Dancing, Drinking and Ten Pin Bowling, Isaan Thailand.

Well what a day yesterday was, that being Saturday. The day started out great with 9 holes of golf with a few mates. Mr. T my regular partner in crime on the golf course and I had managed to finally persuade another mate into joining us.

So I was up at 5am and at the course by 6am, Mr. A then arrived and was looking relaxed even though he hadn’t played for a long time. Mr. T turned up a little late as he had had a latish night and a few beverages at a school function. Mr. T had to attend the secondary kids’ shows that were on Friday; I had to attend later this day for the primary students.

So we managed to get organised and headed to the tee with caddies in tow. I played a little joke that didn’t work off the first tee, I had a few air shots or in other words completely missed the ball.

Now Mr. A hadn’t played golf for 3 or so months and before that was just a social golfer. He started off pretty well; I mean he made very good contact. The ball took off like a rocket from his tee shot but the accuracy was a little off and his first ball ventured into areas where no man should go.

Okay it wasn’t that far off course, but into the drain full of water and grass and who knows what else. The day continued like this, for him but the most important thing was it was bloody fun and we really enjoyed the morning.

For a guy who hadn’t hit a ball or ever really played golf seriously, he showed moments of potential. With time at the driving range and hopefully more regularly on the golf course he will not be donating as many balls as he did this day. (7 or 8 or maybe more)

Anyway, I started terrible as you can see by my card, an 8 to start. A good tee shot then a terrible second into a lateral water hazard being a drain, a drop then hit it fat short, a terrible chip just over the back for 5, another chip and two putts made an opening 8 or triple bogey.

Thankfully the day did get a lot better. It was just one of those days where things gelled together. I don’t practice, I turn up and play. I cannot tell you how many hundreds of thousands or even millions of practice balls I hit as a youngster. I played off a 1 handicap for years but was on scratch for brief periods but never long enough to claim this as my true handicap.

I was very happy with a 40, I would have been fuming ten years ago, I used to get really pissed off at carding a 74 or two over par. Going over the round looking at where I had left the shots on the course. Those days are gone and now golf is fun for me, to enjoy with mates.

After golf I had to look after my amazing niece, Nong Ja while Noot attended university. It was a good day but long and tiring. I was hoping for an afternoon kip but this didn’t eventuate. Before I knew it, it was time for me to head to the Sunee Grand Hotel for the school’s Assumption Family Night spectacular.

There were 225 tables for the parents and whoever else wanted to turn up and watch the shows from all the classes. Tickets were 400 Baht for a few bottles of soft drink and water, and food as well. I was meant to act as a token farang as I call it. Be noticed by the parents and greet them and even usher them to tables, wasn’t happening.

I instead wandered around and took a few pictures. These were senior students who would be participating in the opening ceremony spectacular.

These are the hosts of the night.

These are small kindergarten students waiting to go onto the stage and do their dance. These students had been practicing relentlessly for the past 3 or so weeks.

This is Miss C, she is a kindergarten teacher and I am sure she is really happy this day has finally come and finished.

A kindergarten student in what I call a stock standard outfit. If anything this is a little too plain. Most students are usually … how can I say it? Mmm, tarted up more.


The punters or mums, dads, grandparents, uncles, aunts or actually any family member or friend of the family who wants to depart with 400 Baht attends.

I stayed for about 40 minutes and then I made my way a floor down from the ballrooms to the Ten Pin Bowling Centre that has this excellent bar. It also has live Premier League Football so this is where I was setting up for the night until upstairs had finished and then I would go home.

So for 440Baht you are given this contraption a beer tower that hold apparently 3 litres of beer and has a tube that is filled with ice inserted into the centre of it to keep it cool. We had the first tower at just before 6.30pm. Mr. T had his daughter doing a show and his wife was going to ring just before she went on.

Now we got a little carried away, and just after 8.30pm I mentioned that we better call Mr. T’s wife as his daughter must have danced by now. She is in primary 2 and the schedule was kindergarten 5.30pm and then primary 1, primary 2 and so forth to primary 6. After a quick call we were informed that she hadn’t danced and was still 20 minutes away.

Finally the call came and Mr. T took off to watch his daughter, I and Mr. A stayed and guarded the beer and also watched the football. Mr. T returned about 40 minutes later and explained that she had only just gone on and did their 3 minute show.

We had 3 of these towers between three of us, and when Mr. T’s daughter wanted to bowling we couldn’t say, ‘no’ so we ordered a 4th tower and went a played a game of bowling. Those pictures will be another day and time.

Today being Sunday, I awoke with a sore head, my own entire fault and my own doing. When my neice woke me at 6.30am to go for our usual walk to see the chickens, cows and then to the market it was the first time I had ever thought of not going.

But when she started to cry trying to put her shoes on and telling me to get up I had to get up, drink some water and also take a few Panadol. The walk seemed like an eternity and when we returned I hit the hay for a few more hours.

I know why I stopped drinking a long time back and just do it on the off occasion or only have a few quiet drinks at home and not 12 beers watching the football. I think old age has matured me, and maybe made me a little wiser.

Brunty