Buddy Mary in Thailand

I guess this is a spur of the moment kind of trip. My brother, Len, a year older and my main playmate when growing up in rural British Columbia, has come to Thailand for several months each of the last 15 years...every year except the one when the Tsunami struck. When he was in Bangkok last year, he suffered major heart failure...like he died several times during his month in the Bumrungrad Hospital and then the Nanaimo Hospital for a month. I mention this because he has been such a better brother since and when he suggested they could show us our way around Thailand I decided that we could have a great holiday and strengthen family bonds.

So here we are, Poul and I, taking advantage of all Thailand has to offer.

We start with dental work. A visit to the wonderful

Thonglor Dental clinic shows Poul that he needs only one filling, instead of the numerous crowns and 6 fillings that our Nanoose dentist recommended. I go for a cleaning and decide to have a broken crown, which is about 25 years old, replaced and this is done efficiently, quickly and transparently. Every step explained and the most modern equipment and facilities imaginable. Cost of Dental work for the two of us is $414.00 CAD.Because I must return to have the finished crown put on (the temporary is so much better than what I had) we decide to hang out longer in Bangkok before Len and Sue travel south to “their island”. Our second day, after getting the temporary crown on, we head for Bumrungrad Hospital to have my right knee checked out.

I get to see a specialist, have
xrays taken,copies made on cd and a thorough explanation of why I must have a knee replacement.        I am told to go back to Canada to have the work done and shown the most effective model and what results I will expect from this surgery. All this is done in a couple of hours....cost for all of this $159.15 CAD. Mixed feelings sweep over me. Anger that I should not have had this clarity of diagnosis and explanation of what is clearly needed. Devastation that my “otherwise perfect body” LOL has a flaw which it cannot heal by itself. Relief that I know what is wrong and what must be done. Sadness that I may have to miss some of the activities which I love (tournaments and leagues). Curious about the limitations...will I be able to block and hit? How about diving for pancake saves in volleyball. Yes, I still do that. Will my young league team still want me on the roster if I can't do these things?

Enough wallowing. We are off to travel the canals and river with the locals. Admission is 40 cents CAD and an experience to remember. Cab rides are $1.50 CAD. The sky train is about $1.20 each. A sit down restaurant is $6 while the streets are lined with food vendors which we enjoy for next to nothing...huge Papayas, Pineapples, and many new fruits.

A must before we leave Bangkok is to visit the Palace. It covers many acres and consists of various ornate buildings dating back to Rama I. Many are covered in gold leaf with statues and great spiritual significance to the Buddhist

people We have a tour guide whose historical stories make it far more entertaining and educational than if we had just taken the sky train there which is another option.

The political demonstrations close down streets and make getting around by cab difficult. We travel for 20 minutes to bypass the protesters but with thousands of people living in small tents and loudspeakers and whistle blowing the crowds are mostly having a big party. They sing and smile and wear red white and blue markers, wave flags and parade with onlookers lining the streets and waving. This will go on for about a month until there is an election. The poorest people were helped by the current government raising rice prices and paying higher wages, but the middle class are suffering because their profits are cut. I think there is more to it, but it is difficult to understand.

We are impressed by the number of massage shops

and while we take our laundry to be done we pop into the one next door. My masseuse is a lady boy and his\her strong hands work my feet, legs, head, arms, shoulders...sigh...with white teeth flashing and muscles rippling. Poul is enjoying his little Thai lady in the next chair. Well worth the $6 each for the hour. Our laundry is picked up only hours later ironed and folded and wrapped in plastic.

By taking the Sky train we spend a few hours in a huge mall. Our phones are upgraded to have more minutes on our Thai number and unlimited access to the internet through the phone line. Now, even if the hotel room doesn't have a strong connection or hotspot, we are connected. Poul needs that especially.

It is a 3 hour trip south by Minibus (a 16 passenger van) which is very comfortable... only 6 passengers for about $5 each. We are scammed by a pirate taxi which charges $120 baht to take us 3 blocks in Hua Hin. But we laugh because it's less than $3 and we have luggage to haul. Our hotel, the Tempurai, has very hard beds and noisy air conditioning. It was $30 through Agoda.com. We check and find a nearby hotel for the next night...the Baan Pa Ploy, and love it here for $50 a night. We book it for the next 4 days in advance. The king bed at the Baan Pa Ploy is good, the breakfast is included on the street veranda where we have new Danish friends, Eric and Kirstin, and a American Airlines guy named Rich from Dallas. Our room has a covered deck with sitting area and cross breeze through the suite from screened windows on the other side. The computer desk will hold two computers and the sitting area outside our room is nice. This is our new home.

Just as Poul is considering going to get out train tickets, Len phones from his Island. It is not what it used to be...more crowded, more expensive, and he isn't sleeping well. I think they will return to Hua Hin in a week so we will not be going South to meet them. I say how windy it is here and they say they are undecided.

Poul takes his computer to the breakfast veranda to plug in and work while I get measured for a custom made dress and blouse. Nothing in the market fits me...even the 3 X bathing suits. I leave a $60 deposit and will return tomorrow at 5 PM for a fitting. When I pick them up it will be another $80. Both garments will be machine washable without ironing. Good for travel I think.
There are pick-up trucks with wooden benches and a canopy.  We flag one down and for 60 cents each we are carted to the next town which is more sheltered with the sand cheek to jowl in darkly tanned, beached whales speaking various Northern European languages.  We have lunch and enjoy the locals selling "stuff" by going amongst the lounges. 

I try on bathing suits right there amidst the crowd and find a cute two piece which looks questionably adorable over my old bathing suit.  Less than $10...probably $60 back home.
on the weekends Hua Hin is hopping.  We actually stay up until midnight going from bar to bar, dancing to the live music, watching the |Thai boys entertain with choreographed  rap dancing and by driniking one coke after another.
I am trying to limit my walking but a stroll by the local Hua Hin beach draws us back for more.  I put on my new bathing suit and the day is spent with sun and surf, eating on the beach and doing Sudoku.
Too much sun leaves me dizzy and puking all the next day and it's a good thing that the train was sold out causing us to delay our excursion to the south by one day.  
Oh Len and Sue have changed their mind so we are going to Ko Jum after all to share side by side bungalows for a week or so.  

Overnight train from Hua Hin to Trang is not my favorite way to spend a night, but ranks among the list of things I must experience because they make good stories afterwards. Our First Class cabin provides two bunks and a small sink. The train is an hour late so now at our usual 10 pm bedtime, we pop back a couple of melatonin and crawl beneath the blankets. I dream a couple of brief spells between clangs and clatters and stops at various stations. Having picked up subway sandwiches and water, we have breakfast. Oh yes, the squatting toilet down the corridor and a quick wash in the sink and we get off ready to face the world.

The bus station is on the other side of Trang and the bus to Nua Klong is a huge pink monster and thinks it owns the road. The driver is blasting the horn to warn everything in its path to clear aside and thankfully they do. Len and Sue, with their new friend Nare are waiting for us in Nua Klong. We hop aboard one of the pickups with two planks in the back and are soon at the pier where there is a boat leaving for Koh Jum at 2 pm. A shady part on the upper deck will suit me fine.

I am starting up the ladder when I am told in no uncertain terms that women are not allowed up there. I head beneath the deck to sit with the Muslim ladies. Forty minute trip and we load our bags down the ramp. A very low tide in the afternoon. Another half hour trip and here we are in Paradise.

 
Golden Pearl is a collection of thatched roof bungalows with connected outdoor bathrooms and hammock on the veranda. The food is great, the sand is hot,the water is warm, the sky is blue, the people are friendly. Life is good.

When you are in Thailand, you must see Thai boxing. 4 of us pile in the sidecar of a motor scooter and a teenager drops us at the big event. Everyone in Koh Jum shows up to watch boys, beginning at 7 years old, kick the shit out of each other. The bagpipe-like music blares with the voice of the the announcer who does a blow by blow commentary.

We eat pancakes with fresh shredded coconut.

Sue is such a good organizer. We are going on a speedboat with another couple, Nare and Ed. He is a retired Dr. From Hawaii and she is a gorgeous young Mongolian woman who sings and plays a Mongolian fiddle. We are out on the water from 9 AM to 4 PM for 1500 Baht ($45 each).

We cruise with Dolphins, race skipping fish, see wild monkeys on the banks of the Mongrove forest who are being fed by a boat filled with tourists,

snorkel at 3 different amazing spots and eat lunch at Kho Muk, a rustic beautiful beach with a nice beachfront restaurant. Finally we are anchoring in front of the caves midst many various boats of tourists. Many Chinese people have donned life jackets and are holding a rope while a leader with a flashlight pulls them into the dark opening which cups the surface of the water. Wisely we wear life jackets too...foolishly we shun the flashlight. Our group is calling to each other to stay together as we follow the fading light ahead. When it is completely dark and we are deep in the mountain, I find Poul and can hear Len Sue and Nare further ahead. Poul wants to go back and I want to stay with the group so I take his hand and literally pull him about 50 yards until I can see light ahead and we emerge onto a sheltered sandy beachfront. It's beathtaking. We follow another chain of Chinese on our return but Len and I pass them so once again it's dark. Kayakers are coming through the Grotto at the same time which made it challenging, but fun.

There is a bakery about 1//2 hour walk up the road from our bungalow. The Thai lady and her German husband went to France and learned how to make wonderful pasteries. They are open from 8 til 4 every day except Tuesday and she does all the baking. On one foolish day I eat 3 pastries and share a Tarimiso. We get picked up by Papa Gi who won't take any money for it. But that happens to be the day of the Pizza Party which means serious carb overload. Sue decides that the taxi which we call for our return, would best only carry Len, Poul and I (total over 600 pounds, I bet), so she walks back along the beach. She is right, the motor scooter has seen better days and the side car has only seating for the three of us. In soft dirt and going uphill, Len has to get out and push, there are big potholes and bumps, jungle brush is close on either side with branches overhead. Much of our trip is on dirt but we do return home safely at the same time as Sue.

Someone has previously booked our bungalow so we move to one of the back units for the final night: $30 with air conditioning or $24 with only a fan.

I didn't tell about the wonderful Thai massage from Pi yesterday,

or the daily joy of sitting in the medium tide chatting with friends. Our new friends include of course Nare and Ed, Raymond and Simone (French couple), Tony and Heather (English), Pierre (French), and David (English). At the outing to the Chinese New Years party at Ban Koh Jum ,we danced to rock music surrounded by Muslims, had dinner at Papa Gi's and got a ride back well before the party really finished.

The people at the Golden Pearl are tremendous. They book our travel and accommodations in Krabi. They drive us by pick-up truck to MooToo where we travel by LongTail ferry to the mainland. The Songthaew is another 45 minutes and drops us right in front of the City Hotel where for $26 we have a standard modern room with air con and tv. A quick shower and nap and once again we are on the search for food. We meet Madeline, a friend of Joanne Sargent's from Salmon Arm. Small world.

Domestic air travel is reasonable and as modern as air travel anywhere.  $50 each gets us back to Bangkok, an hour and a half trip.  Our hotel here is the best ever with a king bed, sitting lounge, equipped kitchen, modern bath, pool, workout room and breakfast buffet.  The most important thing is that it is across the street from the Bumrungrad hospital.  

Our neighbours from Nanoose, Terry and Paul Harding, on their second day in Thailand, meet us for breakfast and share stories.We visit the Bumrungrad for a 1 PM appointment with the knee specialist.  I walk in and see the same young sports injury specialist  He says "Hi Basketball lady". We ask:

• What is Resurfacing? (same as replacement)  
• How soon could they do it for me? (first day physical..two days later surgery) 
• How long to recover? (5 days in hospital, 2 weeks of rehab at hospital, playing again in 3 months) 
• Would I be able to do BBall and VBall? (yes but no diving or jumping) 
• What would it cost? (up to $20,000 CAD).  
• No charge for the appointment!

 I decide to go back on pain killers and wait until my number comes up in Canada.  I feel more at peace, put on my workout clothes, pop a pain killer and head down to the gym;.

Because Terry and Paul loved the temple tour to see the "Buddhas" we sign up for a group tour...but are the only ones on it.

 Demonstrations mean three hours in the van and 1 1/2 hours in the temples.  One Buddha is solid gold and is 15 feet tall.  Another is the Reclining Buddha which is 160 feet long...all gold leafed.  Pretty amazing and we learned a lot about the meanings of the positions, saw lots of monks celebrating and people praying.  A little creepy to see so much grandeur in a country of such poor people.  Shacks surrounded by high rises and Seattle-like freeways.

Our second trip on Mini Bus is hell on wheels...  3 hours cramped in the back seat with our bags and every seat taken.  We get let off in Chiam too early, 5 kilometers from our Condo on the beach.  A nice lady takes pity on us and makes us sit while she calls a cab, probably her brother.  Our new digs are a modern condo with balcony, huge pool and sandy beach.  We like the people we meet, the restaurant with familiar music and if the wind settles, maybe vball on the beach.  We get our laundry done for the last time and I work out in the fitness center.  For $500,000 we could buy a 2 bedroom 2 bath 2000 sq. ft. condo on the beach....pass  The one we are in goes for $150,000 with monthly strata fees of $50.  ...pass.  Better to rent a little at a time.  I still can't get used to the fact that I have spent a whole month of my life without doing anything useful.  

We take a brand new Toyota Avalon Taxi back to Bangkok and stay at the Best Western.    Getting used to western luxury living, I guess.  Flight out is at 5 AM.  See you in N.A.