@THAILAND
Boys' toys get a solid workout every afternoon in a field of palm trees on the outskirts of Bangkok, writes Jetjaras Na Ranong
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| A radio-controlled toy plane in the sky above Dong Tarn, a palm tree grove, on Rattanathibet road in Nonthaburi. The area has become an adult's playground where people come to use their remote-controlled toys. Photos by JETJARAS NA RANONG |
A toy plane shares the sky with a jet.[C]ABOVE |
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| The grass field at Dong Tarn is sometimes turned into a makeshift BB gun games park. |
Members of the Dong Tarn club discuss a toy racing car. |
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| Sombat Sukkha, 40, carefully directs his beloved chopper, which cost about 40,000 baht. |
Surat Thongjaem, a 37-year-old office worker, enjoys using his radio-controlled plane after work every day. |
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said: "In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play."
This is probably why a grassland on Rattanathibet road in Nonthaburi is always packed with adults who come to fulfil their childhood dreams of owning and operating high-tech toys - from remote-controlled planes to helicopters, boats and even BB guns.
Regulars call this four-rai playground Dong Tarn (palm tree grove) where grown-ups from various professions converge to have fun and share a laugh after work. Here they let their inner child run wild.
The radio-controlled miniature aircraft and choppers are all the rage among the 30 or so toy lovers who have formed the "Dong Tarn Club".
Their toys range in value from a few thousand baht to as much as a hundred thousand baht apiece.
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| The owners of toy planes and choppers check their equipment before taking to the air. |
"When I was young, I had no money to buy any radio-controlled aircraft. Now I've a job and earn a good income which has made it affordable. It's sort of post-work relaxation," said Surat Thongjaem, 37, a showroom employee earning a 15,000-baht monthly salary.
The place also serves as a competitive ground for skilled radio-controlled flyers and a training ground for amateurs.
The owner of a 40,000-baht RC helicopter, Sombat Sukkha, 40, said his toy chopper is put through a thorough check before it is allowed to lift off each time because if there is an accidental crash it would mean expensive repairs.
"My friend bought a similar RC chopper for 35,000 baht, but pays two million baht a year in repair costs," Mr Sombat said.
Beside the RC aircraft and choppers, RC para-gliders, RC boats and airsoft guns are also growing in popularity.
Each evening, Dong Tarn members come to the field about 5.30pm to play for about an hour before returning home.
Asked whether Mr Surat had had any problems with his wife over his post-work obsession, he simply said: "Absolutely not. She'd rather see me get hooked on the RC helicopters than hanging around with girls."
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| A member of the Dong Tarn radio-controlled toys group helps his friend launch a plane. |
A toy helicopter, worth about 100,000 baht, flies into the sunset. It is controlled by its owner, Kittipat Jutilaptavorn, 32. |
A man plays with his radio-controlled paraglider on vacant land in Nonthaburi, where lovers of radio-controlled toys gather. |
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