For our last day the headwoman’s son gives us a lift to Ba Noi Hong (c 3 miles away) where we will do some more interviewing and stay the night. Idyllic farm - six little cows and a calf called Foremost after the dairy company. Area suffers from water shortages in the summer. Water (apart from drinking water) stored in fishponds and lotus ponds. OK to wash in but don't clean your teeth with pond water (very brown)! About 1m mosquitoes.
We set off on foot with Pi Ying (farmer's wife) to interview the neighbours, looking for younger people who have been to work outside the village and returned.
We interview young woman Urai wan Rakpan (Nam) aged 19, with two year old daughter. Very poor family. Landless. Day labourers. She and her husband leave the village to work on construction sites for several months at a time. Has been back in the village for 2 months to look after her mother in law who is v sick following accident when she was hit by a m’bike. Mother-in-law looks as if she has fractured several bones in her face, incl cheekbone and eye socket and right eye does not look good. Pi Ying tells us later that the accident happened in another village and the boy who hit her was the son of the local policeman. Witnesses were reluctant to come forward and she has received no compensation.
Then three up on the bike to another dairy farm where we interview young woman Neep Pow Wam Kotchalee (22) - grandfather keeps interrupting for a moan about CF regulations which mean he can’t take his cows to graze in the forest when he wants to.
Down the road we interview Rung Beakap (M) (29). Wife has gone to work in the factories in Petchaburi province, her home town. Has been away since April. He says she doesn’t like farm work. He helps his parents on the farm and looks after their daughter aged 2.
While we are there Mrs Lottery (Lotterlee) arrives. App one of the richest women in the village – a success story. She has the franchise to sell lottery tickets, among other activities. Later Pi Ying says she has over 100 rai of land.
The next day was the day preceeding the start of Buddhist Lent, so we went to the temple in the morning with our hosts,taking some offerings for the monks (food and a bunch of lotus). Only two monks in a small temple in the forest. Kids ran about during ceremony and showed me what to do. After the monks had eaten villagers scarfed the rest in double quick time. It was nice to see the people I had interviewed all together - could see the family groups - grandfather, Mrs lottery (lotterlee) etc . Then back to Bkok - 3.5 hours on a bus and that was quick because it's a public holiday.
We set off on foot with Pi Ying (farmer's wife) to interview the neighbours, looking for younger people who have been to work outside the village and returned.
We interview young woman Urai wan Rakpan (Nam) aged 19, with two year old daughter. Very poor family. Landless. Day labourers. She and her husband leave the village to work on construction sites for several months at a time. Has been back in the village for 2 months to look after her mother in law who is v sick following accident when she was hit by a m’bike. Mother-in-law looks as if she has fractured several bones in her face, incl cheekbone and eye socket and right eye does not look good. Pi Ying tells us later that the accident happened in another village and the boy who hit her was the son of the local policeman. Witnesses were reluctant to come forward and she has received no compensation.
Then three up on the bike to another dairy farm where we interview young woman Neep Pow Wam Kotchalee (22) - grandfather keeps interrupting for a moan about CF regulations which mean he can’t take his cows to graze in the forest when he wants to.
Down the road we interview Rung Beakap (M) (29). Wife has gone to work in the factories in Petchaburi province, her home town. Has been away since April. He says she doesn’t like farm work. He helps his parents on the farm and looks after their daughter aged 2.
While we are there Mrs Lottery (Lotterlee) arrives. App one of the richest women in the village – a success story. She has the franchise to sell lottery tickets, among other activities. Later Pi Ying says she has over 100 rai of land.
The next day was the day preceeding the start of Buddhist Lent, so we went to the temple in the morning with our hosts,taking some offerings for the monks (food and a bunch of lotus). Only two monks in a small temple in the forest. Kids ran about during ceremony and showed me what to do. After the monks had eaten villagers scarfed the rest in double quick time. It was nice to see the people I had interviewed all together - could see the family groups - grandfather, Mrs lottery (lotterlee) etc . Then back to Bkok - 3.5 hours on a bus and that was quick because it's a public holiday.
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