Wednesday Walk: scenery along the riverfront in town.

I always asked the Tuk-Tuk driver to go along the waterfront road. This would compensate me for the long hours on the train journey to Nongkhai. The air along the river was always refreshing and the view of the river would revive my spirit. This small town is flat so many people could still cycle around though most people depend on motorcycles for speedy journey around town. For short distances, people still cycle around. Elderly people and children would be cycling along the waterfront in the evening while some would join the open air aerobic exercise group near the old temple.

The waterfront road seems to become more lively and busy this summer. There are many new street food stalls along the footpath and lots of seating areas for customers. Motorcycles and cars occupied parking spaces along the road. New comers would find it difficult to park near the restaurants they wanted to visit. This scene is completely different from the empty road last year. People are more willing to go out dining and enjoying themselves in the evenings.

More than fifty eateries line both sides of waterfront road. Those street food stalls and trucks along the footpath would offer cheaper prices. The restaurants on the opposite side with comfortable seats and various menus would cost a bit more depending on whether the patrons order beer or alcoholic drinks. In the past, buses full of Vietnamese tourists would be having their dinners in one of the biggest restaurants there. Nowadays, guided tours seem to have disappeared.

I had to take photos while the driver was going at full speed. It’s quite a long way to my house, about ten kilometers away from the train station. But I always enjoy my ride along the waterfront road which would pass a lively evening market and newly opened restaurants and a night club along the way to my village.

This town seems to be full of young children and youngsters, judging by the numbers of motorcycles in front of eateries popular among students and teenagers. There are several big schools in town center and an international school teaching in English language which is supposed to charge very high tuition fees. These parents must be working very hard to earn the money for their kids to spend with friends in the evenings. But the cost of living here is still much cheaper than in other cities. Lots of the agricultural produce are locally grown. The supply of food is locally produced. There is even a big moonshine factory outside town center. Fresh eggs and farm produce could be bought at local grocery stores, wet markets or shopping malls. So, I think in times of crisis, fresh food would still be available locally.

I liked to observe changes along the riverfront as these changes reflect the health of the local economy. So, the more new street food stalls, the more positive improvements in local economy. There seems to be more new houses built around the riverfront including a new luxurious hotel with river view. The river faces southwest direction so we could enjoy beautiful sunsets on clear evenings. My ride often allowed me to enjoy lovely sunsets on my way to the country house.

The evening market used to be very crowded a few years ago. The rise in petrol prices made things much more expensive so people had to economise on their budgets. Villagers would go fishing more often and harvest wild greens instead of buying them from the market. Many people would plant bamboo and banana to supplement their food supply. But the evening market is very convenient for villagers as this is the cheaper alternative to supermarkets in big shopping malls. I often bought pineapples and eggs at this evening market.

The houses along this narrow road parallel to the river have changed over the years. They have transformed from old wooden houses to more solid houses. Local people must have more disposable income as there are more food stalls and grocery stores along this road. I noticed a new plant shops with a large selection of decorative pot plants. This was my pet project that one day I would propagate pot plants to earn some income. But pot plants wouldn’t be on the priority lists of villagers so I wouldn’t become rich with this idea. Perhaps having an earthworm farm to sell fertiliser would be more promising. But I don’t like touching earthworms at all!

Several pieces of land along the river has ‘for sale’ signs up during the last two years. At least two pieces were sold to outsiders. One was being transformed into an ethnic restaurant, probably with some hill tribe influence. I would have to visit this strange looking restaurant when it’s open for business. Another big piece of land looks like a hotel’s being built there. If it were a private home, that would be called a mansion!

I was glad that the oldest and worse looking restaurant is still opened. Since two new modern looking restaurants have been opened, most customers have gone to the new trendy restaurants. The car parks have been packed with cars in the evenings. Then two more restaurants and a big nightclub have opened further down the road. Local villagers told me that these lands were rented for setting up restaurants. These modern eateries do have live bands playing in the evening to attract customers. I often wonder who would be able to afford to eat out at these expensive restaurants.

But the big night club was a puzzle, I didn’t have the chance to see it in operation late at night. People would start to arrive after 9pm, the car park seems very spacious as if the management expects a few hundred youngsters to arrive in their motorbikes. I had been to a night club in other province years ago; inside was jammed pack with about two hundred teenagers jumping and singing along with the live band. As I came outside, hundreds of bikes were crammed in the small car park. I could hardly believe that this nightclub could make any profit from a small quiet town with very conservative working people and the elderly people. Perhaps I should apply for a part time job just to observe what’s going on inside this nightclub.

I hope there wouldn’t be any new restaurants or nightclubs in this area. These lands used to be like forests with trees which hadn’t been disturbed for over sixty years at least. Local villagers could hunt for food and wild animals could have their sanctuaries. Wild plants, herbs and mushrooms could be harvested by villagers according to seasons.

I could still see some villagers setting traps for field mice and squirrels in some wooded areas. Sometimes I had to ask hunters with home made guns to stop hunting in the wooded areas around my house. But I did allow them to set traps for field mice. These hunters belongs to subsistent genre of villagers who hardly used ‘money’, they could survive on what they could find in nature.

At least we have planted lots of banana trees and bamboos so that we could provide food to hungry villagers in times of difficulty. I have also planted mulberry shrubs and some fruit trees along the border of the banana groves on the riverfront side. In this way, villagers who needed some nourishment could easily pick these fruits. I did see some children and their mothers picking mulberries and other plants which could be used for cooking. This rainy season, I should be planting more edible plants along the border. Hopefully there would be no need to ration the produce from my land to villagers in the future! I hope and pray that the big kinetic conflicts wouldn’t affect people’ lives in this part of the world.

Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.

Stay strong and cheerful.

#wednesdaywalk hosted by @tattoodjay.