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| Still
Monday 15th March |
The
people are so beautiful, very friendly but some areas are
just so delapidated that they appear very unsafe. The council
trucks carry their workers in the back, vehicles don't
have seat belts, utes & vans carry people in the back, we even saw a child
asleep, standing at the front of a motorbike while the driver
held him & steered. Passengers on motorbikes quite often sit
side saddle while the bikes weaves in & out of traffic.
At traffic light there can be 20-30 bikes at the front waiting
to take off. |
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A
man with his sewing machine
is working on the street |
Loads
of transport to choose from |
Council
workers |
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I'm
sure that building on the left cannot be safe
but they are operating out of stalls around it.
The monk is buying a lottery ticket,
they are like our lotteries but are sold by people, especially
the poor.
A lot sell them from trays they hang from around their necks. |
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| Another
type of bus |
A
slightly more westernised stall |
Want
your shoes mended? |
Local
Buses ("Songthaews")
Many larger towns have local bus services, where you can travel
10 miles or so for just 20 to 30 baht. These buses are normally
blue with open sides (clear polythene blinds are lowered when
it rains), and you can stop them anywhere on the road where
they pass. In fact, if you are coming to the end of the route
and want to be dropped off closer to your destination, the drivers
will normally do this for an extra 10 baht. In less population
dense areas, these buses tend to be the size of a small van,
often a rusty red. All of these buses have one thing in common
though. The passengers sit on wooden benches running the length
of the bus. On the larger buses, there are 3 benches (with one
in the middle). If the benches are full, you will be expected
to hang onto the back!
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There
is just so much activity all the time, so much to look
at &
people chatting to you, or at least trying to. Had a dip in the
pool, showered & dressed for dinner. We then met Damien our
guide, he is great, comes from Melbourne & has been here for
about 18 months, I think. He also absolutely loves the country
& people which is great for us. We also met our fellow travellers.
Ned & Jud from near Adelaide & Marion from Canada. Marion
had dinner with us just across the road. We asked for a selection
of Thai dishes, absolutely beautiful. The young lady, below right,
was selling anklets while we were having tea. I could not resist
her smile or the trouble she had gone to. There was more food
than we could eat plus wine & beer for 620 baht, around $6-$7
a head. Went for a short walk, still so much happening, traffic
& people everywhere. Finally called it quits at 8pm Monday
night & went to bed, we have been up since 4am Sunday morning
(about 42 hrs). On the way back to the hotel we bought a large
Fanta & a Choc milk, 44 baht (around $1.50) at the 7/11
store. They are virtually on every block but are run by the
Thai people but they must speak English. We prefer to go to
the stalls but some things you need a 7/11 for. |
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| A
sidewalk game |
A
street bar |
A
young lady selling anklets |
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