Oct
17
Another brick in the Wall
October 17, 2007 |
Well, we woke up today as usual, and had breakfast. Then the dudes doing the kitchen for us arrived. Yesterday they had completed 2 1/2 walls. And right now they are banging away with hammers and chissels to make the door, before they brick up the last wall. So that work is going fine under Nan’s relentless supervision.
Me I read some blogs online, then cleaned the motorbike. Nan is away on it now to do her shopping so she can make lunch for the construction guys.
I am going to measure up the property today. Next project is to have a chicken proof fence erected. And when it comes to fences that’s what I will do. Then we’ll camouflage it with some greenery to make it look pretty.
I have read some funny stuff online about this. It seems like every farang who comes up here to Isaan is first building a house in or near his teeraks village. And then they build a 2 meter high wall around it, complete with big steel gates and what not.
I can not understand that mentality all. Why come to live in a village, and then lock yourself into some kind of compound like hermit. What on earth are they afraid of? Well each to their own I guess.
Well, that’s it for today.
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Comments
8 Comments so far
In my opinion, the wall and gate serves a couple of purposes: (1) it is a status symbol usually insisted by the Thai woman, and (2) it obviously “helps” keep undesirables out (dogs, chickens, and yes… burglars). After all, the nicer the house looks from the outside, the nicer the “things” must be inside them. In reality though, the wall doesn’t stop much of anything from getting in… so technically it is just a status symbol.
The stopping of burglars by errecting a wall?
Got to be a high wall for that around here. The wife is 150cm tall. Today she was on the roof of the house in 2 seconds flat. Not a ladder in sight.
The dogs I don’t mind. It’s the chickens I have a beef with. Hence a chicken fence around here.
The burglars…well, I work from the theory that if you make it impossible for the enemy to get in…you can’t get out.
As for a gate. To me it’s just going to be a nuisance that have to be opened and closed every time I wan’t to get in and out with the motosai. But she insists on one, so well…*sigh*
At least she wants to make it with bamboo. As one other property here has that and it looks good.
I can recommend a 3 inch tall electrical fence for the chicken. I guess you have to teach the children to stay away - but it will work, eh!? Then you can still watch the neighbours.
Im with Nan on this one, if they cross the line…serves them right. I hate fences,after I leave this place I will never live in a fenced in community again :o)
Can’t agree with you on the wall Rune. Ours serves a number of purposes other than the obvious (not burglars….lol…see my post on ThaiVisa about the hounds of the baskervilles that inhabit our land…lol). We have falang dogs as well as a Thai one, they can look after themself with their canine friends but we have lost 1 to a school bus and another to poisoning in the last couple of years and there are regular reports of people stealing these dogs as they are valuable. We want to keep cattle out of our garden and a bamboo fence doesn’t cut it during the hot season when food is scarse and our flowers look so apetising. We have an open house policy thats why I have a car port planned big enough for 4 cars and a dozen or more motorsai, our 2 gates are never locked but always closed for the reasons mentioned above. We built on paddy fields so the wall around the open field sides acts more as a retaining wall than anything else. We are not lording it over the other locals in the village but a wall does mean status, that why the wives want them. Finally, I plan to put planters just above buffalo head height along the wall to make it nice and green along the inner face of the wall and disguise an otherwise utilitarian necessity in our lives.
It turns out that now she wants a wall too. We reached a compomise though. We’ll build a low 60 cm wall, and then use some other see-trough material for the top. She is still keen on using bamboo for that part. I have no clue what she is envisioning so I’ll just let her go on with it. She is the one who knows what she is doing around here anyway…lol
I looked at farang houses first time in Wichian for inspiration and all had the walls and fancy wrought iron gates. Thought it was because farang wanted to live in privacy like back home, where it is years before you even know the names of your neighbours.
I decided we would not have, becouse I like folk wandering round when I am in Thailand.
But it is a Thai thing, so we shall have a wall at the front, with a big wrought iron gate, and chicken wire on the other three sides. The gate will be open, the whole thing is pointless, but Kai wants it so as usual it will be done and eventually I will be pursuaded that it was my idea all along. As usual. I love it.
I think it is mind control. They flash that impossibly beutiful smile at you and you are completely under their control. Resistance is futile