.jpg)
Yesterday I posted a video about Christmas in Malaysia to my son @bxlphabet’s blog.
https://steemit.com/dtubsnapx/@bxlphabet/oqbz630s
As I said in that video, we do things right for Christmas in SE Asia. This video is about another Christmas I spent here, but this time in Thailand.
In early December 2016, I was in big financial trouble (Ha!) A client who owed me big money said she could not pay. At all. Without warning, and after paying properly for a few months. I was living in Bangkok in a place I loved, and with people who were like family. But I did not have the money to stay there, or even to pay for the upcoming rent due.
At the same time, I was following a Scottish guy on fb who lived in Northern Thailand. He was building a resort up from a rice field. I had been watching for months as he published post after post showing a beautiful oasis coming from some vision he was having.
I commented many times and asked questions about what he was doing over the months I watched construction. This topic interests me from my days in accounting when I had a job assessing the percentage of completion on building projects. He always was very optimistic and entertaining in his replies. His property was on the way to Laos, and near interesting activities, so he thought he had a good plan.
Right when I was having my crisis, he made a post saying, “Now all I need is a way to get guests up here.”
I contacted him and told him I worked in Social Media Marketing and would love to come help him publicize his resort. Quicker than you can imagine, the deal was struck. I would live in this almost finished place in the middle of nowhere for almost no money and help him. He told me there was no one there, and no one near there, so I would be alone in the place. He was the only white person around at all, and no one spoke English. Only small villages were nearby. That was all fine by me.
I arrived on the 21st of December and it was everything I had seen online, and everything he said was true. He and his family were a couple of miles down the road, but other than that, I was alone. I was surrounded by rice fields as you see in the start of this clip. I also has a eucalyptus farm and a rubber plantation to keep me company.
I had a little bit of food and supplies I brought from Bangkok, and the market would be coming the next week. I expected to have a lonely Christmas; working like I always do. But I really missed my friends in Bangkok and my son @bxlphabet, and was kind of discouraged with my life.
The resort owner’s wife came over with food on the second day. She spoke some English and asked if I was ok alone there. I said yes, I loved it so far, and I was really happy to help them.
The next day he came and said they wanted me to come for Christmas dinner and so I did. I guess she had to meet me first to find out what kind of crazy lady I really was to want to come there.
I think you can hear my great joy in the moment while filming this video. The husband and I had finished eating at the table you see at the beginning of the video. Everyone else ate for hours on the ground. He told me it was always like this. “They eat constantly.”
Right after I shot this video, more people came with more food, and the eating continued anew.
No one spoke English. No one could believe I would come there alone. The food was wonderful and I was stuffed. I don’t know what much of it was, but I did eat some shrimp as long as my hand and the most delicious I have ever had.
The best moment is not seen. One of the grandmothers got up from the floor and came over to where I was sitting while everyone else still ate. She smiled and grabbed my hands, and hugged me for a really long time and I felt like I was home.
Thank you so much for watching my video today. I’m posting for the dtubefamily777 initiative by @nathanmars, and I am so happy to get this chance.
I am grateful for your attention to my SE Asian travels and will answer any comments and questions if you post them here.
You can join this wonderful dtube initiative too! All it takes is a one minute video to get in on the fun.
▶️ DTube
▶️ IPFS
That is so frikken cool. Merry Christmas @fitinfun. I’m excited to see what this year brings you :)
You were on my list. I wanted you to see the last video, so I am behind! Christmas in a Malaysian bathroom is the title I think. It was a couple of days ago - don't miss it! I was thinking of you are the time :)
Thank you so much for the compliment and upvote. This means so much to me. Let us both have a wonderful year to come. When is your trip date?
We set off in January and have changed plans a bit. SE Asia is going to have to wait a bit so we can go and explore Central America for a bit. I’ll go check out the bathroom experience now :). Haha
Oh wow - you are going in a different direction!
It’ll be an adventure, plus I know much more Spanish than I do Thai 🤷🏼♀️
Me too! I barely spoke for the 2.5 years I was there, since they have no English :)
Do you speak the language now?
When we change our thoughts, we change our world.
What does that have to do with this post?
...not a place I would have advised to open a resort.
Very tough for 'farang' tourism..(if it was).
Yes, it was. He was hoping for vans of people going to Laos for the visa runs, and wanting a rest day; or people just wanting to lie down at a pool and do nothing for a week or month. He's got a store and restaurant there now as well as a communal kitchen, so you can come and stay and not leave. He will also tour you around to the few things local. There is a good silk market, a fishing spot, and some ancient ruins.
He has several properties in Udon proper that stay booked. One is right in town and the other two are out a bit. All very beautiful. He was into quality construction. And he is a big character, and will do anything for you, so people like him and come back.
His daughter was a hoot. She speaks perfect Scottish English and sounds just like him. She was 5 and loved to talk to me since she had no one else but him for English.
....trying to think if I know him...
https://www.leeyaresortudon.com/
Are you near Udon?
Yeah, not too far away...
I know the resort, not the guy..(I don't think)