Cha-Am Thailand
By Christian Norr
Thailand is the East's answer to Greece. No
Asian country receives as many Western tourists as Thailand, and a
large proportion of these are Danish. Despite the large influx, it
is still possible to find largely untouched places where the
authenticity and kindness of another world awaits. Take to Isaan -
Thailand's poorest and least visited province.
The small, yet
closed hand slides forward between one of the holes in the stairs.
The black eyes and the boyish face are still hidden behind the
dilapidated railing. But you look closely for an expectant smile in
the darkness. A second later, two pieces like this dump into my
hand. Larger gift no adult can hope for, whether the donor lives in
a remote village in Thailand
Gifts and good food have always been people's way of welcoming strangers. And nowhere in Thailand does one feel more welcome than in the country's poorest and least visited province, Isaan in northeastern Thailand, bordering Laos and Cambodia on the one hand and the mighty tourist magnet, Chang Mai Province, on the other.
Photo: Christian Nørr
What this part of Thailand lacks in beautiful
beaches, elephant treks and gilded temples, in turn, it has in
excess of something as rare as curiosity, kindness and genuine
hospitality.
The tourist attraction here is human meetings. And
not to mention human encounters based on a buyer-seller
relationship, as there are many other places in Thailand and the
rest of Asia.
It is unimpressed and genuinely interested in
showing and giving. The same personality trait that has made the
country of the Thais one of the Danes' biggest holiday destinations
in recent years.
But unlike many other places in Thailand,
Isaan has not yet been ruined by Western tourists throwing money at
the wrong things and at the same time refusing to pay the price to
the pineapple-selling woman on the beach, who is just trying to earn
a living daily wage.
Therefore, it is not unconscious bathing
holiday to make a detour from the well-known tourist route. All the
practicality is taken care of, but as in any good meeting, it takes
empathy and commitment from both parties to become really good.
This is also the case if you visit the local villages of Isaan. The
more you give, the more you get again. Do you choose to reach out
and receive the gift, or do you stand up with the camera at a safe
distance and just photograph the 'natives?
If you choose the latter, you get good
pictures, but no stories to tell about the pictures. On the other
hand, you have stories for life printed on both the retina and the
photo retina if you not only have to be entertained, but also
contribute to the entertainment yourself.
"A great experience
awaits you, if you like," was the slightly cryptic message from our
guide in Bangkok before heading into our rented Toyota Hi-Ace with
our own driver and guide and heading towards "the unknown Thailand
', As it was so poetically formulated.
However, now it is so with
the unknown and pristine in Asia's tourist country number one. There
is hardly that street kitchen in Thailand that has not had a
big-mouthed backpacker sitting out front eating a hump in tasty Thai
food. Isaan is no exception. It just feels that way when you walk
down the streets of the small villages and are greeted by giggling
children who shyly wave at someone who was the Emperor of China. And
the hand on heart: Who doesn't just occasionally enjoy feeling
important and especially welcome?
Not because you have paid attention, but
simply because you are a stranger and thus pr. definition
interesting with its white skin, strange words and hair on its legs.
Just a few hours drive from Bangkok, it is as if you are crossing an
invisible border with another country. Here it is the old Thailand
that meets one, where everything goes the best way with overloaded
bikes, waving children, hardworking women in the rice fields and big
curious eyes when a Hi-Ace blows through their land of ruddy from
time to time. tourists in the back seat.
Bangkok disappears in the rearview mirror, and in front of us the
wide open expands. The fresh air and the beautiful greenery over the
rice fields cause the pulse to drop.
A rice farmer bakes with two
oxen, a team of women stretch their backs and straighten the sun hat
before bending over the green sprouts that are their lifeblood of
everyday life. Isaan is and will become agricultural land. And so it
is hard-working farmers who, after a long day's drive, receive us in
the village of Khampom.
Although we arrive late at night, a
sumptuous evening meal awaits us. And while we taste our way through
local Isaan dishes, where the strong papaya salad is a local
specialty, Henk, our Dutch host, scrutinizes the program for the
coming days:
We go on a tour of the
village, visit the school, the temple, the medical clinic and join
the rice fields and help if we like. And once again, we are reminded
that the more we participate, the more we get out of the visit.
After a night with a local Thai family, it's time for the big
village tour. The rumor that there are "farangs" (Thais nicknames
for white strangers, ed.) In the village has long since come to an
end, and especially the children have difficulty controlling their
curiosity.
"Hello, how are you ..." cries a little boy before
laughingly burying his head in mother's skirts. Shortly after, he
will play: "Paper-stone-or-scissors" and reach out challenging fist.
It is these experiences that are the real purpose of the trip.
Kampom certainly does not have the major
tourist attractions to offer, and so anyway - maybe they have
greater experiences than many other places. It just requires eyes
watching.
Soon after, we sit at the first parquet in the temple
and dine with the village's oldest residents, who have brought the
Sunday dinner to the temple, before the oldest monk calls for prayer
and gathering.
My bald travel buddies are asked if he is a Danish
monk. A smile and a quiet shake of their heads make only the old
ladies laugh even louder and rank their own delicious, and less
delicious, local dishes for public dining by the village guests.
