The plot thickens...

Friday afternoon was spent exploring the Cineplanet – a local cinema which is comparatively run-down compared to standards in S’pore but nevertheless shows the latest films such as Ironman – and the “neighbourhoods” nearby.

Walking down a stretch of country road with our shoes caked in sand, our bodies sweltering beneath the 41 Degrees Celsius heat, and getting honked at by inquisitive drivers, we examined the assortment of grocery stores found in these small “neighbourhoods” that dotted the countryside.

I’m amazed by the self-sufficiency of these small communities where you can virtually find everything that you need to survive in the shops.

In one of these communities, a local medical shop sells a small variety of modern medicine such as creams and pills. A few more shops specialize in retailing groceries and household essentials while an internet café (with a couple of run-down computers) doubles as the phone card shop. A tailor specializing in women’s wear operates nearby while kids can be found playing along the dirt-road or at a small tuition centre operated by the more educated members within the community.

Though virtually cut off from the main markets, these “businesses” survive by supplying to the communities living around the area, or catering to resting tuk tuk and truck drivers. They are in turn supplied by a network of middlemen, or simply head down to the city in their rusty own scooters (cars are rare in these areas) to procure supplies. It was a subtle lesson on how rural economics operate and determine population distribution.

Getting back to the STC was the problem, especially when its approaching dusk (the sky gets dark real fast) and it is dangerous to be outside without a proper mode of transportation home. The few tuk tuks that drove along the country road were packed with families returning home from the city. It wasn’t until we reached a busy crossroads which served as the resting point for tuk tuk drivers that we found one that was willing to take us to the STC.

The ride on a tuk tuk was simply fantastic. The 4 of us squeezed in (I sat with the driver in front) and we had to hold on tightly to our belongings to avoid them falling out when on the road. Despite the heat and relatively slow speed of the tuk tuks, you can feel the wind rushing by as we move, giving us an exhilarating feel of what it means to be traveling on the rugged terrain, with a first-hand account of the (infamous) “traffic negotiation skills” of these tuk tuk drivers.

Now I know how the joke originates about how Indian drivers should make world-class F1 racers.