The Thai Adventures of Rob B

I'm not sure whether my wife, Taew, was surprised any more by my enthusiasm for embracing village life. I wanted to experience and appreciate how different life was from what I'd known in England. That became very clear when I joined my wife's family for the annual rice harvest.

When visitors think of Thailand, beaches and islands often come to mind first. Yet one of the country's greatest treasures lies just 80 kilometres north of Bangkok. Ayutthaya has drawn me back time and again over the years, and every visit has left me with another story to tell.

When I moved to Thailand in 2021, I made two promises - to integrate with local people and experience real Thai festivals and traditions.  My first Bun Bang Fai rocket festival in rural Isan would go a long way towards both.

After enjoying my first Bun Fai rocket festival, it didn’t take long before another opportunity appeared — this time in rural Roi Et, with Auntie Lamyong joining the adventure. I had fun at my first delve into the Isan tradition, and now that I knew what went on, I wanted to have another look. For the uninitiated, click here to read a previous article that explains the background of Thai rocket festivals. 

It’s astonishing, at least to me, just how many Thai cities generally go undiscovered by tourists. Some may argue that many are pretty much the same. However, I feel each has nuances, traditions, festivals and food worth visiting for. One city that has gone the extra mile to draw in Westerners is Buriram.

Most visitors know Songkran for giant water fights and chaos in Thailand's tourist hotspots. My first Songkran living in a rural Isaan village couldn't have been more different, revealing a celebration built around family, tradition, music and community.  

Something I find very appealing about Thailand is that it has so many provinces and cities that often go under the radar of the average tourist, despite being wonderful places to visit. My wife Taew and I regularly travelled long distances by car, which gave us great opportunities to stop off and spend the night somewhere new, as was the case in Lampang.

When I boarded my flight at Heathrow to start a new life in Thailand, I didn’t think for one minute that things would progress so quickly. I’d enjoyed my time in Minburi, in Bangkok’s suburbs, to the max and had met an amazing woman. We’d moved to the northeast of the country and looked forward to our wedding day. Now, that was an experience.

In June 2018, I took a two-week holiday in Thailand and spent much of the time exploring Isan by public transport. Little did I realise when I stayed a night in Sisaket that I would end up married and living in the province within 5 years. Back in the northeast, before our wedding, I wanted to explore the city for a few hours.

I knew that if I were to move to rural Sisaket in the northeast of Thailand, there would be many things that I would need to learn and open my eyes to. There were the obvious ones, like learning the local lingo and understanding that the same amenities would not be on my doorstep. But frog fishing? 

  It was January 2023, and life was good. Taew and I were looking forward to our wedding in a couple of months, and we were getting ready to move from Minburi to Sisaket. But before we did, I wanted to make the most of our central location and fit in a few more adventures, so a trip along the western Gulf to Prachuap Kiri Khan for an overnight stay with a scenic stop at Don Hoi Lot along the way was just the job.

As readers of this blog may have quickly discovered, I enjoy socialising as well as visiting different places around Thailand. It is a fantastic country to relax after dark, with many towns and cities being completely different once the temperature cools and people want to have fun. There are options to suit all tastes and budgets, and one venue that has given me countless memorable nights is the Tawandang German Brewery in Bangkok.