31st Episode of Bangkok Days and Nights

Dinner was chili cashew and chicken with some different green stuff that included Bok Choy. Sh

Sheila telephoned Rosalind in Melbourne and was pleased to hear that all the waterproofing had been completed and Rosalind would be on the plane to Bangkok in the morning getting home tomorrow night about 1930 at Bangkok airport. Sheila thought that she should let Khun Noy know and proceeded to say “Khun Noy, Khun Rosalind will be home tomorrow night at seven thirty”, Khun Noy looked a little puzzled but smiled and nodded, as is the Thai way.
Sheila decided that she would try again with a little sign language to help, “Khun Rosalind will be home tomorrow night at seven thirty”, while Sheila was saying the ‘seven’ she held up seven fingers to which Khun Noy replied “Chai ka”, then Sheila added her ‘piece de resistance’ and as she said “thirty” she flashed up ten fingers quickly three times. Khun Noy’s eyes widened, she hesitated and then smiled and nodded. Yup she did not have a clue what Sheila was on about, but it was ok everyone just laughed and Sheila declared it was “all ok” and used the Thai English phrase book to declare that they were sisters and that was all that mattered. And any laughing males were to be disregarded.
After dinner Sheila and I watched some old episodes of ‘Red Cap’ and some ‘National Geographic’ stuff that I was not really listening to. After Adam came home and had his dinner we watched a ‘House’ episode from the second series that is way behind what was shown in Australia, and I provided the diagnosis of the patient long before Dr House.
We all had an early night and Sheila took a sleeping tablet that helped us both to get more sleep. Adam left for work early as I guess he has a lot to do before we head off on Thursday. Sheila and I were feeling far more rested and went down to the pool to swim for a while so that we were keeping up our exercise regime. It was very pleasant as it was one of those rare Bangkok days when the cloud and pollution had cleared to allow direct sunlight. Sheila went off to her appointment for leg waxing and lady bag shopping while I finished off the remains of the chicken cashew for my lunch. Although all the food is refrigerated it still does not keep for long in the tropics; well that is my reason for clearing the fridge at regular intervals.
I noticed that my supply of drugs is diminishing quite quickly now and there is only a few boxes left a sure sign that we are getting towards the end of our time overseas and our Australian winter exile. Just before we left Bathurst I went to the chemist and asked for four months supply of medication, but there was something lost in the translation there was well, and I was supplied with a year’s worth, still it will save a few visits to the chemist after we return. Adam went to the airport to pick Rosalind up and bring her home while Sheila and I had dinner, I figured that Rosalind would have had more than enough to eat on the plane if it was anything like the normal flights. Which reminds me when Adam gave Sheila and I the tickets for Italy etc we noticed that our ‘Frequent Flyer’ numbers were not on the itinerary and nor was my meal preference. I telephoned that travel agent in Bangkok and gave the young lady my ticket reference number and requested that my frequent flyer number be added. “No problems” she told me but I am a little wary of ‘positive’ responses without double checking. “Please read the number back to me” I asked. It was read back to me after a couple of attempts at the number ‘eight’. I thought that I was on a roll and said “great while we are at it would you please add my meal preference for low fat low cholesterol meals.” “No problem” I was assured “low fat low cholesterol meal has been now ordered for you on al flights.” “Could we have your e-mail address and send a new itinerary for you?”
“Yes no problems” I said and gave them my e-mail address feeling happy that they were being so efficient. I mentioned to Sheila my success and Sheila telephoned the travel agent to ask for her frequent flyer number to be included. They said that it would be no problem and did she also have a meal preference. Sheila said that she did not and preferred to select on the flight from the menu. Wise, sensible Sheila only ask your travel agent to do one thing at a time!
The e-mail from the travel agent arrived with our new itinerary via Adam’s business e-mail as mine seemed to have been forgotten during the short conversation. Ah Sheila’s frequent flyer number was included but alas mine was not although my meal preference was now recorded. Another telephone call and another e-mail and it appeared to all now be included, but we will find out in the next few days. When I had mentioned to Adam that we had fixed our frequent flyer numbers and meal preference he looked a little concerned “who did you speak to?” he asked. “The travel agent though it took me a couple of goes” I replied with some reticence. “Well good luck I hope that they have not changed your flight as well” said Adam with a rueful smile. What little confidence I had decreased as he told me the saga of some recent bookings that had been made for him that substituted visits to New York, London, Rome, Paris, Frankfurt, London, Singapore Bangkok instead of New York, Hawaii, Singapore Bangkok. But in that case it was his Thai secretary who made the booking with Adam making the ‘mistake’ of suggesting that an ‘around the world’ ticket might be cheaper and this being interpreted by his secretary for some reason as meaning that he wished to go to as many countries as possible in the shortest time ad missing the most important point that Adam wished to travel across the Pacific from east to west. They go on that trip at the end of the year and I will wait to see what happens in the end.