Isaan Tales

[lardy]

I'd like to say that the state of affairs in Thailand today can be directly attributed to the leadership of HM the King. His direction and moral persuasion has for the most part made this country self sufficient. Food is plentiful, and only some of the working poor in the big cities are having trouble avoiding hunger. But this is also the case in cities in the richest countries of the world.

Thai farmers are enjoying the fruits of their labors with record prices for rice and tapioca. His Majesty rid the country of drugs (mostly) and the crime that goes with the drug trade. If it wasn't for the 60 years of his guidance, Thailand would today be in a far worse situation.

I think you should read more about this subject from "the other side" not what you've been taught inside Thailand then again it cant be discussed here.

[bangkokrick]

If you remember you gave me the best route to drive there. Route 24 i think? Anyway thanks for that.

Was that in the Pol Phot era?

Cheers, Rick

Hi Rick - glad you made it OK!

Dunno about Pol Pot - didn't think to ask and don't like to bring the subject up again. It's not the sort of thing she likes to talk about.

I was thinking along the same lines jetsetBkk. Most of the stories I hear of robberies around this area have a Cambodian link.

In the past couple of years I’ve heard reports of villages being raided from across the border.

I thought the same thing as the Thais and the Cambodians are still fighting over the Preah Vihar temple. She insists that the Thais are responsible for the robberies no the Cambodians.

Cheers, Rick

By pure coincidence, I was just using Google Earth to have a look at Preah Vihar as there was a news story on Thai TV about a bit of trouble there again between Thailand and Cambodia.

For anyone interested, the coordinates are: 14°24'0.01"N 104°41'0.02"E

Hi JetsetBkk,

I have some pictures of the temple which you may be interested in. My wife say we were lucky to go there because it is very often closed due to the conflict between the Thais and Cambodians. I did not know this conflict existed until recently so it was a bit of an eye opener for me.

I have a lot more pictures on my web site but i dont know if i am allowed to post a link on TV. It's obviously a non commercial site.

Cheers, Rick

[bangkokrick]

If you remember you gave me the best route to drive there. Route 24 i think? Anyway thanks for that.

Was that in the Pol Phot era?

Cheers, Rick

Hi Rick - glad you made it OK!

Dunno about Pol Pot - didn't think to ask and don't like to bring the subject up again. It's not the sort of thing she likes to talk about.

I was thinking along the same lines jetsetBkk. Most of the stories I hear of robberies around this area have a Cambodian link.

In the past couple of years I’ve heard reports of villages being raided from across the border.

I thought the same thing as the Thais and the Cambodians are still fighting over the Preah Vihar temple. She insists that the Thais are responsible for the robberies no the Cambodians.

Cheers, Rick

By pure coincidence, I was just using Google Earth to have a look at Preah Vihar as there was a news story on Thai TV about a bit of trouble there again between Thailand and Cambodia.

For anyone interested, the coordinates are: 14°24'0.01"N 104°41'0.02"E

Hi JetsetBkk,

Thanks for the coordinates very interesting.

Cheers, Rick

[plachon]

In 1989 and the early 90,s cambodians raided villages along the thai border between Chongmek and Khemmerat quite regularly Nignoy

That's right, blame the Cambodians' for every ill in Thailand. And if it's not the Cambodian's to blame, then fix it on the Burmese or just plain old johnny foreigner.

You do realise that Chongmek and Khemmarat form the border between Thailand and Laos, don't you? So what are the Cambo's doing raiding villages up there, over a hundred kms from Cambodia? Putting dug-out canoes in the Mekong and paddling swiftly upstream over the Khone Falls under cover of darkness to Khemmarat, doing a bit of raping and pillaging in Khemmarat and getting back to Camdodia before the Thai and Lao authorities notice I suppose?

What are you smoking Nignoy? Get real!

The OP's wife is the most honest of the lot of your wives and gf's. The majority of banditry that took place along the Thai Cambodian border has always been carried out by Thai thieves and brigands. But, in the Thai way of always finding a scapegoat, preferably darker skinned, weaker, poorer and less able to defend themselves, the culprits were generally blamed on those horrible "Khmer". It was easier that way and let off the border police and military from doing such a piss-poor job of keeping law and order along the border zone. Ask villagers about being shaken down at checkpoints along the border roads if you want to learn about highway robbery.

Don't immediately assume also that if a Thai national (who maybe ethnically Lao, Suay or Chinese) along the Thai - Cambodian border provinces automatically means Cambodian Khmer, if they say he or she was "Khmer". They could just as easily mean Thai Khmer, so that is another source of confusion.

The bottom line on this thread is that of all the provinces in Isaan most likely to have experienced food insecurity in the past it is those Thai-Cambodian border provinces, especially villages along the 20 km or so buffer zone, which saw some incursions sure from hungry Cambodians between 1980-93 or so, but most were starving themselves and were quickly rounded up and put in refugee camps under UNHCR care. The security situation was dire because of regional politics and covert Thai (and UK and Chinese) backing for the murderous Khmer Rouge regime, which helped prolong the civil war in Cambodia far longer than necessary. So I wouldn't be blaming the Cambodians alone for hungry peasants along the border on either side, but look a lot further up the food chain for the real culprits.

Thatcher stand up and be counted!

In December 1989, We were on the Outskirts of Khong Chiam on our way to visit the cave paintings , when we were stopped by thai soldiers with and american rangers who explained that a nearby village had been occupied by Khmer insurgents, under the protection of thai airforce propeller driven planes, the village was taken back in open assault, sorry I cannot find any black and whites of the 17 khmer who were killed and of the many who were taken prisoner, this was not hungry peasants but a well equipped par a military motorised unit, whether they had aquired motor vehicles in los I dont know !!many of the thai villagers were killed and wounded too, in 1991 when we returned to the area we were informedthat there had been a couple more attacks in the area, Contrary to your comments I am not on anything, we have visited the area frequently over the last 45 years as a british soldier and as tourists I am actually speaking from actions that we have personally experienced not just read about in a book Nignoy

Apologies Nignoy if I over-reacted a bit to your post.

However, the fact remains that Khong Chiam is over a 100 kms from the Cambodian border (Khemmarat almost double that) and it does seem rather unlikely that Khmer insurgents were working that far north. But, I'll accept your story in good faith and put it down to some renegade Khmer Rouge splinter group who travelled north and were kicked out of Laos, so thought they'd try their luck in Thailand. They must have realised that would be suicide, given the lack of sympathy they would receive from the Thai side and their US (and maybe British at that time?) advisors. And judging by the Thai reaction, it clearly was.

The politics of the area to the south along the Ubon, Sisaket, Surin and Buriram borders with Cambodia were pretty volatile at that time, while Thailand had just engaged in a border war with Laos up in Sayaboury a year or two before, so relations along the Lao-Thai border would have been pretty strained at the time. There was a lot of subterfuge and double-speak going on, not only by the local protagonists, but by UK, US and Chinese govts as the main sponsors and suppliers of weapons to the Khmer Rouge army under Pol Pot and Ta Mok (who both enjoyed immunity in Thailand at that time, along with some other genocide perpetrators). As a former British soldier, you should be aware that the SAS were training Khmer Rouge guerillas in espionage and mine laying, much of which ended up killing and maiming civilian populations. Not one of our most glorious overseas operations I'd say.

I guess my main point was in the earlier post, one should be aware of the complex history of that area when pointing fingers at one side or another, (which I am not saying you did, but it just seemed to come out that Cambodians were being scapegoated for all problems along the border areas), when in fact one could just as easily blame some foreign govts for the mess that area became for two or so decades, and still has remnant troubles remaining.

To give a personal anecdote, last year in April I was traveling between Nam Yeun and Khao Phra Viharn along the more minor border roads, and while passing between two villages, saw a whole bunch of youths on mopeds racing out of one village looking drunk and dangerous. Everyone of them was carrying a weapon of some description, including a lot of machete's, like some kind of pirate raiding party. Have no idea where they were going or what score they were settling, but it hinted a bit at the continung lawlessness of this area. I've only seen the same thing one other place, and that was in Glasgow in the 80's, when a gang of men armed with bicycle chains were chasing after two other men near the main railway station. They eventually cornered them in a black cab and the resulting melee didn't look like it would end in smiles and handshakes all round.

I was also up at the little army camp at the Emerald Triangle (borders of Thai, Laos and Cambodia) last year, which has a display board showing pictures of fighting in the late 80's. It is a piece of unashamed propaganda, where the heros/victors are all Thai and the villains/vanquished are all Vietnamese. The role of Laos and Cambodians was reduced to bit players. OK so there were some Vietnamese involved in Cambodia and Laos at the time, but the Thai army representation of events was just way to simplistic to be credible.

Anyway, good to hear some more of your anecdotes about Isaan 30-40 years ago, and apologies if I got your back up. Out of interest, I and am sure others, would be fascinated to know what your involvement in Isaan as a British soldier was back then?

[bangkokrick]

Hi Plachon,

Sounds like you know the area very well. I was not aware that the SAS were involved in the training of the Khmer Rouge at that time and i am shocked to read this. From your other comments it seems that the area is still not that safe to this day.

Cheers, Rick

[JetsetBkk]

I have a lot more pictures on my web site but i dont know if i am allowed to post a link on TV. It's obviously a non commercial site.

Cheers, Rick

I found it OK in your profile - great pictures! (And your wife is a real beauty - congratulations! )

[bangkokrick]

I have a lot more pictures on my web site but i dont know if i am allowed to post a link on TV. It's obviously a non commercial site.

Cheers, Rick

I found it OK in your profile - great pictures! (And your wife is a real beauty - congratulations! )

Thanks on all counts JetsetBkk. Have a good evening.

Cheers, Rick

[plachon]

Hi Plachon,

Sounds like you know the area very well. I was not aware that the SAS were involved in the training of the Khmer Rouge at that time and i am shocked to read this. From your other comments it seems that the area is still not that safe to this day.

Cheers, Rick

I'm not that familiar with southern Isaan provinces, although once lived in Sangkha District, Surin for 6 months and got used to the regular military checkpoints on the roads south of the main Khorat - Ubon road. Chong Jom at that time (1995) used to be closed down occasionally, as fighting broke out nearby, and there wasn't much trade going on compared to now. More of a people crossing in times of trouble on the Cambo side.

I think John Pilger in the New Statesman sums up the sorry history of British govt and SAS involvement best.

http://www.newstatesman.com/200004170017

[Nignoy]

In 1989 and the early 90,s cambodians raided villages along the thai border between Chongmek and Khemmerat quite regularly Nignoy

That's right, blame the Cambodians' for every ill in Thailand. And if it's not the Cambodian's to blame, then fix it on the Burmese or just plain old johnny foreigner.

You do realise that Chongmek and Khemmarat form the border between Thailand and Laos, don't you? So what are the Cambo's doing raiding villages up there, over a hundred kms from Cambodia? Putting dug-out canoes in the Mekong and paddling swiftly upstream over the Khone Falls under cover of darkness to Khemmarat, doing a bit of raping and pillaging in Khemmarat and getting back to Camdodia before the Thai and Lao authorities notice I suppose?

What are you smoking Nignoy? Get real!

The OP's wife is the most honest of the lot of your wives and gf's. The majority of banditry that took place along the Thai Cambodian border has always been carried out by Thai thieves and brigands. But, in the Thai way of always finding a scapegoat, preferably darker skinned, weaker, poorer and less able to defend themselves, the culprits were generally blamed on those horrible "Khmer". It was easier that way and let off the border police and military from doing such a piss-poor job of keeping law and order along the border zone. Ask villagers about being shaken down at checkpoints along the border roads if you want to learn about highway robbery.

Don't immediately assume also that if a Thai national (who maybe ethnically Lao, Suay or Chinese) along the Thai - Cambodian border provinces automatically means Cambodian Khmer, if they say he or she was "Khmer". They could just as easily mean Thai Khmer, so that is another source of confusion.

The bottom line on this thread is that of all the provinces in Isaan most likely to have experienced food insecurity in the past it is those Thai-Cambodian border provinces, especially villages along the 20 km or so buffer zone, which saw some incursions sure from hungry Cambodians between 1980-93 or so, but most were starving themselves and were quickly rounded up and put in refugee camps under UNHCR care. The security situation was dire because of regional politics and covert Thai (and UK and Chinese) backing for the murderous Khmer Rouge regime, which helped prolong the civil war in Cambodia far longer than necessary. So I wouldn't be blaming the Cambodians alone for hungry peasants along the border on either side, but look a lot further up the food chain for the real culprits.

Thatcher stand up and be counted!

In December 1989, We were on the Outskirts of Khong Chiam on our way to visit the cave paintings , when we were stopped by thai soldiers with and american rangers who explained that a nearby village had been occupied by Khmer insurgents, under the protection of thai airforce propeller driven planes, the village was taken back in open assault, sorry I cannot find any black and whites of the 17 khmer who were killed and of the many who were taken prisoner, this was not hungry peasants but a well equipped par a military motorised unit, whether they had aquired motor vehicles in los I dont know !!many of the thai villagers were killed and wounded too, in 1991 when we returned to the area we were informedthat there had been a couple more attacks in the area, Contrary to your comments I am not on anything, we have visited the area frequently over the last 45 years as a british soldier and as tourists I am actually speaking from actions that we have personally experienced not just read about in a book Nignoy

Apologies Nignoy if I over-reacted a bit to your post.

However, the fact remains that Khong Chiam is over a 100 kms from the Cambodian border (Khemmarat almost double that) and it does seem rather unlikely that Khmer insurgents were working that far north. But, I'll accept your story in good faith and put it down to some renegade Khmer Rouge splinter group who travelled north and were kicked out of Laos, so thought they'd try their luck in Thailand. They must have realised that would be suicide, given the lack of sympathy they would receive from the Thai side and their US (and maybe British at that time?) advisors. And judging by the Thai reaction, it clearly was.

The politics of the area to the south along the Ubon, Sisaket, Surin and Buriram borders with Cambodia were pretty volatile at that time, while Thailand had just engaged in a border war with Laos up in Sayaboury a year or two before, so relations along the Lao-Thai border would have been pretty strained at the time. There was a lot of subterfuge and double-speak going on, not only by the local protagonists, but by UK, US and Chinese govts as the main sponsors and suppliers of weapons to the Khmer Rouge army under Pol Pot and Ta Mok (who both enjoyed immunity in Thailand at that time, along with some other genocide perpetrators). As a former British soldier, you should be aware that the SAS were training Khmer Rouge guerillas in espionage and mine laying, much of which ended up killing and maiming civilian populations. Not one of our most glorious overseas operations I'd say.

I guess my main point was in the earlier post, one should be aware of the complex history of that area when pointing fingers at one side or another, (which I am not saying you did, but it just seemed to come out that Cambodians were being scapegoated for all problems along the border areas), when in fact one could just as easily blame some foreign govts for the mess that area became for two or so decades, and still has remnant troubles remaining.

To give a personal anecdote, last year in April I was traveling between Nam Yeun and Khao Phra Viharn along the more minor border roads, and while passing between two villages, saw a whole bunch of youths on mopeds racing out of one village looking drunk and dangerous. Everyone of them was carrying a weapon of some description, including a lot of machete's, like some kind of pirate raiding party. Have no idea where they were going or what score they were settling, but it hinted a bit at the continung lawlessness of this area. I've only seen the same thing one other place, and that was in Glasgow in the 80's, when a gang of men armed with bicycle chains were chasing after two other men near the main railway station. They eventually cornered them in a black cab and the resulting melee didn't look like it would end in smiles and handshakes all round.

I was also up at the little army camp at the Emerald Triangle (borders of Thai, Laos and Cambodia) last year, which has a display board showing pictures of fighting in the late 80's. It is a piece of unashamed propaganda, where the heros/victors are all Thai and the villains/vanquished are all Vietnamese. The role of Laos and Cambodians was reduced to bit players. OK so there were some Vietnamese involved in Cambodia and Laos at the time, but the Thai army representation of events was just way to simplistic to be credible.

Anyway, good to hear some more of your anecdotes about Isaan 30-40 years ago, and apologies if I got your back up. Out of interest, I and am sure others, would be fascinated to know what your involvement in Isaan as a British soldier was back then?

Now that would seriosly interest me !!while not actually being a member of the regiment while serving nearly 4 years in northeast thailand, a great deal of my time was spent with an active officer of the regiment, I never heard of the regiment training Pol Pots men, from 63 to 69 there were on average 250 british soldiers serving in the Leong nok tha area, I think you will find that afew of the bridges and roads around KK were built by the british army in the 60,s Nignoy

[rick75]

Great read Plachon, it amazes me how many dirty little secrets the west have when it comes to dealing with tyrants.

[Schooner]

Amazing thing, history and to hear it from the mouths of the participants always causes me to pause and appreciate the experences of others.

From a anthropological standpoint life for humans was pretty rough up until 100 years ago or so. Many of the classical periods that some of us talk of as being so civilized were only civilized for the rich. For a few million years humans have been clasing it out. I suppose that from that perspective it is getting better. It's hard to tell sometimes.

I used to think I had a difficult childhood...

thanks for sharing those stories.

[geriatrickid]

Poverty and hunger, along with greed can cause humans to do some terrible things. For those that have seen the Thai- Cambodian border areas, they can appreciate what a rough hardscrabble life it must have been, particularly with the ever present strife.

I have heard the tales of horror and carnage that occurred to that part of my family that were farangs living in China at the time of the Japanese occupation. I still have a hard time grasping the concept of people including children being sent to Japanese death camps or of the Chinese being butchered on the streets. I'd suspect that for those of us that have never known hunger or fear or that have not seen the Cambodian killing fields, we cannot truly appreciate what may drive some people to do desperate things.

[bangkokrick]

Hi Plachon,

Sounds like you know the area very well. I was not aware that the SAS were involved in the training of the Khmer Rouge at that time and i am shocked to read this. From your other comments it seems that the area is still not that safe to this day.

Cheers, Rick

I'm not that familiar with southern Isaan provinces, although once lived in Sangkha District, Surin for 6 months and got used to the regular military checkpoints on the roads south of the main Khorat - Ubon road. Chong Jom at that time (1995) used to be closed down occasionally, as fighting broke out nearby, and there wasn't much trade going on compared to now. More of a people crossing in times of trouble on the Cambo side.

I think John Pilger in the New Statesman sums up the sorry history of British govt and SAS involvement best.

http://www.newstatesman.com/200004170017

Hi Plachon,

That was a great read so thanks for posting the link. I had no idea that the Brits and the US had any involvement with the Khmer Rouge let alone supporting them in various ways. Life is full of surprises!

Cheers, Rick

[Andrew Hicks]

I was thinking along the same lines jetsetBkk. Most of the stories I hear of robberies around this area have a Cambodian link.

In the past couple of years I’ve heard reports of villages being raided from across the border.

I thought the same thing as the Thais and the Cambodians are still fighting over the Preah Vihar temple. She insists that the Thais are responsible for the robberies no the Cambodians.

Cheers, Rick

I live with my wife Cat in her village near Sangkha in Surin which is only 30 kilometres from Khun Han. (We should get together!)

I hear stories of shortage of food from her and from neighbours. If you had no rice land there'd be no rice. Roots and leaves were gathered from the forests, birds and animals shot and trapped. Hunger was normal not so long ago.

The security situation was dire as well. With houses on stilts you lived upstairs and drew up the ladder for good reasons. The times were rough and it was not only the Cambodians.

Cat tells me they used to hear the sounds of war from the south and would huddle together in terror never knowing what would happen to them. Though there are many people of Khmer origins and language living in particular villages locally, the traumas in Cambodia have left Isaan Thais with a fear and distrust of Cambodians which now should be overcome.

The current tensions over the Preah Vihear temple (Khao Phra Viharn in Thai) are regrettable but are often a lighning rod for other tensions between the two countries. The decision of the World Court that the temple falls within Cambodia even though, because of the topography, it can only be approached from Thailand is very strange. I have read the judgment of the court and essentilally it was based on a very narrow interpretation of mapping and agreements dating back a century ago between Thailand and French colonial Indo-China.

I feel most sorry for the traders in the temple who lose their livelihood when the Cambodians close the temple to spite the Thais. But I digress!

Yes, I often feel that the behaviour of Isaan wives and girlfriends is conditioned by a fear of falling back into the poverty that they once experienced. They are desperately struggling to find security... to have a safe store of grain in their rice barn.

Khor tang noi khrap!

Andrew

[bangkokrick]

I was thinking along the same lines jetsetBkk. Most of the stories I hear of robberies around this area have a Cambodian link.

In the past couple of years I’ve heard reports of villages being raided from across the border.

I thought the same thing as the Thais and the Cambodians are still fighting over the Preah Vihar temple. She insists that the Thais are responsible for the robberies no the Cambodians.

Cheers, Rick

I live with my wife Cat in her village near Sangkha in Surin which is only 30 kilometres from Khun Han. (We should get together!)

I hear stories of shortage of food from her and from neighbours. If you had no rice land there'd be no rice. Roots and leaves were gathered from the forests, birds and animals shot and trapped. Hunger was normal not so long ago.

The security situation was dire as well. With houses on stilts you lived upstairs and drew up the ladder for good reasons. The times were rough and it was not only the Cambodians.

Cat tells me they used to hear the sounds of war from the south and would huddle together in terror never knowing what would happen to them. Though there are many people of Khmer origins and language living in particular villages locally, the traumas in Cambodia have left Isaan Thais with a fear and distrust of Cambodians which now should be overcome.

The current tensions over the Preah Vihear temple (Khao Phra Viharn in Thai) are regrettable but are often a lighning rod for other tensions between the two countries. The decision of the World Court that the temple falls within Cambodia even though, because of the topography, it can only be approached from Thailand is very strange. I have read the judgment of the court and essentilally it was based on a very narrow interpretation of mapping and agreements dating back a century ago between Thailand and French colonial Indo-China.

I feel most sorry for the traders in the temple who lose their livelihood when the Cambodians close the temple to spite the Thais. But I digress!

Yes, I often feel that the behaviour of Isaan wives and girlfriends is conditioned by a fear of falling back into the poverty that they once experienced. They are desperately struggling to find security... to have a safe store of grain in their rice barn.

Khor tang noi khrap!

Andrew

Hi Andrew,

It would be good to meet up for a beer sometime when we are back in the area. You make some very interesting points in your post and a particularly agree with the last paragraph. I think that most of us would be affected in the same way having gone through this kind of experience.

Cheers, Rick

[Andrew Hicks]

Hi Plachon,

Sounds like you know the area very well. I was not aware that the SAS were involved in the training of the Khmer Rouge at that time and i am shocked to read this. From your other comments it seems that the area is still not that safe to this day.

Cheers, Rick

I'm not that familiar with southern Isaan provinces, although once lived in Sangkha District, Surin for 6 months and got used to the regular military checkpoints on the roads south of the main Khorat - Ubon road. Chong Jom at that time (1995) used to be closed down occasionally, as fighting broke out nearby, and there wasn't much trade going on compared to now. More of a people crossing in times of trouble on the Cambo side.

I think John Pilger in the New Statesman sums up the sorry history of British govt and SAS involvement best.

http://www.newstatesman.com/200004170017

Hi Plachon,

That was a great read so thanks for posting the link. I had no idea that the Brits and the US had any involvement with the Khmer Rouge let alone supporting them in various ways. Life is full of surprises!

Cheers, Rick

I second that.

Many great insights from your posts, Plachon and the New Statesman article is fascinating and depressing.

Never trust your own governments. Believe them capable of the worst possible dishonesty and manipulation.

Somehow the most powerful nations are often the most paranoid and devious in securing their own interests. Yet foreign intervention and meddling in the affairs of other smaller nations invariable turns out in the long run to be counter-productive. Likewise during the Iran Iraq war the US supported and armed Saddam Hussein with what consequences!

John Pilger is a remarkable figure who deserves all his accolades.

Andrew

[bannork]

Even well away from the borders life was hard only 20 or 30 years ago. Our village is 11 kilometres from the nearest town, Ban Dung with its markets, hospital and restaurants. Now it's a 15 minute breeze on a motorbike but as the wife says it was a hard ride not long ago, dusty and bumpy from November to May and then a quagmire for the remaining 6 months, a day trip for sure.

Life was physically so much harder then, no doubt one reason upcountry Thais love comfort when they get the chance.

[bangkokrick]

Even well away from the borders life was hard only 20 or 30 years ago. Our village is 11 kilometres from the nearest town, Ban Dung with its markets, hospital and restaurants. Now it's a 15 minute breeze on a motorbike but as the wife says it was a hard ride not long ago, dusty and bumpy from November to May and then a quagmire for the remaining 6 months, a day trip for sure.

Life was physically so much harder then, no doubt one reason upcountry Thais love comfort when they get the chance.

I visited Khun Khan for the first time last month and to be honest i don't think that any of the farmers have an easy life there, so i understand your comfort comment. It was very interesting to visit but i don't think that i could live the lifestyle of showering, eating outside and then spending hours in the fields picking whatever they are growing. I did enjoy the drinking bit though.

Anyway i will definitely visit my wifes family again in the future and maybe learn some things about Isaan.

Cheers, Rick