Date: May 19, 2007 11:11:29 AM PDT

To: ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Just Got Back from Muay Tai (Boxing Matches)

Hey Y'all!

I got dressed up to the nines and ordered a Tuk-Tuk right from my hotel to Lumphini Stadium and watched Thai Boxing from 8pm to 11:30pm.I actually walked out on the championship match as I didn't want to miss my driver 'Chai' and his Tuk-Tuk to go home.I had a bet on a champ fighter too with a Briton named David Moore...I says:"What?" and he says "David Moore,like Roger Moore."My guy was winning and his fighter was bleeding and getting wobbly knees, so I didn't miss the 100 baht I was gonna win.I would have missed my ride home more.

Got my left over Heineken at my side from last nights party boys,and 2 fans blowing on me to write to you.

Last nights 'party boys'...Oh my Gawd.So they want more beer!!!!After leaving the 'Cave' club.Stew* is like:"Cindy did you get beer like I told you?" No.I'm like "C'mon,there's 7/11 around the corner from Shanghai Inn,it's only 11:30, and this is BANGKOK!!!"Like just go!"They speak Thai to the driver,and stop I don't know where,and he comes back empty-handed.They give up and we go to Shanghai.Everyone gets out with me and piles upstairs.Dean* is groaning and Pete* is banging into walls.Stew* is repeating over and over:"Sh*t mannnn,damnnnn girl!"So I unlock my room,throw them inside and do not enter.I run back to the front door(5 floors below) and plead with the security guard and bell hop.Can you get me beer?Is there beer? How can I get beer?My Thai friends are crazy!They want beer!!The security guard has the best English and looks at me dryly and says'Did you ask front desk?They got beer for you.'I run up again.Hello to night desk and please,please do you have beer!He demurely smiles and whips a menu card around at me and shows me Heineken 75 baht,Singha 75 baht(and more)"How Many?" Four?I think this is outrageous,he shakes his head,"You want 12?" I'm like I guess so,okay.Another woman,middle aged appears from the back and says"More?"I go,umm ok,24! 1800 baht.No problem,I whip out my wallet."No"deskclerk says,I deliver to your room,pay then,but cash.Okay.

I run back to my room,Dean is on my bed, rolling around(aaaaaaawrgh gurgle).Pete is sitting with knees propped up on the floor,head hanging.Stew is in a chair"Sh*t mannnn,itzzzz hott in hereee,gott any waterrrzz?Damn girrrl!"I grab the phone,dial 100(lobby)Can you add 4 bottled water to my order? Thanx bye.A security guard and 'the lady' come upstairs,they have a tray each of beer.I actually snap my fingers at Stew,'Hey!Got 400 baht?I'm short!'(200 is a tip)He forks over to me.I say,where's the water?The security guard listens and comes back in a flash,we give him 40 more baht,and he and the lady say:"Khap kun khup/or 'kha' if yer a female"

(Meanwhile, Stew is incoherant,Dean is tangled in my sheets and I'm trying to nudge a garbage can under Petes' face,cuz he looks most likely to wreck to carpet with the contents of his battered stomach.)Sweat is dripping down my brow,and I'm 'Wai-ing'(hands clasped,head nod,at these hotel staff and pushing them out the door.

The lady had the brains to bring 4 bags of vending machine potato chips.I rip open a bag and put it in Petes' hands,he goes to town.I grab Dean by the collar,sit him up,and give him an open bag.He doesn't look as skilled...hmmm.I grab a beer glass(they just brought up) and expertly pour water into it and hand off to Stewart."Shiiiit mannnn..." we say in unison.I turn on the TV,it IS Roger Moore as 007 in the one where carn-ee-val is occurring.

I am guzzling a Heineken now,tho' I swore off beer back in Sept.06!This turn of events is stressing me out.Stewart even says:"Damnnn girrlll,you don drink beerrrr,waz happeningggg?"Is your water okay Stew?Can I refill that for you?Dean figures out the 'chip' thing and gets motivated.Pete,figures out the 'bed' thing and crawls on up there.Stew does a facedive to be with his friends.Here is the endall,be-all of my dream date I been planning for 8 monthes.LOL

Today,during the first part of the story,when 4 ,count 'em four,chamber maids were in my room, one of them runs to me and insists I get my phonecall in my room.I must have missed Stew.I phone later,he has over-slept.Too pukey to eat,won't see me tonight.No problem,I assure him.I can figure it out.And I did.Boxing was wicked cool,and Thai people are the warmest in the world.We'll see what happens tomorrow!

By the way,I had 2nd massage today.This one 2 hours.I am devoted patron now to Thai massage at Yin/Yang massage downstairs on floor 3.Also...took another walkabout in Chinatown.I think I found 'the' shop with the 'curious' things.Like where the man got the gift of the'Moag-Wai' in that movie,'Gremlins'.I'm gonna go back with camera,keep the flash off and take picture.

More from Bangkok as it happens...

Having the Time of My Life!!

~CindyRose:)~

PS Hey Bryce,you would have liked the Muay Thai Boxing tonight.I will bring you here one day.I love you very much,do yer homework...lol!XOXOX..Mom!

 

June 14
Lusting~4~Bangkok~Email 4 to Home

From: cindy

Date: May 20, 2007 8:44:01 PM PDT

To: ---------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Lost in Chinatown

Sawahtdee Kha Everyone!

Hi Bryce, I miss you so much!Yesterday was a 'small' CindyAnna Jones day.I decided to go for small walk 'the other way' out my front door.Around the corner,a block or so, I go into a shop with many small size Buddha,Lord Ganesha, Kwan Yin and such.The lady has me sit down on a stool and we chat.She is Csa (like 'Sa',but get some 'c' in there!lol)She has had her shop for 11 years.I buy small Buddha,and more,plus incense and holder.Now I can have temple in my room.Stew* and I have been talking on the phone couple times a day and will go out either tonight or tomorrow.In one phonecall he tells me,don't buy any Buddha,Ganesha, ANYTHING, bigger than your suitcase.They will take it away at the airport.They don't care how much you paid.Too sacred,and there are some things they wanna keep that way.Anyways,Csa and I talk and I head back to hotel to deposit idols and light the incense.The maids help me set Buddha highest.They all talk to me everyday now,ask if I ate,am okay,where did I go.I grab a water bottle and I'm off,past Csas' shop this time...and beyond.It was Sunday morning here at the time and the streets aren't busy --- yet.I still have perspective of where my hotel is behind me,from the buildings and such.Soon I'm just walking looking at doorways,buildings,broken street tiles.All the sidewalks are a patterned brick unless a shop or restaurant has put in their own tile.Lots of it is broken and cracked,watch your step!Beware of dog and bird feces too.(Judy I carry the hand sanitizer packs all the time and wash often)As I keep walking I notice I'm in apartment and residential area.People are sitting around in the heat ,carrying groceries.I look 'em in the eye and smile then they always smile broadly back.But none of them do a 'host' Wai to me,they ain't no hotel staff,kissing my butt and I am suddenly very aware of this and turn my spider senses on.Don't worry,nothing scarey ever did,or will happen.I was wearing 2 of my giant rings on each hand,had a 'glass' water bottle,and was ready for a Bruce Lee moment at any time.It never did happen <sigh>.I simply learn to smile,and actually start giving people the Hawaii

'hang loose' hand signal,and some of them do it back.When I been in the tuk-tuks, I been waving at little kids and cute guys everywhere I go as I go by.They ALL wave back with enthusiasm.

Okay,so I find myself down by the river.It's beautiful,brownish,water plants on the surface,and tour boats downstream and stuff.There is a 12 foot statue of Kwan Yin behind me in a large open air planter type of platform.The incense is burning and flowers are placed at her feet.I can hear voices singing some traditional music to my left(It's Sunday,am I outside a temple?)I listen then move on.There are little 'security guard' boothes outside every apartment parking, or temple.Outside every 'booth' is a lawnchair or recliner,or bed!They're working hard over here.I turn around to go back to the hotel.More people are on the streets.It's coming to life and getting crowded.Not only are the regular street vendors filling up the sidewalks,so are residents,spreading out mats,and putting their crap from home on it,one GIANT,COLOSSAL, FLEA-MARKET!!!And now the 'shoppers' are out too.They walk 2 miles per hour and I cannot do my usual 100miles per hour.(Ask Bryce,he'll explain)Sweat trickles down my face and the small of my back.Eww!!What was that?Bird sh*t on the side of my foot?Hmm,ignore it.Navigate.I have no navigation skills so slow down and look at the people.Smile,"S'Up?" head nod to the boys.I come to an open alleyway area where some one has Black-Eyed-Peas blaring...'whatcha gonna do with all that junk,all that junk,all that junk,inside that trunk...'But it is NOT the BEP recording.It is an Asian imitation,played a little too fast,but happy sounding.Everybody(the Thais) are smiling at something.I shake my 'junk' at a young girl and she laughes and points.I look behind me and there are 2 lil' girls,maybe 2,3 years old,up in a wooden cart,just a shakin' it to the song.They are flying!I stop and just watch for awhile.Everyone is smiling,I can smell delicious BBQ,and it is one moment in time where there are no borders,countries,nationalities,or languages.Just people,neighbors,watching there kids grow,on Sunday.

I try to get back to my hotel,but can't find my way(I find out later,looking at map,that I was sooo close a couple of times.)I ask a couple drivers to take me,they don't know Shanghai Hotel.They don't know Yarowat Rd.No sorry.'Khap-Khun Kha' I wai to them.And decide everybody knows Siam Paragon Mall.I'll go there.After Starbucks iced moccha and buying more bottled water,I wanna go home.None of the cab drivers know what I'm saying...My hotel has its own Tuk-Tuk!They'll come get me!Oops!What's the number to my hotel?I quickly phone Stew and get the number(he is dealing with a cat issue,tell you later,Tiny* is badly dogbit,with cone around her head...)so I act all together and get number.He unwittingly excludes a '2' from the number.I can't get thru,don't know why.I finally phone him back and tell him say it carefully to me again.He adds the 2 this time,sorry!Sorry!Is okay, ya bye!(steam!)I phone hotel,please send the Tuk-tuk.Wait Madame, the desk says to me, you phone Mr.Don yourself,here's number...meanwhile I don't have a pen,and am writing phone numbers with eyeliner.I phone Mr.Don ( a 21 year-old bell-hop here)He'll be here in 15 to a half hour.45 mins roll by,I go phone again,"Oh I don't see you Madame!I think you take taxi!"NO.I tell him,taxi don't know Shanghai,thats why I called you in the first place!.He gets me after 1 hour 15 total.I sulk some of the way home until I start waving and winking.When we get back home,Chai,my boxing driver,Dons' friend,he's smiling at me and helping me down."Where you go?Where you go?"I tell him some and he says he will wait and drive me later.I go upstairs and shower.There are 7 Singha Beer in my fridge,and I down 2.I was late for massage,I called them will go today.I get all dressed up and just watch a movie,after talking on phone with Stewart for an hour.After TV movie,I go downstairs and sit at front of hotel with Chai,Don.Guy(Guy means 'chicken' he says.I ask him with straight face "Little Chicken?Big Chicken?" pinching my fingers)Big chicken!!!He insists and we all laugh.They keep trying to give me their beer and cigs but I say no and drink my bottled water I brought downstairs.I kick it with the boys on the front steps for 2 hours before going to bed.They seem to have my whole life planned for today.Ha ha!Just kidding.I'm gonna call Master Dave McDonald* at A***C Taekwondo Academy.I will use the Langley BC connection.

Anyways you guys (family at Susan and Bruces')I've had messenger open for this whole hour.I know I'm half hour early.But am running out of 'net time I pay hotel.Read my exploits,write me back.

I love you all so much.So far Bryce, I think we could visit here often and Thai people will love you the most!I miss you and show your picture to staff and friends sometimes.Be good!

I gotta go you guys sorry.I'll check mail tonight after new adventure.

~Love~

~Cindy~