Pyramids Ark of Noah

The last few weeks we really feel being the proud owners of a private island with a bar and some pyramids. Two meters above our surrounding water level. A kind of 'The Pyramids Ark of Noah'. 

Although officially the Thai Monsoon started last Friday May 13th, for weeks now we have more than heavy rainfall in Isaan region. We are surrounded by water and in lockdown. 

Never before so early in the year we had this amounts of water. Farmers just started to prepare and fertilize the rice fields but were not ready at all. Some who already sow the rice now have to deal with the problem the seeds are rotten or with mold. Trying to start over again so far did not succeed. Even tractors cannot deal with the mud anymore. 

And after the rain, early in the evening, thousands of termites (Maleang Mao, for Thai a delicacy. Picture of the entrance of the labyrinth in the morning) and huge frog karaoke night party's. 

A couple of days ago , on her way back from her mom, just after a new rain shower started, I had to 'rescue' Phatsamon because the scooter stuck up to the axles at the road to our land in the mud. You could not even find the brakes anymore. 

This morning even around a third of the dirt road to our site collapsed because of the rain. So we are in lockdown again. 

We are happy the Bosch spirit level instrument did it's work well. All floors are at least 30 cm above the highest water level to reach. Our land not really is under water because the water drains to the pond and the surrounding rice fields but still. During the rain it's collecting the water first. 

Although working inside of the second guest pyramid room it is hard to make a lot of progress. Although cutting tiles I can do inside, grinding need to be done outside because of the dust. But, still going strong, we did. 

Maintenance of the period was a leaking siphon and tap in the toilet of TED's place. We ordered this prefab container, including the toilet and washstand installed, two years ago and it worked out the workers used very low (shit) quality of materials. The siphon was plastic and nearly devoured. The leaking tap not to repair.

It made us a bit sad. People still do not understand that using the most cheap materials (we did not ask for) and building without any understanding (be aware we make mistakes too) at the end always cost you more in time, more than double money and annoyance than to do things well from the beginning.   

Trying to replace it with a metal/copper good quality one, I discovered the workers 'forgot' to place a sewage pipe through the wall. They just glued the old pipe, without extension, on the outside of the container and put the small siphon pipe (leaking sewage water in between the steel outside wall and the inside tile wall of the bathroom) true a small hole in the outside steel wall, in the glued pipe. So it became not only a matter of replacement but a total new installation carefully grinding (because of flammable isolation foam) a hole in the steel wall and fixing a new sewage pipe.  

We prepared the outside and inside wall for installing a new Panasonic inverter air condition. Doing some welding and installing metal stud frames.

Phatsamon applied a double layer of weather and UV protection coating (Beger A-100 Acrylic Clear Super Gloss) on the outside wall. 

I started with tiling the bathroom and, when it's not possible to work, go on with the drawings of the main house to develop. 

Kadhow and Cupid stay dry under TED's. Their hiding place against rain and sunshine. Cupid many times comes to 'help' with digging, stealing materials or bringing sandpaper 😄.

Frans Captijn

email:   pyramidhousethailand@gmail.com