TheNHBushman.com

Its Because Of All The Cool Stuff I Get To Do
This story is about one of those moments in life where you know you are making a difference in someone else’s life - you are showing them new things and teaching them about other cultures. Bushman lives for these experiences. I got to do something really cool, and this story is about that event.


While in Thailand, I commissioned the building of a new wood BBQ smoker to some rough specifications I gave the machine shop. I worked with the shop for over a week to get it done. Its based on a Texas offset design, with some changes. I am planning to make more changes to the design for a premium new product to be offered for sale in 2006, manufactured in Thailand. Thai workers are really great and these guys went the extra mile for me.

Here you see me going over some of the dimensions with the lead person (seen behind me on the left). You can imagine how difficult it was because I cannot speak Thai, and none of the workers can speak English.

Checking the form and fit of the unit as it nears completion. It is a little rough around the edges, but not bad for people who never saw one of these before.

Once completed, the shop workers painted it silver (without asking me!). We then put it in Ben’s pickup and took it out to the village where we had enjoyed several evening meals with the local people. There is an abundance of wood in the village and we wanted to give the smoker a good test before I returned to Taiwan.

Here I am selecting the woods which will be used to burn out the smoker before use, and then later the wood which will be used to smoke the first batch of food.

We used some locally made charcoal to start the burn out. Anything made from sheet metal should be burned out to rid it of any chemical impurities. We burned it for more than 2 hours, until the chemical smell was completely gone. After that we wiped down the inside with clean rags and then went onto the cooking fire. I wouldn’t normally have done it quite in that way, but I had to work with what I could do in the time we had.

Once burned out, I placed the cooking wood I had selected into the fire box. The villagers use wood for cooking, but only as a fuel source. They were going to use a piece of rubber bicycle tire inner tube to light off the charcoal. It took some explaining to get them to understand that smoking food is cooking it with the heat of the smoke so its flavored by it. The food is not enclosed in a pot - its open to the smoke and thus influenced by the flavoring properties of the smoke. Rubber does not taste good on food, trust me.

When the cooking fire was nearly burned down and ready, the local people used a bamboo brush and generously coated the cooking grate with cooking oil. They were very enthusiastic about the smoker and sat patiently all the while, waiting.

Extremely curious about this totally foreign of method of cooking, the villagers asked if they could cook some of their own prepared chicken. Certainly! They braved the smoke of the cooking chamber and laid out a pot of their marinated chicken on the cooking grate.

Here you see the food laid out on the cooking grate as it was about to begin smoking. There is the local chicken to the left, pork ribs in the center (similar to the Arkansas ribs of the US) and red snapper fillets on the right.

After a bit more fire-tending, Ben and I settled down to some serious BBQing - which means we poured several strong drinks of local Thai rum & coke, and then waited until the food was cooked.

Ah…. The art of True BBQ is so strenuous….

Finally, the food was just about done! Notice how the fish oil has come to the surface of the fish. This is the most flavorable part of the meat and its lost when grilling. Smoked fish is wonderful and the flavor of the smoked meat and oil is hard to describe.

The villagers eagerly retrieved their chicken and also other items which were ready.

In a defining moment for the Bushman, these Thai villagers got to enjoy a show of a lifetime as I did real Texas style BBQ in northern Thailand in a remote location with a smoker of my own design. I couldn’t have been happier. The villagers loved the smoked food, and you can see that they are all smiles. I left the smoker with them when I returned to Taiwan. I can’t wait to see how they have adapted it to their own local cuisine. That is what I am looking forward to finding out on my next visit!

Our friend Ben owns a property in the area of Ubon Ratchathani in eastern Thailand. His farm is so remote that he doesn’t have electricity there - the perfect Bush Camp! Let’s take a look at this excellent place!

Before I show you the site itself, let me address some questions I’ve been asked by interested people. Yes, I am available to take guests to these places and be their guide. The costs are reasonable but it does depend upon where you want to go. If you can arrange your own airfare, I will take care of the rest for you. The daily fees range from about US$300 to US$800, everything included. Those prices are very reasonable for a remote village camp vacation. If you don’t believe me, do some checking online in places like Tanzania (like Klein’s Camp).

Now, on to the photos!

Overview shot showing the beautiful natural buildings on the site. The setting sun is low on the horizon and casts some interesting shadows.

A lovely shot of Hui-Chen standing in the kitchen. Her shirt says “Natural Beauty” in white letters. Everyone agrees.

This is the side entrance to the main building.

And this is what the main deck looks like when standing in front of the entrance previously shown. (These shots were taken over several days which explains the various lighting) We take all our meals on this deck and spent a good deal of time enjoying the open roof.

Immediately to the right of the previous shot is the bed, where I slept on the deck under the netting. Definitely Bush.

Right off the front porch is the kitchen. Actually the front porch is the kitchen, where many delicious meals were prepared for us from local ingredients.

Here we see one of the local gentlemen preparing a fish for soup. Every single herb used in the dishes were hand picked on this property. Wonderful.

Charcoal is used for cooking, and here is the stove. Everything we ate was cooked right here.

This is how glutinous rice is cooked. The metal vessel contains water for making steam to cook the rice in the bamboo steaming basket on top.

Here we are getting ready to settle down to some serious eating, Thai style! Of course, I’ve already settled down to some serious drinking, Bushman style! The gentleman on the right is one of Ben’s relatives (Ben is on the left).

We kept a bush fire going the entire time we were there. This slow smoldering fire helps to keep the mosquitoes away from the camp.

The property itself is quite large and makes for a nice stroll in the morning, or after dinner. Except for the people who live in the adjacent property (and are caretakers) the next dwelling is in the village at the end of the road (that girl just looks prettier and prettier every time I see her).

After dinner Hui-Chen checked out my instant tent (that I bought for US$17). You just toss it in the place you want to set up and it pops into shape. Its not really a tent as much as a mosquito net. Great for light weight trips such as bicycle camping.

After dinner its time to relax and do more drinking! I’m enjoying Sang Som (an excellent local rum) and coke.

In many places in the world, this is how you turn on the tap water. Each night we would take turns washing up at the pump because there is no actual shower. Washing by candlelight with a bucket is a pleasant Bush experience that everyone should have at least once.

Or, another country that hasn’t yet given up on Communism….

One of the most bizarre international borders on the planet - left-side travel roads of Thailand directly connect with right-side travel roads of the Lao PDR. The sign says “TRAFFIC CHANGE OVER AHEAD PREPARE TO STOP.”

One must cross the Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge (built with Thai money) to get to Laos from Thailand at Nong Khai. In this view, Thailand is on the left and the Lao PDR is on the right.

Up until last month you could make a ferry crossing from Laos and land here in Thailand. Now this landing has been moved up river a few hundred meters to a new government building.

Once across the Mekong River and the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, a quick spray of the tires with a chemical to kill any bad bugs brought into the country by the bus from Thailand, and its off to Passport Control.

After the crowded bus ride over the bridge, and then being jacked up for roughly US$36 for a visa-on-arrival (how else can these commie countries make money?) its onto Vientiane, about 25 KM northwest from Nong Khai, Thailand. We paid 100 Thai Baht for this ride in a local tuk-tuk. The driver pool insisted upon more but I knew it should only be 100 Baht. A by-standing driver overheard my bargaining and offered to take us both immediately for 100 Baht. It pays to stand your ground on bargaining.

Pretty typical southeast Asian street scenes on the way to Vientiane. Laos considers Thailand to be a rich country.

Most of the buildings look rather run down, but never the temples.

Once on the streets of Vientiane - WATCH YOUR STEP! There are open holes everywhere!

We went to the local currency exchange and traded in 2,000 Thai Baht for PDR currency. See the pile of rubber bands? Those come in handy to manage the roll of cash you will get back! Here Hui-Chen is shown counting more than 500,000 in Lao PDR currency (called “Kip”). When making purchases, the currency you use can make a huge difference in the price. Lao merchants prefer US dollars (who doesn’t?) and Thailand Baht to their own currency. We used Baht and got better prices than with Kip.

Foreign influence is everywhere. As soon as you seen signs for “guesthouses” instead of hotels you know that its a farang town. There is a lot of French influence as this entire area was once a French colony. The old name for Vietnam is “French Indochina” remember? We saw so many restaurants with French bread and pate that we thought we were in Europe.

Check out the prices! 14,000 Kip for Fruit Salad and Muesli! Yeah, I’ll take 2 please.

As I said - lots of foreigners.

This is another foreigner in the Lao PDR. This foreigner wasn’t eating anything French however. The beer is local - BeerLao.

We looked around and found a really nice Lao food restaurant. The bill was in 3 currencies - US dollars, Thailand Baht and Lao PDR Kip. That was a first for me! I’ve had bills in 2 currencies before but never 3. We paid in Baht and got a mixture of Baht and Kip in change. Clever because we had no earthly idea if the change was correct. I suggest you bring a calculator to dinner with you.

To turn on the light in our hotel room, one has to feel around in the dark and try not to electrocute themselves on the open breaker to the right. I forbid Hui-Chen from turning on the light upon entering the room. Sorry to have to be so demanding.

What do you get when you put a shower head, a hot water heater with open wiring, and an open breaker on the same wall, all within reach of each other? A method of execution! Again, the bastard that I am, I wouldn’t let Hui-Chen turn on the bathroom light, and I also insisted that she stand to the far end of the bathroom when showering and face the shower head toward the opposite wall. I’m so mean.

Check out the gas prices in this Lao PDR Shell station.

We liked the Lao PDR even though they didn’t like Hui-Chen’s Taiwan passport very much. We want to go back there and do some more shopping and sight-seeing. Our 24 hour visit was much too short.

OK, So I Toned It Down…. Happy Now?

We have been in Thailand for several weeks. I’ve been here a number of times before. I’m sorry, but this needs to be said:

Every evening, the elephant handlers take their elephants out for a stroll on the town. Its not for exercise - they want to sell you elephant food for you to feed them. This activity is tolerated by looked down upon by the Thais, and rightly so, for the elephants belong in the forest. Oh wait, there isn’t any forest because its all been cut down and the lumber sold! The only remaining virgin forests are in the national parks and that is where you will find the remaining wild elephants. In Khon Kaen, we have seen no less than 7 different adults, and 3 juveniles (one of them is extremely small). Hui-Chen has never seen one up close and has no experience with these amazing animals. So, we bought some food on this one occasion and fed an elephant (a smaller one so it wouldn’t be too intimidating).

This is me, petting one of the local elephants. Just as Hui-Chen snapped this shot, the beast took a step forward. You don’t get to see me jump out of the way of those feet! I’ve been stepped on by horses and cows, so I’ll pass on the elephant! Oh, by the way, I am wearing a beautiful Thai silk shirt in this shot. These shirts are really great, except that they appear to add 20 KG to one’s stomach in photographs.

This elephant is out in the daytime right before dusk. These handlers want to get an early start on the competition.

So, we are sitting in this cool restaurant in the evening and we keep hearing this sound, like…. well, like a frog! Hui-Chen takes a look in the restaurant pool (not for swimming, but for the water plants) and she sees this cute little frog.

He is happy because he is lucky enough to be a frog in Thailand.

He puffs himself up with air and then makes the noise by inflating his throat. Another almost-impossible shot taken by Hui-Chen (nice work!). You can find things like this just about anywhere you look - but you have to look.

We went to another restaurant, a traditional style Thai place where you sit on a bamboo platform raised off the ground. The biggest problem we had was trying to communicate with the staff. Usually, people look at Hui-Chen and just go off in Thai, and then look dumb when she doesn’t respond (hey she’s Asian right? So she must be Thai, right? All Asians look alike, don’t they?). She says “I don’t speak Thai” in English and the waiter then goes brain dead. So, after me going over to the kitchen and making noises like a chicken, we find out that there isn’t any fucking chicken, and we have no earthly idea what they have - save for some really shitty looking grilled fish. Finally, I just motioned towards our platform and I said “bring food.” The boss smiled and said “ok.” This situation turned out quite nicely for us though.

This is the traditional Thai outdoor restaurant, and we are sitting on the bamboo platform (sans shoes of course). You can see an earthenware cooking pot on top of charcoal pot. It turns out that this place was a shabbu-shabbu restaurant - something that we are very familiar with. Cheers!

Hui-Chen snapped this shot of me pointing out some of the foods. I’m pointing to sliced squid. To my right (photo left) is sliced pork and then sliced pork liver. You can also see some vegetables and rice noodles. The shabbu-shabbu (or “hot pot”) was quite good and very inexpensive. The Thai sauces are what makes it different from other places. I have hot pot in Taiwan often and I have also enjoyed it in Japan and China, and each place has its own version of sauces and soup broth. This outdoor place was cool.

Notice the Leo brand beer and the plastic ice bucket in the upper left of the photograph. In the tropics, people usually drink beer with ice because its so hot. You can see a couple of rocks in the glass. I’ve become accustomed to drinking beer with ice, and that usually gets some interesting looks from nearby foreigners who ordinarily do not put ice in their beer. In Taiwan, we drink beer from small sized glasses so the beer doesn’t have time to get warm before its gone. That makes total sense in a hot enviroment. I always ask for a small glass when its hot.

I have a battery powered amplifier and an electric 12-string that I take with me when I travel. Details to look for: My bandaged leg from the scooter burn, the platform behind me which is typical of the ones in the entire place, the 1/2 full glass of beer to the right of the water bottle, my wet hair due to humidity, and the empty bottle of Leo beer behind the plastic ice buckets (which explains the stupid look on my face). Several Thai people from the restaurant (including some of the staff) sat around while I played drunken renditions of famous English songs. Per usual, some Thai guy has some kind of a deal going (in his mind, anyway), so he asked me if I could play “in Bangkok” (yeah, he’s gonna book me there - that’ll happen). I just told him “my Momma says I can play anywhere I want” and he went away. lol

A very experienced scooter driver

I hate it when I go to a foreign country and I cannot go around easily on my own. Fortunately, in Thailand, getting around couldn’t be easier. Just walk over to the local scooter rental place and pick up a motorbike. No one will even ask you if you have a driver’s license or can drive the thing - all they want to know is “you got money, yes?”

The typical scooter is a 4 speed with an automatic clutch that engages when you push the shift pedal. There is a centrifugal clutch for when you take off from a standing start. If you really want to know more, do some research online about these scooters. They differ from the Taiwanese style scooter by the fact that these scooters have larger wheels and tires, and were designed for long distances. Thai people frequently take multi-hundred kilometer trips (so did we) on these scooters and they can go the distance, no problem. I had this scooter up to 90 KPH with Hui-Chen on the back and it was not “squirrelly” at all (like a smaller tire version certainly would be). The only mishap we have experienced is that I burned my leg on the damn tailpipe, and its taking forever to heal in this tropical environment. With my luck, I’ll end up losing my leg to a burn from a scooter tailpipe!

This is the Suzuki scooter that we rent for 150 Thailand Baht per day, or US$3.65. Cheap! Its 100cc and goes fast.

Shifter for the 4 speed transmission - front pedal gears up, rear pedal gears down

The burn site, which is healing slowing and is rather infected

Bushman Rates This Site: 5 Machetes

Also called Prasat Puay Noi, and Puai Noi, Pueai Noi is located in the Ban Hua Khua District, Khon Kaen Province. It is officially referred to as a “Hindu sanctuary.”

The largest Khmer style religious shrine in Khon Kaen province, Pueai Noi was built between the 11th and 12th centuries C.E. and then renovated in the 13th century. The building consists of three shrines or “prangs” all built on the same original laterite foundation. The main buildings of the sanctuary face East (I have written about east-facing buildings in my personal commentary about the origin of America’s Stonehenge).

A rectangular library (panalai) constructed of laterite and red sandstone is located on the SE portion of the shrine and is surrounded by a stone wall. In fact, all of the buildings are contained within rectangular walls of laterite stone. Originally, the site was surrounded by a moat with open ends for entrance to the sanctuary. At the front of the property, there still exists a trace of an elevated pathway which is slightly higher than the average terrain. At the edge of the property itself is a set of stone steps which mark the beginning of the pathway. The moat is long gone. I had the unique pleasure of walking down these ancient steps and following the same path that was used by the people who inhabited this site so long ago.

The Eastern gopura (gate) inside the site features a nearly intact depiction of sleeping Vishnu. The Eastern main gopura is suffering from some missing pieces, unfortunately.

Two ponds outside the walls (apparently remnants of the moat) lie to the north and south of the library. An ancient Khmer inscription engraved on a wall of the principal shrine mentions a sacrificial ceremony involving a hermit named Vaisampayana. Apparently he was the sacrifice.

The ruins are quite intact, but the site has been restored in modern times. An analysis of the site began in 1989 and restoration was completed in 1994. In some places, it is clear that sections have been patched or replaced altogether with modern materials. In one area, I saw a piece of concrete rebar showing where a section of modern material repair had broken away. Nevertheless, the site is quite impressive and totally open, with no restraints upon persons walking around and inside the sanctuary itself, which is remarkable to say the least. Behind the site to the extreme rear of the property are several stacks of stones which apparently are parts of the sanctuary which cannot be restored to the site. As you can imagine, it’s a monumental jigsaw puzzle and some parts may not be identifiable. After 800+ years, it’s a wonder that there is anything left at all! I highly recommend Ku Pueai Noi for people who like archeological/historical sites. On the day that we went there, we saw absolutely no one around and this fact in itself makes a visit to Ku Pueai Noi very different from say, Ankor Wat which is totally overloaded with tourists. At Ku Pueai Noi, your photos will be of the sanctuary, not unknown tourists walking around getting in the way.

On the road to Pueai Noi

The steps leading to the ancient path

The ancient path leading up to the sanctuary

I had the unique pleasure of walking down these ancient steps and following the same path that was used by the people who inhabited this site so long ago.

The Main Steps

The Sanctuary viewed from the main steps on the path and looking towards the Eastern (main) gopura

Red blocks of laterite

Closeup detail of the weathered rock formation

The site is impressive!

Panorama shot from the NorthEast

The steps leading up to the Eastern gopura

The North wall as we walk around to the rear of the site

Rounding the rear of the site, we are looking at it from the NorthWest

Hui-Chen entering the sanctuary from the Western (rear) gopura

Interior wall section, showing a flower offering left by someone

Some details of the brickwork inside the site

The Panalai is behind and to the left of Hui-Chen in this shot

A gopura inside the site (same gopura as in the previous shot)

Detail of some of the internal rooms which are sealed up except for one door each

One of the rarest features is this rendition of a sleeping Vishnu over an Eastern gopura (gate) inside the sanctuary (see the opening text)

Closeup detail of the previous shot showing the multi-headed snakes at the corners

At the center of this shot you can see the sleeping Vishnu over the Eastern gopura inside the site.

The view from inside directly behind the Eastern (main) gopura

Hui-Chen on the steps leading to the Eastern (main) gopura

To get there from Khon Kaen, take highway 2, south for approximately 44 KM and turn left onto highway 23 (East). Its confusing but after the railroad tracks, go for about 1 KM and then bear left and follow the road to a rotary (roundabout). Exit the rotary 3/4 of the way around and continue East (you won’t see any signs for Route 23 for awhile - its not very well marked). Once you get to the newly constructed section, its smooth riding until you reach Route 2301. Take a right and head South. Soon you will see a sign for Pueai Noi and the distance of 26 KM. Follow Route 2301 until you reach Route 2297 and take a left (heading slightly SE). You will pass the police station and then suddenly be upon the site on the right, an estimated 4 KM or so from the police station. The drive time from Khon Kaen is about 1.5 hours.

Ku Pueai Noi is a true Bush Experience and I give it 5 machetes!

Dinosaur remains were first discovered in Thailand in 1976. Immediately the government began investigating sites where dinosaur bones were reportedly found. Since that time, no less than 5 new types of dinosaurs have been discovered here. These new types not only constitute new species, but 5 new genus of dinosaurs as well. In addition to new sauropods, a smaller and more primitive early version of tyrannosaur has been discovered. These discoveries make Thailand one of the most important places on earth for dino research.

Hui-Chen and I wanted to see some of these dinosaur dig sites for ourselves, so we traveled to Phuwiang National Park, about 100 KM from Khon Kaen.

Small Tyrannosaur trying to scare Hui-Chen. Does she look scared to you?

After a brief stop at the Dinosaur Museum, its off to the Phuwiang National Park, where we will be visiting actual dinosaur dig sites.

This is the Visitor Center welcome sign.

Across from the Visitor Center welcome sign is a map of the dig sites. Notice the distances (in meters) on the signposts to the left.

After a 100 kilometer motor bike ride to get to the park, Hui-Chen and I decided to get something to eat. I took this shot to demonstrate that no matter how far in the bush you go in Thailand, someone, somewhere has a fucking TV going with Thai dramas.

Once on the trail to the actual sites, there is another small , and very confusing map. North is to the right, which is normally East. Notice “uranium area” at the top. Don’t ask me what this means, ’cause I do not know!

The trail to the dig sites begins on this section of sedimentary rock. The rock is stratified and hollow in some places. If you kneel on the rock and tap it with your hand you can hear differences in the sound among different areas.

This is one of numerous holes used for detonations to produce shockwaves so the profiles of underground objects may be read by computer. If you saw the movie Jurassic Park then you know what I am talking about.

A beautiful lizard we saw on the trail to the first dig site.

Another shot of the sedimentary rock. This used to be ocean bottom apparently.

This is site #3, only about 300 meters down the trail from the parking lot. The dig sites are protected by permanent buildings of course.

After #3, the trail starts to climb uphill.

Along the way, I stopped to examine some of the areas where the rock was loose and easily removed. Often you can find fossils in between the layers of rocks of this type.

Looking behind, we see how steep this mountain trail is.

The fog in the distance is actually rain, which threatened us all day. We saw the squall line coming but it never reached us, fortunately as we would have been soaked.

Once at the top of the mountain, we found 3 rest areas. Good thing too, as we had just hiked more than 1,500 meters distance to an elevation of several thousand in altitude.

This is the wonderful view at the top of the mountain. Thailand mountains are mainland, not island mountains like Taiwan.

Now the trail goes along the top ridge of the mountain for a short distance before reaching the next dig site.

This is dig site #1, approximately 1,600 meters from the beginning of the trail.

This is the dig site permanent protective structure, which I am holding up.

Inside the #1 site you can see the many bones which have been unearthed here.

Let me tell you that it is damn hot here, and you have to be prepared for it. We did not bring any water with us because we were only hiking for a few kilometers, but inexperienced hikers and families with children will want to bring water for sure. I also highly recommend the use of sunblock. There isn’t much you can do about your hair though, after a 100 KM motorbike ride followed by stuffing it under a bush hat for hours.

After this photo was taken, we considered the advanced time and the local sunset and decided to go back down the mountain and back to Khon Kaen.

The property belongs to our friend, Ben. Being here was more like being in west Africa than Thailand. At any moment I fully expected to see Masai warriors coming home with a kill.

Ben is currently building some bungalows on the property. When finished, it will be a primitive camping resort. I can highly recommend this place as real bush.

Every evening starting around 17:00 (5:00 PM) the villagers bring their cattle home from the pasture. Its quite a sight to see several groups of cattle on the pathways coming home. There are about 100 cattle altogether and it takes over and hour for them to make it back to their respective barns.

The construction workers live on-site and were preparing dinner. Here you see one of their kids who just caught a chicken - 1 of 2 that will be cooked for the group.

After being killed, each chicken was plucked.

Then, each chicken was expertly butchered for soup.

More chicken cutting.

The cooking is all done with pieces of real wood. I really miss such outdoor cooking. This is 100% bush.

2 women prepared the meal, which consisted of sticky (glutinous) rice, and the best chicken soup I have ever tasted. Every single ingredient was hand picked from nearby local herb plants plus the 2 local chickens. All of these chickens are free range! You have to chase them to catch them!

Here we see the men awaiting the women who will serve them first. The only woman seated in this area was Hui-Chen because she is a foreign guest. We didn’t take any more shots because it was impolite to do so at this time.

One of Thailand’s many picturesque temples.

Overview shot from the river ferry. You can travel up and down the river in the Bangkok area by using one of the many inexpensive river boats, which are in effect taxis.

Thai houses on the river. The steps go right into the water because people use the river for bathing. Every evening you can see numerous Thai people washing up after dinner, right in the river.

Bangkok Street scene, late afternoon.

Thai spices for sale at a local open market. You can enjoy many different kinds of hot peppers and exotic spices at numerous open markets in Thailand.