Letter from Issaan - Part 5

[phoenix]

Car story.

The family has a three year old pick up truck, a 3.0 L diesel Toyota, single cab. Nok bought it when she was still married in Taiwan, on time payments. It is mainly driven by her sister Pit, to earn income for the family. Nok and Pit share the time payments, it is nearly paid off.

But the appearance of me on the scene, and my plans to spend an extended time travelling around LOS, created some confusion. My short to middle term plans are to lease a car, which will cost me about 800 Bt per day. Nok thought that was a waste, so these two weeks we are using her car. I take care of the monthly repayment at present, and that seems a good arrangement to her. But at the same time, that removes Pit’s ability to earn income while we use it.

A friend of the family, of dad’s generation came up with a scheme to solve that. He said he had a a ‘surplus’ pick-up, 3-4 yrs old, low mileage, which he’d be willing to sell to Nok, for what appears to be a very reasonable price, with only a deposit of 50 K Bt, the rest to be paid off by dripfeed, as it earns income.

On one hand, I smelled the possibilty of a scam, on the other hand, it could solve my medium term need for a car whenever I need one. When I don’t, both will be used to earn income for the family. I cannot own a car, since I still live on tourist visa. Nok initially suggested that I’d buy a brandnew car for our personal use, but at this stage I’m reluctant to do that, again because I don’t know whether my stay here is permanent, or only for a year or so, and again, it would have to be in her name. Half a million for a new one? No thanks. But an upfront outlay of 50K Bt, giving me access to a car whenever I want didn’t sound too bad. If things turn to shit, my loss would be acceptable.

So without any commitments made, I said I’d look at it at least. So how about a test drive. OK, but the car is in Nakhon Sawan, we’re in Nakhon Phanom. (about ten hrs drive) No problem, I wanted to travel a bit anyway (two or three nights in the village is OK, but the thin walls do inhibit our private life a bit, and I’m ready for a change. So off we go on our ticky tour. Nong Khai, Chiang Khan, Pitsanulok, Sukothai, and then on to Nakhon Sawan.

Just before N S, she phones the man’s son, who is looking after the car, and he said ‘Oh, Dad didn’t know, but it has just been totally repainted, so it will be 20 K Bt more’. Like hell, I said, we’ll negotiate with dad, not with the son.

“And by the way, it is not in N S , that is not the city, but an hour east N S province.”

Never mind says Nok, I have been there before (10 yrs ago), I know how to get there. Famous last words. Of the two Thai women I’ve ever traveled with, neither had a clue about navigation and geography. So, two hrs later via huge detours, we finally locate the village. By that time, it was about 4.00 pm. Dark at 6.00. I was slightly uncertain where we’d stay the night, maybe the family would offer us a place to stay for the night. It was NY’s eve, and I didn’t relish the thought of driving in the countryside after dark that night. (the record dead toll on the road those holidays confirm my fears).

When we arrive, five men sit outside the house drinking local firewater. The son and Nok engage in lively conversation, helped by the bottle of whisky we brought as a goodwill gift. Half an hour later ( and several glasses later), I start to realise that, judging by the level of alcohol consumed, by them before and after our arrival, this would not be a good place to stay the night. God knows how drunk they’ll be in a few hours, it doesn’t feel kosher.

By that time ( asx Nok told me later, they’d quizzed her about why she likes Falang men, are they really so much bigger? Yes, she said. But Thai men are harder, says the son. ‘No comment’ says Nok. Then she explains to me that there is a slight problem with the car. It is elsewhere, driven by another son, who’ll arrive maybe at 7.00 pm. And by the way, there is some disagreement in the family about dad selling it to her. Dad has his Mia Leua living here in N S, but spends most of his time with his Mia Noi in Nakhon Phanom. And ML is not happy about dad selling the car, and pocketing the dosh, apperently a matrimonial property dispute.

That’s it, we’re out of here like a shot. Just before 5.00, one hour to dark. Nok suggests we sleep at N S town, one hr West. I point out that next day we have to travel East, and North, back to Nong Khai, for me to get my visa in Laos in a few days. But east, the nearest city with a passable hotel is Chayapum, at least 3 hrs away on a very bad road. So I look at my map and guidebook (lonely Planet does have it's uses), and decide on Lopbury. But that’s closer to BKK, says Nok. Yes darling, but it will bring us tomorrow on the road to Korat, which is good and fast, rather on that lousy Chayapum rd.

So we hit Lopbury just before dark. Phew!. I phone the most likely hotel (Lopbury inn) they say sorry, full. Shit. They recommend Lopbury Resort, (2400 Bt!!), I am getting desperate and say Ok. I phone the resort, yes, have a room, just get here. But the LP map is vague about it’s whereabouts, Nok’s navigation as usual lousy, and we get lost. After 20 minutes driving around in circles, we hit a hotel called The Residence. It looks OK, so we give it a go. Checked in, Sorry sir, only rooms with two single beds. My dissapointment must have shown on my face, and suddenly the receptionist (who spoke very good English with a strong US accent) says with a grin “oh, I just found a big bed after all!’. Bless you, my dear.

I pay, get receipt, which says ‘Lopbury Inn’ the same hotel that said half an hour ago they were full!. TIT (this is thailand).

600 Bt (NZ$30), including dinner, breakfast, and a large clean room with hot shower and a King size bed. We sample the bed, shower and descend for dinner, watching Liverpool play Westham United (1-1). BTW Westham is the favourite club of XXX, nok’s past alternative friend to me. Before it ends, Nok decides she wants to go to sleep. Although I’m not a current soccer fan, it is a good game, I enjoy it, and want to see the rest, and smoke a cigar, have another beer, relax, after all it is NY’s eve, 9.00 pm. Nok sulks, ‘You drink to much Singha’. ‘Stop nagging’. Nok goes off to bed.

I sit and watch soccer for another hour, and ponder about the day’s events. I think Nok feels having lost face about the car not being there, and having stuffed around so long finding the place, wasting a bottle of scotch in a wasted effort to buy a car. (the son used to be Pit’s boyfriend, until he married someone else).

When I get to the room, she is still sulking, so I shower, sit outside on the balcony, have a smoke and a Singha, and turn it. Nok still sulks, pretends to sleep, so I watch CNN, and go to sleep. Woken up at about five by her defty hand, I don’t really feel like it, but as usually she prevails. I still don’t quite understand, even when she is pissed off with me, she still turns it on, I think enjoying it very much herself. ( she said a few days ago that she didn’t always enjoy it in the past, but hell, it was her job, back then. But she said, the last few weeks, this early morning exercise has become a bit like yabba (!) (speed) She means an addiction. OK with me.

Back to sleep. In the morning, ongoing big sulk. I have learned to ignore it, propose to go down for breakfast, end up going alone. Shit, I can do without this shit. Halfway through she joins me, silent. I try and probe, no go.

We check out, get on the road. Two hours later, she slowly defrosts. Starts talking a bit. Lunch, just outside Korat. She brightens up, starts joking., smiling. Food will do wonders for Issaan women. And she eats. Every opportunity she spots Issaan food, and fills up her sticky rice container, to be further consumed while I drive.

An hour later she spots a roadside stall with car accessories. We stop, I think she wants two replacement plastic wheel caps ( we noticed two of the four were missing, the two remaining were “Benz” (on a Toyota!). Wrong! She wanted a canvas suncover/windcover, for the back of the pickup. I had already considered getting a fibreglass total , loackable cover,so my luggage is secure when we park (about 10K Bt, NZ$550) this is only an open wind/sun shield, and I say, maybe 2-3K Bt, is it worth it. It proves to be only 1200 Bt, so we buy it, and they install it. Nok beams great smiles, chatters, eats sticky rice, and turns the Molam on the car stereo even louder.

Long way to Nong Khai, boring straight motorway, get there again just before dusk. I’ve now been there a few times, made a few wrong turns, so know my way. ‘No way’ says Nok, ‘here we turn right’. I think left, but it is no big deal, so we turn right. Two blocks later, she sheepishly grins, admits she was wrong (wow, that’s an achievement).

Luckily, the Pantawee ( good place), 350-400 Bt for OK room with hot water and big bed) has a room. We wash, sample the bed, (OK as usual, but you have to try this out), have a beer, Nok having another meal (after all that sticky rice, where does she put it?), and book in for a 2 hr thai massage. Bliss. Nok positioned herself well, so she could have her massage while still watching the Thai miniseries on the box, her ‘other’ addiction. Apart from eating, lusting after new fancy pick-up trucks, and early morning (and early evening & middle of the f.. night) ‘exercise’.

Issaan women!!!!!

After the massage, she’s back to the room to watch the end of the movie, I excuse myself for the need of a cigar (one but last, what am I going to do tomorrow, when they run out?), and retire to the terrace out front, with my laptop, and a Singha (actually, two by now) to write up the events of the last few days.

Tomorrow, a one day visit to Vientiane, for visa reasons, then back to NP.

2000+ KM in six days. If only that car didn’t have vinyl upholstery!

Next morning, we leave for what is supposed to be a day visit to Vientiane, main purpose, renew my 30 day visa. It didn’t quit work out that way.

Got to the bridge, I went through the first checkpoint, in which I exited Thailand. Nok was straight behind me, to be told that she needed another bit of paper (I thought she could get through on her Thai ID card, but apparently not so, my fault for not checking). Because I was already through immigration I couldn’t go back. So I called to her “go get the permit, I wait for you” (in no-mansland). She called back “not want!!”, so I said, OK, I’ll see you at hotel. Being turned back from the Lao border by her own country’s officials, while I simply walked through, obviously made her feel she lost face. (in fact, one could argue that Lao is also her own country.) made me remember entering into Ireland with someone of Irish descent, but NZ passport. I walked through the open EEC line with my dutch passport, she had to line up with the ‘aliens’.

Anyway, Nok slowly drifted away, somewhat directionless, with an obvious dark cloud around her. She hadn’t been very clear about whether she would get the extra document, or go back to the Nong Khai hotel. Because she hadn’t been very clear, I wasn’t sure she wouldn’t come after me to Laos. Damn. I hung around at Lao immigration for an hour or so, Un-intended, it just took ages to fill in forms, wait, fill in more forms, wait again, have all my forms taken, given a visa, get to immigration check to be told I had to fill out form no.1 again, because the visa ofice had retained it. Wonderful burocracy. By that time Nok hadn’t turned up, and I assumed she’d gone back to the hotel in Nong Khai.

But my mood for a day visit on my own to Vientiane had evaporated. I love Lao, but not particularly Vientiane. My last two visits there had been under totally different circumstances, and the memory of that still lingered. Having finally checked through the last Lao formality, I looked around and saw a duty free store. I decided to stock up on cigars, grog and Lao coffee, and head back to Thailand. The shortest visit to Lao ever!.

Got back to hotel, No Nok to be seen. Had she gone to Lao after all? Never mind, her car and luggage was here, she’ll turn up.

She did, an hour later, while I sat in the lobby and picked up my email. Without saying a word, she took the room key and marched off. I finished my mail, and followed 10 minutes later. She was under the blankets, watching TV, and responded to everything I said with either “Shit” or “Peebabo” (You’re crazy” This on again/off again sulk now had been going on for a few days, and I was getting sick of it. When I decided on something she didn’t like, she’d sulk and say shit. When I tried to consult her on a decision, or even give her the choice (where to go today, what to eat etc) she’d say either nothing or “ up to you”. The behaviour during my last visits, big smiles, offers of massage, looking after me, little flirtatious looks etc, seemed to have dissipated over the past few weeks, almost like now I was here on a somewhat more permanent basis, I could be taken for granted. Maybe all the previous ingratiating behaviours and attitudes were exactly that, a game to ‘catch’ me, and now the real Nok was surfacing.

I’d been to this space a few times in the past ten days, ready to tell her I’d had enough, then a few hours later, having put it all in the perspective of what I imagined her experience to be, changed my mind. I think, the main obstacle between us is that of communication through language. Cultural gap is huge, but I am prepared to tackle that. But language makes sorting out things on the short term very hard.

We decide to head back to Nakhom Phanom that afternoon. Her whole family is still there for NY celebrations, and she has to be back there on Jan 4 for more legal hassles.

We hit the road in silence, and like yesterday, after an hours driving, we both defrost, get into small talk, joking, and feel good again. Oh, this rollercoaster!

[phoenix]

rp5

[phoenix]

repost 2006