Rob’s Thai Roving Report

Travelling through Thailand with my wife Taew, her cousin Q, his wife Ann and their son Indy was always going to be an adventure. They were taking us south towards their home in Hat Yai, but our journey gave us the chance to discover places we might otherwise have missed, including Samut Songkhram, which I'd experienced many years earlier.  

I have enjoyed seeing how towns and cities develop since my first visit to Thailand in 2004. Some grow, then stagnate or even decline. Others continue to develop. The worldwide pandemic had a huge effect, stalling progress as businesses disappeared. Khon Kaen has continued to grow since I first stayed in the Isan region in 2018.

  I thought the back end of 2021 was dramatic as I moved from London to live in Bangkok, but 2023 took things to a whole new level. I was on the move again, only this time with a lady I married, to the northeast countryside of the Land of Smiles, where I was introduced to many traditions and cultures, including the Surin Elephant Festival.

Since moving to Isan, I've enjoyed exploring local attractions, experiencing traditional festivals and getting to know my in-laws. Without doubt, an introduction to Bun Bang Fai rocket festivals, first at a large event and then at a smaller one, was a highlight. Now it was time to see how a local village went about staging one.  

It had been over a year since my wife, Taew, and I moved to Sisaket in the northeast of Thailand. I was getting to grips with how things worked, and beginning to understand which month each of the many festivals was held. One that we wanted to find out about and visit was the famous Yasothon Rocket Festival weekend. 

It was a typical early evening in our village back in April 2024. I had been out for a short cycle ride and was relaxing on the veranda, while Taew tended her garden. A distant relative dropped off envelopes at our house and next door, suggesting that an event was coming up. I had little idea it would involve me doing a 21km sponsored walk to watch football and raise money for the local school.

It’s always nice when friends tell me they are heading to Thailand, especially if it means we can meet. They sometimes ask for advice, and I help wherever possible. In February 2024, a group were staying in Bangkok. Andy wanted a Sunday morning walk, so I got to work and put together something to occupy us for a few hours.