Rules

Hi,

It was another warm day in Bangkok.  There is a major storm going through Viet Nam and it’s supposed to go across Thailand, but will miss the Far North.  That means we may miss it since we go home tomorrow.

The ‘Easy Monday’ song was “One Night In Bangkok”.  Now do you see what the hints were about?  Maybe ‘Jazzy Wednesday’ will be easier.  “Look at me, I’m as helpless as a kitten up a tree.  And I feel like I’m clinging to a cloud, I can’t understand, I get __, just holding your hand.”  Hint:  Sometimes it’s a weather condition, sometimes a matter of the heart.  

Our day began later than the Chiang Rai usual.  By that I mean we slept in again.  Natcha told us that yesterday JaiDee got up at 6am.  Oh boy, I hope he doesn’t make that a new thing.  After coffee and toast, we got a ride to the market to pick up necessities.  We discovered a shop that was selling designer masks that were pretty cool.  Lisa got a mask that went perfectly with her blouse.  This could be a new thing, coordinating masks with outfits.  We did our little Starbuck’s bit and then walked back to the house.  

For lunch, we went to a familiar place with Nita.  It’s called The Commons and features at least a dozen separate eating places under one tall roof.  We had to choose between various cultural concepts and tastes, so it took a while to decide.  It was fun noticing the little word plays that some of the vendors used for their stalls.  The photo below was one of my favorites for a chicken joint.  There is one item called ‘Mississippi Comeback Sauce’.  

After lunch we went on a quest for crystalized ginger and nail polish.  Nita took us to a place called Emporium.  We were told that it’s a large grocery store.  What it actually is could best be described as a ‘High Society’ store on steroids.  I have been to fancy food stores before, but this was over the top.  The attention one receives from the black-clad service staff made it feel like a department store.  Every department had so many varieties that it could bring on a meltdown.  We found the ginger and stocked up.  An extensive search yielded no nail polish.  Nita theorized that most stores don’t stock it because there are so many nail salons that people don’t do it themselves.  Since we were already in the area, we walked across a little bridge into one of the major malls.  We went past the ‘basic’ mall business and went up to the levels where the designer stores were located.  Nita had to make a stop so we followed her into Gucci.  She was picking up a pair of sandals from a new line that is intended to put a crimp on counterfeiting.

Late this afternoon Lisa got a massage from a spa Nita goes to, right in the neighborhood.  She returned feeling refreshed and relaxed.  We had dinner at the house and had some very stimulating conversation.  Their housekeeper made Pad Thai.  She actually did it twice since the main course was with tofu that I can’t eat.  She made a separate dish for me with chicken.  That was very cool.

Tomorrow we return to Chiang Rai, but not before a morning of cruising the boulevard for coffee and last minute treats (555).  The time went by way too fast.  We have to come back and go to a few malls and see the riverside shops.

It feels like a Wacky Wednesday.

                             Peace,

                                       Danny

“Rules are not necessarily

sacred, principles are.”

~Franklin D. Roosevelt