Unsung hero of Chiang Mai :
Ger the show repair man .
I used to live in the area of Santitham Chiang Mai for a long time .
I would always see this guy in all kinds of weather sitting by the side of the road and having a steady trickle of locals bringing their shoes to get repaired .
In this day of the throw away society his is a dying art .
I always point foreigners in his direction when they come on line looking to get their shoes repaired .
So today I was driving past him and I thought I would stop to get his life story and a few pictures .
My Thai isn’t so great but I was lucky that Ploy who was there getting some boots repealed was there to translate and ask him questions .
This is his story .
As far as I could make out his name is Ger
He was born the youngest of seven children .
He is 46 years old
His mother had taken medicine when he was still inside and that had caused him to be deformed in his fingers and feet .
He happily showed me .
Obviously life was very tough for him and his family and been disabled in Thailand is very challenging .
There was a government scheme 23 years ago and he decided to enroll and he had three different teachers over a 10 month period .
He then was able to resole shoes and also stitch
As well as shoes he fixed zips and he can also fix bags .
In the 15 minutes I was there
He fixed a young mans shoulder bag that needed stitched and a new zip replaced .
Ploy also showed me her shoes that had been completely rehealed
Cost 40 bhat
With all his difficulties he faced in life he still has a warm heart and easily smiles
I often saw him like I said and there was always a local sitting with him .not necessarily getting anything repaired but just happy to sit and chat with him
If you do need any thing repaired his van is along the road that the seven senses guest house is located at behind the ymca Santitham .
Great humanity here, Jamie. I have about 3 pairs of shoes sitting here that need gluing - was gonna do myself and endlessly on the "must get to that" pile. I am inspired to simply drop them off to him tomorrow and contribute to another's livelihood and welbeing - and my own stress reduction. :) Nicely done. #mythailand
Well you know it’s songkran and everybody needs the cash for the festivities .and I’m sure he would be happy to help,your stress reduction .
I only have one pair of flip flops and there is even some days I forget to wear them as I drive barefoot haha .
I gave ger a bottle of honey as a small token for being so open and wanting to be photographed in the first instance and then share his story .
I hope it will bring him more loving people towards him
Is the shoe repair guy there most every day, 9ish to 5ish?? Or just sometimes? Good point about Songkran cash - I am getting them ready to drop off to him tomorrow.
Yes he is there most days.he was there again today .funny enough a guy in the restaurant said they hadnt seen him for a while .
He was either sick or taken care of someone who was sick was my reply .
THIS is an awesome post! Glad to see this heartwarming story and beautiful man being supported. 🙏
If you need anything fixed ,belt ,bag shoes I’m sure he would love to see you Jeff ,,samtitham still is a funky wee area
Lovely post! It's so nice hearing the stories of these hard working people around town! Part of why I am finally working on learning more Thai! After three years it's time to step it up so I can communicate and get to know people better! Keep up the great work! ❤️
Yes a little bit of Thai can go a long way .thanks for your kind words but of course it’s Ger who we really need to thank and support
Thank you so much for this post, what a generous heart you have. Ger too, for sharing his story and pictures. I feel this would be a great series! Resteeming right away, feeling humble and appreciative right now. Thank you
Gers the man I was only the messenger with the help of ploy who translated .
Agreed would be a great series
It’s All about the people
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ThAnk you so much even though I’m not sure what it means hHa