Thai Countryside Scenes (page 3 of 6)

all the photos in this thread are gorgeous!

Thanks.

Thanks for this lovely selection. I notice you also find countryside spots in Bangkok—that’s great.

And that’s not even all of them... But yeah, I discovered some totally unexpected countryside places right in the heart of Bangkok, and it was delightful!

Here are a few photos I took this morning shortly after 7 a.m. during my morning walk through the rice fields, 20 km from Chiang Rai, where I arrived two days ago. And I thought a lot about Songsam. Who would’ve guessed he’d be with me here? 😢 🤗 I’m dedicating these photos to you, Thierry—I know you’ll appreciate them.



And here he is, so cheerful from his tractor, hands pressed together, letting go of the wheel and leaning forward to greet me with a big smile as he approached. But in the photo, you mostly see the magnificent tractor up close and not so much the smile. So I’m not posting it. What exactly is he doing?







Marabou storks or some kind of Asian stork? Either way, they were feasting. And it was another farmer who pointed them out to me—I hadn’t noticed them at first.



And here I was, worried I’d get scolded for walking through their fields... With an incredible urge to pee and still not knowing if it’s okay to relieve myself in nature. My driver last year hinted that it wasn’t a good idea... Thais aren’t like Indians, who pee anywhere, even in the middle of the city 😠. But in nature? I used all sorts of tricks because after my tea, I had to empty my bladder three times (which never fully empties, by the way...). I can already hear someone saying I’m oversharing... She doesn’t like what I write, but she never misses one of my posts... 🤗

And this one—I thought he was spraying pesticide, but I saw a shower of little things coming out of his machine. Maybe fertilizer?



And her? She was sowing by hand, like we used to do when I was a kid... But what was she sowing? Rice?



Either way, everyone, completely absorbed in their work, still took the time to greet me cheerfully

Yes, everywhere in the country, people greet you, and the vast majority are friendly and exceptionally polite. Yes, they use pesticides as much as they can, with a lack of regulations that would shock any French farmer, leading to far too many cases of cancer. Yes, it’s extremely frowned upon to pee anywhere in nature. That said, while traveling through the country, you’ll regularly see workers taking a quick leak. When you’re far from home on a construction site with no toilets available yet, you’re not gonna hold it just for the sake of appearances.

Yes, it’s really frowned upon to pee anywhere in nature. (...) When you’re a good distance from home, on a construction site where there aren’t any toilets yet, you’re not gonna hold it just for the sake of propriety.

And when you’re an older man hiking, far from home—and any welcoming temple—with health issues (prostate), it’s the same deal. So for the past two days, I’ve been breaking this kind of unfair rule. Still, I make sure no one’s around, and banana trees and other lush bushes act as walls...

Morning walk and immersion in rural life around Chiang Rai.

I made two local discoveries in this village. 1/ In India, people don’t respect the environment, their neighbors, or passersby and turn nature into a dump. But at home, it’s spotless. You could eat off the floor. Here, it’s the opposite—outside, everything looks neat and flowery, but inside, what a mess! Farmyards are real filthy dumps. 2/ The houses on the village’s main street have pretty gardens and flowery doorsteps, but as soon as you turn onto the side streets, every house and garden is surrounded by really high, ugly cinderblock walls. Walking between these horrible rows of walls feels like prison corridors. Is it to hide the squalor they live in from passersby?

Thankfully, there are the rice fields...









I think I’ve figured out rice cultivation: you scatter the seeds by hand, collect the seedlings that sprout, and transplant them one by one—very carefully and... aesthetically. What a job! And then... the harvest...? But honestly, I don’t understand what they were doing here. They were loading a truck with these rolls, but I couldn’t get close enough to see what was inside because of the mud...



I came across a pig farm. Beautiful, well-fed, clean, and pink, but... terribly confined in individual cages...







This one broke my heart with its gaze, so I removed the bars... Plus, it wouldn’t stop talking to me. Seriously, I swear! More welcoming than the dogs...

And this... An offering?

Thanks so much, Marien, for these two new near-live series—I’m really enjoying them!

le magnifique tracteur

Gorgeous, and a 4x4 on top of that, so probably not a "poor farmer" (though he stayed loyal to Kubota)—maybe it was a contractor. Once, at Jodelavega’s place, I had a blast doing some minor work on his tractor (not 4x4). Since it’s the only four-wheeled vehicle I know how to drive, I took the opportunity.

And I was worried I’d get yelled at for walking through their fields...

As long as it’s during the day and you’re behaving respectfully and modestly, there’s not much to worry about. That said, you *do* need to watch out for stray dogs. That’s why I never walk in the countryside (including on its small roads) without a stick. Usually, just standing up straight and raising the stick (or a rock) is enough to scare them off—they’re often more dumb than brave. The same advice goes for biking in those areas, and there’s the added risk of falling, so always keep a stick in your basket.

Only once have I been bitten by a stray dog—ironically, it was in a city, but in India, in Pushkar. When I got back to the guesthouse, I asked if I should see a doctor. The owner looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Why? Just wait for it to heal." So that’s what I did.

But in Nature? I used all kinds of tricks because after my tea, I had to empty my bladder three times.

What, peeing on the king’s land??? Better not tell you the punishment for such a crime...

Just kidding. Do what (almost) everyone does everywhere: hide.

As for the machine I saw in the countryside around Sukhothai, it unrolls rice seedlings! No more manual transplanting for those who can afford it! In France, they sell rolls of turf on the same principle..

Message 19, 3rd photo.

Ah! So that’s what those rolls I saw were (5th photo)...

The bug where we don’t get email notifications for new discussions, replies in threads, or messages in a conversation has popped up again. I thought there’d been no reaction to my last post with the pigs and the rice paddies. I was a little disappointed...

Test - it seems like the bug occurs when sending the newsletter.

And this... An offering?



This eerily resembles the petals of a flower once widely cultivated in the region before being "exported" after "processing." Today, its cultivation has often been replaced by corn, tea, or tobacco due to the influence of the Thai state at the "insistence" of the U.S. DEA.

Detail of a Papaver somniferum field in the Golden Triangle region:

Endless coffee plantations as far as the eye can see. But where is this? Go on, take a little guess...

Hi there,

Test - it looks like the bug happens when sending the newsletter.

For about a week now, I haven’t been receiving any reply notifications by email. In my "account settings," the option is still checked "yes."

Hi there, Thanks for chipping in! Feel free to post more photos—I’ve got a hunch you’ve got plenty more.

Endless coffee plantations. But where is this? Go on, take a guess...

The scenery suggests it’s up north, arabica country, but that doesn’t narrow it down much since you’ll find plantations in quite a few provinces: Tak, Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nan...

Hello,

Well, no—it’s not in the north that this is happening, but in the south. I’d hidden the palm trees and coconut trees on purpose...😉 This is in Chumphon Province, which produces 60% of Thailand’s coffee. It’s Robusta, which is less prized than Arabica, the latter being produced in the north of the country. Here, we’re in the Thasae District, in the northwest of Chumphon Province, a district bordering Myanmar. In addition to coffee, you’ll also find durian in large quantities, oil palms, and coconut trees.















Everything at this producer’s place is done artisanally.







As for getting to the farm, it’s not that simple... The "roads" are actually dirt tracks for nearly 30 km, and they’ll be impassable during the rainy season. It’s worth the effort, though.

Hello,

In our southern countryside, you’ll find endless coconut groves. Coconut trees aren’t just for casting shade on dreamy beaches—the coconut is a key ingredient in Thai culture and cuisine. Many people depend on it for their livelihood, and it grows year-round. Here, monkeys are the ones who harvest them... It’s a controversial method, sure, but every family with a large coconut grove keeps a few monkeys at home to pick the fruit.

Another fascinating insight for me—I had no idea monkeys were trained to pick coconuts. Thanks!

Right at the very start of tourism on Koh Samui (1970s), copra harvesting was the island’s main activity alongside fishing. In all the coconut plantations, you could see lots of monkeys picking coconuts.