The weekend before was a long weekend in Thailand, resulting in a mass exodus from Bangkok as many people headed to other provinces. With P’ Pern driving, we were supposed to reach Wang Naam Khiaow in 3 hours but the whole journey took us more than 6 hours instead. We spent close to 2 hours trying to get out of the Bangkok jams (just imagine the Woodlands causeway on a long weekend), enjoyed a smooth drive through Nakhon Nayok and Pracinburi provinces before we encountered jams on the ascent to the mountains.
I was joining a gathering of mr;p and his Khorat gang of friends in the mountains. Since cutting short his university education 10 years ago, mr;p lost touch with this group and it was only early this year that he picked up contact with them. It was quite hilarious to see all these guys in their slim, young forms in pictures from a decade ago, only to find their real selves much aged and a few rounds heavier now. As most of the guys in this picture are in the design line, they seem to keep their appearances to reaffirm that too. Long hair and tattoos are the norm, making mr;p seems like a squeaky clean guy. One of them, P’ Jok, has even sailed the seas for several years so it was very interesting talking to this cool chap about the places he visited.
The group rented a bungalow for the gathering, so we could afford to be as noisy as we wanted to be into the wee hours of the night. In fact, drinks started at 6pm and the whiskey and soda bottles were popped every few minutes. I would love to join in the merry-making but was nursing a headache instead, so I had to give these alcoholic concoctions a miss. It was weird but fun at the same time joining these big boys in their chats. I think I could only manage to catch 50% of the conversation, proving that it really takes a long time and much efforts to reach native levels for any language. It didn’t help that some of them lapsed into the local dialects at times. However, it was nice to have these guys whipped up grilled meat delights and the entire drinks session lasted till 1+am.
It was always refreshing meeting mr;p’s friends. Unlike me, who seems to move in elitist circles back home, mr;p’s friends reflect a more diverse walk of life and life directions chosen. I used to harbour thoughts of meeting a hi-so, overseas-educated Thai guy, but the humble mr;p has shown me life is beyond such appearances. I look forward to more opportunities of sharing beers and grilled beef under the stars with mr;p and friends.
