Lampang's horse drawn
carriage industry:
an alternative technology for the future?
By Jon Fernquest
Can you imagine streets without noisy
motorcycles, tuk-tuks, cars, and trucks?
If you live in Bangkok, noise pollution is so bad, that talking over the telephone in public places is often impossible. If your bedroom window is near the road, you'll have to shut your window at night to be able to sleep.
One day, some people fed up with Bangkok noise and pollution may choose to live in small towns outside of Bangkok without cars, choosing quaint old-fashioned forms of transportation such as walking, bicycling, or horse drawn carriages.
The city of Lampang in northern Thailand is home to Thailand's small but growing horse drawn carriage industry.
One factory producing these carriages, located in tambon Phichai of Muang district in Lampang, gets several dozen orders every month for custom built carriages from places as far away as Malaysia, Taiwan, Germany and the US. Orders in Thailand come from resorts and tourist venues in places such as Phuket, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.
Carriages run
about 55,000 baht each and are custom built with optional
decoration adding to the price. Each carriage takes about a month to
build and the business makes about 20,000 in profit on each carriage it
produces.
The business was started by a local carriage driver named Ekkachai
Pramuk and a group of business associates. About
three years ago, the Lampang Horse-Drawn Carriage Association commissioned
them to build carriages for use in Lampang's tourism
industry.
Lampang was the ideal
place to start the business because the city is famous for its horse
drawn carriage rides so there is a big market in Lampang for the
carriages. The city is also home to skilled carriage artisans
and horse trainers.
The horse carriage business has been on the upswing for some
time now. Over the last 15 years, the number of horse
carriages operating in Lampang has risen from a low of 50 to 120
carriages nowadays.
The start-up capital necessary to begin operating a horse carriage runs about 80,000 baht initially. Monthly earnings run from an average of 5,000-7,000 baht per month to a high of 10,000 baht. Horses are imported from Burma for about 10,000 to 30,000 baht each. Recently, the increased price of hay has squeezed the business somewhat.
Mr. Ekkchai's long experience as a horse carriage driver in Lampang gave him the background necessary to start a successful business. Lampang horse carriages have a unique appearance with thin wheels. Carriages are built with a combination of wood and metal parts and an elegant upholstered leather seat. Of critical importance for the proper operation of the carriage is the coupling of the horse to the carriage. There has to be a sturdy and perfect fit between the two.
It may not be obvious, but Lampang's horse carriage business might face a bright future one day, when small communities perhaps choose them as an alternative quiet, quaint, and energy-saving public transportation option.
(Source: Bangkok Post, @Thailand, 06-05-08, temp-link)
Vocabulary:
noise pollution - when constant or loud noise makes everyday life difficult มลพิษทางเสียงfed up with - cannot endure anymore, angry about เบื่อหน่าย
quaint - unusual in a nice way มหัศจรรย์ น่าพิศวง
horse drawn carriages, horse carts - old-fashioned transportation pulled by horses รถม้า
custom built - built specially to meet the needs of one customer สร้างหรือประกอบขึ้นเพื่อให้สอดคล้องกับความต้องการของลูกค้า
venues - places where events happen สถานนี่จัดงาน
tourist venues - popular places for tourists แหล่งนักท่องเที่ยว
run about 55,000 baht each - cost about 5,000 baht each มีต้นทุนประมาณ 55,000 บาท
optional - can choose, but not necessary ทางเลือก ตัวเลือก
business associates - people you do business with เพื่อนทางธุรกิจ
commissioned them to build carriages - make formal arrangements for someone to do some work for you ว่าจ้างให้ผลิตรถม้าให้
artisans - a job that requires skill with your hands งานฝีมือ
on the upswing - increasing, business getting better อยู่ในขาขึ้น ธุรกิจกำลังไปได้ดี
for some time now - for a long time, but not so long มาเป็นระยะเวลาหนึ่งแล้ว
start-up capital - the money needed to start a business เงินลงทุน เงินตั้งต้นในการลงทุน
squeezed the business somewhat - made doing business a little difficult ทำให้ธุรกิจหรือการค้าชะลอตัวลง ทำธุรกิจได้ดีขึ้น
elegant - looks high-class (with grace and dignity) ที่สง่างาม ที่หรูหรา
upholstered - soft covering on chairs making them confortable to sit on ที่หุ้มเบาะ
elegant upholstered leather seat - a soft leather covering that looks high class บุด้วยหนังหุ้มเบาะอย่างหรูหรา
of critical importance - very important มีความสำคัญยิ่ง
coupling - joining two pieces of equipment together, mechanically เชื่อม โยงเข้าด้วยกัน ในที่นี้หมายถึง การเทียมม้าเข้ากับรถลาก
obvious - easy to see and understand ชัดเจน
public transportation - transportation used by many people such as a bus, subway, a train, or ferry boat การขนส่งมวลชน
an option - one possible choice (among many alternatives) ทางเลือกหนึ่ง