Eat eat eat eat

The blue skies and crisp night weather is unrelenting here.  It’s surreal to think that Bangkok is under water, a mere bus ride away.  Although my internet is spotty I knew the flooding had gotten worse when moving vans pulled up en mass one day as my entire apartment complex was filled with evacuee’s. Also, water is getting scarce but if things get hairy I think I can live off orange Fanta.  In a bag.

Smart Thai women who I meet have similar educational backgrounds.  It seems the trend is to get an undergrad in “business English” and an MBA.  They mention it off handedly like it’s not big deal leading me to believe that they are raised not to brag and are sharper than their wobbly English lets on.  They also have terrific manners.

As Tiger’s time was coming to an end all her Thai friends very generously took us out to eat eat eat eat. Here are some photo's from a lovely dinner with our female work colleagues. 

Tiger and I splurged on an 1-hour and 45-minute full body scrub, which began in a “sauna” or a cabinet one might put sweaters or a TV in.  Cozy.  Disney anything is very big here as we were shuffled around the spa wearing “Tigger” shower caps and slippers setting the mood, but the woman’s skill in relieving me of any dead skin could not be denied and I no longer have alligator ankles.

As a fancy American I've been very self-conscious about people looking at my toes.  Specifically on the saung tau.  If you have ever heard my rant against sandals you might be surprised I've crossed over to the dark side but it is damn hot here.  My Thai friend took me to a spa in my neighborhood where I paid a woman $1.63 to make my toes look good, without polish.  Why?  Why not.  People are probably looking at the tattoo on my foot anyways.  These are the mundane days of my life.

I have been making frequent trips to the pool.  It's also where retired falang men hang out.  Literally they are hanging out, I don't think you can even buy a Speedo in Thailand.  Rotisserie chickens.  I am usually the only person doing laps but the pool is big enough I think there is room for whatever you want to do in it.  Children just want to splash.  I guess that's a thing you can do in a pool.

On a day trip outside the city we visited some well-preserved excavation sites surrounded by locals going about their daily lives.  I was struck how self-sustaining they were, no Cisco trucks making stops through town, rather their furniture was locally grown bamboo, chickens and rooters running around in lush gardens with hammocks in every yard.  I've also been told everything is organic.  It was a different kind of “rural” than the cornfields and cow pastures of the Midwest or upstate New York and it reminded me that I am indeed in the largest city of the province and the rest of the area is not cement filled.  Now if only they could drink their water...

While stopping by some ruins I was asked to have my picture taken with a Thai couple making an offering to the Buddha.  I guess we were as memorable and unusual a sight as seeing history.  One note I made was no matter where you go in the country, no matter how rich or poor, there is always a splendid structure to honor the Buddha.  It’s a priority and frequently the only buildings left standing of a civilization fallen centuries ago.