THAI SA NOOK
So the Thai people have this concept known as “Sa Nook” or “Sanuke” which basically boils down to the attitude that if you not having fun doing something, then it really isn’t good, since everything should have an element of Sa Nook or playful fun in it. This includes work. Over the past three days, we really got to get out in the countryside and see the more rural side of Thai life. The rural people are even more friendly which just boggles the mind, since the city folk are so cheery to start. I’ve never encountered such an outwardly endearing culture. After sitting on the train for a few hours from Chumphon to Bangkok and reading between the lines a bit in the Lonely Planet, we decided to stop for a few more days in Thailand before crossing into Laos and Vientiane and boy are we glad we did, as the little city/town of Nong Khai is a great place to visit and access the more laid back and traditional side of Thai life. The area around the city contains dozens of little villages that still survive though farming and agriculture, including fishing along the Mekong river, beautiful rice paddies, and flower farms.
We rented some nice mountain bikes and were therefore able to cover a good 60km on our first day (yup, butts are sore!) on a fabulous loop that the nice people at our guest house had laid out on maps. We crossed rickety bridges, travelled along little dirt paths connecting villages, and were fueled by dozens of hellos per kilometer that made you feel like you were crossing through some mysterious fairyland where everyone is happily working away in the fields, cooking, or folding laundry.
Cheryl on the Rickety Bridge
I’m not sure if there is an unhappy person in Thailand. I’m really not sure. The Thai seem to have life pretty well figured out and it was so refreshing to see such a way of life, from both the rural to the small cities. Bangkok will be different, but boy, if I had to pick a place to drop out and live the cheap Expat “off the gird” life it would be here. And from what we saw in town, there were a lot of Brits and Aussies that had done exactly that, including the owner of the wonderful Mut Mee Guest House (www.mutmee.net) This guest house sits on the Mekong and has about 20 rooms of varying rusticness (ours was a really cool little duplex bungalow with outside shower and bath) all around a great garden, restaurant, and community gathering place. So we decided to stay 3 nights and just chill, ride bikes, and soak up as much of the warm vibe as possible.
On the third day we biked to the amazing sculpture garden which will require it’s own post when we get all the photos. I also headed out by myself and ended up meeting “Tam” a Buddhist monk in training that was trying to practice his English and was the most outgoing of group of 6 teenage boys that I chatted with for 15 minutes or so, gave them my email address, and convinced the shy one to take the photo below.
Lots of Sa Nook for us too as they accidently broke a street lamp behind them and I told them they could blame the American. It was pretty funny and another encounter that I will cherish (and I may have a Thai monk email buddy, who knows).
Last night on Christmas eve, the Mut Mee had a big buffet dinner and party with really great local musicians and dancers. We met a really nice German couple and spent most of the evening talking with them and drinking Singha and Leo beer (“The Beer that Roars!”) until Christmas eve became Christmas Day (no, we just stayed up to midnight or so, no all night are you kidding!). And yes, I got pulled up by the 4′-10″ Thai women dancers to join them in an embarrass the gringos moment; lots of SA Nook there and not a Christmas eve that will blend with the rest for sure.
And today we crossed the “Friendship Bridge” to communist Laos and are now sitting in the somewhat dreary and rundown capital city that time and capitalism has left behind. We are only staying the night on the good advice of other travellers coming South and will be heading North to Vang Vieng and more promising parts of Laos tomorrow. We did sample some great local food at lunch today (See Cheryl’s blog for more on this) and are going to try a good sounding French Restaurant this evening as there is still the legacy of the French colonialism here both in the architecture and food, although the basic food of the people shares much more with Thai and Vietnamese cultures. And yes, travel is all about the food, as long as it is prepared with a smile and Sa Nook.
Tags: SE Asia, Thailand, Travel, Tag Index
rich.coffin
November 22nd, 2010 at 12:54 pm
Good post :).