Hey Todd you're right about the rubbish it's also a huge problem in Thailand. I help out with Trash Heroes in Hua Hin occasionally and you would be amazed at what we find at the pier and beaches. I have also been to Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park numerous times and they charge a service fee supposedly to keep the islands clean. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I would not swim in the water amongst all the floating debris. Your new tenant is an interesting character! At least renovating is affordable there. Looking forward to seeing the transformation.
Thanks for this Todd. I enjoy keeping up on Eddie's progress. It's interesting to me that he grew up two hours away from where I did in Virginia. Small world.
We travelled last week from through Laos . Saw lots of garbage dumped along roads. Up north around Luang Namtha its was worst piles of rubbish just dumped next to the road or trown of the hill site .
Waste education especially plastic waste is a challenge in Laos. Even their council struggle to cope with this waste. Am trying to educated the kids and community about it throught the Waste Hero program with the teachers there. One can notice it all over the road when one enter from Thailand to Pakse. Keep up the good work to clean up the Mekong river. Hope one day we can meet and work something out to educate the community with the local council.
I don't know if it would help to notify certain public officials about this public problem, not by shaming people but by educating the people about the impact to the environment. Perhaps, organizing a festival (lao people love festivals) that makes it communal and fun to pickup the garbage and creating clean spaces. Just a thought ? What do think Todd and Neenee ? It looks like Eddie is good guy that wants to make the property thrive again. All the best my friend 👍👍 Jim and Harriet
The only thing that upsets me is the management of waste in Laos it’s an education needs to start with next generation schools need to teach the importance of how to control & manage waste the good new is that Vang Vieng has build a recycling center approx 10 Km’s out the town that’s a positive…!!!
In our Thai kitchen we need power points for two refrigerators and a freezer, an oven and a microwave, an electric hot water urn, a rice cooker, a bread maker, a toaster, a kitchen wand blender, a kitchen fan, a mixer, a slow cooker, and a fan griller. That is 14 power points. We don't have a pressure cooker! We have only cold water to wash dishes and should install an electric instant hot water heater over the sink. Oh I forgot, we need a power point for our 4 stage water purifier with a UV light bacteria killer. That is now 16 power points. My office requires power points for reading lamps, ink jet printer, 3 tablets and a mobile phone charger, WiFi, Router, Apple TV, blood pressure monitor, television and sound system. That is a lot of power points. You need to be able to re-arrange the room so you need extra power outlets. The air conditioners have separate power supplies. Overhead fans with a light centred below the fan are very effective when one wants a rest from air conditioner noise and big power bills. These are all part of your re- wiring program. Air conditioners have wall plugs and greatly increase the size of your circuit breakers, We don't have any 3 Phase equipment but a real electric stove top and oven and a large compressor requires special electrical installation. We use gas hobs as they are best for wok cooking. I wish we had a place for a Webber gas Barbecue on a veranda outside our kitchen door. Will you have a clothes washer and drier in the kitchen, bathroom or a separate laundry? Our garage has power for the electric water pump, for the tyre compressor and vacuum for cleaning the car. We don't have a pressure water cleaner for the car, motor bikes and trailer. Also points for power tools, especially drills, drivers and saws. We need lights in the garage and security lights for the house front. Extra outdoor weather protected power points are always useful for power tools and maintenance work. My point is you need 4 times the number of power points and circuit breaker provision than you first think. Check out the latest safety circuit breakers that switch off before one can be electrocuted. I like power points 1.2 meters or 4 feet off the floor. Easy to access and away from the reach of young children. Power points in Thailand are live, you just push in the plug, there is no on/off switch. I strongly recommend installing power points that each have their own on/off switch. Bring the wiring down from the ceiling to avoid flood damage. Exposed wiring or enclosed in conduit is common in Asia. It may look unsightly but it is safe and easy to repair of modify. No wiring hidden in the wall to accidentally drill into and zap yourself. Do it right the first time, or do it over and over again because of failures and disasters. Friendly advice from one who learns the hard way.
I remember my first time visiting Lao, I asked the relatives where I could throw my plastic waste and napkins because I had been holding them for some time without any luck of finding a bin. Their response was "just drop it" I was godsmacked. Also seeing rubbish beside beautiful creek beds, locals getting into a rush to burn their roadside rubbish because they feared it was gonna rain that afternoon and they might not be able to burn them in time. The tossing of rubbish under a table between their feet when eating because they just didn't want to hold onto them. This was all so alien to me, Such great people but I wish they got educated more on this and the government enforces it more.
I have been showing it on my vlogs mostly along the Riverside in Savannkhet. They have signs on some of the trees saying don't walk on the grass as you might get a fine. That doesn't stop people sitting by the river having picnics. I have to say last time I went back a few months ago it did look like they had done some cleaning up. It's about having the bins around for people to use
Sabaidee Todd. Thank you for sharing the vlogs. Rubbish. Noticed that. Old habits die hard. Please continue to point that out in your videos. Maybe some folks haven't heard of a new norm "Trash belongs in a trash can". This issue stinks. Looking forward to see the Appalachian man transforming that riverbank into a jardin de paradis.
As a kid in the 60s ,I remember the Clean up Australia campaigns ,,from litter strewn roads and highways the place changed so much that nowadays instead of rubbish being part of the scenery, it is not so common ..all it took was a government / Television campaign to educate people.. something Laos really needs to do.
Good project with the house. Same issue with rubbish in rural Thailand. We have city refuse collection twice a week ( no charge) however the old-timers insist on burning. It will only change through education of the young at school.😢
Hey Brother,,I still love that house! Every time I see it,,I start getting ideas. Lol one thing you need that would be a complete impossibility in Lao,,is a 1960 or earlier Fordson tractor with a 3 point hitch on it. They are great for having a rear blade,,to level things up ,,but you can have any number of attachments. I think a modern day equivalent is probably a Kubota tractor. I have a buddy that has 3 Fordsons and he didnt pay more than 2000 dollars for any of them. Super easy to work on and really torquey and they run forever.. I guess since its impossible,, you do have one good tool,,,Eddie the human bulldozer 😂 That is one hard working old guy. Speaking of old guys,,Dad just gets healed up from his foot surgery and we have his next one lined up. They have been keeping an eye on my Dads ticker, specifically a valve,,the same one I had replaced, in fact,,its a different problem than I had and they dont have to crack his chest,,they replace it thru a vein. He only has to stay in the hospital overnight,,worst case,,2 nights,,I was there 16 nights. I hope it gives him a little more energy. It will probably be early December. Wish there was a solution for the trash dumpers. Until there are a few government regulations in place it will probably continue. A lot of farangs probably appreciate Lao because of the LACK of regulations. Our little princess has to try anything the adults are doing.😂😅 ❤❤❤❤❤❤ good for her! A great example of intelligence feeding itself. Shes curious about new things,,tries the new thing and adds to the knowledge archives. Take care mate,,Ttyl,,,Marlon
Yes very nice plans. You'll have neighbors borrowing from his garden and his house to. Someone has to liver there everyday. I had a fish pond feed and raised the fish. Neighbor came with nets and took every last one. Hope Lao folks aren't same as Thais.
Thanks for sharing, Todd. Yeah, I feel the same way as you with regards to the trash. I have been talking to my friends in Lao in Vientiane all the way down to Pakse about the trash. Like why is there so much of it? Like no one there picks up after themselves? I've left Lao as a kid in 1978 due to the Vietnam War and haven't been back since. One day soon in the near future I'll definitely go back to visit my hometown in Vientiane. I guess it is up to everyone to teach each other to pick up their trash that's left behind. It does no one any good. So yeah, show the trash in your videos. Have to let people know what is going on. I live in San Diego, California and luckily we don't really have a trash problem. When I do visit Lao I'll definitely be hitting you up. Love your videos. Keep them coming.
Hey Todd, all work in progress. The place looks better Already having someone there. Just have to stop the rubbish being dumped there . For Lao a anti litter campaign should start from the government, hopefully someone is listening to you. Take care Nev.
Vietnam imo is one of the worst examples of dumping litter wherever & whenever. More plastic bags & bottles on streets & blocking up the lakes than I’ve seen anywhere. People throwing litter out of car windows 🫣 and they’re doing this without a care in the world 😢
Uh-huh. Job 1. Put a fence up to keep the litterers out. I was riding from Luang Prabang to Kwang Si in January and saw a man and woman in a little Mitsubishi tipper truck dumping what must have been half a tonne of full binbags into a ditch by the side of the road. A bit further on and there was the same amount of rubbish again, so it clearly wasn't a one-off thing.
Dumping trash is bad in many countries that I've been in, especially in China. It is totally unnecessary and if a country wants to stop it, it has to start with children learning to care about their environment in school. I hate to say it, but older people are stubborn and don't get it.
I just learned that Lao government has started adressing plastic waste with the support of the World Bank and EU through the National Plastic Action Plan. According to the plan, 2024-2025 is designated as the preparation phase. I really, really hope this plan succeeds!
Get some Metal Barrels to burn in ? I hate the smell of burning plastic - toxic - get a headache and try to get away from it ! I know it from Thailand - , i wonder if you could set up a Factory to recycle the plastic and make boats , and other things. That be the place to recycle pay people a little for collecting plastic - go by weight - . 😊 I would love to visit there , Eddy,s ! I think it was what the Thais call a "'schamott "" its like a Racoon kinda thing , the one they feed coffee beans to and then sale the coffee for Big money 💰 😂 Be just the Cats ass to have a good Boat there - go panning gravel s 😊 Eddy , i hope that was not a water Monitor? Going up the wall like that ? They hang out in the Water but at night they come on land , maybe they check the Garbage ? Like the Bear do here in Canada , i seen Monitor s 10 foot long ,they clean up the Dead Dogs along the Highway s in Thailand .
This bad lao habits of throwing garbage everywhere is the result of " bo bpen niang" lao mentality. The government has to educate its people particularly since the use of plastic bags and items is getting bigger and bigger.
Looking forward to the renovation and finished work, it's a shame that people are dumping trash on your property or anywhere for Dave's a good worker seems to know another especially on the farming
Seemed to me he wasn't supposed to knock that wall down like he did. Maybe he had permission. Not sure. Going on about chubacabras(sp?) but saying it all wrong... that said... the land was cleared well. Use the rubble from the demo to negate erosion.
Hi Todd ask neene write ✍️ in lao big sign DO not dump rubbish along river side! That’s may explain! Some people just don’t understand !
I agree, a fence is what you will need to stop folks from dumping on your property. Thanks Todd and Neenee for sharing. ☮
Hey Todd you're right about the rubbish it's also a huge problem in Thailand. I help out with Trash Heroes in Hua Hin occasionally and you would be amazed at what we find at the pier and beaches. I have also been to Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park numerous times and they charge a service fee supposedly to keep the islands clean. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I would not swim in the water amongst all the floating debris. Your new tenant is an interesting character! At least renovating is affordable there. Looking forward to seeing the transformation.
Thanks for this Todd. I enjoy keeping up on Eddie's progress. It's interesting to me that he grew up two hours away from where I did in Virginia. Small world.
No doubt you'll see plenty more of Eddie mate.. Cheers
We travelled last week from through Laos . Saw lots of garbage dumped along roads. Up north around Luang Namtha its was worst piles of rubbish just dumped next to the road or trown of the hill site .
Waste education especially plastic waste is a challenge in Laos. Even their council struggle to cope with this waste. Am trying to educated the kids and community about it throught the Waste Hero program with the teachers there. One can notice it all over the road when one enter from Thailand to Pakse. Keep up the good work to clean up the Mekong river. Hope one day we can meet and work something out to educate the community with the local council.
Awesome, Todd and Nee Nee. Fantastic property and tennant. Cant wait to see the progress.
I don't know if it would help to notify certain public officials about this public problem, not by shaming people but by educating the people about the impact to the environment. Perhaps,
organizing a festival (lao people love festivals) that makes it communal and fun to pickup the garbage and creating clean spaces. Just a thought ? What do think Todd and Neenee ?
It looks like Eddie is good guy that wants to make the property thrive again. All the best my friend 👍👍 Jim and Harriet
The only thing that upsets me is the management of waste in Laos it’s an education needs to start with next generation schools need to teach the importance of how to control & manage waste the good new is that Vang Vieng has build a recycling center approx 10 Km’s out the town that’s a positive…!!!
In our Thai kitchen we need power points for two refrigerators and a freezer, an oven and a microwave, an electric hot water urn, a rice cooker, a bread maker, a toaster, a kitchen wand blender, a kitchen fan, a mixer, a slow cooker, and a fan griller. That is 14 power points. We don't have a pressure cooker! We have only cold water to wash dishes and should install an electric instant hot water heater over the sink. Oh I forgot, we need a power point for our 4 stage water purifier with a UV light bacteria killer. That is now 16 power points.
My office requires power points for reading lamps, ink jet printer, 3 tablets and a mobile phone charger, WiFi, Router, Apple TV, blood pressure monitor, television and sound system. That is a lot of power points. You need to be able to re-arrange the room so you need extra power outlets.
The air conditioners have separate power supplies. Overhead fans with a light centred below the fan are very effective when one wants a rest from air conditioner noise and big power bills. These are all part of your re- wiring program. Air conditioners have wall plugs and greatly increase the size of your circuit breakers, We don't have any 3 Phase equipment but a real electric stove top and oven and a large compressor requires special electrical installation. We use gas hobs as they are best for wok cooking. I wish we had a place for a Webber gas Barbecue on a veranda outside our kitchen door. Will you have a clothes washer and drier in the kitchen, bathroom or a separate laundry?
Our garage has power for the electric water pump, for the tyre compressor and vacuum for cleaning the car. We don't have a pressure water cleaner for the car, motor bikes and trailer. Also points for power tools, especially drills, drivers and saws. We need lights in the garage and security lights for the house front. Extra outdoor weather protected power points are always useful for power tools and maintenance work.
My point is you need 4 times the number of power points and circuit breaker provision than you first think. Check out the latest safety circuit breakers that switch off before one can be electrocuted. I like power points 1.2 meters or 4 feet off the floor. Easy to access and away from the reach of young children. Power points in Thailand are live, you just push in the plug, there is no on/off switch. I strongly recommend installing power points that each have their own on/off switch. Bring the wiring down from the ceiling to avoid flood damage. Exposed wiring or enclosed in conduit is common in Asia. It may look unsightly but it is safe and easy to repair of modify. No wiring hidden in the wall to accidentally drill into and zap yourself.
Do it right the first time, or do it over and over again because of failures and disasters. Friendly advice from one who learns the hard way.
You definitely need a good fence around the property down to the river.
I remember my first time visiting Lao, I asked the relatives where I could throw my plastic waste and napkins because I had been holding them for some time without any luck of finding a bin. Their response was "just drop it" I was godsmacked. Also seeing rubbish beside beautiful creek beds, locals getting into a rush to burn their roadside rubbish because they feared it was gonna rain that afternoon and they might not be able to burn them in time. The tossing of rubbish under a table between their feet when eating because they just didn't want to hold onto them.
This was all so alien to me, Such great people but I wish they got educated more on this and the government enforces it more.
I left the Philippines for the same reasons i must admit it is improving in some areas but the dumping in such beautiful places is tragic
I have been showing it on my vlogs mostly along the Riverside in Savannkhet. They have signs on some of the trees saying don't walk on the grass as you might get a fine. That doesn't stop people sitting by the river having picnics. I have to say last time I went back a few months ago it did look like they had done some cleaning up. It's about having the bins around for people to use
Sabaidee Todd. Thank you for sharing the vlogs. Rubbish. Noticed that. Old habits die hard. Please continue to point that out in your videos. Maybe some folks haven't heard of a new norm "Trash belongs in a trash can". This issue stinks. Looking forward to see the Appalachian man transforming that riverbank into a jardin de paradis.
As a kid in the 60s ,I remember the Clean up Australia campaigns ,,from litter strewn roads and highways the place changed so much that nowadays instead of rubbish being part of the scenery, it is not so common ..all it took was a government / Television campaign to educate people.. something Laos really needs to do.
It would make more sense to build a new house on the side and use the old house for workers and materials.
Why not a big balcony, deck with view towards the river to enjoy the morning coffee
Good project with the house. Same issue with rubbish in rural Thailand. We have city refuse collection twice a week ( no charge) however the old-timers insist on burning. It will only change through education of the young at school.😢
Hey Brother,,I still love that house! Every time I see it,,I start getting ideas. Lol one thing you need that would be a complete impossibility in Lao,,is a 1960 or earlier Fordson tractor with a 3 point hitch on it. They are great for having a rear blade,,to level things up ,,but you can have any number of attachments. I think a modern day equivalent is probably a Kubota tractor. I have a buddy that has 3 Fordsons and he didnt pay more than 2000 dollars for any of them. Super easy to work on and really torquey and they run forever.. I guess since its impossible,, you do have one good tool,,,Eddie the human bulldozer 😂 That is one hard working old guy. Speaking of old guys,,Dad just gets healed up from his foot surgery and we have his next one lined up. They have been keeping an eye on my Dads ticker, specifically a valve,,the same one I had replaced, in fact,,its a different problem than I had and they dont have to crack his chest,,they replace it thru a vein. He only has to stay in the hospital overnight,,worst case,,2 nights,,I was there 16 nights. I hope it gives him a little more energy. It will probably be early December. Wish there was a solution for the trash dumpers. Until there are a few government regulations in place it will probably continue. A lot of farangs probably appreciate Lao because of the LACK of regulations. Our little princess has to try anything the adults are doing.😂😅 ❤❤❤❤❤❤ good for her! A great example of intelligence feeding itself. Shes curious about new things,,tries the new thing and adds to the knowledge archives. Take care mate,,Ttyl,,,Marlon
awesome!
Yes very nice plans. You'll have neighbors borrowing from his garden and his house to. Someone has to liver there everyday. I had a fish pond feed and raised the fish. Neighbor came with nets and took every last one. Hope Lao folks aren't same as Thais.
Thanks for sharing, Todd. Yeah, I feel the same way as you with regards to the trash. I have been talking to my friends in Lao in Vientiane all the way down to Pakse about the trash. Like why is there so much of it? Like no one there picks up after themselves? I've left Lao as a kid in 1978 due to the Vietnam War and haven't been back since. One day soon in the near future I'll definitely go back to visit my hometown in Vientiane. I guess it is up to everyone to teach each other to pick up their trash that's left behind. It does no one any good. So yeah, show the trash in your videos. Have to let people know what is going on. I live in San Diego, California and luckily we don't really have a trash problem. When I do visit Lao I'll definitely be hitting you up.
Love your videos. Keep them coming.
Hey Todd, all work in progress. The place looks better Already having someone there. Just have to stop the rubbish being dumped there . For Lao a anti litter campaign should start from the government, hopefully someone is listening to you. Take care Nev.
Vietnam imo is one of the worst examples of dumping litter wherever & whenever. More plastic bags & bottles on streets & blocking up the lakes than I’ve seen anywhere. People throwing litter out of car windows 🫣 and they’re doing this without a care in the world 😢
India pretty bad for it. Even when you go to pretty remote areas there is still a fair amount of litter
Mad as a cut snake, but done a great job clearing. Far as the locals; No dumping hammer time mate...
Hey Todd I think it's Energizer not Eveready. 😃 Stay well.
Uh-huh. Job 1. Put a fence up to keep the litterers out.
I was riding from Luang Prabang to Kwang Si in January and saw a man and woman in a little Mitsubishi tipper truck dumping what must have been half a tonne of full binbags into a ditch by the side of the road. A bit further on and there was the same amount of rubbish again, so it clearly wasn't a one-off thing.
Cambodia is the same , people just drop rubbish were they like, it is just a blight on these countries
I live in Mueang Trat in a village like you said not educated but you get baht for plastic but they still burn it
Dumping trash is bad in many countries that I've been in, especially in China. It is totally unnecessary and if a country wants to stop it, it has to start with children learning to care about their environment in school. I hate to say it, but older people are stubborn and don't get it.
Plant a live thorn hedge and trees at the river to create cheap barrier.
The best and efficient idea.
No need to ruin access to the river front because of a few wrong doers.. No point having a river front house if you can't get to it.
I just learned that Lao government has started adressing plastic waste with the support of the World Bank and EU through the National Plastic Action Plan. According to the plan, 2024-2025 is designated as the preparation phase. I really, really hope this plan succeeds!
Post signs in Lao "NO DUMPING TRASH"
Get some Metal Barrels to burn in ? I hate the smell of burning plastic - toxic - get a headache and try to get away from it ! I know it from Thailand - , i wonder if you could set up a Factory to recycle the plastic and make boats , and other things. That be the place to recycle pay people a little for collecting plastic - go by weight - . 😊 I would love to visit there , Eddy,s ! I think it was what the Thais call a "'schamott "" its like a Racoon kinda thing , the one they feed coffee beans to and then sale the coffee for Big money 💰 😂 Be just the Cats ass to have a good Boat there - go panning gravel s 😊 Eddy , i hope that was not a water Monitor? Going up the wall like that ? They hang out in the Water but at night they come on land , maybe they check the Garbage ? Like the Bear do here in Canada , i seen Monitor s 10 foot long ,they clean up the Dead Dogs along the Highway s in Thailand .
Hello @Todd_Hakes.
Where's Koko. Have you despatch him to Ausi.
It's been awhile.
water river is that?
❤👍👍👍🙏
This bad lao habits of throwing garbage everywhere is the result of " bo bpen niang" lao mentality. The government has to educate its people particularly since the use of plastic bags and items is getting bigger and bigger.
Looking forward to the renovation and finished work, it's a shame that people are dumping trash on your property or anywhere for Dave's a good worker seems to know another especially on the farming
Yah really need a Perko in that place for a month but you wouldnt recognise it if you did that.
Add on,s look ok if they are done right mate ,lol
i would follow them home and dump it back on their doorstep
Farung or falung??? Wife reckons falung but spelled farung
Farung was originally a term for the French when they occupied Laos and Vietnam, but many SEAsians have trouble pronouncing 'r' and often say Falung 😉
Give free rent to guy tell y get house fixing up
The guy you visit is like having nervous breakdown
Seemed to me he wasn't supposed to knock that wall down like he did. Maybe he had permission. Not sure. Going on about chubacabras(sp?) but saying it all wrong... that said... the land was cleared well. Use the rubble from the demo to negate erosion.
Nah.. that wall was always coming down 👌