Bushwhackers Golf

About June of 2008 a couple of would-be golfers were lamenting the high cost of playing the game when one of them suggested that an effort be made to make it cheaper or even free. Most of these wanna-be golfers had never scored less than 100, even at a 9 hole course. The first game was played on a course north of Hua Hin where the greens resemble the surface of the moon but the fairways provide great opportunities for practicing the game for little or nothing. As the 19 th hole was often not open when we finished up, we began to bring along our own 19 th hole in the back of the car or pickup. As the months went by new Bushwhackers joined the ranks of wanna-be golfers and some of the more seasoned Bushwhackers began to provide free golf lessons. It was around the end of the year when a source of very cheap golf balls was found in Cha Am along with an amazing variety of clubs. (Details about this in Junkyard Mall , below) Most of us hit only hooks, slices and sometimes miracles and we usually go out with the idea of losing at least 18 balls instead of playing 18 holes but because of the free practice we are getting some of us are improving. Now we are venturing out further afield and sometimes we may even pay a little bit for the privilege of playing on courses where real golfers part with their hard earned cash but we still find plenty of time and many places to go Bushwhacking for free. If you wanna-be a golfer but do not always want to spend a fortune doing it, e-mail donaltetley@yahoo.com or call me at 0850887181 . We do not score very high as we seldom keep score at all but we enjoy Bushwhacking at least once a week and misery loves company. You will learn all about the Hua Hin Hash House Harriers (H2H3) while losing your balls so come along now.

The Junkyard Mall

“One mans trash is another mans treasure” applies more today when economic times are in the doldrums than it does in times of prosperity. To see visual proof of this one need only visit the Junkyard Mall 5 kilometers north of the Cha Am traffic light on Petchkasem road.

Most of us who live in Pranburi, Hua Hin and Cha Am know where to find old wooden boats, old wooden wheels and new furniture constructed from old shipping pallets as these things are in plain view on the left side of the road  just north of Cha Am as we head for Bangkok . However, few are aware of the Jatujak of Junk right across the highway.

Located between the 200 and 201KM markers is a ramshackle collection of tin roofed and thatch roofed buildings and barns that contains the strangest collection of junk to be found anywhere. There is a tall red and white microwave relay tower for cellphones prominently marking the spot of the Junkyard Mall since the Junkyard Mall does not even have a single sign out front identifying the business.  Some of the inventory looks like it came directly from the city dump or else was salvaged by dumpster divers. It seems there is an item of just about everything .

In addition to the outright rubbish, there appears to be a variety of vintage furniture, fixtures, gizmos, gadgets, doohickies, thingamajigs, widgets, whatchamacallits and other unidentified stuff. There are old grandfather clocks and old socks, new battery operated clocks and rusty old locks, almost new golf balls (Thousands) 4 - 5 baht each..        Golf woods by the hundreds which have not been on the green or the range in years. There is old clothing and new shoes that must have been flea market rejects.

There are lots of rusty tools and quiet a few new ones still in the original package. There are some genuine antiques and some genuine facsimiles . There are brand new electronic calculators and dusty old abacus which require no batteries. There are teddy bears on the same shelf a great big bottles of genuine scotch whisky and wild honey. There's French crystal make in China and lots of china made in Thailand .

You can find tire pumps, tool boxes, TV's, toys, ties, very old shipping/storage trunks, tents, and manual typewriters. There's mirrors large and small but all reflecting the same truth, umbrellas that can bring bad luck, bows & arrows,  Buddhist amulets, barber chairs, basket balls, bowling balls, beer mugs, belts, books, boom boxes,  jewelry, bows & arrows, walking sticks, umbrellas,  walky talkies, purses, microphones, musical instruments. flash lights, pots and pans,  45 rpm records, music cassettes, CD's and DVD's.  There's key chains, reading glassed, sunglasses,  hats and bats. Thand ……………..and what else? You figure that out for yourself because the inventory changes daily. There is no telling just what you might find at the Junk Yard Mall from one day or week to the next but the promise is that every visit is a new adventure.

A word of advise: The folks working there do not speak English and they have few farang customers. If you find yourself really in need of help, ask for Bell .  She's got some really good English since she recently returned from three years of study in the   center of the internationally accepted standard for proper English language, California . (She is also very easy to look at) {Sweet too}

Most of all. Have fun and haggle.