Transportation and freedom

Making Ends Meet and Long Trips

There were lots of things to do outside of work, even though the work was usually great, and always outdoors. The beauty of the scenery in the late afternoons as we were driving around the region really made the entire experience worth while. Lush green paddy fields interspersed with waving coconut trees and toddy palms. The fishing nets aligned along the banks of a canal, or the simple joy of going spear fishing in the local paddy fields. All these things made the entire period one of great satisfaction. Despite the low income of only 4,000 Baht (about US$115) a month, I managed to make ends meet. That shouldn’t have been too hard a thing, because most of my coworkers were making only 2,600 Baht (about US$80) a month, yet they always seemed to have money left over, while I would usually be broke near the end of the month. But maybe that was because I was constantly going places. The days were filled with driving around to visit local farmers, and each day was different, but the evenings, and particularly the weekends, belonged to me. I made the best use I could of that time by venturing out to different towns and cities, even provinces. Sometimes with coworkers to visit their friends and family in other regions, which also meant I got to explore sites only the locals knew about and no tourist had ever seen.

A wonderful Christmas party in ‘cold’ Chiang Mai

Cold?  In Thailand?

On other occasions I would travel to visit fellow volunteers in their postings, particularly those in the northern provinces of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, including a memorable trip one Christmas to an agriculture research station on Doi Pui in Chiang Mai. It was a bitterly cold December (relatively speaking for Thailand, considering that Ontario sees temperatures well below freezing during the winter). We had arranged to visit the research station to learn about coffee cultivation and some other research going on at the station, before traveling a further 15 kilometers or so along dirt roads to the highest point within that immediate area. Here the government entity responsible for promoting higher-altitude crop production had also built a number of comfortable cabins intended to provide accommodation for researchers and visitors to the station. Arriving at 4pm, we quickly settled in, finding floor space where we could. There were 15 or more of us, and the two cabins were supposed to accommodate only 4 to 6 people. Having claimed our 2 square meters of space each and settled in with our meager luggage, we wandered back outside. The air was getting cooler. The fire pits were prepared, and soon the soft glow of two fires started to provide a little heat. The provisions were brought out, and the bar-b-que got underway. Soon the first jackets appeared, and then the question of who was going to take a shower first. There was a quick discussion, but the temperature had dropped to the upper teens, and the water temperature was dropping as well. Only a few opted for the shower, and their struggles with the cold were soon echoing around the campground: a quick splash of water, followed with a loud groan or wail as the body was shocked by the cold water. Like several of the other volunteers, I opted for a shower in the morning, figuring that I was going to at least have a warm night. Waking up at slightly after 6 the following morning, the temperature had plunged even further, and when I went to take my shower, it almost seemed as though a thin layer of ice had formed on the water. I dipped in a finger, and decided that simply brushing my teeth was going to be more than enough for the morning, after all, we were only going to be here for a few more hours, and I could always take a hot water shower back in town.

Peaceful countryside along the road south.

Road Trip on a 125cc Motorcycle

I did a lot of traveling by motorcycle, and one of my longest motorcycle rides was one I did on my own. In the first year of my being at the cooperative, we had an agriculture student from the south of Thailand come to do his internship. This person became for a while my language instructor and right-hand assistant. I learned Thai, he learned English, and we had a great time. When he completed his internship, he returned south to finish off his schooling before moving up to Chiang Mai to earn a degree in Animal Husbandry at one of the top schools in the north. We have stayed in touch, and he is now working in the deep south as a livestock department official. But that takes us beyond the motorcycle trip. Upon his return to the south to continue his studies, I had a standing invitation to visit him there, and when I had a one-week holiday nearly 6 months later, I decided to take him up on his offer.

Fishing nets along a canal in central Thailand

I could have taken the train, or gone by bus, but instead I opted for the motorcycle, as that would allow me to stop when I wanted, go off the main road if I wanted, and just generally be more independent on the trip. I spent the next three days slowly making my way down to the south. It was one of the most interesting drives I ever took, and when I finally sold my motorcycle a few years later, it remained the longest solo trip I had ever taken on a motorcycle. My language skills had improved enough by then that I managed to get accommodation and food and gas, and I had no problems with the police. Just the occasional orange crush bus was a bit harrowing. I spent a week exploring the south and actually attending classes at my friend’s agriculture college and a class trip to a local rubber plantation and rubber refinery. You just don’t get those kinds of chances if you’re not just a little bit crazy and do things that most ordinary people wouldn’t think of doing. I guess that’s also the same attitude that got me to Thailand.