Isaan, the breadbasket of Thailand

The word Isaan (Thai: อีสาน) is written in many different ways. Thai people don't find a consistent transliteration of their words into latin letters. Every suggestion from western script experts failed due to the Thai's sovereignty and pride, meaning, "we do it OUR way". This actually means the Thai do it in NO way, so I always write it in MY way "Isaan".
The area is located on the Korat Plateau, bordered by the Mekong River (along the border to Laos) to the north and east, by Cambodia to the southeast and the Prachinburi mountains south of Nakhon Ratchasima. To the west it is separated from North and Central Thailand by the Phetchabun mountain range.
Although it is common that Thai people from other provinces often look down on Isaan people and treat them as a second class citizens, the Isaan and its agriculture is the treasure chest of Thailand and feeds its Thai inhabitants.
I visit the Isaan provinces nearly once or twice every year, and I always discover new and beautiful areas where I still find the country Thailand like I saw it the first time thirty years ago.
Thirty years ago, Thailand still had three times more forest and jungle. Powerful businessmen ignorant of their following generation took away most of Thailand's primeval forest and caused terrible environmental problems.
When I'm traveling in Isaan with my wife Salama, I often have the impression of being in real Thailand with the real Thai people, not spoilt by mass tourism like in many other atypical places in the kingdom.
We visit a village called Kantaralak near the border to Cambodia, where the family of our former maid is living and growing rice, coriander, dill, shallot onions and garlic. The people of Khmer origin are different from other Thai citizen in Isaan, they follow different habits in their daily lives. There are no spirit houses in the village and it seems that they believe in other ghosts and spirits. One habit that isn't different to those of other Thais is the village loudspeaker in 5 meter's distance to my ear, croaking the location news every morning, starting at half past five and finding no end. Or the ladder down from the first floor to ground level with a perilous and rotten handrail, strewn with holes eaten by timber worms.
Every way to the restroom at night (in my case not less than three times every night) is an adventure and a matter of life and death.

...and it's these peculiarities that make me love these people so much!

The word Isaan (Thai: อีสาน) is written in many different ways. Thai people don't find a consistent transliteration of their words into latin letters. Every suggestion from western script experts failed due to the Thai's sovereignty and pride, meaning, "we do it OUR way". This actually means the Thai do it in NO way, so I always write it in MY way "Isaan". The area is located on the Korat Plateau…  (read more)