游龙仔厝渔村
Visiting Samut Sakhon Fishing Village
我们这一行，真真是不曾轻易地放过任何一个角度；每到一个地方，就忙着描画、摄影，甚至详细地当地居民探询一些民情异俗。虽然每次都是带回劳累的双腿、僵硬的腰骨、与疲惫的精神，然而夜来看看一天的收获，却也得意地酣然入睡了。
今天是要到泰国的最大渔村--龙仔厝，去游览与作画。这个面积约八百四十公里的龙仔厝府是在夜功府东面？南濒泰湾，北接他真河口，东隔湄南河与北揽府为邻。全府只分为龙仔厝直辖县、万标县和加吞孟三县。人民多以渔业，制盐和耕种的农田地区，所以我们选定的目的地就是龙仔厝直辖县的大社区--泰国最大的一个鱼市了。
清晨，大伙儿到码头去贷了两艘挂为摩多船。六时半摩多船就开动了马达，拖着一条长长的白练，载着我们破浪乘风地沿着湄南河向北行驶了。起初，晨风迎面吹来，颇有沁凉之感。但是这种沁凉的感觉并不给我们维持多久，等到那一轮红日渐高，酷热便开始逼人而至了。
船行约四十分钟后，我们便到达了暖武里的水上巴刹。这时由各方汇集而来的载货，载客的小船，多如过江之触，情况热闹非常！我们所乘过的摩多船，到了这里亦不得不放慢了速度，从船与船之间穿插而过。据说这里是出产榴莲的地区，不但产量丰富，而且价廉物美，极为曼谷的市民所赏识呢！如果不是大家忙着要去看看泰国的渔村风光的话，我真想先在暖武里装满一肚子的榴莲，然后再起程呢！船经过了水上巴刹之后，就专入了一条两岸荒凉的小运河。（这是沟通湄南河与他真河的交通水道。）由此向南转入他真河，然后沿着迂回曲折的他真河南下至河口，大约还距离泰海湾四公里的地方，便达到我们的目的地了。
这时，已是十点半，我们坐在颠簸的船中，苦熬了整整四个钟头的热刑，不但有头痛身热之感，几乎连气都喘不过来，大家从小船攀扶着垂直的木梯登岸。但见到处处都是傍水的渔棚，简陋的茅屋，县晒的渔网。这个充满了鱼盐气味的泰国渔村，与马来亚海岸的丁加奴州并无二致。但是若以渔村的规模来说则远不及丁加奴的庞大，渔民的生活方式也远不及丁加奴的多彩多姿，民情习俗更没有丁加奴渔民的纯朴敦厚，我是大大地感到失望了！原来龙仔厝竟是这么的丝毫没什么出入意外的平常啊！我们难以找到「至堪入画」的角度，看来今天是不会有收获的了！我寄语要选取渔村景物入画的同道们，大可不必千辛万苦地跑到这里来社区摄取画材，因为在马来亚地方俯拾皆是。不论是柔佛州的龟咯、吡叻州的十八丁，或是彭亨州与丁加奴州的沿海渔村，你都可以找到极丰富的题材，大有使你描画不尽的感慨！我们先到四周去浏览一区，面对着这些眼前景致，实在是感到画兴索然的，甚至于连打开写生簿的兴致也引不起来呢！再加上饥渴交迫，汗流浃背，烦躁不堪，于是便决定至市镇上去解决的问题再说吧。
大社区是他真河口的一个土角，渔民聚成一个村落，地方并不大，市镇上只有一条街道。我们找到一家饭馆，吃了一顿新鲜可口的海鲜，价钱也便宜，所以这顿饭是吃的很满意的！为了大家已不敢再领教坐船的味道了，便决定搭火车回去。据这里的住民告诉我们：由这里直透曼谷的火车，每天川行四趟，公路交通则可沿第一经济公路至加孟吞县，再沿碧加森路北行，然后折东就可到达曼谷。这里因有巨量的水产输出，所以交通十分方便的。
饭后，在市镇上溜达，既无甚景物可看，亦无任何值得买回去留作纪念物的土产--除非你愿意几带尾咸腥味充鼻的盐渍鱼！我们打听得火车要到五时二十分才开行之后，便又回到沿河一带的渔村去作画了。因为大家都认为既已化了一天的时间到此地来作画，岂可连一张画稿也没得带回？因此我们就在淡淡的画趣之下，勾了三四张画稿，藉以留下此行的鸿爪。
时间离开火车的开行还很长，为了打发时间，就在河边一家咖啡店里喝茶，原想一面喝茶，一面欣赏河上风光的。岂知那热烫的咖啡才端来，那些苍蝇已作了不速之客。我们想一面挥散苍蝇，一面赶紧喝，可是苍蝇真多得骇人，只要一挥手，就可抓到一两只，同时那挥出去的手尚未来得及收回，杯里已停满苍蝇了。我的天啊！这怎么还可以喝下肚里去呢？尤其是正当泰国还是宣布为霍乱疫区的现时，谁有这么大的勇气敢一尝苍蝇的唾余？我想住在这里的渔民，一定是有着强大的疾病抵抗力的，否则，怎能与这数以千万计的苍蝇为伍呢？
五时二十分在火车站，化了十铢（叻币一元五角）买了二等车票返曼谷。六时半抵达曼谷旅舍，吃了晚餐，我就在死亡的疲倦中入睡了。
Our group never missed a single angle; every time we arrived at a place, we were busy sketching, taking photographs, and even inquiring about local customs and traditions. Although each time we returned with tired legs, stiff waists, and exhausted spirits, when we looked at our day's harvest at night, we went to sleep contentedly.
Today, we were heading to Longzaicuo, the largest fishing village in Thailand, for sightseeing and painting. This area covered approximately 840 square kilometers and was situated to the east of Nakhon Nayok Province, facing the Gulf of Thailand to the south, bordered by the Bang Pa-in District to the north, separated from Pathum Thani Province by the Chao Phraya River to the east. The province was divided into Samut Sakhon District, Ban Phaeo District, and Kathunbangphun District. The people here were mostly involved in fishing, salt production, and farming, making our chosen destination the Samut Sakhon District, home to Thailand's largest fish market.
Early in the morning, we went to the pier and rented two long-tail boats. At 6:30 AM, the long-tail boats started their engines, towing a long white rope as we cruised northward along the Chao Phraya River. Initially, the cool morning breeze was refreshing, but it didn't last long. As the red sun climbed higher, the scorching heat began to overwhelm us.
After about 40 minutes of boating, we arrived at Nong Pla Lai Floating Market in Nakhon Nayok. Here, boats from all directions gathered for cargo and passenger transport, creating a bustling scene. Even our long-tail boat had to slow down and navigate between other boats. It was said that this area was known for durian production, and the fruit was not only abundant but also reasonably priced, making it popular among Bangkok residents. If we weren't so eager to explore the fishing village scenery, I would have filled up on durian here before continuing our journey.
After passing the floating market, our boat entered a narrow and desolate canal. This canal connected the Chao Phraya River and the Bang Pakong River. We followed the winding path of the Bang Pakong River to the south, eventually reaching our destination, which was approximately four kilometers from the Gulf of Thailand.
By now, it was already 10:30 AM, and we had endured a sweltering four-hour journey. The intense heat had given us headaches and left us breathless. We climbed the steep wooden ladder to disembark from the boat. The village was filled with simple fishing huts, thatched roofs, and fishing nets drying in the sun. This Thai fishing village, with its distinctive scent of fish and salt, bore some resemblance to the coastal villages of Terengganu, Malaysia. However, in terms of size, lifestyle, and local customs, it couldn't compare to the vibrancy of Terengganu's fishing communities. I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Longzaicuo seemed much more ordinary than we had anticipated.
We found it challenging to discover any picturesque angles for painting, and it seemed that we wouldn't have any significant artistic output today. I advised fellow artists who sought village scenes for their artwork not to go through the trouble of coming here because there were plenty of similar subjects available throughout Malaya. Whether it was the fishing village of Kuala Terengganu in Terengganu, Sabak Bernam in Perak, or coastal villages in Pahang and Kelantan, they could find a wealth of subject matter that would provide endless inspiration.
We explored the surrounding area, but with uninspiring views and no appealing local products to purchase as souvenirs—unless you were willing to buy salted fish with a pungent odor—we decided to head back to town to resolve our hunger issue.
The village had a small community known as Thepsatri, and the fishermen lived in clusters of huts along the water's edge. The town itself was not large, consisting of only one main street. We found a restaurant and had a satisfying seafood meal that was both delicious and affordable. Given our aversion to boat travel after the long journey, we decided to return to Bangkok by train.
According to local residents, there were four daily trains to Bangkok from here, which made transportation very convenient due to the substantial fishery output. After our meal, we wandered through the town, which didn't offer much to see, and there were no local products worth buying as souvenirs, unless you were interested in heavily salted fish. We were informed that the train to Bangkok wouldn't depart until 5:20 PM, so we decided to return to the riverside village to continue our painting. We were determined to produce some sketches despite the fatigue.
As the time until the train's departure was still quite long, we decided to have tea at a riverside coffee shop. We intended to enjoy our tea while admiring the river view, but little did we know that the scalding coffee had brought some unwelcome guests—flies. They swarmed around us, making it impossible to enjoy our tea in peace. We attempted to shoo them away, but there were so many flies that every wave of the hand caught a couple of them, and the tea cups quickly filled with flies. It was quite a shocking experience! How could we possibly drink the tea after flies had landed in it? Especially during this time when Thailand had declared a cholera epidemic, who would dare to ingest even a trace of fly residue? I assumed that the residents here must have incredibly strong immunity to diseases, as how else could they coexist with countless flies?
At 5:20 PM, we arrived at the train station and purchased second-class tickets for our return journey to Bangkok. We reached Bangkok at 6:30 PM, had dinner, and I fell asleep in a state of exhaustion.