Road Trip Back Home

Road Trip Back Home

Posted by Tawan , Reader : 166 , 07:29:15
Print

My every other month trip back to my fathers’ hometown was a pleasant two and a half hour drive from Udon Thani. It is a nice drive on a four lane highway all the way. I keep forgetting to stay out of the passing lane speeding tickets are 100 baht. My father always looks forward to our trip back home. It gives him a chance to relax and talk to his 10 brothers and sisters.

My duty is to collect our share of rice, fish, vegetables and fruits as much as we can carry. It is like going to Makro. Our farm village has grown to around one thousand people so many aunts uncles and cousins that I do not know. The rice farm does not look like a farm anymore; it looks more like a housing development than a farm with so many houses everywhere.

Makes me worry in a few years this generation will be too old to farm anymore. Although something must be up in the mechanization plans there were at least a dozen trucks unloading Kobuta tractors. In a few years time I will have to start buying rice and fish at Makro like everyone else.

Now that I am back, how is our country? Have we solved the political conflict, dealt with food and energy inflation, the credit crunch. The asset bubble, bank bailouts, regulations and standards, agriculture spillover effects, competitive exports. falling dollar, speculation and hedging, education in the knowledge based economy, risk management, stress testing and contingency plans?
Just a few questions to see where to start.