An Isan village life (5)

that in Isaan living are sometimes regarded as a species hermits. Who bury themselves somewhere in the deep interior of a developing country, in the poorest region of all?

The only stories remembered by those who seek more lavish resorts are those of power cuts, bad internet, poor infrastructure and meager food. Not to mention those peculiar natives who have lived there for centuries, they are lazy and drink themselves to death, their poverty is their own fault and that's it. And on top of that, there are the partners of this one farangs, the reason why they had to move to those harsh places. They change from beautiful sexy ladies to real Isaaners, family bound and therefore after houses, cars, gold and money.

The Inquisitor quietly thinks it's all fine. Accepts the prevailing prejudices and enjoys all those so-called disadvantages. Yes, sometimes he has those days when he likes to be a kind of recluse. Then, as long as there is enough food in the house, do not go outside for days and amuse yourself in his castle. Guarded by three ferocious dogs that even the natives respect, nicely fenced by a maze of measures because of the inventiveness of the dogs to escape.

A jungle-like garden that would make an English gardener's hair stand on end, but which is attractive to all of Isaan's wildlife including snakes and other venomous stuff. A pond that continues to cause problems due to recurring leakage, not to mention the half-hearted shrimp and crab farming of his love. Even inside the house, things are turned upside down by two cats, a cat with a hangover she can't stand.

No cock crowing when The Inquisitor feels like lighting a fire, that's just a good deed because it's the only way to get rid of garbage. No one to correct him when he starts chopping down trees because he wants to make an indefinable piece again. No one complains when his music is way too loud or his dogs start howling in the middle of the night for some unknown reason. No government reprimands him when he connects the device before the meter during welding to get enough amps. No housemate who comes to complain when he simply does nothing out of sheer laziness, no one who corrects him when he drinks a few beers in a thirsty-naughty mood.

The Inquisitor enjoys his love whom he has come to love even more than before. Despite the fact that she has gained some kilos, that she hardly puts on make-up, let alone wears a short skirt. Although she cherishes her family and likes to be around, she likes to take care of everyone who needs it. He enjoys the fact that her personality is blossoming, that she can be who she wants to be without having to worry like she used to. The Inquisitor has learned that her true beauty lies within, in her character, in her concern for others.

In a previous life, The Inquisitor was someone who sought happiness mainly in the material. Fulfilling ambitions, ambitions that were pumped in by a society that cherishes money. Earning a lot of money but neglecting your family because of the many work, he now knows. Luxuriously furnished house with designer furniture, but you can just as comfortably sit on a homemade sofa with some collected cushions. Large, beautiful cars, replaced every four years because that was attractive from a tax point of view, and heavy motorcycles on top of that, because that was 'in', despite the fact that you barely had time for that motorcycle to tour and that you could drive those cars just for business.

Happiness was being present at large organizations with well-known figures, important football matches, seeing and being seen. And preferably in fashionable clothing that was only chic for one season. Going to dine in fancy and well-known restaurants where you paid a price that was much too high for what you got, but you maintained your status. You had to experience culture, but then the culture that was common: you didn't go to what was wrong. You had to go with the trend, follow everything that society approved and what was disapproved you dropped.

Here in the harsh Isaan, De Inquisitor has learned to enjoy the little things. Delight in simple meals: a fish on the barbecue, a dish of fried rice with vegetables and meat. Watching nature in all patience: a flower that opens, an iguana follow its sharp movements. The people behold in full understanding of what they do and how they do it. Watching your stepdaughter grow up, how quickly she changes from a hopeless teenager to a fickle adolescent in a short period of time. Seeing Pang Phon, the step-nephew, his progress as a five-month-old baby, his innocent confidence in familiar faces, his cheerfulness for no reason. Watch the imaginative games of his brother, five-year-old Phi-Phi, and have fun with his unbridled imagination.

The Inquisitor has also lost his impatience, time is relative, he can now easily sit quietly for hours with love without saying anything, without wanting anything. Isaan taught him to forgive, to share, to understand.

Even for Buddhism, De Inquisitor, himself a convinced atheist, can still understand. Yes, there are many excesses that do not bear his approval, but that is the nature of religion and the greatest excesses are at the top. But the people of Isaan find comfort and support in it. Often this is material, people who are in real trouble then receive food packages, or clothing, blankets, ... . The temples also support the community by financing goods so that the roads and irrigation canals can be repaired. But most of all, people take comfort when they feel bad. They purify themselves through sacrifice: feeding the monks, making small financial donations, or helping to renew or maintain the temples and their surroundings.

Without this religion, most would feel lost, De Inquisitor is convinced of that.

And so, if the power goes out again or the internet connection fails, or if The Inquisitor is once again taken by love over a pitiful dirt road to a hidden temple, or if incredibly strange food is served, or if there is another once a gang of lao-kaos shows up in the shop, or an outsourced job is stopped again because they just don't feel like it that day - De Inquisitor hardly complains anymore.

And playing the hermit every now and then is quite fun, after all there are many other times to get between people. And yes, also towards places where there is more entertainment. But nowadays De Inquisitor and het lief can only keep that up for a maximum of a week, as it turned out recently.

Then they both begin to long for this small village, its people, nature, their own fortress.