summer in si racha
observations from my 'in-between' trip to a tiny coastal town in thailand
Three weeks ago, I said goodbye to the school I called home for the past eleven years. I’m not going to deny that it felt bittersweet, especially when I walked around my high school campus for the last time. As my friends and I celebrated our last classes, we also looked forward to the day that we would deck out in our graduation memorabilia and walk across the stage to receive our diplomas. But this whole time, I was also wondering what was next. I’m free from the 6am daily wake-up alarms for the rest of my life. No more do I need to worry if my Chinese teacher would call on me to read a paragraph of text I obviously could not read in front of the class. I was not going to be chained to a block schedule ever again or take six classes simultaneously each semester. To think of those things as a past lifestyle feels extremely liberating. In short, I’m now free!!
But I now face a whole new set of challenges. I, for one, just applied for a credit card that says my own name on it and a visa to enter the United Kingdom. The more I think about post-grad life, the more my next chapter seems both exciting and anxiety-inducing. I’m off to college in a city I absolutely adore, but the tradeoff is that I also have to navigate what being an adult is and feels like. How do I keep track of finances? How do I get work experience? How often should I wait to do laundry for one? How am I going to leave home?
Amidst thinking about all these things, I packed my bags and boarded a plane to Bangkok. This trip was originally intended for my brother to attend a golf program, but my mom and I decided to tag along. We would explore and shop while he refined his golf swing.
That being said, upon arriving in Bangkok, I immediately did not have the best time. After spending four days sleeping in, walking to the local mall, devouring mango smoothies after every meal, and trying to wake up earlier, I still felt extremely drained. Soon, we eventually took a one-hour drive up to Si Racha, a tiny coastal town in east Thailand.
My first thought traveling to Si Racha was, where on earth am I going? The air felt drier, and sun rays would glare through the tinted windshield of our van. As we drove into the town, we passed by rolling green hills similar to the ones sprawled across northern Bali (without the rice fields). One major similarity between Bali’s landscape and Si Racha’s is that both mountains are covered in lush green trees. But the major difference between the two was that once we made our way around to the other side of Thailand’s hills, it was easy to spot that a few opposite halves of these mountains had been chipped away by industrial machines…all in the name of growing Thailand’s limestone supply.
The growing reality for me entering this town was that I was too used to highly developed cities, and this was a place where manufacturing took precedence over quality of life. The town was made up of mostly low-rise tin-roof buildings with the exception of shiny, mostly unoccupied new apartments, which I observed fairly quickly after the first drive in. Most townspeople got around in motorcycles, some with extra passengers piling into adjoining carts next to the driver, engines puffing out clouds of black air as the run-downed two-wheelers traveled to their respective destinations. On the coastline, algae-covered trash washed up on shorelines and mixed with black soot. In addition, piles of plastic bottles and flammable trash also lined roadsides. Perhaps it was a sign of community neglect or a lack of adequate wastage disposal systems in this less economically developed region. Either way, garbage on streets has become such a common sight that locals generally overlook it alongside the dust. My clean Singapore air-accustomed eyes watered when I stepped out into Bangkok’s streets, and it took some getting used to when I arrived here as well.
The town center, complete with a clock tower equivalent in height to a five-story building (my attempt at an estimation) stood out from a far distance. The local schools lined along the main roads, and a newly built hospital facility was next to a recently renovated mall. When the clock struck around two in the afternoon, students would head straight from school to the mall. Still dressed in their uniforms and carrying bulging backpacks full of homework, they would grab a bite to eat and shop around. I noticed that the mall is the ultimate ‘it’ hangout spot for youngsters. You’ll find older generations hanging around shophouses near the clock tower, chatting with their neighbors and running their small businesses (some from makeshift stalls) from mornings to late afternoons.
A side note: Upon driving into Si Racha, I thought the name sounded like the Vietnamese hot sauce everyone knows and loves…sriracha. I had this comparison in my head because my Vietnamese-American family would have the red condiment bottle on our dining table to put in our pho, and it’s a common sight for many Americans in general when they spot it on shelves in their local Costco. I thought this curiosity warranted a Google search, and I was surprised to find that the Vietnamese hot sauce staple was actually invented and named after this small coastal Thai town. According to this NPR article, most locals here don’t even know that there’s a Westernized version of their traditional sauce, let alone a famous brand.
What interested me about Si Racha townspeople and their lifestyles is that, as a collective, they’re trying to modernize. You can see it in the next generation’s after-school hang spot and the infrastructural updates locals bring into this seaside community. I mentioned high-rise buildings, but I also noticed plenty of newer cars. Most of these cars were slick, shiny SUVs driving alongside rusty, clattering trucks. After spotting more than a few people getting in and out of these vehicles in button uniforms with name tags and some Google searching once again, I learned that the wider area in which Si Racha was nestled is home to many production factories. To name a few: chemical plants, pharmaceuticals factories, and engine and automobile production plants. But what was more interesting was that I noticed these uniformed workers weren’t Thai. They’re Japanese, and the companies they work for are Japanese as well, such as Mitsubishi Electric. So, modernization in this area has been partly due to the fact that a significant slice of residents in this town of ~20,000 are ex-pats who move here and commute out for work since Si Racha’s cost of living is evidently cheaper (plus, Bangkok city is close by, and so is the Suvarnabhumi Airport).
My mom and I tried to find some local food restaurants close to our hotel, which, funnily enough, was also Japanese-owned. Every appliance in our room was labeled with Japanese language translations, but all the food they served was Japanese cuisine. It was like living in a mini-Japan.
Throughout the week and a half here, we eventually did find more local food in the markets and the food stalls. One shophouse that we went to on the last day specifically caught my eye. Filled with knickknacks, dusty lighting, and shelves of family photos across generations, this place definitely showed age. But at the front of this shop, the family business was split in half (literally). An old man was running a duck noodle food stall on one side. He had his faded apron on, a giant butcher knife, a metal workstation set up with pots boiling noodles on stoves, and duck meat hanging off hooks with chopping blocks (not to mention a few bottles of his homemade original Thai siracha sauce to put on each dish!). On the other side was another workstation that looked more modern. On the countertop, a silver drip press machine reflected the sunlight with fresh cups all lined up next to it, ready to be filled with coffee. Bags of coffee beans were bunched in a corner and were being moved around by a young man in a black graphic tee as he multitasked, taking orders and pressing buttons on another machine to grind the beans into tiny granules. Plastic tables and chairs filled the back of the shophouse, and customers, both young and old, ordered from each side before taking their seats. Some younger customers only stopped by for coffee and a chat with the barista, while other, more senior customers made their way to order takeaway dishes from the chef, eager to eat them in the comfort of their homes that are a short walk away from the shophouse.
My time here was also spent on various golf courses. I won’t write about my visits to the courses themselves because there isn’t much for me to say other than the grass was always nicely cut, the sun was always shining, and it was satisfying to hear a drive shot off starting tees near the clubhouse.
I would say that another big takeaway included meeting a lot of different people from all walks of life who were incredibly kind. Some were shop owners who lived simply and got by; they had spent decades of their lives dedicated to making a living doing something as straightforward as slicing various fruits or driving motorcycles around the town with carts attached to their vehicles selling ice cream for as low-priced as 10 Baht (~ 30¢ USD/ 40¢ SGD). Some were parents of golfers attending the same program as my brother, who shared their life stories of finding financial success, overcoming personal obstacles, adventures abroad, intentions to retire, and founding millions of dollars-valued companies with missions that fill in gaps they see in the corporate world. Some were golf enthusiasts who took the unconventional route of taking gap years and living alone on the road to pursue winning tournaments on the Thai circuit. Some were locals and golf pros working at one of the country clubs who saw me reading a book while waiting for my brother, who spontaneously offered me the opportunity to watch them make mango sticky rice. They patiently showed me their traditional dessert-making practice of scooping pandan (green fragrant leaf) flavored sticky rice onto a plate and sprinkling different fried coconut and sugar sprinkle condiments onto it. I learned that locals like to do so in order to taste more vibrant, sweeter flavors with each bite. They also sliced fresh mangoes, explaining to me that you can tell it’s ripe if it’s covered in sap on the stem, and lined it up next to the rice.
While I won’t call this trip the best trip of all time, it holds a meaningful place in my heart. My time in Si Racha reminded me of the world beyond my privileged Singapore bubble. I was reminded to expect the unexpected and to be open to new experiences. The people, the place, and my observations here have been the perfect stepping stone for my summer ‘in-between’ graduating high school and going off to college in Scotland, renewing my excitement to navigate a new chapter of adventure and opportunity.
Since this is a long article, I’ll try to keep this edition of the digest short:
what i’m reading lately
The Lost Submersible vs Migrants Media Coverage
I think we’re all curious to hear news from the OceanGate Titan submersible mission that lost contact with their host ship after diving down deep in the ocean in hopes to see the shipwreck of the Titanic. On board are a few billionaires and the founder of the company, who circumvented certification checks on the submersible craft itself (which by the way, is operated with a Logitech remote?). I won’t bother with writing the facts here, but here’s a link to CNN’s news coverage of it if you’re interested. What I will note is that the article linked above is what I’m focusing on. It covers a very valid observation of media coverage and aid resource allocation on this situation. There’s a missing fishing trawler with ~750 passengers seeking a safer, better life, off the coast of Greece, and yet, there’s an even more massive hunt for the submersible. The article is more detailed though, and I suggest you take a read like I did yesterday.
In Golf News: PGA partners with Saudi's PIR
The most shocking news to rock the competitive golf circuit…the PGA tour merges with the LIV tour? Basically all you need to know is in the article linked above as well, but I was shocked to hear that the two golf tour rivals are now putting their legal battles aside and become ‘besties’. Especially after some PGA tour professionals took million-dollar offers from the LIV tour (backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund) to join them instead…
Book: The World by Richard Haass
Written by the former president of the Council on Foreign Relations. Reading this to get excited for college!
what i’m listening to lately
Noah Kahan’s Deluxe Album
In love with his newest songs: Dial Drunk, Paul Revere, No Complaints, Call Your Mom, You’re Gonna Go Far, and Your Needs, My Needs
Gracie Abrams’ Deluxe Album
Niall Horan’s Album The Show
I especially like You Could Start A Cult.
movies i’ve watched lately
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Fast X, The Little Mermaid, and Spider-Man 2: Across the Spider-verse
what’s next? looking ahead…
I’m excited for Barbie/Oppenheimer release day! Also, I’m writing all of this in Kyoto, Japan, right now, so I apologize if there are errors. I’m trying to rush getting this up and posted. I’m drinking a $5 Starbucks ice matcha latte (yum) and frantically writing at 11 pm. I’ll be on the train to Nagoya tomorrow.
reneephan@substack.com • instagram
o hey!!!! 10/10. "No more do I need to worry if my Chinese teacher would call on me to read a paragraph of text I obviously could not read in front of the class" hits too hard.