Wish I could green you (soon though, no ammo). Really good stuff. I've always been curious to stay at the Champasak Palace, and will.
Wish I could green you (soon though, no ammo). Really good stuff. I've always been curious to stay at the Champasak Palace, and will.
My hired driver,in the back seat, that took us into Pakse to pick up the new fridge and the bycycle let his kid brother drive the last few miles to the farm. Why not no traffic just pot holes and cows.
All the while I was playing Queens Bicycle tune on you tube. They were singing along in no time. Bicycle,bicycle, bicycle. I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike.
It's the simple things In life that make it all worth while. And as Ian Anderson once sang "and it's only the giving that makes you what you are."
Last edited by fishlocker; 01-02-2017 at 12:13 PM.
So we rented a truck and headed South to Champasak to see the rice farm that Bil had purchased a few years ago,I gave him a stack to do it so he is very grateful for that. This was the main road into the town along the river.
Last edited by fishlocker; 01-02-2017 at 01:10 PM.
I stopped to pic up these hitch hikers just out of Pakse. Bil was saying no,no,no. I guess he was conditioned not to pic up back packers. I knew these guys were harmless just by looking at them.
The hippy was from Holland and the other kid New England. Nice kids.I hold no prejudice towards a Patriot fan. We chatted for a bit and invited them to jump in the back of the truck as the cab had five of us in already. We had a cooler of ice water so gave them each a bottle. I asked where they were heading, they replied Cambodia. I said I could get them to Champasak , almost half way to Sepan Don, and they were happy with that. The gf asked where they sleep while on the journey and they said they usually can find a guest house or something.
Pretty carefree as they were on their gap year just touring. Must be nice, I never had it like that nor had the gf and that's for sure. Non the less she felt sorry for them and gave them a box of sponge cakes she was going to give to Sils 102yr old mama. No big deal as she had two boxes. Man were they grateful, we rolled on.
The bandage on the Patriot fan was from a scooter crash the week before in Thailand. The Gf noticed and had to ask. A woman thing I guess.
We visited Grandma and toured her house, pretty cool place. Then it was off to the back forty for the endless tour. I guess I had to ask so he took us to each monument as we walked the perimeter of the rice farm.
Should have placed this in the pointing thread. I was not disappointed as the land value has gone up greatly. He sublets it out as it's too much for him to farm so he makes a little off it as it continues to increase in value. Win win situation.
More and more walking but at least I know what he's purchased.
He lives in a shack in the town with his sisters and brother. They may think he has something but they have no Idea the land he and his wife hold.
He never stops working and that's why I like this guy. His wife is beautiful and not at all about "stuff" and that is why I flipped him a stack to get this piece as he bought it from his wife's moms neighbor for a good price.
We ended up at this hamlet where the ladies offered to sell us pomelo fruit for crazy cheep prices. I gave them what they asked and then some. They were happy as they were fruit rich but cash poor.
Heads up.
Yea they got it like that. I don't believe I took a picture of the dozen or so girls under this house staring at me. They were having fun talking with the white guy and I with them. A humbling experience most may never have.
I think we made her day. Simply amazing people.
Then he took us to the woodland that His wife was given from her mother. This is along the Mekong. F-ing amazing.
^ Wow, that's nice...
A road is to be built along this line in about three years. They own the land on both sides of the what is now a trail. To the right a hundred yards is the Mekong. To the left several hundred yards of old growth forest.
The Mekong is beyond the tree line. He rents it out to the guy on the left and his wife. He said if I want it it's mine. I said I have no need at this time keeping the option open for a later date.
It would make a nice getaway from the farm just to build a small place here.
Fresh water constantly flowing from the side of the river bank. They grow beans here.
The carved out section is a small waterfall of fresh water. It sounds very peaceful here away from it all for a long time to come.
This would be a perfect spot for a getaway cabin. Again after the tree line is the sloped bank down to the Mekong. They have enough land along this trail for several good sized plots not to mention what's on the east side that is all forest.
And the guy drives a beat up side car and lives in a shack. He says when his girls grow up they will have a place to call their own. Now he and his wife farm the land I bought behind the farm house where the sisters farm as well.
I'll pull up a pic now. I did a thread called the cost of farmland by the Mekong a while back. Too bad all the pics vanished but still lots of good info in that one.
Upon leaving this place the traffic was aggravating. I'd never make it to work on time.
This is the piece he and his wife farm daily. He is up at 3am daily taking the vegetables to the morning market. She works into the night prepping for transport.
She is a sweetheart and he is a lucky man. Both modest beyond belief. They have a small house in the town a half mile away but choose to sleep on a 10 by 15ft concreet slab on cots.It has a good roof but no real walls. They use that plastic corrugated sheeting that they use to shade the seedlings from the sun as walls. They are perfectly happy like that. Selfless they are as they send their girls to school sporting new scooters. Priceless I say.
This is what it's all about and no easy task to keep this type of production going.
They could be living in her mothers house witch isn't bad and the whole upstairs is vacant. In fact she showed me her childhood bed room.Also they locked this one up on their rice farm. I was in it and it is vacant but livable by any standard but they choose not to rent it out so there it sits.
They choose to stay near Pakse so their girls can go to school. It's that simple, like I said selfless and I admire that. My hat is off to them.
You like my tractor, they seem to be putting it to good use.
Oh I will add more to this later. I barley scratched the surface.
Peace out, the fish.
I don't see that everyday. What TD member does this bring to mind, Just askin'
My bad, his head is up someone else's ass.
Oh, I'm just kidding but I couldn't help it. I have been following teak door for some time you know.
Bless your souls. And for the atheists have a drink on me.
Last edited by fishlocker; 02-02-2017 at 10:26 AM.
Fortunate enough to get to take this for a spin around the block.
This is not Johnny Bench's bench.
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