Nong Chang has never been featured in a newspaper article or a guide book. My route from my wife’s family house t-bones with a two-laner provincial highway in the small town. It is the quintessential Thai crossroad town in the middle of nowhere.
There is no banks, restaurants, or hotels. Several general stores, a market, and a gas stion serve the surrounding communities of farmers. I stopped for gas at a hand-powered pump. As the young attendant filled my motorcycle with 91 octane gas, not a single car or truck disturbed the Sunday morning slumber of dogs stretched out on the asphalt.
The attendant counted out my change and asked if I was American. I told him ‘yes’ and he asked if I like ‘Obama’.
“Obama?” Thais are too worldly. They love their Thailand, however for the most part whatever happens outside Thailand happens to other people. Not Thais.
“I see him in TV. I like his face. I think he good for America. He give hope.”
Hope or kwaam wang in Thai.
TV shrinks the world. Sometimes for the better. I tipped the young man 20 baht. It wasn’t enough for a beer. He gave it back to me, pointing at my daughter.
“Buy her a candy.”
“I will for Obama.”
He smiled as Thais used to smile.
Barack Obama would smile too if he knew about this distant fan.
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