Big Adventure - Part 12

Yesterday for lunch – again with the food – I had Phad Pet Moo. Translates to fried hot pork. Lesson learned – beware the food that has the word “hot” in its name. Also fried spinach or grass or something. Lesson learned – fry it and I’ll like it.

Today it was ribs for breakfast, ribs for lunch, ribs for supper, cooked three completely different ways – how does she know how much I love ribs? And yes, I think we are getting breakfast sorted out – she can see me tuck into Asian food for breakfast and realizes she doesn’t need to struggle with western food. Lightly curried noodles with ribs, fried rice with shrimp. Again there is that key word – fried.

This is the rainy season here, but it barely rains – on average we probably get an hour a day of rain. We probably get about the same total amount as an entire rainy day in Nova Scotia, but it comes with 6-8 hours of sun, and it’s always warm ( the locals might disagree with that, but they haven’t spent a winter in N.S.)

It’s when the rain prevents basketball that ticks me off.

Jacquie has gotten her new passport at last – with days to spare. She leaves in a week. The longing to have her here with me that I have been able to bury is now starting to bubble to the surface. She enters more and more of my everyday thought. It feels like the time is short enough now that I can dare to admit how much I’m missing her.

Eight more sleeps.

No sign that the work next door is nearing completion. I admit I’m starting to lose hope that I’ll be moved in before Jacquie gets here, but since there is nothing I can do about it, I won’t fret.

Ju and Ja were asking about basketball after Jacquie arrives, and speculating that I wouldn’t be going every night. I said I’d probably go three times a week, and I told Ju about the nightly aerobics classes held at Chaweng, and that Jacquie would likely go while I played ball. Turns out she didn’t know about those and loves aerobics and hopes she can go with Jacquie. Ja won’t be going I’m guessing. I think she is her own biggest fan of her cooking – poor thing wraps her knees every day – mine hurt more just watching her walk. I think she takes it as an insult that I would choose to play basketball before eating her food.

Wednesday morning Ja was standing on a chair, on her toes for she is not a tall woman, reaching over the wall and picking leaves off of the neighbors vine / shrub.

Yup, you guessed it – fried stolen leaves with pork for lunch. Delicious!! You never know one day to the next. Saturday I ate prawn twice, Sunday hotdog fried rice.

Big news: the CDRM (see Part 11) has AGAIN renamed itself – they are now the Council for National Security (CNS). Again same guns and tanks, but somehow this new name sounds more ominous. They are still saying they are giving the country back. I think I’m going to re-read George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

Locally, Ju decided to go to her home in Chiang Rai for a few days holiday. Taking the bus – 12 hours to Bangkok plus 12 hours to Chiang Rai, then same back again. All to spend what will be four days there. Makes me feel like a pussy complaining about the flight here from Canada.

She needed to go to Nathon to buy her ticket by 2 pm Friday, I had a 1 pm meeting at a law office in nearby Lamai, so she came with me and took the car while I was in my meeting. Three minutes after she left I discovered the office had moved a mile up the road, so I called her to come back and get me, and I swear she asked me “Where are you?”

Got her sorted and on her 3:30 bus – she was really happy and excited to be going. It’s lonely here for her.

I feel like I’m finally settling in here. I got my first tattoo finished (no photos till after Jacquie sees it) and I actually recognize a few words when I listen to Thai conversation – if they aren’t talking fast. I’m starting to hear “Hello darling, how are you? Where you go/” in my sleep. I think that will stop if Jacquie comes walking with me (already a few of the bars close by that I pass almost every night have given up on me – quitters!)

The work here is fun. That Friday meeting was with the seller and his lawyer to discuss my clients purchase of an $8 Million dollar stake in an apartment development. My client is talking like he’s headed to Walmart for a new toothbrush. And I’m just trying to act like it’s run of the mill for me too. You know, it’s good that we are careful here so you don’t loose your $8 million dollars. Okay?

Sunday. Jacquie’s Big Adventure starts soon. Four more sleeps for her. She is hanging on. It’s a good thing she is a strong woman - her preparations are surely a test for her. She finally – we think – has all of the paperwork needed for the dog (one more call to Thai Airways with the new 7-digit Government-generated-for-a-fee-in-Kentville number should do it). Any problems now will be dealt with during her trip by crying etc. Everyone, cross your fingers or say a prayer for her or both.

At my end we have a solution to the David driving through the heart of Bangkok problem. Seems my new four door 4-wheel drive truck has been delivered to Bangkok, and Kris and the driver were going to drive it down this weekend and fly back. Now they are not. Instead the driver and new truck will meet me and Jacquie and Sami at Suvarnabhumi Airport Friday night, and after sorting Sami’s importation he will drive us all to Koh Samui. So I get my wife, my dog and a new truck, all at once.

The new baggage handling computer system at Suvarnabhumi crashed twice on Saturday, so 6722 pieces of luggage missed their outgoing flights. They have gone to a manual system of a few days – which takes 15 seconds more per piece. So far at least no incoming luggage is being adversely affected. Or so they say.

Today on the beach a woman approached me as a left the water. Spoke very little English, but I think she was trying to pick me up. She started by telling me she lives alone but wants a boyfriend, and asking if I live alone. Blank stare when I said I have a wife, like she didn’t understand. The English then got good enough to tell me she has no job, has a baby girl and both she and her daughter are living with her sister who works at the 7-11. The baby’s father is dead. Then finally the conversation went:

“You not have woman in Thailand?
“No.”
“You not want?” – looking at me like I must be gay.
“No, I have woman in Canada, she come soon.”
“You must love woman in Canada a lot.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Goodbye.”
“Goodbye.”

Maybe she was just being friendly.

The folks from Club 44 all arrived again for a picnic on the concrete floor, then cards at the table (why don’t they play cards on the floor too? One woman arrived with a Scottish guy – I got to chatting with him. He paid for her for three weeks ( and now is spending the afternoon sitting at my beach alone while she gambles with her friends, probably with his money). Oddly, he seemed quite happy with the arrangement. He is 52 and looks 57. She appeared to be late 20’s. According to him the going rate for a “short time” is 300 Baht – about 9 bucks Canadian. I didn’t ask how much 3 weeks (which I assume would qualify as a “long time”) cost. Certainly it is clear that men here are judged solely on their financial ability to provide for the women. Women are judged by their beauty and their cooking – and it appears they had better be able to cook by the time they hit 30.

Interestingly (I think, and since I’m writing this I get to decide) the newspaper coverage of baseball and NFL football is extremely week, but the NHL hockey standings are now being published daily. Must be more hockey fans over here than I realized.

Tonight I stood on my beach, under a clear sky, and had a glass of wine while I watched the almost full (last night was the full moon party, but I didn’t go) moon lighting the edge of the cloud mass and lightning – steady lightning – lighting the inside. You could hear the rain hitting the water just offshore.

More importantly, the papers are filled daily with worsening stories of the worsening flooding in various parts of the country. The photographs are devastating. It is impossible to not be affected seeing the fear and suffering in those peoples eyes, knowing how little they had to begin with. All they want – really – is food and shelter. It’s awfully sad to see even those things taken. And yet, they persevere. No government program, just those more fortunate as always helping those less so.

What a wonderful place to live.