Walking in the rain

Hello, hello how's everyone doing? All's good here in Bangkok. 

We're riding out the rainy season and I feel thankful the end is nearly in sight. 

Thailand needed rain badly, then we got floods.

As the saying goes 'it never rains, but it pours' and that is certainly true here at the moment.

I'm not complaining, I always like to see the rains, it makes things grow.

My 2019 rainy season, like the little seeds in the ground, has been a good season for me. Since my recent Tourism Authority of Thailand blog winners trip, I have been very fortunate to receive other offers for product development trips with the Thailand tourism industry. I have been asked to write in magazines and I'm enjoying speaking at coffee mornings at the various Thailand Women's Associations. 

I'm loving this feeling of personal growth and development.

'When will you begin your long journey into yourself?' - Rumi

But let's go back to the time when it all began and we're in a drought. I'm in drought, it's been hard to replace a fulfilled and busy Australian life. My work and volunteering with refugees and people seeking asylum taught me many things. 

'Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, 

it's about learning to dance in the rain'

This year Thailand (and parts of Australia too) have been in a drought. It's been the worse drought in living memory in the northern and northeastern Thai provinces. 

Our rains have generally been lighter than in previous years and we have all been advised by the Thai Government to use water conservatively and efficiently. Although the papers say it is not personal use that is the problem, but unregulated agricultural water, which accounts for 70 percent of national water usage.

We saw the water shortages first hand on a recent trip, as this picture will show, taken in July. It is of the Klong Than Dan Dam in Nakhon Nayok province a couple of hours outside of Bangkok. Here you can see the watermarks and tree lines where the reservoir should be. 

It is no surprise that Thailand's 447 dams and reservoirs nationwide are quoted at this time as being only about 48 percent full.

The Thai Agricultural Minister Thammanas was reported informing the public that the government will try to stimulate rain through artificial rain-making. I always read such things with immense fascination. It's shades of the Beijing Olympics climate control all over...

The rains came all right and we ended up with floods. In contrast to the fields of parched crops, areas in the northern provinces of Thailand have been inundated. The pictures of the sad flooded areas this week have filled our papers and national news.

The European Commission reports: 

'Following Tropical Storm PODUL and Tropical Depression KAJIKI's passage, widespread floods have affected 32 Thai provinces since the end of August. Ubon Ratchathani, Yasothon, Roi Et, and Sisaket Provinces are the most affected and still in critical conditions.

According to media reports, as of 19 September, 33 people are confirmed dead, 23,000 have been evacuated and 418,000 affected. At least 4,000 houses and 325,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed'.

Here in Bangkok, we've witnessed some of the biggest thunderstorms I've seen in my three years. As I type this, we're in the mother of all storms. When our monsoonal rains hit, watch out world. Luckily we're home and dry this time, but this is not always the case. 

When it rains in Bangkok the roads seem to flood very easily and I always have the greatest respect for people who keep going on flooded roads on their motorcycles! 

The infill and development of land over Bangkok's land and klongs (canals) are often blamed for our lack of adequate drainage, but these tropical storms are causing flash flooding that I reckon would be tricky for most cities to deal with.

Who loves the rain? Generally, I don't mind being out in the rain. Here in Asia, we learn to always carry an umbrella, or to make sure that to carry a spare pair of plastic shoes for those just in case 'I am caught out in the rain' moments.

I recently joined other bloggers and travelled to Nan province in Northern Thailand. It was part of a product testing trip for a soon to be released guidebook aimed at solo women travellers called 'Me, Myself and Thailand'.

Our itinerary was changed due to the weather and flooding in the region and when we arrived at Wat Sri Mongkol it was absolutely bucketing down. 

The organisers were very apologetic. We were even asked whether we wanted to get out of the bus. Of course, I do. It's just a spot of rain!

And dressed in a hastily given beautiful pink plastic mac and retrieving my plastic "Crocs" can go anywhere shoes. I'm off and manage to capture the sheer beauty of arriving at this amazing temple ahead of our entourage.

There is a small bamboo village in the middle of a rice field and as we all stood undercover looking out on it, I got chatting to one of the organisers.

'Never say sorry for the rain', I told her. 

'We need the rain for the crops to grow, 

'We need the rain for us all to grow'. 

She started telling me how she loved my Little Wandering Wren blog for its enthusiasm and natural zest for life and was saying quite possibly the nicest things that anyone, certainly the leader of one of Thailand's foremost tourism and marketing companies could say...

And I walked away. 

I just got the weirdest feeling that I needed to go and walk in the rain out in the fields. I knew that the clock was ticking and soon we'd have to get back on the bus and I felt the earth was calling!

As I walked on that slippery bamboo path, my feet held firm. I pondered what I had just done. I felt like an amazing heavy door had opened in my life and all the anguish of leaving Australia, and last years sickness and injury was all behind me. In front of me, could be a future as a travel writer and blogger and Thailand was saying

'come and dance in the rain'

Or, had I just stuffed up and walked away from possibly the best offer I was never going to get? 

They were all waiting for me back on the bus. A drowned Wren rat dressed in a pink Gladwrap, Clingfilm coat. What a picture I must have looked.

I felt calm.

Three more trips were offered that week...

I've pondered that moment since. I knew I had to be true to myself. Travel is all about finding a connection. Solo women's travel is about getting off the bus and going out on your own. Finding your own path is so important in life. Oh blimey, when did I get so deep?

Oh, I'm so excited to write all about this for my post on Solo Women's Travel and you won't believe what happened next? I'm saving that for another rainy day!

Who else has been walking in the rain recently, do tell? The good, the bad and the indifferent!

Have a great week everyone.

You can find more about my travel adventures here at https://littlewanderingwren.com, on the blog this week we're visiting one of Thailand's foremost centres for Natural Health Medicine. Click here to read. Also, we're off to Thailand's largest dam.

I'd love you to join along and follow me there.