Amazing Sakon Nakhon...?

[johntren]

Last Saturday evening we were driving into Sakon Nakhon town for a meal when a motorbike drew up alongside us at a red light. On board were the driver (about 17), a pillion (same) and a kid in the middle. The driver and the guy on the tail were drinking from cans of Leo. The boy in the middle had nothing but hey, give the kid a chance – he was only about ten.

We tut-tutted about that all the way to the next red light, where this time a cop car stopped on our left. I glanced over idly to see the driver (uniformed) refreshing himself from a can of – yes, you guessed it – Leo.

When I was working in Taiwan it was easy to tell the cops from the robbers: the robbers were the ones in uniform. In Isaan, things seem a little more complex.

If the Buddha was right, karma holds some interesting surprises down (or on) the road or the actors in our little entertainment. Especially the kid in the middle. Good luck, son.

[JimmyTheMook]

Did you try the dog ?

[stoneyboy]

Did you try the dog ?

I did once but alas it was ruff ruff.

[johntren]

Nope but did try snake soup. Tasted like chicken (that had been eaten by a snake.

Sent from my GT-S7500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[plachon]

Don't worry, if they were drinking Leo, there's no chance of them ever being drunk. So what's your concern? Just guys slaking their thirst.....

But what did bother me once was while waiting for a bus at Ubon bus station, casually slaking my thirst with a can of Leo and waiting to get on a bus to Sisaket. Bus is almost ready to leave and I go to get on the bus (which is going to Pattaya as final destination) but am blocked at the door by a bus boy (looked about 18ish) who gestures rudely that I can't get on the bus with the can of beer. Now I've done this a hundred times or more and its never been a problem, so why is it now on this bus? What's more, he is rude, aggressive and even though I can speak Thai and try to communicate with him in his own language, he is too pumped full of teenage angst seemingly against all farangs in Thailand to hear that I am speaking Thai and thus speaks a few mono-syllabic words of crap English to me in return. He can't justify why it is not possible to take a can of drink on the bus. He then turns to the ticket-girl behind him and says "pom mai yaak rap man", which translates roughly as "I don't want to take it", as if he owns the bus and I've just vomited all over his shoes. I want to deck the little dick-tator, but my better nature tells me that would not be a good idea. I get off the bus and neck the rest of the can before reboarding it and taking my seat with boyo staring daggers at me. I noticed he was rude or indifferent to other Thai passengers as well, although not to the same degree as with me, the only farang on board. Great customer service, eh! Was glad I wasn't traveling all the way through to Pattaya, or suspect there would have been trouble along the way with this wee idiot thinking he was Chairman Mao.

By the way, your experience could've been anywhere in Thailand and wasn't an exclusive to Sakon Nakhon. As someone else mentioned, if you want amazingness, you should get yourself round to the market at Tha Rae for some dog jerky or fresh pooch steak. Or visit one of the dog holding yards, before they get shipped off to Vietnam to meet their maker. It's not in the TAT brochures, but is quite a local speciality livelihood of note.

[songhklasid]

What's wrong with leo beer,I can even get it from the supermarket in aus, so now drink it in both countries, it gets me pissed.