The Gang (or part of it) Does Soeng Sang

Handing out shirts to the villagers was an unforgettable and very rewarding experience, but there was more that that to our weekend...

Stopping near Khao Yai on the way to Soeng Sang for lunch.

I have wanted for so long to get to visit Note's gold shop.  The gold trade is a major business in Thailand.  Every town has a gold shop.  Most have several.   In Soeng Sang, Note has one competitor nearby,

Note left DST to get his master's degree in finance and then spent a long time traveling around Thailand to many provinces, looking for the best location to open this shop.  He needed a good location with fairly high traffic, minimal competition, and where he could purchase a building inexpensively.  He has been here, I believe, about three years now.

The gang inside the shop.  Lots of necklaces, bracelets and rings.  Actually, you buy the gold by weight with a small fee added for the craftsmanship involved in shaping it into jewelry.  They originally sold only gold, but have added a little silver and that has increased their traffic slightly.  I believe Note's hope it to one day own a chain of shops, but for now he is focusing all of his attention on this one.  He explained to me a long time ago that he wants to build this shop's success by building a reputation for honesty and customer service.  Note is a pretty special guy.

I forget that the gang is all made up of city boys (and girls) and so much of Saturday evening was new experiences for them.  I grew up driving a pickup truck and riding around in the bed of trucks.  When Note's friends showed up with their pickups and told them "climb in!" it was another new adventure.

They insisted that the "Boss" (me) sit in the cab with the driver.  lol

Stopping to wade and splash in a spillway that actally runs right over the main road here.

We gathered beside a lake to enjoy the sunset.

 It's a Soeng Sang Saturday Night.  I can not explain how much this evening reminded me of my high school days.  Friends gathered along the lakeside in their pickup trucks, car stereos turned up playing country music (in this case, Thai and American), most drinking a beer, and just talking and laughing.  This could just as easily been Hamilton, Missouri, where I grew up, as Soeng Sang, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.  And it was fun!

Back in the room, X explains the finer points of bourbon to Note's friend, Benz.

Great food.  Great friends. Great trip.