Death in the village, my old mate has met his maker.

Death in the village, my old mate has met his maker.

Sad tale of death, if easily offendend by added humour best you do not read.

I will miss the old git, even though in all the years I have known him he has only ever bought me a bottle of that Loi-Kow shit and made me 2 or 3 roll up ciggies made from the cheapest tobacco money can buy. I have passed many an hour away with him, either I went to his house or I invited him to mine whenever the mood took me. Over the years I have sat with him drinking many a Beer Chang, I have also plied him with some of the best beers and spirit drinks made in the western world. This old Thai man was great, one of those old buggers that you could not hate even if you wanted to, a true salt of the earth. I am going to miss him, as not only did he teach me masses of Thai and Thai ways he actually became a good friend.

As a Buddhist, he was NOT afraid of death, “knowing ?” he is coming back again. He was ever hopeful that because he felt he had been a good man in this life he would be born again and hopefully as a rich man next time, his real dream was he wanted to come back and be Hi-So. I hope he’s right; he did not have much to live for anyway. No money, his house a corrugated steel roofed hovel with some cheap plastic flooring on the dirt floor, 3 horrible plastic chairs (the ones, when a heavy falang sits on the legs begin to spread in all directions of the compass ) From all I could see he owned a pair of flip flops, an ancient television and in fact I'm not even sure he owned a shirt, if he did he I never did see him wear one. Integrated into his life was the burden of three grandchildren, he also shared his house with two or three other family members and from I can tell they are Mai-Dem-Baht (a little mad). His wife used to nag him all the time and feed him with her crap cooking and when she drank beer used to beat the crap out of him. So I guess dying didn’t seem frightening to him, in fact death may have been a relief for him in some sort of wonderful way.

On the morning of his death, I was woken early by the wife, who somehow through the jungle drums knew of his demise. With all the decorum of a demented monkey she shook me half to death shouting at me “your friend Luung die already, wake up- wake up we to go his house now” After getting further info from her, I came to understand that my old mate was dead, so after a quick shower off we walked to his house.

Living in a village sometimes it's better to let the wife take the lead, and not knowing what to do I fell back a little as she was marching up the road. On arrival, I could see a police pick-up parked outside and numerous Thais gathered both in and out of the house. As I hovered in the background the Poo-yai-baan (village head) came over to me and sort of ushered me into the house stating that my wife and the newly made widow wanted me. On entering the house I was greeted by his widow who prattled away in some sort of frenzied tongue, she then took me by the hand and walked me to where my old mate was lying on his cheap plastic flooring (thankfully covered in a white sheet). I was then given a bowl of scented water with flower petals floating in it. The wife instructed me to dip my hand in the bowl and flick water over the deceased, this I did as my senses were trying to make me upset, confused, and amazed all at the same time, overall a very strange sensation. After half hour or so, it was time for us to leave and go back home. Well of course, yours truly wanted to know what happens next and when will the funeral be etc etc.

On the first day, at some unknown time to me, my old mate was taken to the local Wat (temple) and from what I can make out the Monks prepare the body. In the mean time it seems like half the village come and go, some are setting up an awning, others go to the Wat and get tables, chairs, glasses and all the things needed to have a funeral wake.

During late afternoon the body was returned to the house in a coffin, now in the villages these coffins are used temporally as they are refrigerated and need to be plugged into the power, basically a fridge for the dead even though they look like a typical Thai coffin with all the gaudy finishing’s of gold and scrolls etc they also have a little window in the top so you can peer in and see the departed.

On the first evening we visited his house we are duly fed and supplied with beer (Ah, I thought you old bastard, this helps to make up that deficit of all those beers I’ve given you in the past ). I asked my wife, "So where is Luung now?"

“Inside house we go see him tomorrow, tonight family night Ok and if you want to do you can stay with him one night his family would like you to do that they ask this already.”

"What the fcuk did you just say, can you try again, I’m not sure I understand that 100%," I reply.

Oh, yes I heard it right, I was expected to have a sleepover in a mosquito ridden filth pit with no AC and spend the whole night with a dead person, Oh how jubilant I thought, well at least he’s on ice so in this heat he won’t be stinking the place out.

Day 2,
The village was normal apart from drifting in the breeze was dulcet music that was being blasted out by his family members. As the day ended I was instructed that tonight was the night that I was expected to sleep with my dead and departed friend. Now I am not the bravest person in the world when it comes to these things and I tried all angles to get out of it. The wife was getting a bit agitated with me, then said, "Ok I go alone if you want me to be by myself that’s up-to-you."

Again, "What did you say?"

She then replied, “I get everything ready for us I know you can not sleep on the floor and I take pillow and bed there already but you not go so I go by myself.”

You have never seen a man so happy; I really didn’t understand she was staying with me on that sleepover and I thought I was on my own on that one. So big kisses and hugs for her, then we departed to the house of sadness. Again the wake was in full flow with loads of the villagers there getting pissed, already pissed or down right intoxicated, the wife just kept ushering me into the house and showed me where we would be sleeping. Bless her; she had somehow taken a spare mattress and bedding there during the day without me noticing. She also pointed out spare clothes she had taken for me if I got hot and need to change my shirt etc. (got’a love these Thai wives).

We were greeted by the family and I was asked to come into the kitchen area to see my old friend, (yes they kept a dead body in were they were preparing food ) a gulp and a deep breath I prepared myself to be brave and go to see the coffin. Prepared I was not!!!!! . I was flabbergasted at the sight before me; this truly garish coffin was covered in what I can only describe as Christmas tree lights, the only thing was they weren’t the flashing ones. Also on top of the coffin was a silver bowl full of lit josh sticks and a few candles. The widow then made gestures for me to look through the little window in the coffin lid to peek at Luung. As I approached the coffin all of a sudden it didn’t seem to be that big, I turned to the wife and asked, "Are you sure that Luung is in there?"

She looked at me in a bemused way and asked me what I meant. I said, "Luung was very tall for a Thai and this coffin is very small."

“No problem, they cut leg off and put under arm.”

Well can you imagine my reaction to that statement; never have I heard anything like it before in my life. So there was I being hauled towards the coffin by the widow to look at my old mate who has his legs cut off at the knees and shoved up under his armpits, my brain went into overtime in awe of what I was just about to glimpse, but of course only his face was visible. Well I have seen the old man legless a few times when we’ve been on the beer, but this brought a whole new meaning to the saying.

As the evening drew into night the pissed and deranged seemed to quietly disappear to wherever they came from until there was only his close family and us still in the house. Then out came the cards and the gambling began. Have any of you ever heard how fcuking raucous Thais are when they are playing cards? Shit, it's nearly enough to wake the dead. I just hoped my old mate didn’t wake up now as his new life would start as a real Low-Down-Bum. Night eventually gave way to dawn and home I went full of contemplation about the night events.

Day 3,
Some when in the morning transfer to an ordinary coffin takes place, and the fridge is returned to the Wat. Then at 10.00 am the Pick-up hearse arrives to take the body to the Wat for a service and cremation (see photo). I was informed we don’t have to go until 12.30pm, as the cremation will take place at 1.00. So off we trot to the Wat and I am under full guidance from the wife on what to and what not to do. When we arrive the Monks are still chanting but the coffin is starting to be lifted to take it for the short distance to the crematorium. Every one was given a lighted josh stick and formed a line for the coffin to pass. The coffin was then placed in the open crematorium and everyone throws his or her josh stick into crematorium to help the fire burn. Then it's all back to the house for yet more beer, and a Knees-Up

My mind has drifted many a time to the poor old bugger led in his icy coffin like a butchered animal. I asked myself, if he is reborn like his Buddhist belief taught him would he be able to walk? Or is he doomed to crawl on his belly along the Bangkok Sukhumvit sois with a plastic begging bowl? Just joking, I miss the old man; I miss his smile and vibrancy when ever I walk pass his house, I miss his teachings and assistance in the Thai language and ways, I miss those hours of sitting and drinking with him. I just hope that in the last few years of his life I somehow enhanced his days just by getting him away from the mayhem he called home. Fcuk I miss him, and I will admit the day he died I shed a tear and I am not ashamed to admit it. My tears, I still am not sure they are of horror or sorrow, but at least I have seen the funny side of death in a Thai village thanks to my old mate Luung.

Buddha / God bless you Luung, and please remember if & when you are born again WALK TALL.

Later
CF