Thailand Village Life

Tending a garden in a tiny village in eastern Thailand

As I learn more about Thai culture, I realize that the nuances are closely tied to life in the small villages around the country. Even in the pulsating metropolis of Bangkok, images of village life are evident, tucked away on side streets among the gleaming high rises and splashy malls. Recent arrivals from upcountry as well as many longtime Bangkok residents bypass the air conditioned mega-malls, fancy western-style grocery stores (there is no Thai word for "grocery store") and restaurants and seek out the small sidewalk noodle stalls and fresh markets. 

Fresh fruits and vegetables at a street market

Fresh market. Strawberries from northern Thailand 10 baht (30 cents) per kilo;
in the western supermarkets, 700 baht ($20) for California imports.
No, the California strawberries do not taste better.

I have also come to realize that if I want to know more about Thai culture, it is absolutely necessary to speak the language, and to wander through village markets and neighborhoods, stopping to speak to the people who live and work there. 

This man has helped to find and arrest scores of tree poachers in eastern Thailand.

A nun with gibbon at a wat (temple) in Isan (eastern Thailand). When asked why she kept him on a rope, she replied, "So he doesn't get caught by poachers in the forest. We have lost many."

Bringing a load of sugar cane from the fields to be processed.

Fresh market in Isan near the Cambodian border.

Market in Surin province. One can hear four languages spoken here: Southern Isan, Thai, Khmer (Cambodian) and Lao. Don't count on having a conversation in English.

Mounds of fresh fruits and vegetables at a fraction of the cost in a supermarket.

Choosing the best limes. The village market also serves as a meeting place and social center.

The "simple life" could well apply to the laid back atmosphere in Thailand's rural villages where people may not have much money, and work very hard, but they do have a sabai way of life. When spending time in the villages, it is easy to see why Thailand is called The Land of Smiles.

Picnic in a truck bed, eastern Thailand

Hot chili peppers at an Isan street market

Careful grooming, Thai style with tweezers and car mirror

Isan farmer

Local fermented fruit juices, not found in supermarkets!

A grandmother at home in a small village. The house sits raised above the open floor seen here. Village Thais generally sit and sleep on woven reed mats. I met folks who, despite having a bed in their new house, still prefer to sleep on the floor.

Village shrimp fisherman with homemade traps

Typical village home with tractor, water storage aungs and drying laundry

One doesn't need to travel far from the city to find village life. The following photos were all taken in Bangkok suburbs where water buffalo still roam and fishermen cast their nets.

A small shoe repair shop in eastern Bangkok

Water buffalo wallow, Bangkok suburb

Traditional alms collection by monks each morning in a middle class Thai neighborhood,
eastern Bangkok

Nurses opt for street food over hospital cuisine.

Street market tobacconist

Street market food stall

Sidewalk amulet salesman

Carefully checking amulet quality and authenticity

Variety of amulets

A happy life on a klong (canal)

A fisherman checks his net. Most fish were thrown back ("Gin mai dai," Can't eat them!) including the one in upper left that just received a reprieve when tossed over the fisherman's shoulder.

An aged spirit house along a klong in eastern Bangkok

Catching a quick nap in the shade at midday.

Traditional Thai kitchens were once only found outdoors like this one for obvious reasons in the tropics. New homes enclose the kitchen, and then include air conditioning.

Saturday Mornings in the Moobaan

On Saturday mornings, I generally arise by 6:00, as I haven’t figured out a way to get the message through to our cat Guido that there is a difference between the weekend and every other day when we get up by 5:00. Six o’clock is a luxury that I manage by ignoring his persistent cries outside the house until the garbage truck rolls by. The two together are just too much for me to sleep through. I do not need an alarm clock.

But, I have found that this is the best time to experience life in this Thai “village” of 10,000 souls (and who knows how many ancestral spirits). While Kat enjoys the opportunity to sleep in, I feed the pets and throw in a load of laundry, then hop on my bicycle and pedal a half-mile or so to the newspaper vendor to buy an English language daily, either the Bangkok Post or The Nation. I ride through layers of different flower blossom fragrances that float on the heavy humid air, their sweetness enhanced by the lingering effects of the rain that came a few hours before dawn.

As I leave my “soi” and approach the main street through the moobaan, few human sounds are heard—the birds are stirring, and the morning dog ritual of howls, snarls and yips can be heard. An occasional cigarette cough or scuffling of flip-flops float through from behind the hedges, but otherwise it has the sleepy feel of the weekend. As I ride toward the village center, I see sidewalk vendors readying their grills, smoke wafting above the street as patrons wait patiently for their breakfast. A few cars pass me as I silently sail by closed shop fronts.

Nearing the newspaper vendor, I see saffron-robed monks walking barefoot along the street, following their daily path to receive alms and give blessings. A man kneels on the sidewalk in prayer with his gift for the monk, who stands before him chanting. A toddler standing on the rear passenger pad of a bike, her arms around her father’s neck, instinctively presses her palms together in the “wai,” a sign of respect as they pass a monk. The heady smell of incense curls from spirit houses as offerings are left for ancestors.


I pay for the paper and ride on to the main shopping street, and as I approach, the sights and sounds intensify until I am in the center where there is a bustling as people hurry to buy the freshest fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs and breads from sidewalk vendors or open air grocery stores. I finally arrive at my ultimate destination, the center of modern Thai society: 7 Eleven, the 24 hour convenience store. Known by Thais simply as “seVEN,” (emphasis on syllable two) it is the most common store in Thailand; one sees them virtually everywhere. To illustrate the ubiquitous nature of the store chain, there are two within a block of each other on the street. I withdraw money from the ATM outside the store, then go inside to get milk, pay the utility bill, and buy a phone card (I have learned that one may also pay for plane tickets here). This early weekend ritual adds to my enjoyment of living in the “moobahn,” and I linger just a bit to take it all in before retuning home to sit under the tree, sip coffee, and read about what’s going on in the rest of the world.