Kat’s Window

I recently drove to Suphanburi province, about two hours north of Bangkok, to a temple fair at Wat Srisant. The temple was hard to find because the locals knew it by its nickname, Wat Plaek Mae, and it was out in the middle of nowhere. It seems that not only everyone but everything has a nickname in Thailand.

Driving through small and unsigned country roads to get there, I became convinced either that there was not much going on or I had arrived on the wrong day. I had almost given up all hope when suddenly I spotted a great glow of neon light rising up from the fields. I had made it!

Temple fairs always surprise me. Not only because of the crowds they draw but also because of the events that go on at them. When I first heard of temple fairs, I pictured a somber environment. Wow, was I ever wrong. Temple fairs are festive events offering a vast array of entertainment and shopping options.

Buddhist temples are the centres of society for Thailand’s 95% Buddhist population. Events that I would picture happening elsewhere simply take place at the temple. Temple fairs are an amazing combination school fair, county fair, religious fair, flea market, amusement park, movie theatre, bingo parlour, cultural event, farmer’s market, and rock concert all rolled into one. The goal of the fair is to raise money for the temple, conduct religious activities, and provide a good time for all

Temple fairs generally last from three days to two weeks. They are held both in conjunction with Buddhist holidays and when an individual temple decides to have its own fair. The temple raises funds through donations and also by renting out space to the hoards of vendors that come to sell their various wares or entertainment.

Most of the formal religious ceremonies take place in the morning when the people bring food to the monks. At night monks recite the tales of the Lord Buddha’s life and may perform chanting ceremonies. There is a large waiting line to get into the temple and pay respects. The temple really is the hub of the fair. Offerings of joss sticks and flowers are made to the Lord Buddha and the monks usually hand out small Buddhist amulets to the people. Monks can also be seen walking around and enjoying the fair and sometimes you can even spot them in the small ferris wheel.

The vending stalls sell everything under the sun. Roosters, plastic toys, clothing, dishes, beds, furniture, food, shoes, alcohol, knives, alarm clocks, soft drinks, vegetables, jewelry, posters, fruit, and school supplies all can be had for very low prices.

Games of chance are very popular. Bingo, shooting stuffed animals off the shelf with a bb gun, throwing hoops at bottles of Coke or whisky, roulette-like number games, and water pistol racing games prevail. After games of chance you can go for a ride in an antiquated ferris wheel, ride the bumper cars, or take a spin on the merry-go-round.

The assortment of food available is amazing. Noodle soup, rice dishes, curries, fried bugs, grilled chicken, pastries, candy, vegetables, and seafood are all on hand. Tents are set up and table and chair seating is available as well as the walk-while-you-snack option.

There are also concerts given by well-known bands for an admission fee. If the entry fee is not affordable, there is also a huge movie screen as a back up entertainment source. I have seen this screen being used in two ways, either showing the concert taking place or showing a movie, in both cases for free. Traditional Thai dancing, theatre, and music performances also take place at no charge.

No matter what your interests are, you are bound to find something both affordable and fun at the fair. I enjoy watching the children carrying balloons, which can be up to three lengths their height. I also enjoy looking at the amusement park rides because they are very often either very old or are homemade gadgets. There is excitement in the air. Many smiling faces walk by. I like weaving in and out of the crowds. I am always uncertain about what may be around the next corner and I am always surprised at what is waiting there.

I like fairs of all shapes and sizes. I like the sense of community they bring with them. Everyone gets together, has a good time, shares a story, and has a laugh. It is easy to make a new friend or have a nice chat. I particularly like temple fairs. I like the fact that I can come home with a live rooster, a stuffed animal, or a head of garlic.

Last week we talked about my ‘good’ trash. That now leaves us with my cans, bottles, newspapers, and cardboard. I know none of it is here when the garbage men come, so I asked my maid Sai what happens to it all. To my surprise I got the answer, “We sell it.”

I decided to follow the journey of my sellable garbage. This led me to a 48-year-old woman named Wanpen. It turns out she comes to my house about once a month. She is one of many trash collectors in my neighbourhood but she pays better than most.

I talked with Wanpen as she weighed out my recyclable garbage. Both she and her husband have been collecting trash for the last nine years. They each make about 200 baht a day (5 US dollars each). They have two children ages 20 and 12. The oldest child works as a repairman and the youngest is still in school.

Wanpen and her family live on a small plot of land that they rent for 2,000 baht a year (50 US dollars). They have constructed a small bamboo and metal sheeting hut for themselves and have no running water.

Wanpen never went to school. She was the oldest of five children and took care of her siblings when her mother died and her father remarried. “I cannot read or write but I know money!” she says with a smile as she lists her buy and sell prices at rapid fire.

“For six empty big bottles of Singh beer (brown glass), I pay 50 satang and sell them for 70 satang. Six big bottles of Chang beer (green glass) are bought for 2 baht and sold for 3 baht. One kilogramme of aluminum cans is purchased at 25 baht and sold for 30 baht. One kilogramme of newspaper is bought for 1 baht and sold for 1.50 baht. Cardboard is purchased at two baht a kilogramme and sold for 3 baht. Brass is purchased at 30 baht a kilogramme and sold for 35 baht. Copper is bought for 30 baht a kilogramme and sold for 40 baht. Plastic is purchased at 4 baht a kilogramme and sold for 5 baht or 5.50 if I am lucky.”

For reference, about 40 baht make one US dollar and 100 satang make one baht. One kilogramme equals 2.2 pounds. Basically, Wanpen averages between 50 satang and 5 baht per kilogramme of trash sold (1 to 12 cents).

If a television or old appliance is left out on the street, it is broken apart and stripped of any valuable material it may contain. The best items she has found in the trash so far are, “Sunglasses, clothes, and once a small piece of gold.”

She fills up her cart at least two times a day and then brings it about 10 kilometres up the road where the stuff is weighed, purchased, dumped into gigantic containers, and resold to a recycling company.

At first glance, recycling looks like it is doing quite well here in Thailand. Unfortunately, this is only the case for useful or cash-gaining items. The things that are of no value to anyone very often just get placed in heaps by the side of the road. Plastic is usually overlooked because one must pick up a lot of it before reaching one kilogramme of weight.

In Thailand recycling is done mostly out of economic drive. If there is not a baht or cent to be made from recycling something, you can pretty much just forget it. Many people are so busy simply trying to get enough money together to feed their family that a personal environmental agenda is obviously not a priority. For me this does not mean one should throw in the towel or throw the towel out.

There are poor families in my neighbourhood who cannot pay for their garbage to be collected. About every two weeks they have a ‘burn the trash day,’ which makes for one big stink. Our garbage men charge 40 baht (1 US dollar) a month for their service.

Don’t be surprised when you order a soda from a roadside vendor and they dump it into a small plastic bag with a straw sticking out of it. The sellers want to return their bottles. Also don’t be surprised when you order food from a take-out counter and it comes in big Styrofoam containers. I tried to outsmart this system by bringing along a gigantic plastic container. The guy simply placed the Styrofoam box into my plastic box and gave me a smile.

Thailand’s streets are bursting with a plethora of goods for sale, almost none of which possess a price tag. This means that getting a good price for both Thai people and visitors alike involves bargaining. When I first moved to Thailand, I detested it. Over time I have come to be adept at it and actually enjoy haggling now. Bargaining is part of the Thai shopping experience. Price tags can always be found in shopping malls if you get lonely enough for them.

Some visitors to Thailand find things quite cheap and don’t bother to bargain. Others don’t like to bargain, period. Many enjoy it. I don’t know anyone who lives here who does not bargain. Especially when you are living on local wages, negotiating prices down by can make a gigantic difference at the end of the month.

Keep in mind that 200 baht (US$4.44) an hour is considered by most to be a very good salary. Many people in Thailand make 200 baht a day, if they are lucky. The most important aspect of bargaining is having a rough idea of reasonable going rates but this takes some investigation and time to figure out.

Thailand is a well-known shopping paradise and good bargaining skills can make it even more so. If you get off the tourist trails, prices come down drastically and starting prices become more reasonable. Staying friendly and polite while haggling is a key to success. Even if the first asking price is insultingly large, it is important to stay calm. Knowing when to stop arguing over price is another factor. Pleasantly bickering over a few cents for more than a short second is considered rude.

Different vendors have different temperaments and pricing strategies but all of them keep calculators on hand, the most universal language of all. Some offer great deals right from the start meaning that sometimes there is no need to bargain at all. Returning to the same vendor again and again is another way to get even better prices.

It is also good to keep a poker face on while out shopping. The more infatuated you seem with an item the higher the likelihood of its price rising. But if you see something you really want, it is best to buy it then and there. Street vendors come and go. By the time you make up your mind, they may have moved to the other side of town or you simply might not be able to remember where they were in the first place (this happens to me all the time).

I recently spent an afternoon investigating the pricing systems on the streets of Bangkok. I first went to various stalls playing the part of a tourist. I was armed with a tour guide of Bangkok, a backpack, camera and a bottle of water and I spoke only in English. I proceeded to ask the price of common souvenir T-shirts and clothing.

T-shirts started at 180 baht (US$4) and went down to 140 baht (US$3.11) with a mild amount of bargaining on the T-shirts. Shorts started at 350 baht (US$7.77) and went down to 300 baht (US$6.66). Silk ties held strong at 120 baht (US$2.66) but a 20 baht discount was offered if I bought five.

Heading on to similar vending stalls with tour guide and camera safely tucked away, I then investigated the same items using my basic Thai. T-shirts started at 120 baht (US$2.66) and went down to 100 baht (US$2.22). Shorts started at 200 baht (US$4.44) and came down to 150 baht (US$3.33). The ties fell to 60 baht (US$1.33).

I then sent a Thai friend along to do the same. T-shirts came down to 90 baht (US$2), shorts fell to 100 baht (US$2.22) and the ties were 40 baht (US$0.88) each. In summary, when I shopped using basic Thai prices came down 45% from ‘tourist’ prices. My Thai friend was able to reduce them by 59%.

Although the percentage saved may not always be so large, it illustrates that bargaining can go a long way. It is a known fact that foreigners and expatriates commonly get charged more than Thais no matter how fluently they speak the language, a fact that infuriates some and others accept.

The pricing system is based on the fact that almost all Thais believe that foreigners and tourists have more money than the locals and can afford to (and should) share it. It is a controversial point of view, especially for those ending up with the bigger bill, but it is a fact of daily life in Thailand at the end of the day as is the need for good bargaining skills.

I come from one of the most recycling-conscious states in America. Vermont was one of the first to put a five-cent refund on aluminum cans and has developed into a recycling paradise since. I am a born and bred recycler.

When I moved to Thailand, I literally panicked about my trash. I was so used to recycling that every time I polished off a can of Sprite I felt guilty. I observed with an eagle eye what happened to all of it. Now I feel like I need a huge white-board with circles and arrows pointing in every direction to be able to illustrate the amazing routes that my once possessions take.

After but a few weeks in Thailand I realized that most of my trash was being taken somewhere by someone before the garbage men showed up. I noticed that my first maid (a story unto itself) was picking hundreds of odd things out of the trash every week. A scrap of soap, a piece of string, empty water bottles, jars with lids, she carried them all home with her every day.

So I started piling all of my ‘it could be useful’ garbage onto the counter before disposing of it, pointing at each item and asking, “Do you want this? This? This?” I was surprised. She took almost everything.

After she vacuumed my computer’s hard drive, had a nice afternoon playing with my makeup, Q-tips, and toiletries, and basically started driving me nuts, it was time to say goodbye. But she left me with a very good idea. I started separating all of my trash into different categories.

I now have bags for bottles, cans, newspapers, and shopping bags. I have boxes for unwanted clothing, old and defunct towels, reusable tin boxes once containing cookies, and general scraps of life. My downstairs closet is an absolute mess.

A lot of my extras go to the Thai family that now lives with us and works for us. They take the empty water bottles and plastic shopping bags back to the countryside when they visit their family in Isaan, a remote area in eastern Thailand on the border of Laos. The bottles are used to store water and the plastic bags are reused at the very small shop his father runs there. They also get my extra food (often a vegetable shopping experiment gone awry) and many of the ‘freebies’ I pick up along the way while shopping in Thailand.

My new telephone came with a free desk lamp. My favourite juice container came strapped with neon pink or blue cloth tissue box covers for a few months. After grocery shopping you can proceed to the ’shopping rewards’ counter, where one can receive such goodies as small glass bowls, snack packets, bottles of water, calendars, pencils, calculators, breath mints, and toilet paper. When you fill up your car at the gas station you can expect a pack of chips, a small container of juice, a bottle of water, or some breathe mints. I take it all and either use it or redistribute it.

I bring my stale bread, pasta, and other dinner scraps out to the front of the house where the street dogs gleefully receive them. I have learned that they do not appreciate potatoes and sometimes there is an argument or two over who gets what. Green table scraps left over from chopping and peeling vegetables go to the family of roosters and ducks living in our backyard.

Other things that I think may be of use to someone, e.g., an old pair of shoes, a broken bag, old clothes, etc., I put into a bag and under the cover of darkness I walk into the local park and drop it off and leave it to a game of ‘finders-keepers.’

My old computer and other old computers I have gathered along the way get brought up to a school in Sangkhlaburi. They are somehow brought back to life and used by students who are learning how to type.

After all of this, I still manage to have a lot of stuff left over. Visitors at my house know about my boxes, so they leave all their unwanted extras with me before heading off to the airport. Pretty soon, my boxes are magically full again. Everything manages to find a good home.

If you ever get the chance to check out a flea market in Thailand, you will notice that there is a lot of ‘junk’ for sale. A broken belt, the sole of a shoe, a handful of screws, a collection of rubber bands, you name it. One man’s garbage is indeed another man’s treasure. If you are ever in Thailand and see someone in a bright green ‘I LOVE VERMONT’ T-shirt, well now you might know where it came from…