Day 5, Sunday 14 April, Chiang Khan

Family Day....... Today is the second of the three days of Songkran and regarded as the day for family. As far as we are concerned we intend to fulfill that obligation with a family feast at Katoon's ancestral home where four generations are represented. This will be the climax of Songkran for this year.
There just remains what to do on the final day here and the popular choice is to do nothing. That has been lacking on our trips everywhere, it's been that intense. The heat is particularly oppressive with the only other choice being to drive around with the A/C on to do what exactly? I am so close to ending this stay in Thailand that anything else seems meaningless.
We do need something for lunch and head out into the town for some food which we take back to the ancestral home to eat there as well as provide for others. However, most of the guests who will be attending later are traveling around to maximise their stay in Chiang Khan. We have already maxed out ours though but there is one more visit before I head back into the comfort of the room again. This visit sees us inspecting more land. This land was part of the family estate but for personal reasons Katoon has never considered using it.
Big Event....... The big event tonight requires a lot of preparation and I leave Katoon to buy fresh food to head back and help with the cooking process. I get a break in the meantime but am collected before dark. I guess it's an age privilege that I arrive when all the work is done. The situation I find myself in with so many guests (20 I think) is difficult as my conversational Thai is not that good and apart from Katoon, English speaking is almost nonexistent. Over half the guests though I've met before. The meal is over in a flash and guests start drifting away. This is probably the last time I will see many of them. Tomorrow we head back to Bangkok with mixed emotions. This is coming to the end of not only a chapter but a whole book.

Day 6, Monday 15 April, Bangkok

Chiang Khan Farewell....... The three-night stay in Kru-Ratree is at an end and I'm mighty relieved with that. I like to have a say on where I stay but for the Songkran Festival I've missed that. This is the sort of compromise that happens with family get togethers. We still have ample stock of snack food for breakfast but at 9.00 am I can put all my thoughts into storage, so I can recall them for future reference if need be.
Today is as simple as it gets, We first say farewell to the doctor and his family who have been staying next door. They are leaving at the same time although their journey will be shorter. Heading back to Loei we say our goodbye's to the one aunt who has been most generous. Despite other misgivings I have been made very welcome here.
Two Options....... We are heading for Bangkok and there are really just two options. The longer but easier route is along the way we came. Mostly we have used this route in the past. The other option is more direct but requires passing through Loei's dense forest and into Phetchabun. We decide to take this more scenic route for a change but starting from Loei City, we are in the mountains and hour and a half. We then use HWY 21 for most of the way until we will joint HWY 1 in Saraburi. By lunch, we are in the northern districts of Phetchabun but it's still a long way from here. It takes all afternoon in Phetchabun and Lopburi Provinces but by late afternoon we join HWY 1. The arrival time estimation has consistently been 7.00 pm. The choice of route today we think has helped with traffic. There is often a bottleneck on the Mittraphap Highway but it seems that a new elevated section has been opened in time for Songkran. Have I missed a trick I wonder. Either way we have little option but to use HWY 1 towards Bangkok. Thankfully, although there are slow sections, we arrive in the village more or less as predicted.
Bangkok Arrival....... We drop off some Loei goodies at a friend's and take dinner amidst the ongoing water fights: This is the last of the three days. So my travels around Thailand are at an end for the time being. We now have just the two days to prepare for departure to the UK.
To help with the transition, the oppressive heat I won't miss. There has been precious little rain during my entire stay in the country and it seems to have felt hotter week on week.
As far as a conclusion for this mini tour there is not much to write. Apart from misgivings that I have described already, the trip achieved what it was meant too. If I take anything from it, it is my regret that my Thai is just not good enough but for the future I would be happy to integrate more into Thai society rather than be reclusive. It seems that my mindset is to settle down and treat Thailand more as my home even though I'm not resident here. We will see how it goes with a land purchase.
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