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In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age
of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this
financially independent lifestyle, they invite you
to take advantage of their wisdom and experience. |
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Same Same but Different
Chiang Mai, Thailand 2005
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
Not even ten days later and Chiang Mai is
flooding again. This is the third time in 8 weeks. Though the Thais have a great
attitude, you cannot help but feel for them and the many who lost their
businesses and homes.
Streets flood from the
river overflow, but transport of various sorts still make their way
This is round three.
Notice the sand bags piled
up in front of the hotel here. At this point, the water is only about ankle
deep. People are still getting around.
Two vendors discuss as
to where to move their product and stand
By now they know the routine but a little
coaching may be necessary. Let’s get all of this product to higher ground.
Men heave sandbags out
of the back of their truck
The sandbaggers were armed and ready for
this as the news spread that a levee broke up river, and our local Huay Pachum
reservoir has cracks. Sandbags are being lined up in front of restaurants
and shops
The sandbags are helpful
in keeping the river water from entering the store
These guys were hustling.
At night market, these
stalls have been emptied out
If I stood longer than a few minutes on the
edge of the water soon it would cover my feet. It was rising quickly.
A good place to chat and suck on a sucker
Considering what is on
these streets, the water is pretty grimy.
This dude was styling all the way
All the Thais seemed to
take this inconvenience in stride.
View from the back of my
Jak-ka-ran
I headed for higher ground and decided after
my last venture into that muck, that I would hire a driver.
The water is steadily
rising
That is until he saw the water line…no way
could I convince him (in my best Thai) to take me in.
Billy and "Curtis" in
front of the Jak-ka-ran
This is where “Curtis” and I parted ways.
Filling up sand bags
Everyone was taking the warnings seriously,
filling up the bags as quickly as possible.
Water is rising, road is
disappearing
The water is coming in
faster than one thinks. Looks like this store needs more sandbags!
The road is still
passable
I see that those motorbikes can get through
anything.
The water is rising
above the curb!
Soon these stores will have
water in them. Sandbags didn't make it to them in time.
Motorcycle going down a
tiny soi
So I jump on the back of one to give it a
go. (That's me in the rear view mirror!)
These Thai women are
keeping their positive frame of minds
Just a walk in the park for these ladies.
The sois are getting
filled with water now...
Remembering the snakes, I'm glad to be
moving and mostly out of the yucky water. This songtheaw doesn't have any
passengers in it yet.
Tender parental protection
A father carries his son
while he's looking around town.
The makeshift dam breaks
The water rushes through a
makeshift barrier. Water always seems to find a way.
The entire business
district is flooded again, with mounting costs to owners
Who knows how many sandbags
were needed here to fend off the waters entering these buildings. The town
stops, and simply waits the storm out.
Honey…could you pick me up some vegetables
on your way home?
People have to eat. It's
hard to say if this woman shopped for her household or if she has a restaurant
outside the flood zone.
I decide that the back
of a pickup suited my needs
For these children, the
water is up to their knees. The sois (back alleyways) are now fully flooded.
This place seemed like a
good place to drink... not much else to do
As entertainment, these men
watch the traffic go by and the floodwaters get deeper and deeper.
Now I was set…pickup
with a boat
This movable restaurant
will be serving customers as lunch time rolls around
But first let’s stop for some lunch!
Everyone gets hungry in the middle of a flood!
For more
stories and
photos on
Thailand,
click here
About the Authors
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli are
recognized retirement experts and internationally published authors on
topics of finance, medical tourism and world travel. With the wealth of
information they share on their award winning website RetireEarlyLifestyle.com,
they have been helping people achieve their own retirement dreams since
1991. They wrote the popular books, The
Adventurer’s Guide to Early Retirement and Your
Retirement Dream IS Possible available on their website
bookstore or
on Amazon.com.
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