Life in the village has
apparently been quite eventful over the past week.
Deep in the heart of Udon Thani Province, where
Thaksin Shinawatra is still revered by most
people, and talking about a farang behind his back
in hushed tones is outdated, the 21st century chic
chick likes her analysis to take place just beyond
your toenails. The country life of Udon Thani,
where you are met at every turn with a stare and
every ninth syllable you hear is, far, followed by
ang and you had better
believe how much I'm missing it.
My girlfriend Wonderful Wi
has been telling me of a sad, exciting and rather
fruitful past seven days in our village district.
A dogknapping, an Isaan music festival and some
small cash donations as the race to be the next
District Mayor heats up. A village that is
normally more sleepy than a soi dog after a square
meal, seems to be springing to life just in time
for my Christmas visit.
Wi had been patiently waiting for the arrival of
Panda the puppy for nearly a month, and had
undertook regular visits to the house of her
friend's grandmother to coo and woo young Panda. A
trip to see Panda last week was interrupted by the
arrival of the grandmothers relatives from outside
of Udon and Wi spent the next hour watching
helplessly as the grandson cuddled and smothered
young Panda to one pant from his death.
On her next visit the following day the
grandmother frantically explained that Panda was
missing, a
pupnapping had occurred, with the finger of
suspicion pointing in the direction of the young
grandson. A series of phone calls to her friend
who is working at a nursery school in Bangkok have
so far failed to negotiate the release of the
kidnapped pup.
Since the
disappearance Wi has adopted a "mai phen rai"
stance, when I know deep down it has broken her
heart. Why do Thai people take this mai phen rai
approach to such a wide range of things when a
farang would have a good old blubber and then get
on with their life. Beyond me.
Being the kind and caring visitor to the
Land of Smiles that I am, in a moment of weakness
I told Wi that in the new year we will go to Udon
Thani and purchase a carbon copy, even smells
exactly the same, spitting image of Panda. A
couple of tablets and a good drink later I am
starting to think something a little cheaper might
help spread my holiday money that little bit
further. A good old stray mongrel and some black
and white paint should do it, when she gets over
the paint fumes, she'll love him to
bits.
On
Tuesday an Isaan music night was held in the local
town just three kilometres from our village. Wi
squeezed as many of her young nieces onto her
motorbike as was possible and I can imagine they
set off showing a mass of grinning white teeth and
flowing black hair. A noisy and enjoyable evening
of music and dancing, intermingled with the
occasional fix of chili peppered food was slightly
tarnished when the night finished with the
customary youth gang punch
up.
Candidates
for the office of District Mayor have been
trampling the dusty village streets this week
armed with good hearts and a little spare cash to
spend before their November 29th election fate. If
their election campaign speeches were not enough
to convince the lao khao muddled minds of some of
the villagers then a little cash can go a long way
to sobering the thoughts in some peoples heads.
Donations were changing hands from 50 baht upwards
to a whopping 300 baht and the money was offered
to help pay for a little coffee and food. How kind
and sweet. Without divulging identities, I know of
one young lady who up to yesterday had recieved
1100 baht in food aid payments and was expecting a
last minute stampede of baby kissing electoral
candidates. That amount of food and coffee would
be enough to turn this particularly lean young
woman into a caffein enriched Sumo wrestler who'd
look like she hadn't slept for a week. Life in the
village is definitley looking up and I cannot wait
to get there.
Hoo
Don
Credits
Photograph
Panda©
Vertes Edmond Mihai |
Dreamstime.com
