Ok, before I begin, I am using a computer in a internet cafe with a broken space bar and dodgy shift key...please forgive what may be a very gramatically challenged entry.
Well as the title suggests we had an rather interesting weekend! We moved into the new houseon Friday and it is great (Ill try and post photos,no promises!). The move was the easiest in the world and we really do get lost in all the space. Some of you may remember the "Ratbox", our bedroom alone is bigger than the apartment! One problem has arisen, with four floors both of us, including a work mate of Mikes who stayed for the night on Saturday, are complaining of REALLY, REALLY sore calves. There are 18 stairs from the living room to our bedroom alone! But apart friom that everything is going great. We had to do a bit of rearraging with the furniture, the Thais are not ones for normal positionming of furniture (a fridge in the dinning room???) and even though there are some rather frightning pieces we think we have feng sui (??) pretty well aligned.
As meantioned ALL the furniture is dark teak and the walls are a rather minimalistic white, the new pad was looking a little bland. So with Mikes work mate Rami in town, we thought a trip to the famous Chtachuk Markets was needed to get some cushions and things to add a bit of colour. It was the hottest day I have experienced so far in Bangkok and these markets are not for the faint heartered (Oh, and I am so hard core??). There are thousands of people flocking for a bargin, its hot, mostly insice an un-airconed tin shed and extremely crowded. After a few hours of looking a stuff,trying unsuccesfully to bargin the price down 10 cents we decided to head home. We did manage to get some BIG cushions and as Mike and I were making our way throught the crowd to find Rami, some nimbled finger sole, nabbed Mikes wallet out of his pocket, his front pocket. He felt it but in the mass of people didnt see a thing. Massive Bummer. Gone were his credit cards, work cards, recipets for work, brand new Thai drivers licence (which was such a pain to get, he is dreading to know what it takes to get one replaced!), money both Australian, Thai and goodness what else! Anyone that has seen Mikes wallet will remember...he puts everything in there and it is the size of a brick! So with that under our belt, we tried to report it stolen to the Tourist Police, to be told to go to the Military Police, who took us to the information desk to put Mikes name in a tatty book. The chick behind the desk was more interested in we were from, why we were living in BKK and anything else. She told us to go to the local police station (local being a half hour taxi ride!) to make a report. After the biggest taxi issue, we made it to the police station and wow what place! We were annoyed by the first drunk person ever in Thailand, in the police station with perhaps the best english I have heard so far!! The Thais love paper work, so after a few forms, translated into Thai, out of Thai, out of Spanish and into bloody ancient Greek they said goodbye, as did Mike to his wallet!
Luckily, being the expat wife that I am I had the one card that has all Mikes cash, which thank goodness saved the night. So we went to a bar and watched the rugby with a few expats. Then went to another bar to watch a band (the same one from the expat night). At maybe 1am-ish Mike, Rami and I call it a night. In the taxi on the way home, almost at our place, Mike frantically signals for the taxi driver to pull over. He then vomits, half in the cab, half out the cab! This makes the taxi driver himself begin to gag and very close to following suit! Rami and I in the back find this all very amusing. Mike has been kown to have a weak stomach after a few drinks. We give the cab a big tip and head home,thinking the night over and a VERY funny episode to laugh at tomorrow!
But, Mike was in for a sleepless night. Many trips to the bathroom for reasons we dont need to meantion but you can guess. What we first thpught was caused by the whisky may have been a bit of food poisoning.We are thinking by the ice in a drink he got from the markets. Which really does make that trip to the markets the worst ever for Mike! Wallet stolen AND poisoned!!!!
But he made it though and is fine now! Just another Thai experience I guess! Who wants to visit the markets when you come over!
Ok, I have had aenough of this keyboard.Ill try adn put some photos up of the house. We dont have internet on at the new place yet, hence this struggle with an internet cafe!
Ok, miss you all!
ps... i better mention that the number of people (Including Dad and Mattherw!) that have had birthdays since we were here (and Mary before) I most defintely have enough time to do the birthday cardthing, but the problem is I dont know how the post office works. I have tried, but I walked into one, its was all too chaotic and scary, so I walked out. Ill keep trying but until such time we have not forgotten, you just restricted by oure environment!!!!
