Never a Dull Moment in Thailand

[Costas2008]

Some years ago, I bought (I mean the wife bought), 4 Rai of rice field, from somebody that wanted the money.

This field is next to my MIL’s another 4 Rai, so she takes care of everything.

Planting, cultivating, harvesting and selling.

We get some rice during the year but I keep telling the wife it’s costing me more than buying the rice from the supermarket as I pay for the rice shoots the cultivation the harvesting and the transportation.

Wife says, Mea happy, we happy…….can’t have any objection here.

Yesterday, Mea, called the harvesting machine to come to the field, but in her wisdom, she is 82 years old, she didn’t notice that some rice was harvested from her neighbour’s field and transported to my house for drying, as I have the space.

She didn’t notice……..but the neighbour noticed.

So, big fuss erupted.

Half the village was outside my house, arguing between themselves, as to how many sacks should be returned to the neighbour and why, Yiai, has stolen the neighbour’s rice.

The head of the village was called and after being to the field he made his judgment that 10 sacks should be returned.

The neighbour wants 20 sacks but Yiai, only wants to return 5 sacks.

Big row again involving lots of shouting and gesturing.

All this time that all this was taking place, I was hiding in the house, letting Yiai the wife and all the relatives deal with the rest of the village.

CharlieH, if you are reading this, I was just following your advice……let the Thais deal with the Thais.

Anyway, at about 8:00 in the evening they all went back home for Kin Kow and the wife instructed me to keep an eye on the rice so nobody comes and takes anything.

I said yes and went back to my computer.

This morning, everybody again was outside the house shouting and arguing.

That took about an hour and at the end they settled the matter with 12 sacks of rice, and all went back to their houses for Kin Kow.

Just wanted to tell you the story, not for anything else but to envy me for all the excitement I get in my life in Issan.

Never a dull moment.

Got accused before of stealing a Papaya, now got accused of stealing the rice……….what’s next, I wonder……..

Edited November 18, 2014 by Costas2008

[pgrahmm]

Better not talk to anyone's daughter with a reputation like yours.......

[Seligne2]

Costas, I am shocked that you are not yet the village headman!

[dotpoom]

You're talking about "Kin Kow....For the past few weeks I have been following the antics of the "workmen" putting on an extension on the house across the stream from me. The pick-up arrives then all goes quite....Kin Kow....Forty five minutes later the noise begins...one taking off plaster the other 3 fishing in the stream. Then the "boss" heads off in the pick-up...all quite again ....Kin Kow. Then the boss comes back about 4 hours later....big noise working for an hour. Big talking for another 45 mins. .......all go home.

P.S. Guess where the rubble is from the old kitchen....you got it......in the stream.

Edited November 19, 2014 by dotpoom

[SoiBiker]

Thread title is misleading. I just had one reading the OP.

[rickirs]

An interesting micronism of democracy at work. Lots of conflict, unhappiness, differences of opinions. In the end people settle for compromise for resolution. No one overthrew the village leadership and banned public gatherings; no visits to a Happiness Reconciliation Center.Too bad the nation's current leaders who are redesigning democracy don't understand democracy at the simplest level.

Thanks for the story.

[Estrada]

If she has 4 Rai then she should have 28 sacks if the harvest was not affected by drought.

[wanderluster]

my gf also has 5 rai of rice farm in KK, chum phae area,,, just curious, what does it cost you to plant your rice and to harvest it,, as i am obviously getting the bill, but living in patts and have no real idea about these kind of costs???

thanks

i am sort of under same impression as you, costs more to plant and harvest then if you went to makro...

[georgemandm]

Costa sorry to tell you this you spell eat in thai like this gin Kaao and in thai กิน ข้าว just trying to help you and you can get a app from the App Store the best I have work with to help me with my thai called talking thai author is benjawan poomsan she has the best app and books I have seen in all my years of leaning thai just want to help cheers

[pgrahmm]

Costa sorry to tell you this you spell eat in thai like this gin Kaao and in thai กิน ข้าว just trying to help you and you can get a app from the App Store the best I have work with to help me with my thai called talking thai author is benjawan poomsan she has the best app and books I have seen in all my years of leaning thai just want to help cheers

Yes Benjawan & Nicolas are a great team and do a good job....fun people too....

[steven100]

my gf also has 5 rai of rice farm in KK, chum phae area,,, just curious, what does it cost you to plant your rice and to harvest it,, as i am obviously getting the bill, but living in patts and have no real idea about these kind of costs???

thanks

i am sort of under same impression as you, costs more to plant and harvest then if you went to makro...

small parcels of land for cultivating rice becomes extremely uneconomical.

if you calculate all the associated costs right up to bagging you will understand.

[Costas2008]

my gf also has 5 rai of rice farm in KK, chum phae area,,, just curious, what does it cost you to plant your rice and to harvest it,, as i am obviously getting the bill, but living in patts and have no real idea about these kind of costs???

thanks

i am sort of under same impression as you, costs more to plant and harvest then if you went to makro...

Hi, I give to Yiai, 12K Baht a year, 6 before planting and 6 before harvesting.

That's for 8 Rai.

I don't know how much she contributes, never asked as I know I will never get a straight answer.

What I know is harvesting is 600Baht per Rai, the rest no idea.

Makro or Tesco, best quality rice, would have been cheaper for us.

[nickcar]

Costa sorry to tell you this you spell eat in thai like this gin Kaao and in thai กิน ข้าว just trying to help you and you can get a app from the App Store the best I have work with to help me with my thai called talking thai author is benjawan poomsan she has the best app and books I have seen in all my years of leaning thai just want to help cheers

This app sounds interesting. I can speak thai quite well and can read thai quite well but i cant write thai.. I use iTranslate and google translate to convert english to thai, but both seem to me more translating for writing than conversation. How is this app for converting conversational english to conversational thai? Currently i have to adjust the translations to get the conversational Thai i want. I use it it messaging apps such as Line often.

[nickcar]

my gf also has 5 rai of rice farm in KK, chum phae area,,, just curious, what does it cost you to plant your rice and to harvest it,, as i am obviously getting the bill, but living in patts and have no real idea about these kind of costs???

thanks

i am sort of under same impression as you, costs more to plant and harvest then if you went to makro...

Hi, I give to Yiai, 12K Baht a year, 6 before planting and 6 before harvesting.

That's for 8 Rai.

I don't know how much she contributes, never asked as I know I will never get a straight answer.

What I know is harvesting is 600Baht per Rai, the rest no idea.

Makro or Tesco, best quality rice, would have been cheaper for us.

I would have thought that 1500 baht per rai is quite reasonable.. Ploughing the field, possible twice, flattening the field after ploughing, sowing the seed, spraying the weeds, fertiliser etc and the harvesting.

You should get 500 kg per rai which is therefore cost of 3 baht per kilo. Can you really buy that cheap?

[Seligne2]

Costa sorry to tell you this you spell eat in thai like this gin Kaao and in thai กิน ข้าว just trying to help you and you can get a app from the App Store the best I have work with to help me with my thai called talking thai author is benjawan poomsan she has the best app and books I have seen in all my years of leaning thai just want to help cheers

This app sounds interesting. I can speak thai quite well and can read thai quite well but i cant write thai.. I use iTranslate and google translate to convert english to thai, but both seem to me more translating for writing than conversation. How is this app for converting conversational english to conversational thai? Currently i have to adjust the translations to get the conversational Thai i want. I use it it messaging apps such as Line often.

This is what I think he must be referring to. It is a great dictionary, but does not translate phrases. http://word-in-the-hand.com/thaidictiphone_ov.html

[Costas2008]

my gf also has 5 rai of rice farm in KK, chum phae area,,, just curious, what does it cost you to plant your rice and to harvest it,, as i am obviously getting the bill, but living in patts and have no real idea about these kind of costs???

thanks

i am sort of under same impression as you, costs more to plant and harvest then if you went to makro...

Hi, I give to Yiai, 12K Baht a year, 6 before planting and 6 before harvesting.

That's for 8 Rai.

I don't know how much she contributes, never asked as I know I will never get a straight answer.

What I know is harvesting is 600Baht per Rai, the rest no idea.

Makro or Tesco, best quality rice, would have been cheaper for us.

I would have thought that 1500 baht per rai is quite reasonable.. Ploughing the field, possible twice, flattening the field after ploughing, sowing the seed, spraying the weeds, fertiliser etc and the harvesting.

You should get 500 kg per rai which is therefore cost of 3 baht per kilo. Can you really buy that cheap?

No I wouldn't buy that cheap.

But I estimate we consume about 60 kilos a year for me and the wife.

That's costing me 200Baht per kilo.

The rest of the rice is consumed by the relatives or sold by Yiai.

Do you think is cheap?

[nickcar]

my gf also has 5 rai of rice farm in KK, chum phae area,,, just curious, what does it cost you to plant your rice and to harvest it,, as i am obviously getting the bill, but living in patts and have no real idea about these kind of costs???

thanks

i am sort of under same impression as you, costs more to plant and harvest then if you went to makro...

Hi, I give to Yiai, 12K Baht a year, 6 before planting and 6 before harvesting.

That's for 8 Rai.

I don't know how much she contributes, never asked as I know I will never get a straight answer.

What I know is harvesting is 600Baht per Rai, the rest no idea.

Makro or Tesco, best quality rice, would have been cheaper for us.

I would have thought that 1500 baht per rai is quite reasonable.. Ploughing the field, possible twice, flattening the field after ploughing, sowing the seed, spraying the weeds, fertiliser etc and the harvesting.

You should get 500 kg per rai which is therefore cost of 3 baht per kilo. Can you really buy that cheap?

No I wouldn't buy that cheap.

But I estimate we consume about 60 kilos a year for me and the wife.

That's costing me 200Baht per kilo.

The rest of the rice is consumed by the relatives or sold by Yiai.

Do you think is cheap?

Hahaha, yes i can now see why its expensive

[nickcar]

Costa sorry to tell you this you spell eat in thai like this gin Kaao and in thai กิน ข้าว just trying to help you and you can get a app from the App Store the best I have work with to help me with my thai called talking thai author is benjawan poomsan she has the best app and books I have seen in all my years of leaning thai just want to help cheers

This app sounds interesting. I can speak thai quite well and can read thai quite well but i cant write thai.. I use iTranslate and google translate to convert english to thai, but both seem to me more translating for writing than conversation. How is this app for converting conversational english to conversational thai? Currently i have to adjust the translations to get the conversational Thai i want. I use it it messaging apps such as Line often.

This is what I think he must be referring to. It is a great dictionary, but does not translate phrases. http://word-in-the-hand.com/thaidictiphone_ov.html

Aah i see. A dictionary i do not need. Thanks.

[georgemandm]

Costa sorry to tell you this you spell eat in thai like this gin Kaao and in thai กิน ข้าว just trying to help you and you can get a app from the App Store the best I have work with to help me with my thai called talking thai author is benjawan poomsan she has the best app and books I have seen in all my years of leaning thai just want to help cheers

This app sounds interesting. I can speak thai quite well and can read thai quite well but i cant write thai.. I use iTranslate and google translate to convert english to thai, but both seem to me more translating for writing than conversation. How is this app for converting conversational english to conversational thai? Currently i have to adjust the translations to get the conversational Thai i want. I use it it messaging apps such as Line often.

This is what I think he must be referring to. It is a great dictionary, but does not translate phrases. http://word-in-the-hand.com/thaidictiphone_ov.html

Aah i see. A dictionary i do not need. Thanks.

Hi sorry boys I did not put the link in but that is it the best you can buy your thai can wright in thai and you know what she is on about I do it all the time with my thai when I don't understand what she is on abut

[nickcar]

Costa sorry to tell you this you spell eat in thai like this gin Kaao and in thai กิน ข้าว just trying to help you and you can get a app from the App Store the best I have work with to help me with my thai called talking thai author is benjawan poomsan she has the best app and books I have seen in all my years of leaning thai just want to help cheers

This app sounds interesting. I can speak thai quite well and can read thai quite well but i cant write thai.. I use iTranslate and google translate to convert english to thai, but both seem to me more translating for writing than conversation. How is this app for converting conversational english to conversational thai? Currently i have to adjust the translations to get the conversational Thai i want. I use it it messaging apps such as Line often.

This is what I think he must be referring to. It is a great dictionary, but does not translate phrases. http://word-in-the-hand.com/thaidictiphone_ov.html

Aah i see. A dictionary i do not need. Thanks.

Hi sorry boys I did not put the link in but that is it the best you can buy your thai can wright in thai and you know what she is on about I do it all the time with my thai when I don't understand what she is on abut

But does it translate only words and not phrases?

[slapout]

15 years ago the farmers cost of a rice crop was about 1500 to 2000 baht/rai and they would harvest about 1 ton sticky rice paddy/rai. Farm gate price to farmer was 4000 +_baht. Recently in the farming forum someone mentioned todays cost is in the 5000 to 6000 baht range, incuding rental fee.

Edited November 19, 2014 by slapout

[flakes]

Well See it like this

Not Your land,Not your rice,Not your problem.

Your only role is the financing

[Seligne2]

The Talking Dictionary from Paiboon Publishing (for Android, iPhone, PC, maybe Mac) translates words, not phrases. See the Paiboon Publishing website for details.

[Patje]

Keep your hands in your pockets ALL the time !!!

[somchaismith]

Riveting

[Travelman868]

You're talking about "Kin Kow....For the past few weeks I have been following the antics of the "workmen" putting on an extension on the house across the stream from me. The pick-up arrives then all goes quite....Kin Kow....Forty five minutes later the noise begins...one taking off plaster the other 3 fishing in the stream. Then the "boss" heads off in the pick-up...all quite again ....Kin Kow. Then the boss comes back about 4 hours later....big noise working for an hour. Big talking for another 45 mins. .......all go home.

P.S. Guess where the rubble is from the old kitchen....you got it......in the stream.

Now you know why they only earn 300 baht a day

[LincsLad]

Costa sorry to tell you this you spell eat in thai like this gin Kaao and in thai กิน ข้าว just trying to help you and you can get a app from the App Store the best I have work with to help me with my thai called talking thai author is benjawan poomsan she has the best app and books I have seen in all my years of leaning thai just want to help cheers

Does she do one on punctuation?

[MrBanks]

Ah ha, you say expensive but it is cheap when looked at in a total picture:

1. You get your own rice, yes expensive, but read on......

2. You feed the family, most importantly Ma Ma.

3. You make your wife happy and contented (value--- priceless!!)

4. By contributing you are participating in family life, being a member not just a spectator.

5. You have the happiness of giving.

I enjoy reading your updates and observations of village life. I do agree with the attitude of sitting back and allowing the Thai folks to sort out the problem, I also adopt this policy as much as possible and it works for me.

[neverdie]

Keep your hands in your pockets ALL the time !!!

Costas cut the ends of his pockets out. His hands are in the pocket playing with small balls all the time. Types with his tongue. Dreams about milking badgers and massages the gonads whilst doing so.

No wonder his misses is on edge. Poor woman.

[Crazy chef 1]

Keep your hands in your pockets ALL the time !!!

Costas cut the ends of his pockets out. His hands are in the pocket playing with small balls all the time. Types with his tongue. Dreams about milking badgers and massages the gonads whilst doing so.

No wonder his misses is on edge. Poor woman.

you mean hairy balls- our friend is Greek...