November 23rd 2011

Sisaket, Isan Province, Thailand

7 days after we flew into Bangkok, 1 ¾ days ahead, 861 photos later, one 14 hr night train ride, we have landed here in Sisaket in the Eastern province of Isan-The Elephants Ear- NorthEastern Thailand.

Ians brother Seth has lived here for quite a few years now, and it is home. Its seems like time is moving at an unusually graceful pace, each day seeming filled with sweetness, long and full.

We arrived in the morning after a long wild night train ride across Thailand out into more rural Isan. It feels calm after the noise of Bangkok’s streets. With a 1/3 of a litre of Sam Song Thai rum, 2 cold bottles of Coke, 2 Baguette ham cucumber sandwiches and our backpacks of belongings- we set out in a neon fuchsia pink taxi cab for the train station. We boarded the train Friday evening, the air was sticky with heat and it clung to our skin while we sat waiting for the trip to begin. The colors of the train car, like a turquoise dream, pale seafoam, teal, green, and golden yellow numbers telling us which seat/bed belonged to each person. Upper lower Fan section. Which is more expensive by a bit, and the bottom seats fold down into a bed, and the top folds down, like mobile and private bunk beds. The attendant comes around at some point and transforms each section into sleeptown.

The window is wide open as the train starts to move, and the wind feels so good on our faces, sweeping the heat out and letting us breathe again. Rum and cokes and sandwiches while we watch the Bangkok night pass by, yes. Delicious. The train stops for long periods of time everywhere, listening and watching the packs of dogs, and the small rundown houses with no walls just sheets, the blasting music, families watching TV lounging on the cement floors with fans blowing. You can see a lot from the window of a train. I keep trying to get Liz Lemon from 30 Rock singing “working on the Night Cheese….night cheese!” out of my head…….So many good and terrible songs about trains.

After some fidgety attempts to sleep, its starting to get light out-we sit together in the white sheets listening and intently watching for our stop. Thai is verrrry well, impossible to try to read and it would be rather easy to miss our stop entirely. Drinking hot sweet NesCafe from paper cups, and watching the dawn over the rice fields, the birds were out in force.

Egrets, some sort of night herons, minas, water buffalo, cows all look so different from anything I know. Flocks of stark white snowy egrets fly together, and some stand casually on the backs of the buffalos.

We arrive in Sisaket 3 or so hours later than we anticipated, but eventually after missing Seth, Pairin, and Sam-O sitting waiting for us somehow, we found each other! Pairin hiding behind Seth, giggling and excited but shy at first. It took about 20 minutes for her to become more than comfortable and happy that Uncle Ian and Aunty Erika had arrived-We went and had noodle soup together, and were more than content to be here with family. The fun was just beginning.

( More Photos and waterfall stories to come soon! )

Erika