Ice Delivery

Sawing ice in the back of the delivery truck

Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, even Myanmar, all have bits and pieces of the modern technology that the U.S. and Japan thrive on. In fact, Thailand's well-to-do may have more techno-toys than your average North American. But all of these countries still rely in many places on the delivery of both ice and charcoal. Vendors use charcoal to cook on street corners (indirectly increasing deforestation, as poor rural workers earn extra cash by making the stuff), and other vendors use ice to cool fruit and drinks on the other corners of the same intersection. Ice delivery is an extremely common sight, although it's more commonly chipped, bagged, and on the back of an overloaded scooter.