HARD TIMES AND A  NEW CARS.


      We were back in the rubber business, the rains had been kind and rubber was flowing. A new Chinese chopper motorbike sat in the driveway. The Father in law had  knocked down the old stilt house, which was attached to the new house. He was to build 2 new bedrooms similar to our side of the house. With the old teak wood I started on a new stilt patio at the back of the house. All was good, the rubber price was not great. but we were producing more and we were in talks with a Vietnamese company who were interested in setting up a direct buy at the factory, to export to their company in Vietnam. It seemed that money worries were over, kids were at a invite only Government pre school, workers were buying new bikes and cars. Our new twin door fridge, plus slide out freezer was full of western foods, cheese, steak, lamb and all those goodies you miss.


      When you think all is well, you should expect to get a kick in the teeth and that kick soon came. First, 2 of my tappers, who had worked for me from day one planting the trees, sold some land and decided they were now rich and didn't need to work for someone else. We could live with that until replacements could be found and they were a few weeks later.
     The new tappers, husband and wife, were ex locals who had been working rubber in the south, but they were broke and needed help to move back. They seemed to know their business and I was happy to help. They started and I watched, they were good skillful tappers. Now when you start up tapping and making sheet rubber , there is a lag time between making and selling, 4 to 6 weeks. Told the wife to lend them money when needed, as they had car payments to make, as long as the rubber they had made covered the loan.
     

      Rubber began to fall in price, there seemed no bottom, down it came and tappers and us were going to get a lot less than expected. I was not happy, then I was told that a family of workers were seen selling rubber to a local buyer. This family had worked for us for a year, a husband, wife and wife's brother. We had even hired the wife's father as a care taker at the factory, which is where they all lived.
      The word pissed off would be an understatement, I have always helped my workers as well I could, gave them rice in the dry season, money if needed. I had even give the girls father a job and he was as lazy as you could be, he would do nothing unless he was told, but they were good tappers and paid their way.
      That night I spoke with the wife and family, made it clear that if I can not trust someone they are gone and in the morning they are gone. This is not the Issan way, things are done differently than in Australia, wife says, let us take care of it.
      Next day I ride to the factory, where my family has already arrived. Now I feel sorry for the family that is to be fired, it's not a good feeling to throw a husband, wife, 2 kids, a brother who was sleeping and eating in our house and their parents out into the street, but you can't let people steal from you. I want to get it over and call them over and tell them there's the road. Wife says go for a ride, we will take care of it.
      Gather no mention of the rubber stealing was mentioned, no face was lost. Everyone knew why, but they were allowed to leave without disgrace, still feel bad in some ways, their family hut is a one room affair no electricity or running water and the amount of rubber they stole was  very small, we are talking maybe a kilo a tap, around $3 US. In a good month they would earn, as a family somewhere round the $1,500 US, a lot of money here.


      Rubber prices keep dropping and the new tappers, just hired are hearing prices off 50 Baht a kilo for ribbed smoked sheet. wife has lent them 25,000 Baht over the last 5 weeks. One night they just pack up and leave, believing that their share of the rubber would not cover what they owed.


   Now I am really short of workers and am sitting trying to figure out whether we have enough money to make the car payments and pay the electricity bill, I hear some voices. Go out to look and ask the wife who are these people. Don't be mad she says. but they are here with our new car. Now our means family and the father in law has bought it. I have a look and start laughing, we live in the jungle, roads are few and far between and he has bought a Mazda 2 sport. How he will pay, I have no idea, but he better not look at me.


 Things may look grim, but a few days ago I posted in an Issan forum this.



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Posted 2012-09-02 03:11:25

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Power gone again, only the light of the laptop in the night. I buy rechargeable flash lights, which no one re charges and have hurricane lamps and no kerosene.


   Power goes, but no rain or wind, in the distance you can see the lightening and hear the dull roar of thunder. The village goes black and dogs bark, the dogs go silent, then the village dogs, which are dingos which can not bark, but howl. They go silent.
   All is silent, but without the lights of man the wild dogs come and maybe some of the bigger predictors.  All dogs, people, chickens, pigs and ducks stay quite. Who knows what lurks in the dark.
  The lack of sound drives the kids to bed and I sit upon my stilt porch, watching the coming storm.
It maybe the jungle. but for me it is a better place than I have ever been. Jim