Thailand Village Life
Life and Experience – Thai Village Life
Thailand Village Life
Does Thailand Have Villages?
Life in Thailand villages is simple and straight forward or all. Let me enlighten you with my personal experiences. Thai people live a pretty hard lives in the rural villages. That I can attest to personally, having spent time working alongside my family in the rice fields. The nights are often consumed by working in the rubber tree plantations harvesting the valuable latex.
This is very physical work with farmers using a knife to scrape around the very hard bark on the trunk to release the valuable fluid. Once they have completed up to 700 trees they return home physically exhausted but the job is not done. They must return to the plantation and walk past every tree and place a few drops of acid into the milky residue turning it into a hard ball of rubber.
The payday comes once about every 7 days or so when they have to physically walk past all the trees picking up all the balls of latex rubber left at the bases of each tree. Carrying the many bags of rubber to a pickup and taking it to the latex factory/reseller to sell it.
Homes in Thailand
The variety of homes and accommodation available varies from small shacks to modern style homes. Village homes are primarily wooden construction with fiber cement roofs placed on stilts giving the owners storage under the home for farm equipment and animals on occasion.
The variety between rich, wealthy and poor certainly shows a large disparity in size. The wealthy have homes akin to palaces ranging through to more modern varieties made of cement blocks, tiled roofs and aluminum windows. In the country homes are very much wood or bamboo construction with some cement construction and the roofs.
Expat Housing & Thailand Village Life
If your considering moving to Thailand to retire you have some options depending on if your single or have a Thai partner. Single expats can purchase appartments on their own and if you have a Thai partner you can buy land and build your own home. You must understand that the home and land will remain in your partners name only. You cannot own land.
I have a past Air Force acquittance who has purchased an apartment in Hua Hin which is a very popular location for both Thai’s and Expats alike. I believe they are very happy there enjoying the beach and relaxed Thai lifestyle.
There has been a recent change in 2021 allowing you to actually purchase land if you have quite a lot of money to invest in Thailand as well. There is always a catch. If your happy to invest I believe 500,000 USD in Thailand the government will also offer you a 10 year visa to stay in Thailand.
Thailand – Cultural Warning
Thailand has grown and prospered with some of its past leaders and growth and prosperity was certainly pushing Thailand forward economically. There have been others that have not pushed the country forward. Thailand has a record of military’s coups which has not necessarily helped the country maintain the momentum it previously had.
There is much that could be said here but one LAW you should be aware of in Thailand is the “Lese Majeste Law” which prohibits any anti Royal/Government commentary that can cost you up to 15 years in jail. I recommend you have an understanding of this law if your any kind of Thailand based Blogger/Media representative heading to Thailand. Read more HERE!
Thailand Village Life – First Arrival
Thailand village life is amazing and very challenging to a new young Australian when I first came north to Chiang Rai with my wife. There was no power or running water in the village and all the roads back then were simply dirt. The task of buying food for westerners back in the 1980 was quite difficult, quite a stark difference from today where its super easy. Now Chiang Rai and all of Thailand are covered with 7/11 convenience stores and major food chains like Big C who cater to both European and Thai tastes.
Standing in front of the home in my shorts having a cold shower from a bucket was quite the surprise. I was probably the first foreigners to visit my little village and was very much the attraction. It felt something like being an animal on display at the zoo.
Thai village life with a family orientated society that places age and respect for older people as a priority. Families eat meals together regularly with rest times between the hard days working in the fields left to enjoy the children and grandchildren’s antics.
Children and parents alike can be found in hammocks strung between the homes support legs swinging enjoying the light breeze swinging gently in the breeze. Thai villages do not slumbering sitting in chars as westerners do but sit chatting on the low tables that everyone uses to relax. If your not use to sitting on the ground then your going to struggle in a Thailand village.
We westerners’ become quickly used to chairs from our early days and I can attest the blood stops in a short period in your legs. Its had to walk or even get up so be aware oh traveler.
What is the Lifestyle in Thailand – My Experience
The lifestyle in Thailand is mostly village related and is pretty relaxed. It is very short on creature comforts for a wide eyed westerner when I made my first visit in 1984. The trip itself was a lot more than I thought it would be with a 24 hours on a train from Butterworth Malaysia to Bangkok on the train. Spending the day in Bangkok we then climbed aboard a a bus to Chiang Rai which was overnight trip. I never considered flying and to this day I don’t know why. On arrival at Chiang Rai we got a Tuk Tuk or taxi out to my wife family home some 25k’s east of Ching Rai.
The trip took us through lush green forests, lots of rice fields and a road lined by houses with only small gaps between the roadside villages. Our village is on a knoll surrounded by rice paddy’s and prominent rock formations rising dramatically out of the surrounding country side. Some are given names like one near our village called Chang (Elephant) It looks like an elephant head and back. The one in the picture looks spookily like it. Notice the head at the right with the trunk and to the left is its neck and body. Maybe you need a dew Mekong’s to see it well but we digress.
What is the Lifestyle in Thailand
The lifestyle in Thailand is all about maximizing the day. Rising early at about 5.30 is pretty normal. We get up at five or so and go to the village market to buy food items like meat and fish as well as vegetables. Of course its a social occasion, I usually prop myself in the shelter with a coffee for 10 Baht. This is a sweet treat and very nice at that time of the morning. My coffee lady lives close to our home and this is something of a tradition and has remained there for all the time I have been going to the market.
Everything is laid out on tables and in baskets ready for the customers to buy, quickly placed in plastic bags before heading off home. The prices are on pieces of carboard inside bamboo sticks make life easy but mostly prices were negotiable but today that’s disappearing to a point. Bartering is often part of the daily trip to the market, It’s been part of the culture for ever. You can barter everywhere to different levels of success. The very latest department stores are one of the few places its not normal possible unless buying a major household item when prices or freebies are in the offering.
Thailand Village Working Life
Thailand working life is centered rurally around rice and rubber plantations. Rice can be grown two or more times a year depending on rainfall and or water availability. Glutenous rice as well as normal Jasmine rice is often grown if two crops are possible.
It has now changed considerably with more mechanized machinery coming into the farming lifestyle. Its now possible to plant and harvest the rice with machines instead of the banks of villages bent over planting or harvesting the rice crops. The price of rice has been considerably low the last few years and on many occasions after paying for planting. harvesting and fertilizer there is little left when the crop is harvested.
The alternate is now rubber plantations on the hills around villages where rice cannot be grown. Its becoming popular to replace rice growing fields with even more rubber trees. The problem is that it takes 5 or more years before the trees start to return on the original investment. Growing and harvesting rubber has proven to be a life saver for many providing a more consistent financial reward to Thai villagers..
Thailand and Religion – Inseparable
Thai daily life and culture centers highly around religion. Buddhism is the major religion in Thailand with Christian and Islam also present in much smaller numbers. Buddhism guides Thais in every aspect of their life. Auspicious days are determined by monks govern when you can pick up a new car or move into a new home as well as getting married or having a funeral. It could be a week or more that you may have to wait even when the new home or new car are ready for you. The car yard are fully aware of it so they know they have to wait for their money.
I have got to know the two monks in our village and they are amazing people. They help and guide the villagers in every aspect of life when asked without question. They attend funerals, house blessings and car blessings and are the soul of the community.
I have spent hours being the taxi for our monks and enjoyed their company taking them on business related trips. Our head monk is a young man was left at the temple like so many kids when parents cannot look after the kids. He was left in the temples care and has grown and educated himself right through to university.
Tu (Monk) Bom is a young man that askes for nothing and gives his heart and soul to the community. He had the village temple knocked down and rebuilt by using social media to find wealthy people to help complete this massive task.
TUM BOON (Make Merit) is a powerful driver for many Buddhists. Donating and supporting both the Temples and poor people is part of ensuring a quality afterlife and rebirth. Buddhists believe in reincarnation so getting a head start on a next life with better opportunities is a powerful driver. No matter if the donation is 10 Baht or a million baht, its looked upon as the same to same value. Its what you can afford from your heart.
The rebuilding of the temple an immense task to take on when no one else would even try. He has an amazing legacy which challenged every part of his being to complete. It took a couple years to complete the demolition and rebuild completed and it took quite a toll on his health.
I have much to share in upcoming posts. Thank you for coming to my blog here at Guitar Dreaming.
Please feel free to comment below.
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9 responses to “Life in Thailand Villages – PEACEFUL & CHALLENGING to a Foreigner.”
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