Trip to Thailand in May of 2001

Trip from Bangkok to Village #11, Nakopamark Subdistrict, Bang Krathum District, Phitsanulok Province
Richard Arthur Norton
Saturday, May 12, 2001

The night before I came into Bangkok and got a room at the YMCA, I ate breakfast there and there was a large group of students on their way to Vietnam. Breakfast was poached eggs and Thai noodles. Thidawan picked me up at the YMCA lobby around noon. We took a taxi to her apartment and she packed all her stuff in boxes. We took a taxi to a place near the airport and there was her brother Chorba was waiting with his van. We took the van back to her apartment and then packed it tightly. There were 10 of us all together in the van. We picked Kevin up at the airport and added his three large bags to the car, now there were 11 in an even smaller space. We drove 6 hours to get from Bangkok to Village #11. Two people were in the front seats, 4 people were in the back bench of the pickup and 5 people were crammed into the bed of the pickup with Thidawan’s possessions and Kevin’s luggage and my luggage.

Making Mango Paste
Richard Arthur Norton
House 13/3, Village #11, Nakopamark Subdistrict, Bang Krathum District, Phitsanulok Province. Thailand
Monday, May 14, 2001

Thidawan’s mother spent the day cutting mangos into small pieces and placing them into a cooking pot. She started a charcoal fire in a stove that looks like a small water jar; it is open on the top and has a hole in the side about the size of a postcard for removing the ash and letting in the air for combustion. A wok or a pot fits snugly on the top. She boiled the mango until it was the consistency of applesauce and the color of cooked butternut squash. Thidawan’s sister, Hai took the yellow mixture after it had cooled and poured a ladle full of it into a plastic ring that sat on a piece of sheet plastic that was set out in the sun on top of a piece of thin plywood. She poured out maybe 50 of these 6-inch diameter circles and let them sit in the sun to drive off the water. Honeybees come from all around to drink the sweet liquid that is expressed from the mixture as it dries. Hai was adjusting the boards that supported the plywood when the plywood collapsed and 30 of the circles slid to the ground. The dogs and the bees were very happy as the mixture landed on the ground in a pile. That afternoon the circles were brought inside. They were firmly attached to the plastic and could be peeled off like a fruit rollup that you would find in a US supermarket. Other people in nearby houses collect the small bananas that grow here. They are maybe 6-inches long and grow in clusters of 30 or 40. The bananas are picked, flattened and placed on reed mats that are raised off the ground. They sit in the sun until partially dried, and then they are brought to the banana factory nearby. Thidawan has a sister that works there. At the factory they dry the bananas further and then pack them into small plastic bags for sale. Some are sliced, sugared and dried further until they are the consistency of the banana slices found in health food stores in the US.

Visiting The Temple (Wot) and the Waterfall then wake for “Si-Wa-Chun”
Richard Arthur Norton
Nakopamark Subdistrict, Bang Krathum District, Phitsanulok Province. Thailand
Tuesday, May 15, 2001

At 6:30 am a local monk walks the road in front of Thidawan’s house looking for alms. He is dressed in saffron robes and is followed by an acolyte dressed in a white robe. Thidawan’s mother gave him some rice and he continued walking down the road. Thidawan says that he is the brother in law of her father. We went to Prichit to go shopping and we bought a cooked chicken and some Thai noodles. On our return trip we stopped at the temple where there was a festival. There were representatives of the banana factory and people carrying papier-mâché chilies and ears of corn. We stopped at a waterfall and had food brought to us from the rest stop from across the street. We had chicken and some soup and rice. Later we stopped at a cousin of Thidawan’s mom, they had three very friendly puppies. The women chewed betel nuts that stained their teeth red. The last stop was for the wake of Si-Wa-Chun. He drowned in the river a few days earlier. He was his parent’s only child. During the ceremony while the monks were chanting a praying mantis flew into the room, it stood on a ceiling rafter and watched the ceremony from above. A few minutes later it flew away. After the monks were finished we ate some food. It was a dish of fat Thai noodles in a broth with some green vegetables. It was very good. I gave 100 bhat as a donation to the parents; it was all I had in my pocket. They tied a red string around my wrist.

Rice Production
Richard Arthur Norton
Nakopamark Subdistrict, Bang Krathum District, Phitsanulok Province. Thailand
Wednesday, May 16, 2001

Today we visited a small plot of land Han grows rice on. There is a large combine that cuts the rice stalks and then separates the rice from the chaff. The chaff is discarded through the back of the machine and the rice is collected in bags from the side. The rice still has its husk, and the next step in processing rice is to polish it to remove the husk. The husk or bran is saved and used as fuel. The polishing process is done elsewhere. As the combine moves over the rice field the dragonflies and the swallows move in to eat the insects that have been disturbed by the combine. While we waited for the rice bags to be dropped into a pile from the combine onto the side of the field we ate lotus seeds, litchis and drank cold water. The bags of rice now have to be moved from the side of the field onto the tractors so they can be taken to the place where they polish the rice. The tractors are very useful, they are used to till the rice fields and the engine is used to drive the pump that floods the rice field while the rice is growing. Kevin and I help load the bags onto the tractors.

Cremation of “Si-Wa-Chun”
Oonkaeng, Nakopamark Subdistrict, Bang Krathum District, Phitsanulok Province. Thailand
Richard Arthur Norton
Thursday, May 17, 2001

Today we attended the cremation of the boy that drowned in the river. It was raining most of the day, a light rain followed by a powerful downpour that would last just 10 or 15 minutes. We traveled by motorcycle to the temple; it was about 15 minutes from our house. There was a procession carrying the boy’s body in its casket from the truck that brought the casket to the temple. Young schoolgirls passed out sealed plastic cups of drinking water and straws to people in the crowd. In front of the casket was someone carrying a picture of the boy. I joined the procession as it circled the crematorium 5 times. A young boy in the crowd watching the procession fainted from grief, he was carried to the back of a pickup truck while a crowd of concerned people fanned him and administered smelling salts. There was a man throwing pieces or cardboard, the size of a postcard, with a strip of silver and a strip of gold. I wanted to pick one up but no one else did. As the man approached me he grabbed a handful of the now moist gold and silver papers and threw them toward me, but they were no longer dispersing like confetti and they hit me in the side of the head with a thud. A few moments later someone with coins wrapped in gold plastic was throwing them to the crowd. I picked up a few of them. We were handed a small lotus flower made of paper that had a rubber band at its base. The rubber band held a small piece of incense and a small piece of candle wax, the traditional Buddhist offerings. Everyone with a lotus flower walked up the steps on the right side of the crematorium, placed the flower on a dish, clasped their hands in a prayer then descended the steps at the front of the temple. As you descended the steps you were handed a key chain and were greeted by the boy’s father. The heavy rains began again and everyone ran for the nearest protection. Kevin, Hi, Hai’s brother who drives the car and I took shelter under the patio of the temple. When we returned home there was a swarm of termites that flew into the house, hundreds of them flew in, lost their wings and started crawling through the house. We picked them up and threw them into a bucket of water to be eaten later.

Fishing then Drinking Beer and Eating Termites
House 13/3, Village #11, Nakopamark Subdistrict, Bangkratum District, Pitsanulok Province. Thailand
Friday, May 18, 2001

About mile down the road is a man-made fishing pond. It’s the size of a standard rice field, maybe a quarter of an acre or more. It’s about 6 or 8 feet deep and filled with fish that resemble carp. There was perhaps 20 or 30 fisherman in the pond, each having his own area to fish in. Some fish from the sides of the pond and others stand on bamboo tripods anchored to the bottom of the pond and throw their nets into the water. The nets are circles about 20 feet across and have weights along the edges. The fisherman throws it into the water as far as he can, and he usually falls into the water when he does this. When we returned we went to the market in Pitsanulok. The market is filled with about 50 stalls all selling cooked and uncooked food. Every fish imaginable is represented there, and there was a woman who was selling fried bananas covered with sesame seeds, I bought a small bag and they were delicious. They was a stall that sold insects for food, a 4-inch long water insect that resembles a large version of the swimming beetles in the US. You can buy a plastic bag filled with shaved ice and they fill it with two cups of Fanta for about 10 of 15 bhat. On the trip home we bought some beer and that night we ate the fish from the pond for dinner and drank the beer until late in the night. We ate some of the termites that came into the house that night. You pick off the wings then roast them with a lighter, then pop them in your mouth. There isn’t enough meat to really give you a flavor.

Bicycle Trip to Phichit
Richard Arthur Norton
House 13/3, Village #11, Nakopamark Subdistrict, Bangkratum District, Pitsanulok Province. Thailand
Saturday, May 19, 2001

Kevin and I bicycled from the house part way to Phichit. It took over three hours using the children’s bicycles. We stopped frequently for repairs and cold drinks, and gave up on reaching our final destination when we reached a karaoke bar in the middle of nowhere. It looked like a typical rest stop for Pitsanulok Province selling Fanta soda and potato chips, but it had a huge karaoke machine. We called Thidawan and she sent her brother to pick us up in his truck. When we sat down two men were drinking whisky and singing, and there where two women that were there also. The thin man wearing glasses asked Kevin to arm wrestle and Kevin won three times. The last time it was a struggle. As we were leaving the young, pretty woman asked in Thai if I was single, then she hugged me. We posed for a picture then Chord took us home in his truck. The woman’s telephone number is 671-285.

Playing Pool and Merit Making
Richard Arthur Norton
House 13/3, Village #11, Nakopamark Subdistrict, Bangkratum District, Pitsanulok Province. Thailand
Sunday, May 20, 2001

We bicycled to a local shop that had a pool table. Kevin played snooker and lost about 200 bhat. That night we attended the 100-day anniversary of another villager’s death. It was a large party identical to Kevin’s wedding (I didn’t attend the wedding but watched the video he took). There were about 30 or 40 circular tables, each with a tablecloth and a set of silver cups. A woman brought us 5 dishes of food, a large bowl of rice and several bottles of drink. There was Fanta, water, beer and whisky. The entertainment was the same musicians as Kevin’s wedding. A male singer and 8 female dancers were on stage. 4 of the dancers also sang. I don’t know what the lyrics are but the movements of the dancers is very sexual. They thrust out their hips and rock back and forth like they are engaging in coitus. The food was excellent; one dish was chicken in a broth with some type of yellow gelatinous material on top. Another dish, which was my favorite, was tomatoes and some sort of vegetable similar to fenugreek. It had small pieces of pork in it. A third dish was pineapple with chilies. There was a dish with that was sweet; it had what had the texture of large tapioca and hard-boiled eggs in coconut milk. I got to dance with Hai, and the main singer started singing about the “falong” and she started touching herself suggestively. Everyone in the audience looked my way and started laughing. The next morning the monks were chanting as the ceremony continued.

House 13/3, Village #11, Nakopamark Subdistrict, Bangkratum District, Pitsanulok Province. Thailand

Thidawan’s family home is raised off the ground by concrete pylons, the walls are made of teak boards that run vertically and they are painted red on the outside. The house is maybe 30 feet by 30 feet. All sorts of useful materials are stored between the pylons: unused teak boards, rice husks in recycled fertilizer bags, wicker baskets of charcoal, and the family bicycles. The roof is made of corrugated zinc-steel and the interior is lighted with fluorescent lights that get their power from metered electricity from the government. The bathroom is an enclosed room in the rear of the house with a squat toilet. To flush it you pour water from a bucket directly into it. The waste is flushed into a septic tank that is buried in the ground. The kitchen is next to the bathroom and a stove that looks like a small water jar is used for cooking. It is open on the top and has a hole in the side about the size of a postcard for removing the ash and letting in the air for combustion. A wok or a pot fits snugly on the top. There is an electric refrigerator for storing perishables. Thidawan has a stereo for playing music. The house is supplied with government water and there is a small pump for sending the water up to the house to fill the large water storage jars. The water jars hold about 20 gallons of water and are covered with a plastic top. When we were at the house an electrician had come and installed two more fluorescent lights and 6 more electrical outlets. His bill for the work was about $20 or 850 bhat. Food grows abundantly in the rich soil around the house. In their garden they cultivate chilies, eggplant and cucumbers. Coconuts, mangoes, bananas and papayas grow wild. The mangoes can be eaten fresh or boiled into a paste that can be dried. There are maybe 20 chickens on the property and a man rents the rice field on the property to raise his ducks. The family gets supplied with duck eggs in exchange. Thidawan’s mother cooked a mixture of corn and grated coconut that was delicious. I saw the same dish for sale in the market. At night we sleep on reed mats on the floor under mosquito netting.

Thidawan “Nok” Ruasamran aka Pitsanu Ruasamran
Thai Identification Number: 3650500120403

Her nickname, “Nok” means bird. Born February 03, 1973, daughter of Chuen Ayuklai and Serm Ruasamran, She lived in Bangkok but was raised at House 13/3, Village #11, Nakopamark Subdistrict, Bangkratum District, Pitsanulok Province. Thailand. Her son is Jaras Chaimuangchuan (ID = 1650500085628). Jaras’ father is Songsak Chaimuangchuan. Thidawan is married to my cousin, Kevin Borland. He met her in Bangkok when he was taking an international law course for the summer. He was talking to the bar maid when her friend came in. That friend was Thidawan.

Jaras Chaimuangchuan
Thai Identification Number: 1650500085628
Jaras’ father is Songsak Chaimuangchuan and his mother is Thidawan Ruasamran. He will be the adopted son of Kevin Borland. Kevin says that he is having trouble in school, he has been bullying the other students and at home he is very rough on the animals. He picks the cat up by the neck in a choking position.

Bunchorb “Chorb” Ruasamran
Chorb means “like” or “enjoy”. He is the brother of Thidawan Ruasamran, he owns the pickup truck and drives us around. He has a high-pitched voice. He is married to Dim and he has a son Tarpakon Ruasamran. His son is very loud and is about the same age as Jaras.

Bunchod “Chod” Ruasamran
He is a rice farmer. His son is Wanjad the oldest of the children. He also owns cattle. 3 of the cattle in his herd belong to him and one belongs to Hai. His wife is named Nut.

Sarot X
Sarot is the nephew of Thidawan Ruasamranand the son of Sung Ruasamran. He is Thidawan’s sister’s child. Sarot is studying electronics and is building an amplifier. He and his mother live at the banana factory. Sung lives and works at the banana factory. She is married but her husband does not live with her.

Chu Ruasamran
He is the brother of Thidawan Ruasamran and has a motorcycle. His son is “boy”. Chu’s son’s name is Charnalong. His wife is very attractive. His wife’s name is Turian and her nickname is Kwan. Turian “Kwan” X.

Withan “Han” Ruasamran
His name, “han” means temple (wot also means temple). He is the brother of Thidawan and he is covered with tattoos. He owns a plot of land near his mother’s house that he grows rice on. He has two children and his wife’s name is Ing. We went fishing with him on Friday, May 18, 2001. His oldest child is named Philapon and is married. He applied for a job in Singapore. He is good at math and plays guitar. He is going to school in another city. He drives a truck and did service as a monk. He is 22 years old in 2001. The youngest, Ootsa “Dam” Ruasamran, she is studying in another city. She borrowed a dress from Thidawan for the wedding. At the wedding she handed out favors and she washed Kevin’s feet. She is around 14 years old in 2001. Dam means black. She is very dark skinned.

Ootsa “Dam” Ruasamran
Ootsa “Dam”, she is studying in another city. She borrowed a dress from Thidawan for the wedding. At the wedding she handed out favors and she washed Kevin’s feet. She is around 16 years old in 2001. Dam means black. She is very dark skinned. January 01, 1985 is her birthday.

Chontichar “Hai” Ruasamran
She is the sister of Thidawan Ruasamran and lives with Thidawan’s mother in her house at 13/3. She raises Jaras and her brother’s child, Tarpakon. Tarpakon Ruasamran is the child of Chorb and Dim. Her nickname “Hai” means giving, which is most appropriate for her. She has a very muscular build. She has dark slightly curly hair like her deceased father. Hai always makes sure everyone in the house is taken care of. She helps her brother Chorb on his rice field.

Chuen Ayuklai
Mother of Thidawan, she is over 70 years old. She says her legs hurt and gets medicine for it. It may be arthritis. She may also not have good circulation in her legs.

Chaimuangchuan
This is the family name of Thidawan’s son

Thidawan Borland
Thai Identification Number: 3650500120403
female
3-Feb-74
Mother: Chuen
Father: Serm
25-Feb-74

Jaras Chaimuangchua
male
1650500085628
5-Mar-94
Mother: Thida Wan
Father: Songsak
11-Mar-94

Somsak Ruasamran
He may be mentally handicapped; he attended the wedding of Thidawan and Kevin Borland. He sells snacks in Bangkok and Vichit takes care of him

Vichit Ruasamran
His wife’s name is Nam, which means water. Nam is the sister of Nut who is married to Bunchod, the rice farmer and cattle owner. Thethun is their maiden name. Nat Thethun and Nut Thethun. Their father and a brother died this year (2001). He is a construction worker and has three sons. One of his sons is married. He takes care of Samsok in Bangkok.

Sung Ruasamran
She works at the banana factory and lives there too. Ban Koatoon is where the banana factory is. Her son is Sarot and he is studying electronics. He is an only child.

Chien Ruasamran
He lives in village #11. His daughter was dressed up at the fair we went to and there is a picture of her.

Home Grown Food:
Cultivated Chiles
Cultivated Cucumbers
Cultivated Eggplant
Wild Mimosa Fiddleheads

On Property:
Bananas
Mangos
Papaya
Coconut
Crabs
Frogs

Nearby:
Lotus Seeds
Fish

Vocabulary:
Falong = Gringo
Falong Sok-Mok = Filthy Gringo
Sue Why = Pretty
Ma Muang = Mango
Ma Prow = Coconut
Ma = Fruit
Som = Orange
Pitt = Hot
Prik = Chili
Now = Cold
Nam Kang = Ice
Nam = Water
Chang = Elephant
Dang = drop
Ghin Nam = Drink = Take Water
Ghin Khao = Eat = Take Rice
Non = Sleep
Khao = white
Me You = I’m Full
Khao = Rice
Moo = Pork
Ghai = Chicken
Phad = Fried
Khai = Egg
Dom = Black
Sunuk = Dog

Children of Chuen Ayuklai (c1930- ) and Serm Ruasamran (1929-1980):
1. BrotherA
1. BrotherB
1. Somsak Ruasamran (1950- ) different mother and slight mental handicap, he lives in Bangkok
1. Sung Ruasamran (c1953- ) works and lives at the banana factory in Ban Koatoon
2. Sarot X (c1980- ) lives with mom at factory and studies electronics
1. Chontichar “Hai” Ruasamran (1955- )
1. Chu Ruasamran (c1958- ) + Turian “Kwan” X, owns a motorcycle
2. Charnalong “Boy” Ruasamran (c1985- )
3. “Bee” Ruasamran (2001- ) she was born around March 05, 2001
1. Withan “Han” Ruasamran (c1960- ) he is covered with tattoos and lives in Village #11
2. Philapon Ruasamran (c1980- ) monk and truck driver, he wants to get a job outside Thailand
2. Ootsa “Dam” Ruasamran (c1985- ) she is dark skinned and goes to school outside the village
1. Vichit Ruasamran (c1963- ) + Nam Thethun, they live in Bangkok and take care of Somsak, he is a construction worker
2. Son A
2. Son B
1. Wichien “Chien” Ruasamran (c1965- ) + Meow X. He has curly hair and rarely leaves his house; he says it’s because of the sun
2. Daughter Ruasamran (c1995- ) she was at the fair we went to
1. Bunchorb “Chorb” Ruasamran (c1968- ) + Dim
2. Tarpakon Ruasamran (c1994- ) the loud child
1. Bunchod “Chod” Ruasamran (c1970- ) + Nut Thethun, rice farmer and cattle owner
2. Wanjad Ruasamran (c1985- ) he plays pool
1. Thidawan “Nok” Ruasamran (1974- ) pronounced tea-dah-wan
2. Jaras Chaimuangchuan (1994- ) he picks up the cat by his head and kicks the dog
1. “Nam” Ruasamran (1974) she lived one day
Note: there are 13 siblings, 10 are living

Thai Identification Number:
3-6505-00120-40-3 Thidawan “Nok” Ruasamran (1973- ) aka Pisanu Ruasamran
1-6505-00085-62-8 Jaras Chaimuangchuan (1994- ) Son of Thidawan and Songsak
3-5105-00012-69-5 Songsak Chaimuangchuan (1973- ) Father of Jaras
0-0000-00000-00-0 Thanee Chaiyapasi (1973- ) First Husband of Thidawan

Source: Thidawan “Nok” Ruasamran (1974- ) Translated by Kevin Borland, Compiled by Richard Arthur Norton, Friday, May 18, 2001