Waree
Waree is my lovely wife and artistic muse. She is feisty and hot like a spicy Thai dish; she has a smile that makes you happy; she is a loving mother to our three boys, and I love her more than the world.
She was brought up in Ban Pho, a village in the NE of Thailand, in the province of Nong Khai. This is the rice bowl of Thailand, with fertile soils on the Mekong River floodplain. It has a wonderful culture and people. I have lived in this area on and off for over 20 years. She had very little education and, at the age of 12, was working on building sites in Bangkok with her family.
She spent four years in Hong Kong working as a maid and, on her return, found that her friends in the village had gone to Phuket to “get a farang (foreigner),” as marrying one would lift them out of the village's poverty. So she went to Phuket with her friends. However, Waree was unlucky as this was in the middle of the SARS epidemic and there were few tourists in Phuket. To add to her misfortune, the only farang she met was an older Australian, me. I fell in love with her from the moment we met. She was simply gorgeous, both in her looks and her personality. At the time, my second marriage was on the rocks, and the allure of Waree was too much for me.
I moved to the village and paid off the mortgage on the family shop and home, as Waree had been making the payments while in Hong Kong. For the next few years, I would spend 3 months at the village and when my visa ran out, return to Australia, where I cared for my elderly parents. I loved living in the village, where I had an easel and painted, selling some of my paintings online overseas.
Then we moved to Australia and built an extension to my parents' house, including a gallery and studio. Since my parents passed away, the boys live in the old house, and we live in the extension. We now have two adult boys and one younger. She is nearly 50, and we have been happily married for 22 years.
We also have a lovely guesthouse on the banks of the Mekong River in Phon Phisai, not far from the village. For a decade, I taught painting there, and we showed our guests around the sites and Thai culture. We had to stop the business for the boy’s schooling, but we visit the house regularly. It's a beautiful place, and I love it.
When Waree came to Australia, she spoke no English at all and couldn't drive. She now works at the local Coles deli and plays a lot of competitive tennis as she is a very good player. She drives her EV everywhere and has many Thai ladyfriends.
I still love her desperately.