Thailand Day T+2

I'm in hell; or maybe it's just purgatory. Shelves and shelves of beautiful and pretty shoes, more than I've ever seen in my life and I can't fit into any of them. Aroma's of the most delectable Thai cooking drift up from the roadside vendors when walking outside and from the multitude of food stores when walking inside the shopping centres. My mouth is watering, but my cleansing diet has begun today and I am only allowed liquid, fruits, yoghurt and other "residual" foods. Adorable, eye-catching clothing hangs from manikins and bear cheap price tags. If I discover I can't fit any of those also, I shall know that I really am in hell.


As we brave the humid morning air due to the shopping centres not opening until 10:30am, I discover another lot of street vendors along the highway. I make a mental note to come back and visit them once I am out of surgery and able to eat normal foods again. 


Several things catch my attention along this walk. Scooter riders tend to wear balaclavas and some of them continue wearing them even once they've gotten of their bikes. Maybe it helps in filtering the smoggy air, but I do not know how they are able to keep wearing such a garment in this weather that makes me perspire like a fountain. Perhaps I had actually witnesses the beginning of a bank robbery in progress.


As I walked past, I heard a few them calling out "Beautiful". I looked back and smiled shyly again. Were they the same guys as last night? Maybe they knew those guys. Whatever, it didn't matter. I could get so used to this. 

Boss? Which wire needs replacing?

As with streets at home, power poles lined both sides with their electric cables above supplying power to all the buildings. Unlike at home, the cables were bundled into a mess and resembled the kind of job I would do if left to my own devices. At one point, we talked up a set of stairs to an overhead pedestrian crossing and the power cables were right next to us. This was definitely not a sight I was used to and, as if that wasn't enough, it looked like someone had stashed some belongings amongst the wires also. 

We eventually made our way to Paradise Park shopping centre where I was taunted by more things that I couldn't wear or eat. Time continued to taunt us for a further half an hour as the main part of the shopping centre was still closed. More mental notes were made as to what I had to come back for at a later date. 

I found my stuff!

Eventually the gates opened and I hurried past a long corridor of more food stores. Why aren't more Thai people fat?! I began to smell a conspiracy against the rich western tourists... 


Stumbling across another supermarket, whose fitout more resembled a trendy clothing boutique back home, I decided to check out what was on offer so that I could plan my meals for the next few days. Immediately I was struck by the cheapness of the fruit. Spying the drinks and yoghurt up ahead, I collected a basket and began loading it with packs of fruit, yoghurt and drink. 

At the checkout, the security guard came forward and began loading the items into plastic bags after the girl and scanned them. This was definitely unexpected and quite a surprise. I glanced up at the monitor for the total and rifled through my purse to pull out the right notes. My knowledge of Thai numbers is still non existent and I have no idea what the lady told me.


No matter, I was managing to get by and we began to peruse the rest of the shopping centre. I sidetracked into a another store to buy some stationery related items. This time however, there was no view of the total for the customer and I pulled note after note from my wallet hoping that eventually the lady would nod and indicate that I had paid enough. That was not to be and she eventually became exasperated and muttered the amount in English. Hey, didn't I ask you how much it was in English a couple of times?? Ah well, can't win them all.


I decided the best thing to do would be to drink the drink that I bought at the supermarket. I'm not sure if the name of the drink is indicative of its capabilities but it doesn't hurt to try. Or maybe those guys that were calling out were actually trying to tell me the name of this thing to drink....