070525 Thaikarl - it's getting a little bit warm here...

friends,

many people ask me if it's hot in thailand.  my answer is yes, but it doesn't bother me.  my favorite rejoinder is to say "yes, its warm.  but no big deal.  I mean, you wouldn't want to be digging ditches, but otherwise it's just nice and warm".  so what am i doing now?

digging a ditch.

we're moving the grey-water drain from the bathroom so it drains out to the pond by the road, instead of to the field out back.  which means digging up the old pipe, and trenching for the new line.  it hasn't rained in days, and the sun has been out everyday, which means the temp is up to 35C today - that's the 95F for yall in USA.  you dig a 3 foot row in the clay soil, sun bearing down, you are soaked with sweat.  drink liters of water, never goto restroom.  the locals do this kind of work for 4 dollars a day.  jeez.

else, they finished grading the new road to the house behind ours, now there's a big expanse of red gravel/dirt along the house.  going to be interesting when it rains on this stuff the first time.  and the monster machine is gnawing away at the roadsides - clearing the brush, small trees and surface vegitation.  the BIG ROAD is coming.  that will be, um, different.  it's going to be four lane divided highway, with motorbike lanes on each side.  we will have to go south for a few  hundred meters to the U-Turn break in order to go north to the town.  most of the people coming round the house don't seem fazed by the road expansion at all.  some grumbling because each family or group that has a driveway has to purchase the big round concrete drainpipe that will go in the ditch under their drives.  the pipes are 1200 baht each - (36 USD)  which is substantial for most people.  but if there are several families using the same drive, they can split the cost of the piping.  otherwise, everyone seems to be quite relaxed about the whole thing.

there's a few new photos in the thai country life gallery  enjoy.  comments welcome.

onward!
nu and tok

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I am in southeast asia April 19 - July 20 2007 ::: http://thaikarl.blogspot.com/