Patexpat
March 18th, 2010, 15:29
Just thought I'd share my Si Sa Ket experiences with you should you care to read.
I avoid travelling to Issan unless unavoidable for various reasons that I won't go in to here but suffice to say that a hotel bedroom without ensuite is my idea of roughing it beyond the pail.
Anyways, it was a 'family' wedding and so had little option but to attend, so off we went and arrived in Si Sa Ket town after about 7 hours or so and checked in to the Phromphiman Hotel towards the north side of the town. Had reserved the best room they had, newly refurbished, big LCD TV and the bath room even had well, a bath ... and a full size one too!
I'm easy to please (well sometimes) and so was well made up, especially as the railway station was nearby (I have a chilhood love of trains and heritage transport).
My bf village (Sri Kaeo) is about a 20 minute drive from the hotel is a part of the province famous for sweetcorn, although the lack of rain meant that this years crop is uncertain.
We met up with my bf friends - they have been friends every since school, and are now all in their early thirties, each with their respective career well in place; teachers, a nurse and one who had built up his own business wholesaling sweetcorn to Bangkok. It was a real joy to spend time with them, and the strength of their friendship was really good to experience.
A falang is still a novelty up there, and I received many stares (not hostile, just curious) from both young and old alike. I found it very funny when we arrived at a school just as they were lowering the Thai flag at the end of the day, the entire assembly pivoting there heads to look at a falang who knew their teacher (it was a middle school, ages about 8-12 at a guess).
It's fair to say that like a lot of rural Thailand there is no recognisable gay scene, but I was very surprised at how many readily available Issan boys and men there were. There was even a gay restaurant near my bf home run by a Khatoey who spent some time in Switzerland and took delight in being able to cook falang food for me. There was a steady parade of customers every time we were there, including it being a favourite stop off point on the way home for local students. By about 8pm most people were tucked up at home.
All in all a very relaxing few days, the wedding went off without a hitch, and a nice change of pace from working in Pattaya and a great deal of fun was had by all. It was certainly cheap too; a meal for all 6 of us including drinks in Si Sa Ket town was B1009 - at the local gay restaurant food and two bottles of whisk with mixers was B967. And none of that 'let's see how much we can rip this falang off for' either
Don't think I could live there, but certainly happy to go back for a break now and again.
[attachment=2:3vev3iii]DSCF1465.JPG[/attachment:3vev3iii]
[attachment=1:3vev3iii]DSCF1469.JPG[/attachment:3vev3iii]
[attachment=0:3vev3iii]DSCF1557.JPG[/attachment:3vev3iii]
I avoid travelling to Issan unless unavoidable for various reasons that I won't go in to here but suffice to say that a hotel bedroom without ensuite is my idea of roughing it beyond the pail.
Anyways, it was a 'family' wedding and so had little option but to attend, so off we went and arrived in Si Sa Ket town after about 7 hours or so and checked in to the Phromphiman Hotel towards the north side of the town. Had reserved the best room they had, newly refurbished, big LCD TV and the bath room even had well, a bath ... and a full size one too!
I'm easy to please (well sometimes) and so was well made up, especially as the railway station was nearby (I have a chilhood love of trains and heritage transport).
My bf village (Sri Kaeo) is about a 20 minute drive from the hotel is a part of the province famous for sweetcorn, although the lack of rain meant that this years crop is uncertain.
We met up with my bf friends - they have been friends every since school, and are now all in their early thirties, each with their respective career well in place; teachers, a nurse and one who had built up his own business wholesaling sweetcorn to Bangkok. It was a real joy to spend time with them, and the strength of their friendship was really good to experience.
A falang is still a novelty up there, and I received many stares (not hostile, just curious) from both young and old alike. I found it very funny when we arrived at a school just as they were lowering the Thai flag at the end of the day, the entire assembly pivoting there heads to look at a falang who knew their teacher (it was a middle school, ages about 8-12 at a guess).
It's fair to say that like a lot of rural Thailand there is no recognisable gay scene, but I was very surprised at how many readily available Issan boys and men there were. There was even a gay restaurant near my bf home run by a Khatoey who spent some time in Switzerland and took delight in being able to cook falang food for me. There was a steady parade of customers every time we were there, including it being a favourite stop off point on the way home for local students. By about 8pm most people were tucked up at home.
All in all a very relaxing few days, the wedding went off without a hitch, and a nice change of pace from working in Pattaya and a great deal of fun was had by all. It was certainly cheap too; a meal for all 6 of us including drinks in Si Sa Ket town was B1009 - at the local gay restaurant food and two bottles of whisk with mixers was B967. And none of that 'let's see how much we can rip this falang off for' either
Don't think I could live there, but certainly happy to go back for a break now and again.
[attachment=2:3vev3iii]DSCF1465.JPG[/attachment:3vev3iii]
[attachment=1:3vev3iii]DSCF1469.JPG[/attachment:3vev3iii]
[attachment=0:3vev3iii]DSCF1557.JPG[/attachment:3vev3iii]