…I spent the weekend of 8-9 April in the hilly town of Mae Khachan in the Chiang Rai province of Northern Thailand. I am hoping to go there once again before leaving. It’s a very beautiful place that feels a lot like home. My stay in Thailand is getting shorter with just a little less than two weeks left now. The news in Nepal does not sound good, but I’ve got to return to my nest eventually.
Saturday morning, we went to the morning market in Mae Khachan, where I purchased a bum-bag that I had been meaning to buy for a while. It’s nice and simple, and was very cheap. It has multiple pockets, and I think I am going to find it very useful even in Nepal.
Then we returned to the hill. The plan for the morning was to transfer the fish from one pond to another. These were the fishes gifted to Pee Daeng by the Crown Prince of Thailand. When the water was completely drained out, they became visible. They were big! Professional fishermen (and women), who were mainly members of the ethnic mountain tribe, were hired to catch them and put them into a drum.
It was a hot and sunny day. So we had our big umbrella out, underneath which we placed a mat for people to sit on. I sat there and watched the ‘fish-catching ceremony’ with great interest. Pee Daeng asked if I wanted to go into the pond and try my hand at catching a few fishes for myself. But because it meant that I would get muddy, and especially with my glasses on, it would be quite difficult, I preferred to be among the spectators!
Being the youngest in the crowd meant that I had to take care of the seniors around me, especially by fixing their drinks. By now, I have mastered the skill of mixing whiskey with ice and soda water; I also know when exactly to refill the glasses!
The fishing ceremony took a couple of hours. Then the men were in a merrymaking mood. They drank all day, and sang traditional Thai songs. They also laughed and kidded a lot. It was very interesting for me to observe this cultural aspect, even though I did not join them for the drinks (only fixed them some!).
Saturday evening, Khun Thongdi, the village representative for Rong Nod (in Mae Khachan, where Pee Daeng’s resort is) as well as my newfound friend, took me to a village ceremony, which was like a fair, where many locals had gathered. I was told that it was a temple building festival (Poi Luang or something). There were loads of games, food plus drink stalls and a dance floor. And the sky was glowing with occasional fireballs.
Being an important person of the village, many people were coming to wai (greet in Thai) Khun Thongdi. In turn, I was introduced to them as an odd ‘farang’ (foreigner). But most people seemed to say, “Never mind, you are in Thailand now, and even better, you look Thai!”
An enjoyable part of the evening was the dance. The dance floor had a live band and its own female dancers. I got four offers to dance with two partners, who were both so pretty but spoke no English; so we had to content ourselves at the exchange of smiles alone. I had been cautioned in advance to watch out for drunken people and to be careful not to step on anyone’s foot. It was a good thing that I hadn’t had an alcoholic drink that night; I was in full control of myself. I heard that in another village, at a similar ceremony, two drunken guys got involved in a silly fight, leaving the younger one so severely injured that he had to be rushed to faraway Chiang Rai hospital for proper treatment. But I felt very safe in Khun Thongdi’s hands, whom many people knew.
I can’t usually dance (that too with young girls), unless I have had something to drink first. But that night, I did not ‘feel shy’ to have a go at one. Needless to say, it was a very colourful cultural experience for me.
We left the ceremony just before midnight. I sat at the back of Khun Thongdi’s motorcycle, and it was so very cold! We stopped on the way at a cosy karaoke restaurant to have some fried rice for dinner. By the time we arrived at his house, it was almost 1:00 am. He was too tired to drive me to the hill, so I slept there.
Sunday morning, we returned to Chiang Mai. I spent the day reading. In the evening, I helped Pee Daeng with some gardening; following that we went to see the Mae Ping dam in a nearby location. I rode on the back of Pee Daeng’s motorcycle, and on the way he told me a tale about Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year and the water festival, which will be here this weekend...
Saturday morning, we went to the morning market in Mae Khachan, where I purchased a bum-bag that I had been meaning to buy for a while. It’s nice and simple, and was very cheap. It has multiple pockets, and I think I am going to find it very useful even in Nepal.
Then we returned to the hill. The plan for the morning was to transfer the fish from one pond to another. These were the fishes gifted to Pee Daeng by the Crown Prince of Thailand. When the water was completely drained out, they became visible. They were big! Professional fishermen (and women), who were mainly members of the ethnic mountain tribe, were hired to catch them and put them into a drum.
It was a hot and sunny day. So we had our big umbrella out, underneath which we placed a mat for people to sit on. I sat there and watched the ‘fish-catching ceremony’ with great interest. Pee Daeng asked if I wanted to go into the pond and try my hand at catching a few fishes for myself. But because it meant that I would get muddy, and especially with my glasses on, it would be quite difficult, I preferred to be among the spectators!
Being the youngest in the crowd meant that I had to take care of the seniors around me, especially by fixing their drinks. By now, I have mastered the skill of mixing whiskey with ice and soda water; I also know when exactly to refill the glasses!
The fishing ceremony took a couple of hours. Then the men were in a merrymaking mood. They drank all day, and sang traditional Thai songs. They also laughed and kidded a lot. It was very interesting for me to observe this cultural aspect, even though I did not join them for the drinks (only fixed them some!).
Saturday evening, Khun Thongdi, the village representative for Rong Nod (in Mae Khachan, where Pee Daeng’s resort is) as well as my newfound friend, took me to a village ceremony, which was like a fair, where many locals had gathered. I was told that it was a temple building festival (Poi Luang or something). There were loads of games, food plus drink stalls and a dance floor. And the sky was glowing with occasional fireballs.
Being an important person of the village, many people were coming to wai (greet in Thai) Khun Thongdi. In turn, I was introduced to them as an odd ‘farang’ (foreigner). But most people seemed to say, “Never mind, you are in Thailand now, and even better, you look Thai!”
An enjoyable part of the evening was the dance. The dance floor had a live band and its own female dancers. I got four offers to dance with two partners, who were both so pretty but spoke no English; so we had to content ourselves at the exchange of smiles alone. I had been cautioned in advance to watch out for drunken people and to be careful not to step on anyone’s foot. It was a good thing that I hadn’t had an alcoholic drink that night; I was in full control of myself. I heard that in another village, at a similar ceremony, two drunken guys got involved in a silly fight, leaving the younger one so severely injured that he had to be rushed to faraway Chiang Rai hospital for proper treatment. But I felt very safe in Khun Thongdi’s hands, whom many people knew.
I can’t usually dance (that too with young girls), unless I have had something to drink first. But that night, I did not ‘feel shy’ to have a go at one. Needless to say, it was a very colourful cultural experience for me.
We left the ceremony just before midnight. I sat at the back of Khun Thongdi’s motorcycle, and it was so very cold! We stopped on the way at a cosy karaoke restaurant to have some fried rice for dinner. By the time we arrived at his house, it was almost 1:00 am. He was too tired to drive me to the hill, so I slept there.
Sunday morning, we returned to Chiang Mai. I spent the day reading. In the evening, I helped Pee Daeng with some gardening; following that we went to see the Mae Ping dam in a nearby location. I rode on the back of Pee Daeng’s motorcycle, and on the way he told me a tale about Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year and the water festival, which will be here this weekend...
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