Greetings from Isaan (part 2)

A mixed color pallet of flowers in red, yellow, blue, white, ... attracts attention in all gardens. Bees and other winged insects flock to it so that it is a lively whole. It is clear that nature does not stand still here despite the somewhat lower temperatures.

Small carpets of blue flowers suddenly claim their place between barren places, unknown herbs spring up spontaneously everywhere. The orchids are top with color shades that are indescribable. You get all this when you help nature a little bit: water. A two-day recurring chore that De Inquisitor and liefje-lief do together, she the backyard where most edible plants are, De Inquisitor the front yard where more flowering species show their splendour.

In the fields and forests around, the barren and brown color dominates the currently deserted rice fields, but if you look closely, you will also see a lot of life here. A number of tree species and shrubs seem to taste an approaching spring, young green is starting to make beautiful shades of color. Here and there there seem to be oases, which are the places where the villagers grow vegetables. Mango trees are in bloom, and en masse this year, there are almost more flowers than leaves. The Isan variant of the lemon known to us, the , you can currently pick daily, The Inquisitor makes tea out of it to fight his cold, or iced tea to drink during the day, very refreshing. The fruit of another tree is currently being harvested everywhere, , legumes that look a bit like dates. Long stick, rub against the branches and the fruits fall down. The pod is then removed and the seeds removed. A bit sticky, but a delicacy full of vitamins.

The animal world also continues to attract attention, for example, the somewhat larger specimens of lizards that are called 'iguana' are now appearing en masse. The Inquisitor has no idea why, but he hopes that as many as possible will disappear to his garden. If they don't, they are doomed. Because every year around this time, the villagers go hunting for those critters. With the catapult they are shot and collected, a local delicacy. For De Inquisitor they are simply harmless but fascinating reptiles, beautiful in color and appearance, fun to observe.

Frogs and toads are always present, noisy at sunset, their concert supported by that of the crickets. Birds also seem to sense the coming spring, there are more species to see during this period due to the presence of migratory birds. But these too must remain outside the inhabited world as much as possible or they will fall prey to the Isaan menu, no matter how big or small they are.
The cooler weather has another advantage: the annoying insects are hardly present. There are no small flying insects that hover in their tens of thousands around every light point in the evening, and there are hardly any mosquitoes either. As a result, there are also fewer geckos, only the two cats at the Inquisitor's house regret that. Even the ubiquitous ants seem to be keeping a low profile, no invasions to fight for now.

The villagers are now busy with other things while the rice is still. Three-quarters of adult men have moved to Bangkok or elsewhere to earn an income, those who stayed behind grow vegetables or help in forestry, well, forest clearing actually. A few are renovating their house and have the necessary finances to hire some day laborers. All that makes it blissfully quiet. Nice to go for a walk, take the three dogs with you, you will not meet anyone. Man and dogs enjoy these moments, during the day it is wonderfully warm, a blissful breeze subdues the exuberant sun a bit.

In the shop, apart from the regular drinkers, it is also quiet. Very occasionally a few people flatter themselves in the sala or sit at the stone table under the awning, but the drinking bouts are more moderate than usual. Everything else goes according to Isaan rhythm: in the morning they come to buy breakfast, then there are only passing customers, and around five o'clock in the afternoon it is slightly busier again. But not for long, for several weeks now it has been able to close its shop around half past six, that's great. Can we eat together on the lower terrace at the house, relax a bit and go to bed early, television is not for us.

For some reason there have been no “Isaan antics” in recent weeks, actually about three months, that can occasionally excite The Inquisitor. He walks around relaxed, does his thing, no one bothers him or asks strange things of him. Not situations that you have to think about three times before giving an answer, because if you reply too quickly and too intuitively, tensions will arise. But there's nothing.

Liefje-sweet sees it differently, she says during such a relaxed evening meal. It is still just the same as before, but De Inquisitor has acquired a different, better attitude, she reports. How so? Well, you don't bother about those things like you used to, you've become more understanding without giving up your own personality. You now know our way of thinking and acting, you are no longer surprised. And we and the people of the village also know you well now, your good sides and your idiosyncrasies.

The love is correct with her judgment, The Inquisitor realizes afterwards. It took him almost four years, but the surprise, sometimes indignation, is gone. Nobody has a monopoly on wisdom, there is always a golden mean. The Inquisitor no longer cares about the mess that Isaaners like to leave behind. Appointment time is a clue, not a coercion. Sudden changes in planned matters, what's wrong with that? You better enjoy it. The famille knows those crazy boundaries at the farang house and the farang themselves know when to back down if necessary because of their culture.

If you combine all that with the conviviality that prevails here, the low involvement of governments and other fingers raised, the slowness of life that also extends to traffic and other things, it is perfect life in Isaan. You know your addresses where your preferences are sold, both for food and in terms of reliability of quality and prices, so that those annoyances have also disappeared. And once you are used to the greater distances, you no longer have the feeling that you are buried alive. You make friends who, just like you, do not need daily gossip, so you see each other once a month at the most, you have something interesting to tell and listen to.

There are more than enough places of interest and everywhere within a short distance, certainly as beautiful as in the tourist hotspots, but fortunately little known by mass tourism. Cities with more Western-style shopping centers and entertainment are never far away, in the case of De Inquisitor he is an hour in Sakun Nakhon, an hour and a half in Udon Thani and two hours in Nong Khai. If he really wants to, he can drive to Bangkok in just under seven hours, and in Pattaya in just over eight hours. If we are not talking about the domestic flights that are becoming more and more frequent and visit more destinations, De Inquisitor can travel quite quickly to say Koh Samui or Chang Mai.

No, you won't get The Inquisitor out of here that quickly.

To be continued….