Thailand At Work – 7 Eleven or 9 to 5

After the success of my recent photo post Four Beddings, One Wedding and a Funeral, I thought I’d try the same formula again by adding another post to my Thailand At Work series.

I’m sure many readers of the numerous blogs about Thailand have never visited the country itself and are curious about different features of it. This post will give them an idea into the many ways ordinary Thai’s go about earning their livelihood. It may also serve as a reminder to ex pats that the back door which needs fixing or the picture that requires hanging is not such an arduous task after all.

The West’s approach to work is still very much a 9 to 5 time slot but in Thailand 7-Eleven is not only the brand name of their very popular convenience stores, it is also a perfect way to sum up the working hours that are filled by many of the jobs which keep the wheels of economy turning in the Land of Smiles.

In Thailand’s villages and rural districts having wheels gives you many business opportunities and pictured below are just a few of them. From an ice cream seller to a woodcutter, wheels make those jobs all possible. There’s also the bin men who go around and dispose of all the food wrappers and plastic bags those businesses have created. Standing in the back of a garbage truck in 40 degrees heat has got to be a very hard job and the smell…..ugh.

Click on a photo to enlarge or hover your mouse pointer over a picture for a brief description.

Thailand’s market vendors work long hours in often stifling heat but somehow most still have a big Thai smile for their customers. I love the atmosphere of the night markets and the hurly burly yet laid back ways of the day ones.

Thailand’s markets whether on water or dry land always offer a great photographic opportunity. If you are travelling to Thailand then make sure you visit one of its many markets at least once. Market activity starts very early morning and the night markets stretch into the late evening hours. Fortunately for most of the market community their work hours are one or the other.

Here’s a few photographs from my archives.

Travelling by road you quite often come across a lucky flower garland seller when stopping at traffic lights. The lady in the photo below flashed a smile despite being stood in the middle of heavy traffic and the air pollution that comes with it.

The photo at the bottom right is an interesting one and was taken on the waterfront at Phon Phisai. It shows a couple of people (one resting) at their work place which is at the foot of a giant Naga (serpent) statue on the banks of the Mekong River. Phon Phisai is famous throughout Thailand for it’s Naga Fireball Festival at which a serpent is said to shoot fireballs into the night sky from the Mekong River which separates Thailand and Laos.

Well would you trade your work for any of the ones shown in this post. Remember, Thailand does at times get extremely hot with high humidity. Lifting garbage and chopping down trees must be thirsty work at the best of times.