Reader submission: Corona between the rice fields
Last Saturday I posted a message about how we live in the countryside, between the rice fields and how things are going with this corona crisis. What happens now? Quite a lot in our village. The first thing that strikes me are the many strange faces.
Beautiful men and women and lots of ladyboys. That on a population of I think, a thousand people in a village. According to my wife, there are now at least ten ladyboys in the village. Does this stand out? Yes, it surprises me. Most are now out of work and going back to mom and dad, no more money for rent and food. They fall back on the Thai social service, the network and the family.
In addition, many also come back from England and Switzerland', just to name a few countries, where most of them worked in massage parlors, for example. The relatively closed village community may have brought in more than just the daughters and sons, time will tell from now on.
We went to do some extra shopping at Tesco, about ten km outside our village. We didn't want to go to the Big C in Khon Kaen anymore. Yes, we are also becoming cautious and this supermarket has the size of an Albert Hein. On Monday there was not too much of corona in the store, except that my wife and I were the only ones without a face mask,
Yesterday, Wednesday, we went back to the Tesco to buy the supply of water for the next two months, yes we are also hoarding. The difference in the store with two days earlier, the temperature is measured and there is hand gel. We also started wearing a face mask for decency. Homemade in village by a handy home seamstress, in various colors, looks pretty good.
Whole discussions are going on about the effect of the face masks. Does it work or not? In any case, it looks colorful and for the cost of 20 baht each, you don't have to leave it.
We are also lucky that we live just outside the village and no one can just walk in when the gate is closed. We are waiting quietly for the coming month (state of emergency).
Greetings from the rice fields.
Submitted by Pete
Piet paints a recognizable picture. He does not mention a region or province.
This is now also the case in the villages between the rice fields in the province of Uttaradit.
Almost everyone wears a mask. Indeed for sale at local seamstresses for 20 thb each. The outside is cotton with colorful motifs and the inside is lined with a kind of muslin cloth. NB! The color goes off when you wash them in hot soapy water 🙂
The daily (indoor) market where mainly (fresh) food is sold remains open. The large weekly market (tallaad nad) has been closed in all villages by order of the provincial governor.
Yesterday we did some shopping in Tesco-Lotus. About 10% of the shelves were empty, mainly dry food products.
My Thai stepson reported that there are road checks on the provincial borders. In the case of non-essential private travel, you will be sent home. Shopping in Makro, Big C or buying bread at Dupain in Phitsanulok becomes almost impossible. You might get there along shortcuts. But what if we are stopped when we return.
A friend of my wife bakes 3 loaves of bread a week for us from now on. Previously she only baked Thai sweets (Khanom) I gave her a recipe to bake bread through Line. Taste soon. If all goes well, she will soon have a pack of farrang customers 🙂
In the provincial capital of Uttaradit, traffic is remarkably low.
Baking bread yourself, from wheat flour? Or rice flour? In the latter case, I am very interested in a recipe and how-to.
hromijn at casema point nl
Good plan Harry. I have been baking my own bread for years, but I have no experience with rice flour.
Going to experiment with that soon. Should be doable factually, but I have my doubts about the result.
Greeting.
Just look it up on Google, there you will see the recipe and they refer you to YouTube with videos about baking bread.
We went to do some extra shopping at Tesco, about ten km outside our village. We didn't want to go to the Big C in Khon Kaen anymore.
Nicely written, good reasoning and otherwise I keep my mouth shut. 😉 I've just been back in NL for a week and I miss Khon Kaen and her rice fields.
Piet does mention that he no longer goes to the Big C in Khon Kaen. He probably lives not too far from there. Province of Khon Kaen or Udon Thani??
I miss Khon Kaen too. Was supposed to fly March 28, but flight canceled by SwissAir.
Regards,
Rob
In the village where we were, they don't want those who work elsewhere to come back.
So no one comes back from eg Bangkok or Phuket or other places, they are terrified there that the whole village is lit.
Here in the village also strange faces.
Sitting here in a house a block away.
House had been empty for years!
They distributed mouth caps here for free last week, door to door.
I think those face masks do just the opposite. I strongly believe they are PPF2 (or even better) PPF3
Face masks are there to keep you from splashing your own muck around, but Covid will get through anyway.
In other words, it is a gesture to your fellow man to wear a cap.
Don't ask me what a lot of nonsense is going on. Absolutely over the top.
Greeting.
As long as the Thai believe in it, then they don't get sick that easily, now they still think it's wonderful to wear such a face mask, as soon as they no longer believe in it, the hospitals are packed in no time with Thai people who are actually completely not be sick.
Well, those face masks lower the chance that you will be molested.
Face mask is intended not to infect others. They do this when they have a cold anyway.
Relatively speaking, there are fewer infections in Thailand than in the Netherlands, so I will stay for a while.
So I really, really, don't believe that at all. Yes, if you do not measure, there are no infections to report. Many older deaths are attributed to other causes of death, e.g. pneumonia, etc.
I expect an explosion of cases in Thailand, which is a lot less prepared for such a catastrophe than the Netherlands.
I also don't think it's easy to come to the Netherlands now.
Fwberg, the masks I can buy here near Cha-Am are just for show.
A good cotton handkerchief with a few rubber bands to hang around the ears may provide better protection
Secret tip: vacuum cleaner bags are great material! In the absence: double folded old Dutch tea towel.
I miss Ubon Ratchathani already, and I'll be here for another whole day.
Golf course has been closed for 2 days, so I cycle whole distances, nice and wind along my bald head.
We are now enjoying a delicious dinner at the Moon River, and involuntarily think: that will no longer be possible from the day after tomorrow!
Saturday morning I fly to Suvarnabhum Airport at 9 AM. You then have another hour and a half to collect your luggage from the belt and check in at EVA air. Should be possible; always worked!
But a nice thought; in 5,5 months I'll be back at the Moon with a big Leo on ice, hahaaa
China did get the virus under control. In China, wearing a mouth mask was and is MANDATORY and rightly so. Every little bit can help and if it doesn't help, it won't hurt. And if we don't want to know anything about it, then I wonder why almost all medical personnel wear it.
We laughed hard with that Thai minister and his masks, but the man was right....just wait and see....if masks are not mandatory in Europe, we will not get out.
Nonsense. Virus is smaller than 1 mu, face masks don't stop that. It does seem to help with the transmission of the infection yourself.
In the Netherlands we are well on the right track, without face masks, with sensible measures.
Only hospital staff who work with 10s of corona patients have something to do with the caps.
Just be sensible: stay at home, otherwise ALWAYS keep a distance of 1,5 meters, and wash your hands with soapy water 20 times a day. Use a spray with methylated spirits on everything you have to touch and the gloves you wear, of course.
And hope that it won't be your turn until six months from now, when a vaccine has been found. Because eventually almost all of us will be infected.
Dear Fred, I immediately pictured a man getting on a heavy motorcycle with a diaper, hat or construction helmet on his head. “If I fall I have protection, if it doesn't help, it won't hurt. Do they have a shortage of diapers in nursing? I guess I feel safer that way. In construction, a helmet on your head is also sufficient, so why not on the motorcycle? Why is my helmet not fastened with a buckle? Why don't I wear eye protection? No knee pads? No motorcycle suit? No boots? Thailand is the land of freedom, not patronizing. I'm going to do a little bit of head-to-toe in stuff. No, I feel good with my diaper or construction helmet on the head, you whining socks” 555 🙂 😉
The rest of the arguments of, among others, a Virologist about the situation with the masks and why they are useful in the hospital, I and others have already explained that in another topic. But I'm not Don Quixote and don't want the moderator on my neck so I'll leave it at this one. If people are not sensitive to multiple expert arguments, it makes no sense for me to fight against windmills. If you are interested in sources…:
https://www.thailandblog.nl/nieuws-uit-thailand/thailand-stelt-mondkapjes-verplicht-voor-passagiers-van-trein-en-metro/#comment-585144
China is not in control. In Wuhan, the city is now gradually being restarted, but the province of Hubei is still not. No news about the rest of the country with more than 1.250 million inhabitants. Nevertheless, Reuters reports that from the day after tomorrow no foreigner will enter China. They also do not have a valid visa. If the vast majority of China is free of virus, why this kind of measures? Can't be for fear of foreigners importing virus, because subject to test and quarantine.
The discussion about face masks should actually be stopped: for the Dutch, sufficient information can be found on the RIVM site; for the Belgians, some renowned professor at TERZAKE was explaining the nonsense of wearing it.
Anyone who still thinks they have to shout the contrary does not understand, and must remain silent.
My wife and I do experience that a mouth mask, even such a cotton piece, and sunglasses ensure that we no longer touch our nose, mouth and eyes with fingers.
We believe that this does provide limited preventive protection.
Keeping distance remains the message even with a mask. This has not yet penetrated enough in rural Thailand.
The only really good face mask is a biological warfare gas mask.
FFP3 also works a bit. The rest hardly works, but can prevent angry faces.
With the FFP2 or 3 mask, don't forget a face shield or goggles to protect your eyes. But no civilian walks around like that or with a gas mask on.
hi pete,
I'm curious which village you live in I assume Buriram, you live without wanting to violate your privacy.
Hello peer I don't understand that you can fly with eva I couldn't fly with eva ear to thailand how is that possible that you can fly or is that only the return trip gr will
Probably because you don't get into Thailand anyway......
Why wouldn't you wear a face mask, even if you think it's silly. You are afraid to get corona, but not to give it to someone else. you don't find a bit of aso. By wearing a cap you at least indicate that you are no more than someone else. Or was that minister right in calling foreigners perverts. Just feel like an ordinary person and join in. Your opinion on its usefulness does not count.
ok……….1 more time then:
1. the masks do not help against corona
2. the masks that are available (and there are fewer and fewer) can better be sent to the medical staff
3. extortionate prices are asked for masks (those who think that the police can really do something about it are very naive; yes, there are 6 Thais in prison for that, well…6)
4. 50 million masks have been sold to China recently. It is suspected that a member of the government is involved. (= mask mafia).
Just join in… why do we have so much trouble getting involved when it comes to scams, double prizes, corruption, murder and manslaughter, drunk driving, high debts, cheating, not wearing a helmet….Shouldn't we get involved too or our keep your mouth shut if you really want to integrate?