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28 August 2009

Several years ago, I read an article in The Bangkok Post describing how difficult it is for the disabled to find jobs in Thailand mainly because of the difficulty in getting to the work location. Since we deliver the materials to the producers home, I remember thinking that this was a chance for us to help people without many other alternatives. However, nobody seemed to know how to locate them so I didn't make much progress.
Then one of my next door neighbors was in a serious motorcycle accident and severely injured his legs. A year and a half later, he still needs to use a walker and is unable to work a regular job. Around the same time, his daughter gave birth to special needs boy and her husband headed for the hills. So now they work for us and are known in the office as the "Nongkwai Group" after the area where they live. You can see them working on bags for our customer LunAroma, an Italian maker of handmade soap.

24 February 2009

When most people think of Thailand, they think of sand, surf and sun. However, Chiang Mai is 700 km north of Bangkok and much farther from the famous beaches such as Phuket and Krabi. Add in being 300 meters above sea level and we have very cool, pleasant "winters" here. Doi Inthanon which is the highest mountain in Thailand and only 90 km from our office attracts tourists (mostly Thais) who go early in the morning to look at the frost.

These pictures were taken recently early in the morning. It was about 15°C when these photos were taken and I'm sure that many of you in Europe and North America would have welcomed such "warmth" this winter but the Thais think this is really cold and bundle up. Most homes in Chiang Mai have no heat inside and a few people do die from exposure every year.

Luckily, the days are warm-around 25°C but the humidity is still low. This is an excellant time for outdoor activities that during other times of the year it is either just too hot or too wet (or both) to do.

However, there is also almost no rain-from November until the beginning on May. While in the early part of the season, this is very pleasant, as times goes on, the dust, smoke and diesel fumes keep building up until there is a thick haze most days. This is made worse by the fact that Chiang Mai is in a bowl surrounded by mountains so there is no place for the fumes to go.

The cooler weather and shorter days also some autumn colors and falling leaves. While it is certainly not Kyoto or New Hampshire, it does provide a change in scenery. While some tree hardly change at all, others go completely bare. However, these are the trees that are now full of bright, colorful flowers even though they do not have any leaves.