The prime ministers of Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam officially opened a former opium smuggling route as the final link of what they call the “north-south economic corridor,” a network of roads linking the southern Chinese city of Kunming to Bangkok spanning 1,800 kilometers, or 1,100 miles. It is also known as Route 3.
The new roads, as well as upgraded ports along the Mekong River, are changing the diets and spending habits of people on both sides of the border. China is selling fruit and green vegetables that favour temperate climates to its southern neighbours and buying tropical fruit, rubber, sugar cane, palm oil and seafood. “You never used to see apples in the traditional markets,” said Ruth Banomyong, an expert in logistics who teaches at Thammasat University in Bangkok.
China has blasted shallow sections of the Mekong to make it more easily navigable for cargo barges, allowing traders to ship apples, pears and lettuce downriver. The price of apples in Thailand has fallen to the equivalent of about 20 cents apiece from more than $1 a decade ago. Roses and other cut flowers from China have displaced flowers flown in from Holland, making Valentine’s Day easier on the wallet for Thais. Traders now have the choice of shipping by barge, truck or both.
My blog “The Life of a Not-So Princess” is experiencing Cinderella difficulties nowadays. If you have noticed or others did not, I shifted my theme from a Misty Look theme to Garland. One of its best features are it’s customizable colours, and two sidebars. So I am into pink nowadays, so I requested Steven Wittens and Stefan Nagtegaal to wave their magical wands and turned my Garland theme colour into combination of pink and violet. It looks fine for me, I don’t know what do you think of the new colour and design of my page? Tell me, it’s not bad to tell the truth. By the way, thanks AngryAfrican for appreciating the new look of my blog.
