Koh Lanta diary pt.1 - Mr Baw's natural lifestyle and introduction to Baw's Diary
Pra Bat Somdej Prajao Yuu Hua
his Majesty Bhumipol Adulyadej
has decreed the year 2007 to be year of "Setagid Por Piang" meaning
"year of just enough finance/consumption.
The task of this project is to teach people to be thrifty and live
according to their personal financial status.
Meaning that you shouldn't partake of things you can't afford, and to
learn that there are ways of living a well-nourished and A friend of
the author, Mr.Baw, who lives on the island of Koh lanta
(or Ko lanta if you like), is a perfect example of
the application of the setagid por piang concept initiated by His
Majesty the King.Mr Baw almost never resorts to buying food to feed his
family with; Baw generally collects the day's food from the natural
resources around him, such as gathering clams and other shellfish,
rising early before sunrise to catch Black Crabs for their giant claws
for the juicy white crabmeat inside them.A veritably expensive Caprice
for the average Westerner, Crabmeat is something that Baw would be
surprised to think that people might pay high prices just for the
pleasure of eating a fresh crab.Although Thai people are not known to
like eating octopus (despite their liking for cuttlefish and squid),
the Koh Lanta locals seem to differ in this
matter.Baw can be seen at least 3 times a week before sunset on Kohlanta's
Klong Khong Beach, stooped over a rock to find a
crab so he can catch the "Hnor
Hyaa" (octopus).
You can read about Mr.Baw and his adventures on his daily trips to
hunt, catch, or gather necessities for the continued survival of his
family.Mr. Baw shall be presenting us with priceless knowledge of local
koh lanta thai
customs and traditions, such as fishing and hunting methods, different
ways to climb a coconut tree to gather the fruit.
The building by hand of a boat, in all it's stages, from the gathering
of the necessary pieces of wood, and their consequent honing into the
desired shape, through to the finished boat and its first launching!
Gathering of local plants, herbs and edible products from the jungle shall be also shown to us by Mr. Baw - we hope to be revealing the names and different ways to use these products, along with fotos of the gathering and preparation of these generations-old traditions, for future generations to be able to follow their roots and the individual traditions of of Kohlanta shall be preserved as a free informational source on the www.
Also, the author of this site thought that since many tourists visit koh lanta but do not manage to penetrate further than the bungalow complex and maybe a motorbike ride around the island, but never manage to attain the pleasure of having touched and experienced the real hidden side of local life and culture on Koh lanta
The purpose of the author's web project www.kohlantakolanta.com is precisely this.
List of Diary Entries
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2. Baw Gets Sathor fruit (Coming soon)
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3. Building a Boat (coming soon)
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4. Catching a giant beehive (coming soon)
Please keep returning to this page to check for new updates/dieary entries. The author will be adding new content as it comes in. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the Author;
The Author Lives on Koh Lanta and in Bangkok. Thailand Guide and Interpreter, Tattooist, Webmaster and seo for Thai Temple Tattoos Dharmathai Buddhist Portal www.mahayanabuddhist.com Tattoo Convention Berlin germany and Ko Lanta dot net(resort bookings)