“I’m from Nan province in the north of Thailand. I moved to Bangkok for work in 1997. I used to sell clothes in Siam until Siam Cinema burned down during the protest. I had to find a new place to sell my stuff, and then I got a job as a shop assistant in an accessory store in Ari. So I moved here, but I got paid a lousy 150 baht per day. Of course, it wasn’t enough to live on.

There was this person who saw us struggling at the time. They gave us 1,000 to buy something from Sampeng to sell. They wanted someone to sell something in front of their house to keep an eye on their property because they weren’t there. They were the owners of Samang Court (behind Wraptor). So I borrowed some tables and started selling things to make a living, and I’ve been here ever since.

I moved to this building behind me. We supported our only daughter with her education. She finished Suanbua School (Ari Soi 1), then went to college, and now she’s 25, working and studying in Australia! She’s a good girl. We’re proud of her.”
Pun and Chaat – Coconut drink vendor and Motorcycle Taxi

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