Pra Ram 2 is a long way from here, and probably a long way from work, which almost defeats the purpose of us moving, as I am tired of my 45-minute commute to the office every day.
Farang C's condo is a 10-minute walk away from my office. The place in Pra Ram 2 - a two-storey home in a housing village, with its own pool and garden - would require a bus ride.
Still, we shall give the owner a call, and take a look at bus routes on the internet. I am not a fan of condo living. I would love to live in a house again, just as I did overseas.
Maiyuu was good yesterday. He called all the numbers on the list I gave him, of home and condo owners close to farang C's place who advertised their places for rent.
Most were agents, who said they would check their books, but did not call back. I suspect they are used to dealing with short-stay tenants who are prepared to pay much more than us for the right to live close to town.
Farang C inspected a room for rent at a condo close to his place, just in case I was interested. A US-based company executive who is moving here on temporary transfer has rented it for B60,000 a month, which is more than five times what we are prepared to pay.
A moment ago, I poked my head out the ninth-floor window of our present place, to smell the breeze and look at the view. Someone on the floor above was occupying her window space at the same time.
She dropped something - hopefully just water - which landed on my head. Do you mind? There are people lower down the food chain, you know.
Today the BF will call the owner of the house in Pra Ram 2, and the unit in farang C's condo, both of which he found on the internet. He has not yet given up hope on moving, even if it seems a more distant prospect now than it did.
One night, many years ago, a house along the railway line which runs next to our condo caught fire.
The blaze spread, and engulfed several houses. The security guard knocked on tenants' doors to warn us that a fire was heading our way.
Maiyuu and I staggered bleary-eyed to the rooftop to find traders from the market had joined about 20 tenants from our building to watch the spectacle unfold. Some did not live in the building, but I recognised their faces. They had come up for a look.
In early morning, we stood there amid rising smoke from the house fire, watching as the blaze took over one wooden slum house, followed by another.
The condo we are in is made of concrete, so was in no danger of going up in flames, despite the ferocity of the blaze. Fire engines struggled to reach the area, as they had to pass down narrow streets.
They made it there in the end, and after about four hours brought the blaze under control. About a dozen homes were destroyed. Some home-owners rebuilt on the same patch. Other plots are still vacant, even after all these years.
As my boyfriend watched the flames lick at the houses below, he grabbed my arm. He was worried the fire would reach us, too. The air was hot, and we could feel the heat from the fire even where we were standing, 10 floors up.
'Promise me we will still be together - even if we lose our home?' he asked, looking at me earnestly.
I have never forgotten those plaintive words.
Yes, I promise we will still be together - home, no home, we won't be forced to separate.
Take good care of your baby...
ReplyDeleteAt the same time do not hurry over your plans to move out. Always be on a lookout for a better place but keep things in perspective.
Spend wisely, & good luck.
Anon: Thank you for your kind advice. At least one of us has to see a place before we move, so it will not happen in a hurry.
ReplyDeleteApart from the obvious requirements - no furniture, two bedrooms - any new home should also be close to good transport routes, and have a healty community around it.
I didn't the appreciate the importance of the last feature until I visited a place with an unhealthy community right on its doorstep.
Then I realised how much I should value the market where I live now as a pleasant and interesting place to live.
Big points given to BF. He is stepping up and helping you.
ReplyDeleteThat fire you recalled was likely caused by that remarkable Thai wiring.
ReplyDeleteThis past April I finally got around to checking the electrical "system" in my apt there. If I had a little more experience in country I might not have been as shocked -literally at what I found.
The building is approx 40 years old and the unit has seen a succession of owner/tenants along the way several outlets have been added using the glorified lamp wire neatly stapled to the wall.
You may have seen that when Thais add such items as a breakout from an in-wall outlet they simply gouge a hole into the wall, run the wire into the box and "pretty it up" with drywall plaster.
There is also no, as in -zero- concept of polarity, proper fusing or grounding.
They get away with this sort of thing since most multi story buildings are concrete often including internal walls.
I had noticed some beetles in the LR and thought check behind a wood low-boy on which the Tv, stereo and comp sit. I found a rectangular lump on the wall which turned out to be a outlet under multiple layers of wallpaper and paint.
Perfect location, I thought and after cutting away the coverings I grew a bit suspicious as to why it had been entombed, so I got out my DVM and tested it. What I found was that the "ground" pin was actually connected to one side of the line, as this is Thailand the ground had ofcourse been connected to the "hot" side of the line.
This BTW was an original outlet not a hack job.
My Thai roommates opined that someone had probably been repeatedly shocked when connecting anything with a third pin and considered the outlet "evil" and covered it up.
At a safe distance from Thai wiring.....
Lino
It sounds like a case of 'whatever we can get away with, will do.' I don't know how sound is the wiring in my condo. The place is old, but thankfully the power supply is reliable.
ReplyDeleteThe BF buys cheap devices which can hold a bank of plugs. They have one chord and plug of their own, which you put in to the wall.
I don't know the English, but in Thai they are called 'plug puang'. The cheap ones do not hold plugs securely. You could not buy them like that in the West, but here no one seems to care.
I discourage them, as they look dangerous.