Wednesday walk: cycling around the countryside by the river.

We still had cloudy sky and rainy storms several days in a row. Then we would have three or four dry days before the rain started to pour down again. This cycle of rains had made it very difficult for me to go cycling in late afternoons. My bicycle has been splashed with brown mud from cycling on the dirt road. I still didn’t have the spare time to give my bike a good wipe. Other things diverted my attention and made me forgot about my previous plan. But every time I went cycling, I recalled what I wanted to do previously.

I cycled along the same old dirt road flanked by bamboo groves and small wooded areas. The concrete road led to the village’s grocery store and the riverfront road. I would ride towards the riverfront to get a glimpse of the river to see whether the sunset would be colourful and dramatic. The cloudy sky told me not to have high expectation as the thick clouds were strangely thick and stationary. There were no breezes and everything seemed to be frozen in time.

The villagers who had their permissions to do fish farming in the river had their huts built on the riverbank. They had to feed the fish everyday and gauge the changes in the river. So, they had to be close to their fish. A few villagers would be fishing near the fish farm areas as they could catch fish more easily. Sometimes the tiny fish jumped out of the fish cage and some fish preferred to get fish food floating in the river. These villagers worked very hard throughout the year, especially in rainy season. The tide could rise suddenly and the currents could become very strong that the ropes could be broken.

Whenever I cycled along the village lanes and along the riverfront, I would observe various houses and wondered about the villagers’ lives. Fortunately this small village was founded on very favourable location with good soil and close to the river. There’s plenty of underground water and natural ponds or streams could be spotted in some areas. So, there was no poverty or hungry person in this village. Youngsters could find casual day jobs to earn a living, grow some lemon grasses, work on a small vegetable garden or go fishing to survive.

On the other hand, there were few rich families who owned large plots of land and those who owned rice mills. I was quite concerned that farmers would become indebted to shopkeepers who sold them expensive chemical fertilisers. Lately, most local farmers had realised the dangers of chemical fertilisers. So, they would grow organic rice for their own consumption. But those higher grade rice would need some chemical fertilisers so that they would be bought by the middlemen. Most local vegetables were all originally grown as they would be sold in local markets. These vegetables didn’t need chemicals to keep them in good conditions for supplying markets in big cities.

Our little farm used to grow lots of lemon grass to supply local markets and the central market in town center. We had to shift to growing banana trees several years ago as we lacked helpers in harvesting lemon grasses. Local villagers saw that we could earn income by growing lemon grasses. So, they had started to grow lemon grasses for wholesale markets. I could recall how some people questioned if it was worth their time growing lemon grasses as they were very cheap.

The purpose of growing lemon grasses was to keep the land from weeds or turning into wild bushy areas full of snakes. It’s my way to make sure the gardener would have some pocket money and we would have some money to pay for water and electricity bills. Since I had switched to bananas, my inspiration had been vindicated. We could make more income to pay for water and electricity bills. My gardener has earned more extra income and we could pay for extra helpers with pruning trees and cutting weeds. The price of lemon grasses has gone up lately. So, local villagers would be very happy this season. We could sell both bananas and their leaves to vendors though we couldn’t get rich from selling bananas.

I have been trying to look out for cats and kittens around the village. I wondered where all the cats and kittens were gone. Perhaps local pythons and snakes had been hunting cats at night. We should have more cats around the river as field mice and squirrels were spreading like crazy. The snakes were too slow to catch mice and squirrels. The big geckos had disappeared, they were very helpful in keeping the big insects’ population in check. The green snakes were quite fond of eating geckos. I lost four big geckos during the past few years, the green snakes might be the culprits.

I caught an orange cat sitting in front of the broken jackfruit tree. That tree was probably broken by windy storm some weeks ago. But it showed resilience and continued to bear fruits. A long rowing boat was resting in front of the small hut. Local youngsters have begun to practice rowing in the river. The annual rowing competition among villages would take place after the rainy season. The monetary rewards attracted several teams of rowers each year. I was glad that tradition has been practiced by younger generations. The competition would last a few days which was a big social event for people from various villages to get to know each other.

Local lives have been getting more sophisticated as new technology and social media have been assimilated by villagers. There have been two cannabis farms established along the river. One was a high tech with closed system of cultivation. The other farm hired well educated specialist as a manager. I hoped they could recoup their investments in a short time as the new government had been compromised by BigPharma and medical industry to revoke the free cannabis laws. There would be riots in Bangkok in the future! Traditional Thai medicine and alternative healers have been using cannabis oil to cure many patients.

I looked at the peaceful river and solemn sunset while asking for some hints of what would happen in the near future. Would there be a financial collapse in our country due to government’s failure in public policies and widespread corruptions? Would the global conflict disrupt the lives in Thailand so much that society would become chaotic? What should I do to prepare for sudden changes later this year?

I thought the river wasn’t pleased with my anxiety and many questions. I was reminded to live in the present and get on with immediate tasks and priorities. Things would lead me in the right direction while I focus on doing my present duty. My cycling session gave me new insights into my fuzzy mind and some grounding balance of my chaotic inner energies. I thanked the river for her support and guidance.

Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.

Stay strong and cheerful.

#wednesdaywalk hosted by @tattoodjay