Barefoot in Surin

[Central Scrutinizer]

   

Barefoot in Surin

(and not a beach in sight for miles!)

      

  Well once again it was time to leave the village and grab the VIP bus from Surin back to Bangkok. I had to catch the plane back to the states after a couple of last days in Bangkok. This is always a hard time for me and my lady and our daughter.

Now-a-days I bring my daughter Starbeam with me to Bangkok with my lady and her sister. She gets very upset if she's not allowed to see me off at the airport. Crying little girls being a severe weakness of mine, she gets to go. My lady doesn't like to travel alone in Bangkok and her sister always comes with us so she'll have someone to travel with back to Surin. It is much safer.

      

  There are a lot of maggots who'll try to rob a lone Thai woman in Thailand. If you've seen those nasty "True Detective" type magazines a lot of the ladies like to read you'll see many gory pictures of ladies who were robbed, sexually assaulted and murdered in there. Usually some taxi driver with a lone lady passenger. My lady does get nervous when alone and I guess she has good reason. Some of you may be surprised to know that Thai on Thai crime is fairly rampant, and violent. You don't read as much about it in the English language papers but from what I've been told by my lady and others it is a legitimate concern. I've been warned not to flash any cash at bus stops and such while traveling about the countryside, especially at night. Not that I do anyway, but there have been places where there were gangs of unsavory looking characters hanging about in the middle of nowhere at 3 or 4 a.m. where it was advisable to be alert and not come across looking like a possible victim. The only real problems I've had in Thailand so far have been with other falangs. Falang kii nok. Drunks and desperados mostly. A few pick pockets have tried me and failed. Just stay alert and usually there won't be a problem.

       

  We packed up for the trip and loaded the truck. The lady and her husband who own the truck I rent come with us to the bus station in Surin and drop us off. I usually try to leave a bit early to assure seats on the bus. The bus leaves at 9:50 at night and I try to get there two hours early and grab the tickets. Once the tickets are in hand we go to a small outdoor restaurant next to the Surin train depot that has great food for small baht, and cold beers. I love the spicy clams there!      

  I'm usually in a pensive mood during this "last supper" and try to soak in as much of the atmosphere of Surin as possible for later emotional use when back in the states. I love Surin. I can lay in bed and close my eyes and drift back there, smelling and tasting the food, hearing the Thai spoken around me sounding like a sweet melodic Asian jazz, feeling the air's heat and moisture dampening my brow, scratching the mosquito bites on my ankles, the laughter and sanuk of the diners at the surrounding tables filling me with a sadness at my looming departure which I can feel still each time. I suppose if I went to a psychiatrist during these reminiscences I'd be diagnosed as having Major Depression. I hate leaving. Someday the only way I'll depart this land will be as an urn full of ashes.

  My lady's sister always knows when I'm "thinking too much" and cracks jokes, and messes with me and gets me laughing. She's very astute and reads my moods well. I love her like my own sisters. Somewhere in my head though, no matter what's going on, the refrain, "But I don't want to go. Don't want to go, to go, to go........" echoes through my little remaining grey matter.

  Once home little things will bring me back to Thailand in short, vivid, flashbacks. The sun striking my face will cause me to lift my snout to it's radiant heat, and closing my eyes I'll drift off to find myself on a beach chair on Jomtien Beach, the sound of rain hitting the roof a certain way will bring me directly to a beer bar on Pattaya Beach Road, where I sometimes spend hours playing games and drinking beers, while the pounding monsoon rains beat a lively rhythm into my brain. A bus driving by spouting diesel fumes at home will smell to me, a perfume of the finest French stores, and drag me by my nose to the corner of Sukhumvit and Soi 4 in my mind. A pretty Asian girl walking by me in the street in Boston will almost bring me to tears of frustration, as I want to smile at her, and ask if she'd like to go to dinner, and later come back to my loom long time. The white girls walking by looking like nothing I'd want to bed. Ghosts from a distant past they float by, in the total belief that their pussy is made of gold, and diamonds are their just due for making a mans life miserable. I desire them not.

  I'm infected of an illness whose only cure lies in Thailand it seems, my doctor a raven haired temptress with flashing obsidian eyes and a laugh as charming as a small tinkling temple bell. I make love to her for medicinal purposes only. For some strange reason insurance won't cover my illness and I seem doomed until enough cash is injected into the wallet on my hip and a plane ticket is clutched in my feverish hands. First class on a jumbo jet my life saving operating amphitheater. Such are my thoughts and I am as loathe to leave my beloved Surin and board the bus as a man is to put his foot on the first step leading up to the gallows pole. But I don't want to go. To go, to go, to go.......

But I ramble and digress. I apologize.

  So we finish our "last supper" in Surin, bless the funny, cute little Lao looking teenage waitress with sufficient baht for a nice tip, and grabbing our luggage, vacate the premises.

We head down the soi toward the bus depot. My little village daughter scampering about us laughing and skipping, stopping to watch and giggle as two teens play badminton without a net in the square. A soi dog joins us and unseemingly keeps trying to sniff my butt. Strange smelling farangs seem to fascinate these beasts. I still think it's my Mennen's musk scented underarm deodorant. Either that or my pleasantly odiferous farts are a tantalizing treat for the mutts. I think they believe my arse to be a meal of tender duck. Quuuaaaaaaccccccckkkk!!!!! "There, chew on that for a while ya mangy mutt!" I think gleefully and turning back I spy the curious canine lying twitching on the road as though the victim of a nerve gas attack.

  We trudge over to the VIP bus finally and deposit our baggage into the belly of the monster. My lady and daughter climb aboard while Sis and I grab a last couple of smokes before retiring aboard to strictly enforced nicotine deprivation. I look around at the city square and gather in my last few minutes of the city into my suffering soul.

Out of the corner of my eye I notice something. A lady is walking in the street. With her are two small children, almost toddlers. The youngest, a boy I notice, has on only a t-shirt, no pants or drawers. The older kid has on shorts and a t-shirt that look like they've been handed down for the past ten years. Momma is in an old sleeveless blouse and a thin cotton wrap around sarong-like skirt. All of them are walking barefoot on the tarmac! What the hell? "Barefoot in Surin and not a beach in sight for miles." runs through my disturbed and addled brain for some reason. Hence the title.

  I nudge Sis, and nodding my head towards the barefoot trio ask her, "How come they not wear shoes? I never see Thai walk in city in street with no shoes on." She looks at them and says, "I think no good. Think have no baht." I ponder this as we watch them walk slowly by us. Momma's face so devoid of expression as to seem made of stone. "You think have no baht to eat?" I prod Sister with the question. She turns and looks me in the eye with a serious look on her strong dark Issan face and nods her head. I take a 100 baht note from my pocket and folding it small stick it in her hand. "You give to Momma for me okay? For babies." I say to her. She makes a face and a small grunting noise as if to say I'm nuts. I look at her and nod my head towards the shoeless Momma and raise my eyebrows in urging.

  Sis walks over in that waddling gait of hers that amuses me so much and makes me smile. She goes over to Momma and talking quietly slips the baht into Momma's hand surreptitiously while nodding over towards me. Momma listens and looks over at me and wai's deeply. I nod to her, mutter a "my pen lye", and flipping my cigarette butt in a puddle next to the bus turn and climb aboard and find my seat next to my lass and our daughter.

  Sis climbs on board and waddles down the aisle smiling and comes up to me and says, laughing oddly enough, "You have good heart. Make good for you." I grunt at her and mumble something like "Ahhhhshaddup." I know I don't have a good heart. I did it for the most selfish of reasons. I figure if Buddha was watching and he caught that then maybe I could gain some merit and he'll give me a little extra time before I one day have to take that last flight as an urn full of ashes.

  And what did it cost me? The price of one beer back home.

Not a bad investment, if it works.

Cent

[Guest]

Buddha will bless you greatly for your kindness. I can picture the scene that you discribed and it is sad - good for you.

[ May 25, 2001: Message edited by: KWW62 ]

[Central Scrutinizer]

KWW62,

Well, I don't know if Buddha will bless me, but she just seemed so, well, down amd out. And for the price of one damned beer that would make a difference to her and her kids, even though just for a day, it was just something small I did. Broke my damned heart, that look on her face. I don't give to the organized beggars in Bangkok. I always feel liked I'm being scammed in some way, even though some of them have horrific injuries and maladies, I always feel it's some kinda con. Ya know what I'm saying? I can't explain it that well really, but I choose to give a little to ones who aren't begging, but seem in need of a small break in life. Just my way I guess, everybody has their own way of doing this. I've seen many acts of kindness from farang punters in the LOS. Whenever I see these small acts it restores my faith in humanity. To tell you the truth I think many Sanukers I've met while in Thailand are really very decent and kind hearted men. No matter how hard the NGO people try to demonize us I find that Sanukers are just regular, good hearted, guys.

Actually this has given me an idea to write something about the litte kids you always see at 2 in the morning selling chicklets and lighters and stuff. That really pisses me off, and I've almost gotten in trouble a few times for chastizing their adult "handlers" before. Think I'll write it on Sunday, since it's Father's Day.

Cent

[spirit_of_town_hall]

Interesting report,

Its always perplexed me, and to be honest annoyed me the (in our eyes) callous disregard for those who are less fortunate than themselves.

Maybe its us in the west who are wrapped in cotton wool, who can't have our coffee to hot from McDonalds less we spill it and scald ourselves.

Great report keep them rolling.

[Guest]

You wrote: I think gleefully and turning back I spy the curious canine lying twitching on the road as though the victim of a nerve gas attack.

I have never known a lazier, grottier unfriendly race of dogs than the Thai canines. When they are not sleeping in the middle of the road they are aggressively roaming around in packs. Still T.I.T where nothing suprises me and one should always expect the unexpected.

Nice gesture to pay the old lady and people should remember there is no benefit system in Thailand, so everyone has to work to raise money cos the government won't pay them anything.

[Central Scrutinizer]

Ozbod,

Sorry. Catching up on my unreplied posts from before my trip. I know what you mean about the dogs. Mean, nasty, dirty, and prone to have rabies and other diseases I'd not like to share with them. But they are survivors!! Amazing how they survive the way they do! And seemingly flourish. I hate to see the poor mutts so mistreated and

uncared for. Thailand really needs to do something about the dog problem. Short of rounding up all the strays and gassing them though I don't see what else the Thai's can do about them all. There's so damned many of them and little baht to fix the problem. Baht which could be used to fix other things in the country that need fixing. Maybe if dog was introduced back into their diet as a delicacy.....???? :-) I know there are still some areas where this is purported to still be on the "menu".

Cent

[Pescator]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cent:

   

SNIP

. She goes over to Momma and talking quietly slips the baht into Momma's hand surreptitiously while nodding over towards me. Momma listens and looks over at me and wai's deeply. I nod to her, mutter a "my pen lye", and flipping my cigarette butt in a puddle next to the bus turn and climb aboard and find my seat next to my lass and our daughter.

Not a bad investment, if it works.

Cent

---

I know what you mean and don`t worry about being a "softie".

You wouldn`t believe what I did last year.

There were these sieblings hanging out at night at the local store in Krabi and when asked why they didn`t go home they told us that their mother didn`t have the money to pay the rent and thus had to "haa ngun" go find money to pay the rent.

And I guess we all know what that means. That also meant that these two kids had to spend the night on the street not knowing if their mother would return or not. Knowing the landlord we made a deal with him and paid the rent for the next 3 months at a favourable price. However, I fear that as soon as the 3 months have passed things will have returned to "same same before".

It is really hard to do a difference in the long run.

Hua Nguu.

[Guest]

Don't lose hope!! You'll be surprise how just 1 act of kindness can change a person's life forever both to the doer and the receiver. I think some people just give up because they feel that they can't solve all the problems of the world but I think that if I can make a difference in 1 person's life than my (your) kindness was not in vain.

It still amaze me that by drinking 1 less beer-seeing 1 less movie, etc...I can give someone hope to on another day.

I makes me so angry to hear people on welfare in the US complaining " Damn!! The government cut my welfare check but $30! How can live live on only $700 a month!? Now I might have to get a job" I just wish these same people can see how well off they are compared to others.

[Pescator]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ajarnski:

Don't lose hope!! You'll be surprise how just 1 act of kindness can change a person's life forever both to the doer and the receiver. I think some people just give up because they feel that they can't solve all the problems of the world but I think that if I can make a difference in 1 person's life than my (your) kindness was not in vain.

.

---

You are right. It also seems to me that most thais feel the same way. You know the concept, Tham Dee Day Dee Tham Chua Day Chua. If you do a good thing it will come back to you and vica versa with a bad thing.

I will give you an example of it as it happened to me last year.

While chatting with some girls in a new bar in Phuket, one of the girls

showed me a leather wallet she had found the very same day. She had noticed

a dog carrying something in its mouth and she scared it off only to find

that it had been carrying a wallet in its mouth.

She asked me if I could help her out to find the owner as she did not speak

a word of english.

I looked through the wallet only to find that the owner was russian and that

it would probably be impossible to find her. However, I did find a couple of

business cards from a diving outfit in Phuket and I called them to inquire

if they could give me any informations of her whereabouts.

As of luck she was still in Phuket and they gave me her address. As it

turned out she was actually working in a travelling agency in Phuket. I went

through considerable trouble to locate her in the hope that she would reward

the girls who had found her wallet. After an hour or so I finally tracked

her down and brought her to the bar. She was very grateful that they had

found the wallet, but instead of rewarding the finders, she offered to take

me out to dinner. I said, thank you, but mayby it would be more appropriate

to reward the finders of her wallet. Apparently she didn`t take my hint as

she took off with another thank you.

I said to the girls in the bar. Look, I am sorry, I did my best to get you a

compensation for your trouble but to no avail. Their reply? "No worry, we

have done a good deed, mayby it will benefit us at some later stage!"

That is a very nice attitude, especially since they could sure have used the money.

[Central Scrutinizer]

Hua Nguu,

Sorry for the late reply. I've just noticed a bunch of posts I failed to reply to while I was away last summer!

Thanks for relating those stories. You're a good guy Hua! Stories like these help restore my sometimes somewhat diminished faith in mans humanity. Thanks. Those were great to read!

Cent

p.s. Had some bad news today. My wife's sister, the one I call Sis in my stories, was hit by a truck yesterday morning while riding her motocyke. She's in hospital now. She'll live, but I guess she got hit pretty hard. May be some boken bones and internal injuries. Waiting to hear back from the wife as to the full extent of Sis's injuries. The asshole that hit her drove away and left her lying there in the soi!