It’s in the eyes of the beholder!!

Posted under Southeast Asia 2009

I should have known, or at the very least been better prepared. All this time I have been fooling myself into thinking that I am very nearly as young as I always was. This foolishness, even though I have noticed that the face that I shave each morning looks more like that of my father.

What brought about all this enlightenment you ask? I believe that I mentioned last year, the friendliness of the Thai peoples, and in particular, that of the young ladies who would volunteer their time to escort the elderly male visitors, about their towns. 🙂 Now I would have to wonder why a senior person, who borders on drooling and looks like he would forget his way home from the corner market, would travel at any rate? However, their choice is not my decision to make, and it is an extreme kindness to know that there are people here who will ensure that these old duffers are looked after. I felt quite comfortable in the assumption that it was those “ old guys” who required this assistance, until one day when Bonnie felt compelled to go on yet another shopping spree. Not wishing to subject myself to another outing in the hot sun, I agreed to meet up with her at a later time, and have yet another meal. 😛

I must also say that any time I was in Bonnie’s care, the young tour guides could see that I was in capable hands and did not require assistance, but as I strolled down the street, unattended, a group of these young ladies endeavored to attract my attention. They had an obvious concern for my well being as they were quite insistent that I should not be left alone. They must have been very good guides indeed as they offered to take me places I hadn’t been, and show me things that I had never seen. Now it is possible that I lost a bit in the translation, as my command of the Thai language is somewhat limited. All this and they didn’t even know that Bonnie and I had walked pretty much every street in both Karon and Kata, and had thought we had seen it all.

As tempting as this offer was, I thought that it would be in poor form to take advantage of a guided tour while Bonnie was indisposed, so I graciously declined their kind offer. It is still somewhat disconcerting to know that I appear as though I am now of an age that I require additional care.

I did manage to find Bonnie and enjoy yet another meal. They didn’t even have to put my food through the blender——yet.

On the subject of eating,— notice how I cleverly swung this topic around to food once again,— should you find yourself strolling down the beach road from Karon to Kata, you will come to a “T” intersection. Rather than taking the road to the right, or Kata Noi, try taking the road left. When walking at a goodly pace for about 10 minutes, you will notice a small restaurant called the “Red Chair”. Well actually you won’t notice it as it says absolutely nothing in English about a red chair, but if you look closely, there is a small picture of a red chair in the upper left hand corner of the sign. In large letters in English, it says “Sea Food” and “Thai Food”. You may also notice, as there are no walls on this building, that it is always filled with people eating, the majority of which are Thai. Yes the food is that good, plus it is “on the cheap”. 😀 Bonnie and I could both stuff ourselves for about seven bucks. And oh yes, all the chairs are red.

It is now time for a change of venue as even the street vendors are starting to call Bonnie by name Rather than waking up a “little bit grumpy”, I can now be somewhat Krabi, as we are off to Ao Nang on Krabi Island.

More to follow—-ttfn.
T