I have FB friends with various backgrounds living throughout the world and I often scroll through the various postings that these people have put up on the Web. I enjoy sitting back and reading the comments. Much like a president receiving a briefing on current world affairs. A lot of people have strong opinions and everyone has a keyboard. Invariably, a touchy subject will have people will say how they are blocking this or that. Most of the disagreements are like school kids arguing at recess. But sometimes, blocks are needed.
Limestone was made from sea water deposits a long time ago. Dinosaur fossils are often found in limestone beds. About 10 years ago, Thai scientists in North-East Thailand found the remains of a 40 ft. tall, meat-eater from the Jurassic Period in some old rocks.
Now don’t block me, just read on.
Most buildings in Thailand are made up of cement, iron and wood. We buy our cement from the Siam Cement Group which is the 2nd largest company in Thailand. It is also the 604th largest public company in the World according to Forbes. This company has a big limestone quarry located nearby the plant. Blasted rocks are taken to the crusher by big dump trucks. This is where the building material for my projects comes from.
In our village the block operation is run by a father and his son. They also have two workers, a husband and wife team. Each block costs 5 Baht. Each bag of cement is B140. I recently bought 40 blocks and 2 bags of cement. Cost about $13 and they deliver.
So who am I blocking? Eventually, everyone. Why? My office bathroom should be blocked…
A pile of limestone ready to be turned into blocks.
Notice the garland on the mixer.
This loud machine presses the material into blocks.
Hot off the Press
It takes about a day for the blocks to dry.
The block pile continues to grow. Usually, the owners wait until an order is placed. They can make several hundred blocks a day.
Every business worth it's salt has a junk room.
The owner entering his office. Casual attire.
The owner's son is unloading blocks for my office bathroom.
The office bathroom being remolded. Notice the white circles on the block wall. They are actually lizard eggs from a Tokay. For years, a thin sheet of bamboo plywood had covered the wall. The Tokay, which can be about a foot long is well known for living in crevices in homes. However, this particular one has been relocated.