Ade & Jos adventure Day 8 : Excelsior.
Awoke to the news Stan Lee had died today, quite sad…
Another day for Jo at work, as for me I had to go over to the new apartment to let the internet technician in to fit our internet, I was quite worried about hitting another language brick wall so Jo arranged for Salisa (the woman that helped us find out apartment) to come over and help out with the communication problems, what should have been an hour long job turned into two hours as the technician had a few issues with getting things sorted, so I pretty much spent the morning chatting to Salisa.. Somehow we got onto the subject of people hearing the word Thailand and immediately thinking of Lady Boys… Found out some quite interesting things, for instance when a lady boy graduates from university (in whatever course they’ve taken) they have to be seen as male on graduation day. So if she’s identified as a “phuying” (female) or “phuying praphet” (second kind of woman) for most of her young adult life she has to go back to male just for that one day, which to me sounded insane… Surely if she’s had the courage to be open about herself surely she should be afforded the right to be herself on that one day? I asked Salisa if she thinks this would ever change, she said she didn’t.. Then she told me about her friend who is “Phuying”, who on her graduation day cut all of her long hair off to look like a boy.. So sad.
Eventually the internet was sorted, Salisa went on her way and I headed back to the hotel to drop off some paperwork narowly avoiding being run over numerous times by mad moped taxi riders on the way, dropped the paperwork off and went for a walk into the city to find a store called “The big C” (jo needs a mug for work so I was on a mission).. So I avoid death by moped a few times and walk up to the Tesco, then avoid death some more by crossing the road to get to the Big “C”.. As I get there my phone rings, it’s Jo.. She’s over at the Tesco I was at five minutes ago having lunch “do I fancy going over to meet her”.. So I avoid death again (by now death must be pretty pissed off at me) and go and meet her while she has lunch.. A short time later I walk her back to work, then after deciding to go to the big “C” after jo finishes work I make my way back to the hotel… Death at this point REALLY has it in for me, but still I manage to avoid meeting my maker at the wheels of a 50cc moped.
Sat around doing nothing special for the rest of the day, waiting for five o’clock to meet Jo from work, danced with death again as I walked… But still managed to get to her place of work in one piece, found out we’re off out to dinner tonight with her new boss… Should be good.
We both went over to the big “C”.. Its a big supermarket that sells pretty much anything.. Prices were quite good and we found a couple of things Jo has been missing from home in England… Still no orange squash tho! had a snack from the shop.. A little pot full of cooked sausage of various styles… Had one piece with a jalapeno pepper in the middle.. Delicious but it did set my mouth on fire… Got back to the hotel and got ready to go out, went to an indian restaurant on the top floor of a hotel, the food was ok but pricey… The view however was stunning.
Both back in the hotel now.. Jo is in bed as I finish typing this up.. Another nice day in Bangkok.. Bloody shame about Stan Lee tho.