Where to go? Theatres, shopping, eating or bowling?

Are you interested to know how provincial people entertain themselves?

One way is to go to fairs, which take place in their home towns once in a while. I went to one recently on a short trip to Sai Yoke district in Kanchanaburi.

It was the night of December 4, and to celebrate HM the King's birthday the next day, there was a Chinese dinner feast where hi-so diners were treated to a full spread, and a boxing ring where the poorer locals could take in a bit of entertainment without paying a single baht.

While the local hi-so enjoyed a look thung band along with a troop of dancers in glittering dresses, the poor locals were offered several boxing matches.

At first I was amused to hear that the boxers in the first rounds weighed only 20 kg - it was difficult to imagine what the match would be like when you're accustomed to tournaments that feature grown-up guys.

Then I saw the boxers and tears filled my eyes. They were thin, probably malnourished, and could not have been older than 10 years. They were only half the height of the grown-up referee.

It was kind of brutal to set up two kids in a boxing ring - young boys who had no grudge against each other but had to punch it out for points and for the reputations of the boxing camps they belonged to.

To my astonishment, none of the audience shared my feeling, or their pain. They expressed a genuine sense of joy, cheering as each punch was laid.

I also felt sad to see that among the awards for the grown-ups' matches were two small electric fans. They were worth less than Bt500 each, but the sponsors received high praise for the 'generosity'.

It confirmed something I had heard about what provincial boxing camps earn by sending their boxers into the ring. The boxers get only Bt300 in return for a spate of orchestrated violence that could hurt them for days or damage them for life.

So, how much did the kids get that night?

When a woman dropped the pair Bt200, her name was announced loud and long to show how rare such money giving is in our cash-strapped society.

Of course the Bt200 would be nothing in Bangkok, where fancy seats to see a movie could cost double that. We might need to ask ourselves if city folk like us are really thoughtful when we spend our cash.

achara_ d@nationgroup.com