Quote:
Originally Posted by estación seca
The terrarium took up the entire surface of my desk, which my roommate allowed me to put in front of the window. He wasn't a gardener, but greatly appreciated plants, so he let me get away with it. Plus, he was allowed to use my rice cooker. I managed to sprout a mango seed in these cold, dark environs.
There was no room on the desk for studying, so I did that in the school library, which was always open. By the way, I still use that rice cooker all the time, and it is 37+ years old.
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Your rice cooker reminds me of mine, of Hitachi brand (is it still in the market?), that I had to leave behind when I took off for the East. Forever hobbling on one missing foot, it nevertheless carried out its job with the same passion and ardor as it did when it came to me a few decades ago as a wedding gift. (It also stayed with me much longer than the wife
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It is wonderful to hear from members sharing their own perspective on life with orchids, from “icy snow” to “steamy weather.” I wish every one who checks out this thread will contribute a paragraph or two… Now, by popular request, a local (this is as local as it gets) scene in Bangkok:
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Canal Saen Seap is one last remaining “commuter” canal in Bangkok. The city itself used to be called the “Venice of the East” although chronical noblesse will oblige Venice to be “the Bangkok of the West.” The canal runs along the backside of the main thoroughfare of my district, giving the locals the choice to take either surface streets or “go to the pier.“ If you stay on the walkway on the left side of the pic then turn left at the greenish-blue tarp roof junction you will find yourself in Soi (Alley) no 29 which leads to the big road at the front.
The boat is a commuter boat, just think of it as a city bus that goes on water. From here to downtown takes half an hour regardless of street traffic condition, naturally. This waterway is a lifesaver given how notorious Bangkok road traffic is, but needless to say during rush hour you will be jammed like sardines (or shall I say “pickled” like herrings) in the steamy weather; with enough survival skills you should be able to wiggle yourself an extra square inch or two so you can stand on BOTH feet, and occasionally getting your face/hair sprayed with stinky canal water is part of the price you have to pay (that’s why you see the blue tarp being drawn up around the boat). Just make sure you bring along a pair of earplugs in case you are packed against the boat engine compartment.
On the flip side of the coin, you see the “ferry” - a rickety concoction built from scrap metals - waiting for the boat to pass so it can carry the pedestrians across. When you reach the other side, you will pay something the equivalent of an US nickel (if my math is correct) for the fare, to an old lady in muslim garb sitting in a booth. Across the way is her husband getting off a stationary bike of sort that by his own manpower had just roped in the ferry from a distance of some fifty yards of water. If you take the ride after sundown, bringing along a flashlight would help because the light bulb hung atop the pole from the spot of “embarkment” doesn’t always work, there being no light source from the carriage itself.
Even though there is no orchids in this pic, at various spans along the boat ride you would see them, the outdoorsy types meaning mostly dens and cyms, thriving unobstructedly along the embankments, basking in the hot sun and obviously deriving plenty of nutrition and moisture from the water vapors coming up from below. Moreover, not just orchids, but frangipanis, plumerias, flame trees, jungle-type bodhi trees, flowering banana trees and yes, mango trees with low hanging fruits and a myriad of other flora - plus certain “fauna” including humans - provide a riotously Technicolor spectacle for the whole length of the ride. One visiting friend commented it “feels like getting on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland!”
Often on weekend when the pace is unhurried and commuters few, I would swashbuckle my way down to the boat and just spread myself among the back benches, let the boat go where it may.
Here’s one last pic of the cym before it goes to its new home eventually.
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