Bangkla: Jewelry, and Rock Stars

Have you ever met anyone famous? Sure there was that time in the 80’s where you waited in line all night in your parachute pants, sporting your rocker mullet, just to get the autograph of the bass player from White Snake, but have you ever met someone who was famous that you didn’t have to wait in a line to talk to. On Friday night I had the opportunity to meet a Thai celebrity.

Having returned from the countryside surrounding Phanom we accept an invitation to eat at Agan Weechai’s house. While his wife is out of town at a woman’s Bible meeting, his son had his son’s wife have prepared dinner for us. Gift and her sister, Koy, are also invited to dinner and meet us at the house. While waiting for the food to finish cooking Gift spreads the jewelry she sells out on the coffee table and begins showing pieces to John Mark and I. As we search the jewelry in hopes of finding something our significant others would like, while our grandfather laughs at our attempts to pick out something nice. We each select a few pieces about the time dinner is ready (sorry Ashley no pictures of what I bought you…it is a surprise).

We sit down and are introduced to the full table of people, Agan Weechai’s son Voot , Voot’s wife Um, and Voot’s best friend (who’s name I do not remember at the time). We enjoy the delicious seafood that has been prepared for us. The conversation quickly turns to Voot’s profession, music. We discover that Voot is actually famous in Thailand. He has two band, one a very well known Christian band, Jeremiah, and the other is a Beiges inspired band, named the Begins. After dinner we are shown a few of Voot’s music videos on youtube and invited over to his house next door. I find out that the house next door to Agan Weecahi’s is older and has been purchased by Voot who is in the process of fixing it up for he and his wife to live in. The house is the most western I have seen since arriving in Thailand. He gives us a tour of the recording studio he is building and shows us the features he has been incorporating into his house. I am impressed with how the house looks and the progress that Voot has been able to make in eight months. After touring the house it is time to leave. Voot is kind enough to give us his CD before we get into the car, and even though the words on the album are in a language I do not understand, I thank him for the album and consider asking him for his autograph.

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