning In Isaan" and another - still being excited by as well as interested in the life around me.

Threshing Time

Golden Rice Pours Out of Threshing Machine

Driving along the country roads of Isaan this and last week, you will see many activities in the parched golden rice paddies.  The first indication of what may be ahead as you travel is three to five motorbikes parked along the paved road or just off of the road.

Looking at the paddies beyond the congregation of bikes, you will observe colorfully dressed Lao Loum people cutting rice, stacking sheaves of rice that has dried in the field for about a week, and threshing rice. The people are fully clothed for protection from the sun, dust, and irritation of dry plant materials.

Since the rainy season ended about three or four weeks ago the fields are dry and dusty.  If the farmers are threshing the rice the air is filled with chaff.  To avoid inhaling dust and chaff the farmers typically wrap a soccer jersey around their face leaving just a narrow slot for their eyes.  One benefit to the end of the rainy season is that we often have brilliant blue sky now.  The combination of brilliant blue sky, yellow straw, golden grain and various color schemes of the worker's clothing presents many interesting photography opportunities.

As Children Watch, Rice Is Threshed In the Field

To thresh the rice the farmers contact a person who has a truck mounted threshing machine.  The truck mounted threshing machine go from paddy to paddy all day long with the emphasis on speed.  The farmers typically compensate the owner of the thresher with a share of the resulting rice.  Typically the fee for threshing is one 50kg bag of rice for every 20 bags threshed.  For 100 bags threshed the fee is typically 4 bags.

To minimize the time that the thresher stays at their paddies, the farmers spread a large fine mesh blue net on a flat piece of round.  The rice that had been spread flat out in the paddies to dry in the sun are bundled into sheaves.  The sheaves are gathered and transported to the blue net.  The sheaves are piled high on top of the blue net.  Any rice kernels that separate in the rough handling of the sheaves falls on to the net and at the end of the threshing is bagged.  The threshing machine typically has a two man crew.  One man sits on the side of the machine behind a cantilevered shelf on the machine.  His job is to manually feed the sheaves, that are thrown on to the shelf by the farmers, into the machine.  His partner monitors the various exposed belts and pulleys of the threshing machine to ensure smooth operation.  The second crewman also repositions the chaff shoot as necessary during the threshing operation as well as monitoring the engine.  Together the two man crew sets up and dismantles the machine for transport.

The separated rice grain streams out the end of the threshing machine in a golden flow into 50 kg bags.  The filled bags are carried to the edge of the blue net where one of the farmers closes them and ties them off with thin strips of bamboo.  Once the threshing is completed, the number of filled bags is tallied and the thresher takes his fee before he sets off to his next appointment.

A Woman Ties Off Filled Bags

The farmers then load up the remaining bags of rice on to farm wagons or trucks to be transported to their home.  The bags are offloaded and placed in elevated small storage sheds next to their house.  Eventually most of the rice will be taken to a miller to remove the husk but that is subject of a blog to be written soon.

For some people who have too small a crop to afford mechanized threshing, threshing their rice is done the old fashioned way; by hand.  When Duang was young she threshed rice by hand with her family.

Threshing Rice The Old Fashioned Way

Just outside of Tahsang Village I came upon a man and his wife threshing rice by hand.  I found it very interesting so I stopped to learn about it and to photograph it.  Just as with the farmers who were using a mechanized thresher, these farmers had laid out a blue net and placed their sheaves upon it.  The man used two pieces of bamboo that had cotton rope which connected them together - sort of like "nunchucks".  Two pieces of bamboo connected with cotton string?  I had seen that once before!!  It was during the event that I documented in my blog entry, "Two Funerals and an Excorcism", that I saw young village men using smaller versions of this device to capture the "Phii Ling" (Monkey Ghosts) that had infested their village. http://www.hale-worldphotography.blogspot.com/2011/01/two-funerals-and-excorcism.html  Life can be seen as a serious of isolated events much like the pages of a coloring book with a collection numbered dots.  I still find great satisfaction and joy in being able to connect today's dots to see the depth and magic in current events just as the child connects the numbered dots to discover a hidden picture.  Coloring the ensuing revelation, or in my case photographing it, only adds to the wonder.  Last week's connections of the Royal Barges to the paintings at the Grand Palace and further back to the Thai Epic, "The Ramakian" is another example.

The farmer was very skilled in using the device to select a sheave from the pile, secure the selected sheave, lift the sheave high over his head and flail the sheave four to five times against the ground and growing mound of free rice kernels.  With a quick movement of his wrists. the farmer released the sheave of straw flying to a growing pile of waste.

A Sheaf of Straw Is Sent Flying

The Pile of Rice Grows As Spent Sheaf Is Discarded

Farm Wagon Awaits A Pecious Cargo - Next Year's Food

The normal 40 minute drive from Tahsang Village to our home in Udonthani ended up taking 3 hours on Sunday.  Three great stops to observe the threshing had lengthened the duration of the journey.  The time spent to observe and photograph was for me a worthwhile investment to learn and better understand the life of the Lao Loum farmer here in Isaan.

Thailand Royal Barge Procession

The Royal Barge, "Suphannahongsa" (Golden Swan)

Finally after one week of photo editing and post processing, I am ready to share the experience of witnessing last week's Royal Barge Procession in Bangkok.

The Royal Barge Procession is quite a unique event. The first Royal Barge Procession was conducted over 700 years ago. The purpose of last week's procession was to transport HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkom down the Chao Phraya River to Wat Arun where he would be making offerings of robes to the resident Monks.

Following the end of Buddhist Lent also referred to as Buddhist Retreat on 30 October of this year there is a one month period of special merit making known as Kathina. Kathina is a time when people show appreciation to the Monks by offering them gifts, typically robes.

The legend is that long ago thirty Monks were travel to spend the Buddhist Retreat with Gautama Buddha but they didn't make it to him in time.  The Buddhist Retreat started before their arrival at their destination so they stopped where they were.  When they finally got to Gautama Buddha after the Buddhist Retreat ended, he rewarded their obedience and faith by giving them some cloth that had been given to him.  The Monks were to make the cloth into a robe to be given to one of them.  They used a frame called a "kathina" to help in making the robe hence the term "Kathina" for the season and its associated festivals.  When the Royal Family of Thailand offers robes to Monks the merit making ritual is known as "The Royal Kathin Ceremony"

Sometimes The Royal Kathin Ceremony is determined by the King to require a Royal Barge Procession.  In the 19th century, previous King did not want to create more confusion and gridlock in the streets of Bangkok so he traveled by river to make the robe offerings which started the modern use of the Royal Barge Procession for the Royal Kathin Ceremony.

There are two formations for a Royal Barge Procession major and Minor.  For this procession the major as in "Major Battle Formation" was decided upon.  The major battle formation consists of five columns of barges where as the minor procession consists of three columns.  The main battle formation consisted of 52 barges and 2,200 costumed Thai Navy sailors rowing the craft.



Five Columns of Barges In the Major Formation



 

A Royal Barge Procession is a grand event which requires a great deal of planning, coordination, and logistics. Some of the barges are over 100 years old and must be inspected and repaired to ensure that they are seaworthy. Because the Chao Phraya River is a main commercial artery for Thailand, the river must be cleared of all traffic prior to the procession for the safety and security of the participants. Like many rivers in heavily populated areas, the Chao Phraya River also has a great deal of debris floating down it to the sea. Part of the preparations involved for the procession is cleaning the river of floating debris.

Picking Up Debris Prior to Procession

To ensure that the procession fulfilled expectations, starting on September 27th and ending on November 6th, there were 7 rehearsals and two dress rehearsals for the procession.

The Suphannahongsa Royal Barge Proceeding Down River - A Magnificent Sight

There are four Royal Golden Barges in the procession.  The grandest, which HRH Crown Prince Maha sat in is the Suphannahongsa (Golden Swan). The Hongsa or Hamsa (Pali, the native language of Buddhism in Thailand) is a mythical winged swan like creature that the Hindu god, Brahma, rides. The current vessel was launched in 1911.  It was constructed from a single teak tree and is 46.15 meters long.  It is propelled by 50 oarsman.

The Hamsa carries a garland from its mouth at the bow of the barge.  The garland is a polished wood ball covered with small mirrors, followed by chandelier type arrangement of mirrors after which are three crystal ornaments and finally a large tassel of yak fur. Yak fur?  Although there are no yaks in Thailand, yak fur was selected it is from an animal that is considered high and noble.  Yak fur also glistens in the light and does not mat together when it is wet (something to definitely consider for the front of a boat).  When dry, yak fur fluffs up very nicely as can be seen in this photograph.

The bow of Subannahongsa is adorned with a large floral garland made from fresh jasmine, roses, false globe and amsranth.

Royal Barge Anantanagaraj (Anata, The King of Serpents)

Second in ranking of the four Royal Barges is the Anantanagaraj Royal Barge.  It is 44.85 meters long, propelled by 54 oarsman, and was launched in 1914.  The figurehead of the barge is a seven headed serpent, a mythical creature named "Naga".  The Naga is said to have raised its heads and sheltered Buddha from a storm once while he was meditating.



Royal barge Anekkachatphuchong (The Variety of Serpents)

The oldest of the Royal barges is the Royal Barge Anekkachatphuchchong.  It is 45.67 meters long, propelled by 61 oarsmen, and was built in the late 19th century by order of King Rama V.  The most distinctive feature is rather the lack of a distinctive ornamental bow figurehead.  The Anekkachatphucchong is artistically pleasing in it's simple but elegant bow. It is a fine example of beauty and elegance in its simplicity.  It is the lightest barge displacing 7.7 tons.

Royal Barge Narai Song Suban Ratchakan Thi Kao (God Narayana on his Carrier Garuda)

The newest Royal Barge, Narai Song Suban Ratchakan Thi Kao, was launched on May 6, 1996 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of King Rama IX ascending to the throne.  The barge is 44.3 meters long and propelled by 50 oarsmen.  It is also the heaviest barges displacing 20 tons.

The Royal Barges are accompanied by five classes of escort barges.  The bows of escort barges have figueheads of mythical creatures from the Thai epic, "Ramakian" or a painting of a mythical creature.

There are two barges of the Suea Class.  These barges are distinguished by painted tiger (Suea) faces on the bow and tiger stripes along their side.  Cannons on these barges are mounted above the bow whereas on the other barges the cannons are mounted in the bow.  The Suea class barges are the Suea Thayan Chon and the Suea Kamron Sindh.  Each barge is propelled by 26 oarsman and are roughly 22,2 meters long.

Suea Class Barge, Sueaa Kamron Sin, Underway

 

The Ekachai Class Barges, Ekachai Hern How and Ekachai Lao Thong. have paintings, a pattern of gold leaf over black lacquer, of a half Naga half dragon mythical creature, the Hera, on them. The bow figureheads are tapered cylinders which represents the beast's horn. These barges do not have cannon on them.  They are a little over 29.6 meters long and propelled by 38 oarsmen.

A Ekachai Class Escort Barge with Crew

Four Krabi Class Barges participate in the Royal Barge Procession.  Krabi Class Barges are distinguished by Monkey Warrior figureheads.  The Monkey Warriors are mythical creatures from the Thai epic, "Ramakian".  Hanuman, white monkey warrior, is on the bow of the Krabi Prab Muang Marn.  Nilaphat, black monkey warrior, adorns the bow of the Krabi Ran Ron Rap. The other two Krabi Class barges have crowned figureheads of ruler from mythical land of Kishkindha kingdom.  The Pali Rang Thawip has a figurehead with a green body and the Sukrip Khrong Mueang has a red body figurehead.

Krabi Prap Mueang Man (Hanuman Figurehead)

The Pali Rang Thawip (foreground)

The procession includes two Krut Class Barges, the Krut Hen Het and the Krut Tret Traichak.  The figureheads on Krut Class barges are garudas that have nagas on their feet and wings.  Garudas are mythical creatures that transport the Hindu god, Vishnu.  They are also the enemies of nagas.  Again these creatures are creatures of the Ramakian.  Krut Hern Het has a red garuda and the Krut Tret Traichak has a pink garuda figurehead. They are propelled by 34 oarsmen.

Krut Hern Het

The last class of escort barges is the Asura Class.  There are two barges in the class, each propelled by 40 oarsmen.   Their figureheads are mythical creatures called Asura, half bird and half ogre.  The bottom half is bird with the top half being an ogre.

Two Asura Class Escorts

The remainder of the escort barges are smaller scout boats

A Scout Escort Barge

Another Type of Scout Escort Barge

Besides the stunning visuals of the various Royal Barges and the Escort Barges, the costumes of the various personnel on board the barges was extremely colorful and interesting.  Oarsmen wore distinctive uniforms depending upon the class of barge that they were assigned to.  Officers, Signalmen, Standard Bearers, Steersmen, Timekeepers, Drummers, and Chanter all have unique uniforms.

Besides the visual smorgasbord of shapes, colors, and textures be it barges or costumes, there was an audio component of the Royal Barge Procession.  Just before the start of the procession, perhaps 5 minutes before it commenced there were loud flourishes that trumpeted over the river.  The flourishes put the flourishes played for the President of the United States to shame but then again these were fit, if not for a King, then for a Crown Prince.  It was amazing how quiet the scene was.  The river had been closed to traffic for over 6 hours and due to import of the event the crowds were extremely respectful as well as quiet.  After the interlude following the flourishes, the silence was broken by a single voice broadcast over the river by powerful loudspeakers on the other side of the river.  The voice was a mature, I believe alto, and evoked memories of holy rituals.  I later found out that the lilting almost haunting chant was specifically written for this procession.  It was chanted by a man on the Royal Barge, Anantanagaraj, and broadcast to the sound systems along the river. Receivers and amplifiers on the various other barges except for the Suphannahongsa, so that the oarsmen can hear the chant and respond to it.  As the Procession got fully underway, his chanting was answered by the oarsmen in the barges and the staccato beat of wooden poles striking the bottom of  the escort barges by the fore and aft timekeepers for setting a rowing cadence.  At some points in the 45 minute procession, buglers on the escort barges would blare out some commands.  So the Procession was impressive to listen to as well as to observe.

At our hotel we were subjected to some special rules due to the Royal barge Procession.  People were not allowed to stand on their balconies, look out of their room's windows, our stand on the elevated terraces of the hotel.  Why?  Doing so would put common people in an elevated position over HRH The Crown Prince which would be a violation of protocol.  The swimming pool alongside of the river was also closed again so as to not violate protocol.  Guests were expected to be properly dressed also just as if you were to visit a Wat (Temple).  There were two policemen standing along the river with us for security purposes and to ensure protocol was not violated.  These were requirements were quite reasonable and willingly accepted by everyone for such a spectacular event.

The river remained closed until after sunset.  What goes down the river must go back up the river.  After the merit making of the Royal Kathin Ceremony at Wat Arun, Thai Royal Navy vessels towed the barges back up the river to their home berths or storage locations,

As Twilight Descends On Bangkok, Some barges Are Towed Up River

It had been a long day but a spectacular day for us.  It was so interesting to witness such a unique event, an event that has it origins over 700 years ago.  I know that given another opportunity to witness a Royal Barge Procession, we will take advantage of it.  My only concern will be how to witness some of the rehearsals and dress rehearsals as well.

This Is Thailand - That's What I Call Service!

Yesterday, after I had completed editing and post processing my photographs from last week's Royal barge Procession, I commenced to write my blog about the experience.  As I often do when writing my blog entries, I perform some Internet research to ensure that my perceptions are correct and to enhance the sharing experience by providing additional facts in the blog entry.

To make it easier on me, I often make a print copy of the information from the Internet especially when the article contains some of those long Thai spellings.  Well after only printing one page, my printer ran out of ink.  Well it did not run completely out of ink, it ran out of "Light Cyan" which is one of the SIX (6) ink cartridges required for my three year old Epson RX650 All-In-One Printer.

The problem with this and similar printers is that when cartridge is out of ink, the printer will not print.  Really, is Light Cyan all that important?  The other problem is that Epson seems to reinvent their cartridges every two years so today's cartridges are not retroactive.  We drove out to the big mall in the center of Udonthani to buy a full set of replacement cartridges.  We came close, but as they say "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades".  We found one store that had 5 of the cartridges but not the one I really needed.  We founded another store that had 4 cartridges but also was missing the one that I really needed.  They did offer to back order the cartridges and they would be available in a week.  The stores that had cartridges were selling them for 550 Baht (almost $20 USD each).  Foolishly I thought that we could easily find a full set or at least the color that I needed elsewhere.  Well the other 6 stores that we went to in the mall had no cartridges.

Undeterred I decided to stop at the IT Mall on our way home.  The IT Mall is several floors of space dedicated to computer and cell phone products.  The Mall supposedly opened up a month ago but it is still be built out.  The Mall provides stalls where small vendors can sell their services and products.  Many of the vendors that we saw were familiar names from when they used to be at the big mall in the center of town; before it greatly expanded and went upscale.

We must have looked at another 15 shops with no luck.  But we were not out of luck or unlucky.  At one stall which specialized in modifying printers to use external ink tanks that you filled with bulk ink, offered to check to see if she could get the Epson Cartridges.  She said that it would take 5 minutes and wrote down my wife's cell phone number.  We wandered around some more in search of the cartridges to no avail.  The woman called and said that she would keep trying.  We drove home and later in the evening the woman called saying that she had found the cartridges for 550 Baht each and did I want them?  Duang replied yes and the woman said that we could pick them up the next day in the morning.  A while later she called to confirm that I would really pay for the cartridges since 3,300 Baht (roughly $110 USD) was a substantial risk for her to take.  Once again Duang replied "Yes".  Well "This Is Thailand" and the saying "Good for you, good for me" is frequently the guide as to how business is conducted; the woman offered to deliver the cartridges to our home in the morning.  This was good for her but it was actually great for me.  The IT Mall is in a very congested part of the downtown area with a narrow spiral tower to access parking - challenges I am willing to take on but definitely prefer not to.

Sure enough the woman and her son who is her technician came to the house.  My printer has some small spots of fungus on the underside of the glass which I have been thinking about having taken care of however there are no phone directories to help find a repair service.  Her son looked at it and said that he could clean it.  I then asked about modifying the printer to use the external ink tanks.  He could do it for about the cost for another set of replacement cartridges.  The ink for the external bulk tanks are around 100 Baht ($3.00 USD) each color for 100 ml of versus the $20 USD each for 10 ml of Epson inks.  Since they need the old Epson cartridges for the modification, I will wait for the new cartridges to be used up.  Oh, when I am ready to have the printer cleaned and modified, Duang can call and they will pick it up and later deliver it to our home.  Now that is what I call service.!

This is one of the reasons that I enjoy living here in Thailand.  People want your money but they are willing to work for it.  Large companies such as Epson may create unacceptable business practices but there a plenty of people here who make use of these types  of business practices to create cheaper alternatives - "Good for me, Good for You"

The King's Barge - 9 Nov 2012 Bangkok

A very, very short clip of the King's Barge transporting HRH The Crown Prince to Wat Arun in Bangkok where he will make an offering of robes to the Monks.