More Sanuk: Whistling While You Work

Most Thai feel if something isn't sanuk, it isn't worth doing - and they can find the fun in almost any job. That's a generalization I made here a little over a year ago (Sanuk Doesn't Just Mean "Fun") but it's one I'd stand behind today, too. They often maintain the attitude that even if the task in front of us isn't pleasant we might as well do what we can to lighten the load while doing it. I bring this up again for two reasons: one, I admire the quality - and two, I ran across a few images I'd taken one morning while out taking my usual walk.

These guys were hard at work unloading cement and terra cotta flooring blocks by hand when I came by, and what caught my ear was the laughter that accompanied the sort of xylophone-like clinking tones made by the stones as they were set down onto the growing stacks on the sidewalk.

I have no idea what it was they were laughing about as they went about their work; maybe something they'd seen on TV the night before, maybe an off-color joke, who knows? They kept the patter going as they worked steadily and with a level of energy I'd be surprised if they carried through the afternoon, but again, who knows?

When I came back five minutes later with a bag containing eight bottles of orange juice from a nearby cart vendor and set it down on a stack of stones for them they returned my smile and thanked me, and I went on my way.

An hour later when I was heading back the truck was gone and I suspect they'd gone back for another load. I'd intended to come back later that day to see if they were still at it (this was at a sizable construction site that would undoubtedly need many truckloads of stones) but I didn't make it.