Sometimes traveling to different parts of Thailand gives us a new perspective on our little town. This past weekend we visited Pai, a hippie-mountain town in Mae Hong Son province, with a group of volunteers. More on that trip later, but for now I’d like to share a couple of rambly tidbits about our rural town.
A guidebook I once read noted that violent movies are popular in Thailand, and the farther away you get from big cities, the more violence you find on TV. This is an accurate description of where we live. Because there isn’t much to do here – no shopping, no movie theater, no major sporting events – entertainment tends to be limited to TV, cockfighting, and alcohol. Lots of alcohol. Frequent holidays and festivals are occasions for variety, and of course for more alcohol as well.
There are many good sides to being out of the big city. We know our neighbors well. It’s easy to get around by bicycle. The air is clear, aside from the smoke from burning fields. I would not have given up the opportunity to experience small town life.
We’re set in a valley surrounded by farmland and then mountains. For security reasons, I’m not allowed to name the area on this blog, but I’ve included a couple of photos from this evening’s bike ride. You might notice the cell phone towers, the smoke rising from harvested rice fields and the Casa Que Pasa t-shirt. Oh, we miss burritos.
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