During my Christmas break this year, I decided to stay close to home and enjoy what Thailand has to offer. From trips to remote villages in the mountains to visiting historic sites, I got to learn more about the Thai people, their lifestyles and traditions. Since the big city can take on a life of its own, it was interesting for me to head to the country and contrast the differences from city life.
One of the things I found: country-folk are generally more respectful when greeting one another. While I'm used to nodding and slightly bowing to others when greeting in the city, I found it is actually impolite
not to Wai someone you know when greeting them in the country... just make sure you do so with hands at the proper height or you could be the recipient of a questioning look! For instance, be sure to place your hands together (in a prayer-like fashion) with index fingers higher than the tip of your nose to show respect to someone older or higher in social status, or place tips of fingers at chin level when greeting someone around your age and social status, or at mid-chest when returning a greeting from someone younger.
One would expect rural living to offer fresh air, plenty of nature and random roadside stops, which we found in abundance. The country also offers opportunity for locals to produce food in just about any location that will allow; this observation hit me while driving for miles along a banana tree-lined highway and seeing vegetable gardens on just about any patch of ground regardless of slope.
I was in an area of rural Thailand where teak forests and other hardwoods prevail. Needless to say, the locals have some fine wood to craft furniture and build homes. Our driver stopped at his friend's home who creatively used varying sized tree trunks to form the structure and tree roots for railings. As with most rural homes in this area, some walls exist for privacy but most living areas remain visibly open to the elements. Apparently the wood used in this part of the country is so hard that termites can't eat it and therefore are not a problem for the residents.
Other stops along our drive included a typical roadside stand with villagers selling handwoven garments.
A little further down the road, we entered a farm where the owner (apparently a district politician) breeds and sells pets that appear to be a cross between a hedgehog and very large guinea pig. Let me know if you want me to order one for you =)
Here are a few other photos I took that remind me of rural life in Thailand. While homes on stilts are typical in most south-Asian countries to avoid flood waters and unwelcome guests (such as snakes and wild boar), this was the first time I saw a rooster perched high in a tree or pigs being transported via motorbike!
Hey, whatever works.
