Udon History and Undertakers

[parrot]

Among a handful of the first Thai words I learned (ที่รัก butterfly number 10 ข้าวผัด) was สัปเหร่อ.......undertaker. Our first bungalow was alongside the temple and very near to the crematorium. It's one of the words that's stuck over the years, even though I don't use it often.
Today, at a funeral for one of Udon's last remaining since-Vietnam-daze veterans, I yakked with the undertaker at the temple just behind AEK Hospital. He seemed happy to give me the grand tour....explaining how the diesel and fan fed system made most cremations easy. He said he had been one of several undertakers at the temple for more than 30 years. He showed me his small 'office'.....a tiny desk next to the control panel where he filled out documents that the municipality collects documenting each cremation. Alongside his work space hung a hat.....not just any hat, but a hat from the local VFW. I asked......he told me it was from some time ago, a black man, he said. Sure enough, our VFW post attended the man's funeral at that temple several years ago.
Over to Somsak's pharmacy for some meds. Somsak's a walking history book on Udon. He said he graduated from pharmacy school back in 1974-5 when being a young student meant there was a good chance you were a 'communist'.....or at least one who was against the dictatorial government at the time. He told some interesting stories about the youth of those days.
He said business is way down from a few years ago....back when we first arrived, Somsak was one of the few actual pharmacists in town. Today, pharmacies are the new coffee shop....4 on the ground floor of Central and one in nearly every big supermarket.
Times changes.....but it's always interested reliving a bit of the past with folks like Somsak.