At 80 years old, La-lad Manmai thought her child-rearing days were long over.
But that all changed when her son died and his daughter ran off, leaving La-lad with a 5-year-old great granddaughter. Now the 54-year Pattaya resident is searching the streets at 3 a.m. for recyclables instead of enjoying her golden years.
Reporters spotted La-lad, with young “Palmy” in tow, early Jan. 17 on Soi Sreti in South Pattaya’s Thappraya Community. She was collecting rubbish, plastic bottles, cans and anything else she could sell.
La-lad said she came to Pattaya from Surin in 1963 and watched three children grow with the city. When Palmy’s father, her middle son, died, his daughter – the child’s mother – disappeared, never sending a baht to support her again.
They now live together in a rental room costing 3,500 baht a month. She gets up each day at 3 a.m. to scavenge around her home, as she can’t walk far due to her age.
It’s not how she imagined her twilight years to be, but La-lad said her only concern now is for her great granddaughter, who will start school soon and needs uniforms and supplies.
