Living as a Single Farang in the Jungle: Doing odd jobs for a day in Isaan

As stated, it was the intention during our stay in Isaan to work a little further on the finishing of the house of our Mae Ban, Pa Pit, which is under construction. A, who is also a handy Harry would assist Lung addie in this.

First thought was to install the ceiling as this is easier with two than alone. However, these plans had to be changed due to the fact that the roof is insufficiently watertight and already needs to be replaced. So we will first finish the sanitary facilities as well as the power supply line for the electricity connection. In fact, a day's work would be more than enough to achieve this, especially with two people.

All water pipes had already been installed a few weeks before by Lung Addie, so it was only the toilet, sink and shower sprayer that had to be installed and connected. The drain pipes of the toilet and sink still had to be installed. This did not pose any problem. The tiling was neatly pierced with small holes in a circle with the diameter of the drain pipe at an appropriate height and then carved out. Not a single tile was damaged in this way. A jackhammer was offered to do this job by a family member who works in construction, but Lung addie politely declined this offer. The intention was to make a suitable hole in the wall and not to break down half the wall. In the meantime, A did the assembly of the interior of the flush tank, everything neatly according to the supplied plan.

Lung addie and A could work very well together. The only problem was sometimes the language. A Dutchman and a Flemish often have completely different names for tools and aids. We Flemings often use French words when it comes to these names: a knee is simply a coude with us or if we want to put it neatly, a bend. A coupling piece is a manchon for us, A transition from male to female (internal or external thread) is a mal-femelle ….. yes, could sometimes lead to confusion, but it all worked out well.

We didn't have a lack of spectators and "counsellors". There were several people, who had never even seen a real toilet, who came to advise. It was a mystery to them that the drain went through the wall and not through the floor, until the end result was visible. The drainage goes to two concrete wells placed in series and will work as a septic tank. There is no sewage system there and the eventual drainage water has to go to a canal behind the house.

Then put the “supreme moment”, water pressure, if you could speak of pressure, on the installation. Everything seemed fine at first sight, no visible leaks…. Then just finish the power supply line for the electricity connection. In the absence of a ladder, improvisation had to be done here as well. A 'poop rig' was cobbled together and Lung addie was advised not to climb on it himself, but a family member would… no, how is he going to place the pipes the way Lung addie wants? Keeping the shaky position in position with two men and crawling up on it yourself seemed better.

And then came the bad news: a decent leak in the water pipe. The water came out of the wall, the pipe that goes to the shower nozzle is leaking... how is that possible? Everything had been checked during installation, even double checked, and yet there was a leak, and not even a small one. At a height of about 1 meter, water came out of the wall and from between the wall tiles. There was only a full continuous pipe, no connection at all… a leak in a full continuous pipe? I would still accept if it would have been a previously used tube, but a new tube? Yes, when the tiles were placed I was not there …. hammered nails into the wall to stretch a wire? Who knows, but in the meantime I'm stuck with the baked pears and have to find a solution. Removing the tiling and cutting open the wall is not an option, you will never get it properly repaired.

A and Lung addie discuss the problem and with the common sense of two countries we come to an agreement: fortunately we can lay a new pipe on the outside, close the leaky pipe with a tap and that is how we are saved, with the least amount of work and also with the least disruptive effect on the bathroom finish. Today that is no longer possible due to a lack of the necessary material, so tomorrow. The job will take barely 2 hours, so instead of leaving for the South early in the morning, it will be around noon and, we have time, Lung addie, plenty.