Ko Samui with Bob and Lat

Once we were settled into a bungalow back on Ko Samui, we called Bob (Justin’s neighbor Billy’s brother) to make plans for the day. Bob has lived on the island for about five years now and invited us out to his place to join him and his fiancé, Lat, for a relaxing afternoon by the pool.

Bob’s charming house (that he is actually house-sitting for a friend in Australia indefinitely) is the color of the sun in the late afternoon, and contrasts brilliantly with the pool lined by vibrant orchids and bougainvillea. We chatted for a while about our trip so far and our plans for the rest of it. Lat made us feel right at home with cold Heinekens poolside, and Bob told us about his experiences and adventures while living in Thailand. He gave us some great advice for the rest of our trip that we will put to good use! We also learned about the mafia-driven politics on Ko Samui (and apparently much of Thailand), the two year old law the bars men from beating their wives legally, and the Thai women’s affinity for food so fiery hot that smelling it makes me break into a sweat!

Bob told us a lot about Lat’s past as well. She grew up in rural northeast Thailand in a farming community with her parents and seven siblings. The patriarch of the family died before Lat was ten, leaving her mother to support all eight kids. Miraculously, she was able to put all of her children through college! While this is a feat in the United States, it is virtually unheard of in Thailand. Lat’s mother sent each kid to school for the week with 120 baht (about four dollars) to cover the bus to and from the university, food, and lodging before they could come home the following weekend to help work. Lat and her family have a wonderful story to tell, and we were lucky to hear a small part of it!

Bob and Lat are getting married in a few months, and upon hearing this news Bob told us about Lat’s ex-husband. He was an alcoholic that beat Lat to within an inch of her life ever day, and the thought of leaving him didn’t cross her mind until her sons were old enough to practically force her to do it. In the middle of his rages, Lat would often run out into the street screaming for help, but no one would help her because it was a man’s right to beat his wife until recently in Thailand. During the divorce proceedings, Lat needed a police escort and both of her fully grown sons to protect her from her now jaundiced, sickly ex-husband. Lat’s is one of those stories you read about in books and can’t help but be inspired by, and we were all the more inspired by having heard it first hand.

Even with the crazy past that Lat has had, she has an enormous heart. She opened her and Bob’s home to us, prepared a traditional Thai meal, and allowed us a glimpse into her past and the past of many Thai women that don’t have a voice. But back to the meal: Lat’s Thai food was leaps and bounds better than any we have ever had! She spoiled us terribly! We had squid with Thai basil, coconut curry soup, and stir friend vegetables. All the herbs and spices were picked fresh from the garden and ground in a mortar and pestle. Apparently this is becoming more and more rare in Thai cuisine now that the locals have discovered MSG…

Our evening with Bob and Lat was fantastic, delicious, and informative and we wouldn’t have traded it for anything. It was so great to hear about Thai life from a retired American and from a local Thai to compare and contrast the different views on the same subject.