Bamboo Places
When I travel around Thailand I like the places few tourists or expats go. Actually, I think we all do. That makes me wonder why more people don't search out "bamboo places".
More years ago than I care to remember, a couple of buddies and I would occasionally go on a hunt for a "bamboo place". Bamboo places were loosely defined, but we did have some core requirements.
- The place had to be constructed of wood, bamboo and thatch
- It had to be open sided with a dirt floor
- It had to be on a dirt road, with no pavement of any kind within eyesight
- It had to serve food and beer
Additionally desirable features included:
- No other commercial establishments within view
- Very little vehicular traffic on the road
- All cooking done on a charcoal "bucket"
- A waitress asleep with her head on a table
- Thai country music playing softly in the background
Normally when we pulled in and dismounted our vehicle, we got curious stares. After we greeted them in Thai, we would get a big smile and a giggle or two. The situation normally got into full swing when the waitress asked what we wanted to eat or drink.
Usually these little places have low-to-no inventory, so we would order everything we figured we could eat and drink all that afternoon and early evening.
Sometimes we got a sheepish look. That meant they didn't have enough money to buy everything. So we would advance some baht and watch as the waitress went roaring off on an old motasai in a cloud of dust.
By this time a cook would appear, curious as to our age, marital status, housing arrangements, status in Thailand, earnings, nationality and how we managed to find their establishment.
By the time the food, drink and plastic bags of ice arrived, the cook had usually been satisfied with our pedigree .. and had likely as not picked out who she would flirt with the most.
Cooking and pouring and beer drinking got mixed with the waitress's turn at gathering intel. And by then we had settled into "bamboo place relax mode". That's about 30 degrees south of laid back.
Mostly, "bamboo" sessions lasted until dark or thereabouts, with the occasional evening included if things stayed lively enough. Sometimes a few of the village girls drifted in and exchanged some pleasantries. We always claimed that the young ladies were after a hubby, but we knew in reality they were either bored or curious .. or both.
When we got ready to leave, we had a chance to appreciate bamboo commerce. The bill for our afternoon of food, drink and pleasant conversation would range from very modest to downright cheap.
On our way back to "civilization", things usually got quiet. Part of it was a sense of mellowness, part satisfaction. And I think we were all anticipating our next "bamboo" adventure.