Beautiful Sunday: cycling along the new promenade by the river.

My old neughbours told me that the new extension of the promenade along the river has been extended a few kilometers to the south. I has no idea that local authority had managed to secure the budget for building such an extravagant walkway and road to reach the next village. Looking at the investment point of view, this project could never be cost-effective. The excuse for promotimg tourism just couldn’t work logically. The main attraction is the long river. There are no islands, no seaside, no beaches or mountains to be explored. But the commission from expensive road construction projects would be very attractive to politicians and those involved in the approval process. There’s always a hidden price to pay in all building projects.

Late afternoon was the best time for cycling as the sun wouldn’t pierce your eyes and most local cyclists had gone home. The scenery around this area is typically flat which is good for agriculture. Before the building project was undertaken, villagers could easily draw water from the river for their crops. The new road and new height of the elevated road become a big barrier to approach the river. The project was for the bebefits of officials’ policy of promoting tourism without consideration of adverse impact on villagers’ way of life.

Some villagers had to dig their own ponds to keep water for their crops. Some had to buy pipes to relay tap water from nearby houses and pay for monthly water usage. So far, there has been no rush of tourism in this area to promote local resorts or tourists’ attractions. Most projects had never been evaluated for their success or failure. They were concocted with lofty reasons so that approval would be quick and easy. Once a project was done and paid for, next projects would be initiated to keep the wheels of corruptions turning continuously.

The gentle breeze kept me very relaxed so I could cycle smoothly while letting my mind observing the surroundings. The hot and extremely dry season had left its toll on the river. The water level was at a very low level, sand dunes appeared along the river and the riverbank became very brown. Fishermen had a hard time making a living this year. My gardener had given up fishing as her efforts were all wasted. People couldn’t find fish in the river. Life is getting harder each year. I had to pray and keep positive energy about me and hoping the rainy season would heal river and nourish the land once again.

In some places where the water level became very low, it would be possible to walk across to the other side of the river. But the trespassers would be arrested by local soldiers stationed along the river. At night I could sometimes spotted flash lights along the river and border patrol van moved slowly along the riverfront. The authority has become very vigilant during dry season as the natural crossings along the river made life much easier for drug trafficking. Most of the drug such as speeds and other new pills were manufactured in hidden factories on the other side of the river.

Local youngsters have become drug addicts as they were given free samples. The ones with weaker mind and family problems would be more likely to become addicts which would cause more family troubles. Older teenagers with strong determination and goals in their lives seemed to be able to break free of their addiction. Several local youngsters didn’t finish their schools as they became drug addicts. At first I was quite puzzled why kids from good families became drug addicts. It’s how they reacted to lack of family warmth and love. It’s a shame these people didn’t have the courage to talk about things and face their hidden emotional problems.

That’s a big drawback in this culture of ‘face saving’. They don’t want to ‘lose face’ and admit that they have emotional problems. They would find the western culture of open discussions about their conflicts and misunderstandings very painful and unacceptable. So, it has been a learning process for me living among villagers with minimum education and exposure to other ways of solving problems. They have been conditioned to be passive and obedient to higher authority. I have been trying to get some local people to engage in discussions with me on some difficult subjects. My gardener was often shocked by my reasoning and arguments. At least she is used to my challenging style of enquiry and fearless reasons.

Fortunately the surrounding countryside still remain green and cultivated by villagers. All the big pieces of land along the main road had all their old trees chopped off and the lands were smoothly leveled with big signs ‘for sale’. Some local landowners seemed to be pressed for lots of cash. The economic slowdown and geopolitical tension do not favour big investment projects such as land purchase. So, I hope that small plots of lands would continue to be owned by local villagers. Hopefully, the rainy season would bring in lots of fish from upstream when those dams in China and Laos are finally opened. Life would become ligher and people could ease off a little while enjoying the simple slow life.

Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.

Stay strong and cheerful.

#beautifulsunday created by @ace108