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Published: November 10th 2007
flight back to Manchester
complete with ice on the windowThis should have been on about a week ago but the Thai internet connection has been as reliable as ever!!!
So I arrived back in Thailand on Monday morning after leaving home at 5am with a very dodgy taxi driver who didn't know the way to the airport & a pretty much 14 hour straight flight, even though it was supposed to be 2 legs. The 2nd leg was interesting: the people in front had their seats on recline the whole time, forcing me to do the same, the man behind me didn't like my seat being back so kept punching the back of it and kept getting told off by the cabin crew. Then the man next to me......... in addition to eating most of my food he wouldn't move for me to go to the toilet. He slept for ages and when he finally did wake I asked him to let me out to go to the toilet:
time no. 1- he ignored me
time no, 2 - he said ok if I turned my reading light out - ok, deal...then he just turned his back again
time no.3 - I asked again and he said ok but didn't
move. He expected me to climb over him. He was a big 102 kilo (he told me himself) bloke. When I said I didn't want to climb over him he turned away again
time no.4 - I said I needed to go to the bathroom, he indicated that I should climb over him. I said I really didn't want to, he started to turn away again......
time. no 5 - I prodded him and said I really needed to use the bathroom but was not going to give him a free lapdance. He would just have to pay when he got to Thailand like all the other blokes!
On the taxi drive from Bangkok to Jomtien I decided that I should take more pictures of the weird and wonderful things that make Thailand unique, but that I take for granted and think are normal....drinks in a plastic bag with ice and a straw, the flower garlands hanging from the rear view mirrors of cars, the brightly painted and adorned trucks and, as seen on the drive back,
a pick-up truck packed with boxes but with one missing from the corner.....so that someone could sit there on the drive down the
measuring up for the volunteer house
I think.....I wasn't there! Strange, hard work to be done, where's Sam????? highway! All things that I now think are not unusual.
I got back to the office/apartments & met Ao & Mrs Noi, well kind of, Mrs Noi was chasing a dog and shouted hello. Arnon came out and presented me with a garland of flowers around my neck which was a really sweet gesture. Pretty much the first thing I asked him was which elephant had died as one had passed away whilst I was in England and no-one had been able to tell me the name. Apparently Boon Lu had eaten too many of the sweet potatoes that are growing on the land that surrounds the camp. We do always try to stop them as the land and crops aren't ours and eating too many can upset their stomachs. I didn't realise it could be quite so serious though. I'll be a bit more dilligent from now on. As soon as I politely could I went up and slept for a few hours or seven. Came down to dinner with Arnon saying that we weren't going to talk about work...then 5 minutes later.....no we're not going to talkabout work....but I need you to do this....... Mr Am from the
Karen Hilltribe project in Umphang was here with his wife and son. It was really nice to meet him as I've heard a lot about him, not sure I was brilliant company though, as I sat there pretty much in a comatosed state. We've got a new puppy too, though apparently he's not staying he's going to Bangkok. Not sure who with, where to? Maybe he's just drawn to the bright lights, big city....
Arnon wanted me to go to the camp on Monday as they've built a new house for the volunteers to stay in, and apparently I have my own room. I'm really excited to see it but I could hardly string a sentence together on Monday so I didn't go with them. Arnon came back and said that everyone was asking about me as he must have told them I was back today, and he was apparently telling them all that I have very white skin!!!! Eventually got to go to camp on Wednesday and, after saying hello to a few mahouts hanging around in hammocks, I got to see the house - it's amazing . It's a little set back from the camp, we have 4
Ouch!
San Ya/Tum Tong being erm...... the vet was tiny & had to launch herself....into Tum Tong's bum! big rooms, one of which is MINE, unless we're very busy of course & I'll have to share....I'm already planning the decor! Mr Am and his wife came to the camp with us and we took them to the Cinese & Thai temples afterwards, I think that may be my 9th time there now! I got to stay in the new house on Thursday night as we had someone doing a short stay home stay. The views from my window are fantastic, looking right over the national park that surrounds camp and I had an amazing nights sleep. It's surprising how comfortable a wooden hut with a tin roof can be! I think I'm going to try and stay here most of the time, I've been getting a bit stressy at the apartments, but I think that might be because I'm tired, not feeling very well (I think I might be allergic to England - sorry mum!) and trying to catch up with everything that's been going on, emails etc. But I seriously think that I'll try and finish my Thai lessons pretty quickly so that I don't have to be back during the week, then just go back to
Ulee holding the drip
they plucked a few twigs from a tree & made a 'drip holder' (i don't know what it's called!) the apartments on a weekend to check emails, do my washing etc. Sounds like a plan!
On Friday a mahout came up to me (I don't know his name but I call him Buddha cos he has a big belly & a pony tail) and said (in Thai - please be impressed) 'Sam, elephant sick' when I said 'what with?' he said 'tired.' I think it's more than tired though judging by the medicine given. The vet was a tiny Thai girl who basically had to launch herself, superman stylie, fist first into Tum Tongs arse, and pull poo out. Then wash it out with a hosepipe (elephant's have colonic irrigation too!) Tum Tong did not look happy. Would you? Then she attached a drip to Tum Tong's ear & Ulee had to sit on top of her with a makeshift drip holder made from a few twigs. The vet left an amazing amount of tablets/drips wih Ulee to give Tum TongWhat was great to see was that all the mahouts came over to help. Oh and it gave them a great opportunity to take the piss out of me. Kill 2 birds with 1 stone and all that.... I
my flower garland from Arnon
he probably picked it up free somewhere, or someone gave it him!! hope so, I really don't want to lose another.
We've got a very busy week next week so spent lots of time checking rooms, it's lucky they don't have to write a job description for me on a badge....volunteer co-ordinator/marketing/secretary/PR/tour guide/driver/cleaner/cook.... On Saturday I went to camp with Mrs Noi & Jeab to take a fridge freezer for MY room. We had to stop after a few minutes though as we hadn't tied it up. We did a sharp stop as we saw it sliding from the front to the back of the pick-up making a bid for freedom! When we got to camp someone had been sleeping in my room!!!! Not that I'm getting territorial or anything but I think I may have to get a padlock. I think it might have been Amon. Not Arnon, he has gone to the Dusky Langur Project with a volunteer. Amon is.... I'm not sure actually. I was introduced to him and told that he had been helping out at camp with the children (children? As far as I know there are only Dola & Bim!) Anyway he apparently makes wheelchairs for children. When I met him on Wednesday he said that
it was his last day. Then he was there on Thursday. And Friday. And Saturday. It's just one of those confusing Thai things! On the way back we stopped and had noodle soup at a roadside eaterie. We all had chicken but Jeab had parts of a chicken in hers that I would never want to eat. On Saturday afternoon everyone disappeared & I was the only one left at the apartments waiting for volunteers to arrive. I tried to do a bit of a guilt trip on Mrs Noi by saying that I wanted to go to the beach, but I could tell that she didn't believe me! Or maybe she was just relieved that I was holding the fort. Next week I'm supposed to be going to her friends house. She collected us from the camp on Friday. Whilst we were driving back she asked me if I was afraid of ghosts. When I said no she did a big 'whooohahahahaha' at me with her arms in the air (ghost stylie) and asked me if I was sure. I said yes. So she asked me if I would like to stay at her house. I asked if it
had a ghost, she said no she was just trying to scare me. Nooooo....she said she had a ghost at her house. Next week on Sam's blog: Most Haunted Almost Live From Thailand!
On Saturday night I went to the bar at the top of the Soi (lane) to watch the footie. I was in a bit of a minority i.e I was the only white/western person & I was the only Man U supporter. I was surrounded by Thai Arsenal supporters! And I was outed pretty quickly - I guess the keyring didn't help! - and spent the night having the piss taken out of me completely, especially when Arsenal did something good or United did something rubbish. It was all in good humour though and there was plenty of chinking glasses when either side did something worth cheering - 2 -2 was probably the safest result! This place is became my 'local' just before I headed home when it opened ( when I walk past the owner shouts 'man u' at me - even if I'm on the other side of the road!) & it's brilliant to have it just at the top of the soi. I even
got a bottle of beer bought for me by a mistachioed motorbike taxi driver drinking brandy. Tip: don't take a motorbike taxi here if the driver has a moustache! Actually........never take one.
So now on Sunday I've been here all day as well!! Waiting for volunteers. I quite like pottering around on a Sunday, I've done a bit of laundry, sweeping..... and made frequent mentions of Tesco Lotus & 7-11. I had a bizarre conversation on the phone with a taxi driver where my knowledge of Thai completely deserted me. I managed to say 'are you on Soi 15 now? in Thai but couldn't remember 'we're at the bottom' so I said it in English. All in the same sentence. Seamlessley. No wonder he was getting a bit irate!
Now, Sunday evening, I have Bua the Ladyboy Cat (official name) demanding my attention, he was sat on my kneeio (he wrote that) then was in the drawer (his usual resting place) and now is walking over the keyboard (hence kneeio). Now I have to decide which volunteer gets which elephant. Ah, the power!
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