Isaan farangs

Before De Inquisitor became aware of the presence of other farangs, he had little contact. According to his friends he had left behind in Pattaya, he had moved to the end of the world.

Only a few kept their promise to visit. Well, De Inquisitor actually had or has little trouble with that. There are no visitors from the old homeland at all. That happened regularly in Pattaya, family and friends who came, friends of friends. That is understandable, for a tourist there is little to do here unless you really want to get to know a poor region deep in Southeast Asia. And moreover, how will a spoiled Western tourist react to the lower comfort, the lesser hygiene in his eyes, to the spicy and coarse food, to the countless insects, to snakes and other beasts?

Of course he had seen a farang now and then, in the nearby town, but that was occasional and usually during the high seasons: in the winter months, a hibernator who stayed nearby, during Songkran when married, mixed, couples The lady's relatives come to visit for a few days, and in July and August when the European holiday season lures men to their lover's family.

In addition, The Inquisitor was not really looking for farang contact. First much too busy building a house and shop, then, as a morning person, only going out in the morning for shopping and the like. Then you won't see any farangs.

And now everything suddenly accelerates, he gets more contact with Westerners again.

The Inquisitor was aware of the fact that a number of farangs gathered somewhere in the town, every evening, on a sober terrace. Someone had even told him this was “At the postman's”. So during his purchasing rounds during the day, De Inquisitor looked for a bar, a café with that name, it had to be found, right? He drove other routes, turned in and out of narrow streets, but found nothing of the sort. No farang bar.

Until one evening, exceptionally, he had to do some quick shopping in the local Lotus Express. Around six o'clock, dusk was already setting in. Diagonally opposite the Lotus, there they were. At a large stone table and stone chairs, supplemented with some rickety plastic chairs. No bars at all.

A shop and hairdresser's salon. The owner is the local postman, the English call it 'At the Postman's' … .

A dozen or so Brits, those folks have always been more adventurous when it comes to foreign destinations. A lonely Frenchman with whom De Inquisitor can pick up his second national language. A Swede, an American, one or two Germans. And only recently, yes, a Dutchman. Almost every evening they go for a few beers on a primitive terrace in the nearby town. In the four weeks that De Inquisitor knew this, he has now been there four times.

There are more subjects at the table than at the time at the Pattaya 'farang meetings'.

No complaints about the partner or other women, about Thailand, about 'Isan conditions', no nagging about visas or money, … . A lot of information is shared about what you can get where, what's new, where nice destinations are nearby, ... . Educational.

But something also started which De Inquisitor calls 'the impact of Thailandblog'.

Dutch speakers who read his blog, responded to it, even asked for contact. The Inquisitor never answers on principle, was even a bit shy about getting farang tourists over because he doesn't want any more nagging as was often the case in Pattaya. Until one day suddenly someone drove up to the shop. Our first farang customer, wife and the undersigned thought, because a broadly smiling Westerner, with wife, steps out of the car. No, it was a Belgian who had found his way, he lives about fifty kilometers from here and knows the region a bit. Miraculously, a friendship quickly developed based on a common understanding of Isaan. We now keep in touch, occasionally visiting back and forth when it suits, but the frequency remains pleasantly low.

But the leper went on. As a fan of The Inquisitor's blog, he did respond to some questions, interacting with them. That's how The Inquisitor thinks, because he didn't know anything at first. That way that clever Belgian got a group of people together, all 'Isaanfarangs'. Who live here, have built a life or who have just started it. Only Dutch speakers, that is sometimes something else because usually when you have contact with Westerners here you have to speak English. Or German. Or French. Be careful with your jokes, with sarcasm, with statements - because they often don't catch on. Now it is.

So when De Inquisitor receives an email with the proposal to get together for a day, De Inquisitor is more enthusiastic than he first thought.

The appointment is correct in terms of time, we are and remain farangs. After a short introduction we drive to a German restaurant in Kham Ta Kla. Only twenty-five kilometers from The Inquisitor who of course didn't know that. Because even more interesting is that the man also sells sandwich spreads, homemade, a wonderful change for the limited local choice.

The Inquisitor will become a regular here, for sure.

At the table it is immediately a lot of fun, jokes and jokes, interesting experiences go back and forth. For once we allow the wives present to sit together at one end of the table, somewhat against our principles, but now the male conversations can only be in Dutch. A relief after years of Thai, English and some Isan. De Inquisitor teaches other insights about Isaan, because even in those small Low Countries by the Sea there are many differences in mentality between the regions of origin.

After the meal, the five-car caravan departs for our shop. The Inquisitor, who drank a bottle of beer Chang too much the day before, is a bit afraid of a drinking party, but it's not too bad. After all, everyone still has to drive home.

A Dutchman from Amsterdam. Sturdy seventies, almost eighty. Full of confidence, nice man. Who parries the Dutch jokes of the Belgians well. He lives in the town near the village of De Inquisitor, we met two weeks earlier. And immediately became comrades, we probably see each other every week now because he lives near a new restaurant where De Inquisitor often eats now.

Is there another compatriot of his, but The Inquisitor has forgotten where he came from. A pleasant soft personality, impossible that it comes from a big city, thinks De Inquisitor. He has to come more often, he can learn Thai because that is what he says he fights with and that is something that you can use well here in the boezewush, it is almost necessary.

Then there is a Brussels resident, well, from the vicinity of that crazy city. Nice accent due to Belgium's bilingualism, and a joker first class. However, he has two problems. He fights with the sparrows that continuously build nests in his roofs. Which he tries to shoot, unsuccessfully. And the 'cartouches', in his case the plastic balls that replace the bullets, invariably end up in his swimming pool. They clog the filter. The Inquisitor certainly wants to visit him, even though he lives two hundred kilometers away, Roi Et, that's the way it goes in a big country, distances are no problem. But he has a small kind of resort, you can sleep over, so setting up a delicious drinking party should be possible.

Whether The Inquisitor will swim in his pool depends on the presence of plastic balls or not… .

A Catherine too. Sint Katelijne Waver is the romantic, Flemish name of his former residence. Teaches English in the local school of his Isaan village. And knows how to deal with the Isan mentality that school children also cherish here - forget everything. Nice stories of how he handles that. Given his cozy physique, De Inquisitor really believes him when he says he likes to cook well, his tips are welcome for an amateur like the undersigned. And, in Flemish terms, it is even more pleasant that he only lives thirty-five kilometers away. That's a trifle here. De Inquisitor also wants to 'pintellier' with him more often.

Finally, of course, there was the leperd. From Sawang Deing Din, but he says he lives continuously in Sawang Din, even though it is not that far away. So we've known each other for a while. Fighting with a huge cool box because he likes to buy western goodies - probably in bulk because the rest of us only need a plastic bag for the purchased sandwich fillings. Normally, when we sit together, the large bottles of Leo go down well with him, but today he remains quite sober, just like De Inquisitor by the way.

Who had a great time, enjoyed the exclusively Flemish/Dutch conversations (apart from the Brussels native, his dialect is hopeless), enjoyed understandable jokes and sayings, and who thinks he has found new friends thanks to the Thailand blog. Just like that, out of the blue. Ten thousand kilometers from our roots.

Worth repeating, Isaanfarangs generally have a good attitude and are, again in Flemish, plant tractors. Look good everywhere, make their lives interesting. And above all, they don't complain, they enjoy themselves despite the Isan antics they experience.