philo

This is the same plot as in Post #212 on page 9. The last days have seen a fair amount of rain almost nightly. I didn't get pictures from the three canopy, but as you see there is shadow almost everywhere on a sunny day. The family tapper opened only a few threes.

A lot of leaves, but little gras. The plot is surrounded by rubber on all sides. A few threes have fallen due to heavy thunderstorm winds. Another plot lost quite a few threes due to fire last year.

The area is far NE Isan close to the Lao border. Many farmers have started production tapping already. Good luck to y'all ...

StreetCowboy, on 2011-08-29 14:26:12, said:

... or vented.

SC - We will (unless some self induced or randomly generated situation occurs) be in the Big Beautiful K post Sept. 20th to get new passports for the children. May be you could show me where Sukhumvit Road is?

Yours
ph


(Reason for edit: I instantly felt bad about my somewhat derogatory use of certain words. Now that they are gone with the www.ind I feel better ...)

Thanks to you too fezzy.

I had a feeling it wasn't too bad, so I am grateful for all your answers.

I forgot to say that I dare not say anything about the maintenance of the land. But for the moment I pay for fertilizer, chemical weed killers and tractors to 'turn' the soil, so I guess they know what they are doing.

My happiness about the whole thing is that the ex wife and the family tappers (40%) have their own income - independent of me (and it will grow year by year). I can see it in their faces when I visit my children every now and then. Personally I never have and never will touch a rubber tapping knife.

It will hopefully allow my ex wife to pay for the childrens education for many years.

And the video is 2 months old - haven't seen any of the land now. Will report production when the rains are slowing down.

Happy tapping to ya all!

Thank you very much - David and tothemark.

I paid THB 1 million for the plot - as I said 900 trees on 12 rai - the bulk of the trees are supposed to be 7-8 years. I am not worried at all - it was my own stupidity that I didn't buy more and cheaper plots that were for sale the 5 years I stayed with my wife.

I didn't buy it - and it is not mine. I only paid for it. It was bought by my ex wife and her family (her father has been doing a small scale nursery for 10-15 years) from another family in the village that were about to move somewhere else. Reason for paying: We have two children and she takes good care of them. The plot was bought AFTER we were divorced (spring this year).

Had I given her cash, it would soon have been gone. Had I made saving accounts for the children - she could have borrowed cash on them. Large amounts of cash is something they have - to be polite - little knowledge about how to handle.

But land is close to sacred for them - and the total planted land in my ex wife's name is 60 rai, all within a short motorbike ride for her brothers and brothers in law to do the tapping. And she speaks about it not as hers - but the children have 30 rais each.

Had I kept the money it would have been long gone in bars and red houses ...

Thanks again.

Thank you David for your swift answer.

However - it is family tapping and as I have enough problems with my ex wife as it is, I will for the moment think that the 'low' production is because the trees are too small. I think she once said that they are tapping 2 days and leaving 1 day for the tree to rest.

I have made a short video - experienced eyes should be able to compare the size of the trees with the cup.



Furthermore - I wonder if I overpaid for the last 12 rais I bought. There are appr. 900 threes - of which she is tapping 600 this year. The video will give you an impression.

What would you experienced people have paid for this plot? (given the positive fact that it is only 10 minutes from home, and land in the area is almost impossible to come by - all is planted already).