I’ve settled into my new surroundings quite comfortably. Here’s a typical day for me:
At 8:30 AM, I walk Hayden to school, and then at 9:00 AM, I head to the gym for some swimming, exercise, and a relaxing sauna. Around noon, I grab lunch at a nearby affordable restaurant close to my apartment. After lunch, I usually take a nap at 1 PM, and from 2 to 3 PM, I either read or work on my computer. At 3 PM, it’s time to pick up Hayden from school and help him with his homework. From 4 PM onwards, I enjoy some more reading or computer time while Hayden plays with the other kids downstairs. Dinner usually happens at 7 PM, and by 8:30 PM, I’m getting ready for bed.
On weekends, I head to my apartment in Paradise by the Sea, and on Wednesdays and Thursdays, I include a massage in my daily routine.
Now, there’s been a development with our maid. She has moved into the spare bedroom. I assume that now that the maid is here to keep an eye on Hayden, SWAC will find some reason to encourage me to leave and go back to Paradise by the Sea full-time. Our apartment has maid’s quarters off the kitchen with its own separate entry into the hall. It’s a windowless room that feels more like a dungeon, complete with a small toilet, more like a hole in the floor in a closet. But don’t worry, the maid won’t be staying there – she’ll have one of the three bedrooms for herself.
Some news on my health – the results of my medical tests show that while the CT scan of my abdomen makes my kidneys look pretty beaten up, my kidney functions are actually normal. I’ll need to undergo an operation soon to sort out the rest of my plumbing to avoid the possibility of spending the rest of my life on dialysis. I’ll probably have the procedure done in the US as early as April.
Our street here in BKK starts (or ends, depending on how you look at it) at a gate to a large piece of land in the city center. The gate announces “The Tobacco Monopoly of Thailand,” but I have no clue what that’s all about. This property is filled with many run-down low-rise wooden buildings and a few neglected parks. From this gate, Soi 4 goes generally north, passing by my apartment building, along with a few other mid to lower-class condominiums and hotels. Family restaurants and pushcarts line the street along this stretch until it reaches Hayden’s school. Beyond that, it becomes increasingly populated with massage parlors, bars, and budget hotels until it reaches the traffic mess that is Sukhumvit. Once across Sukhumvit, Soi 4 turns into Soi Nana and goes through Arab (and Indian) town before continuing on its way.
On Soi 4, just before it meets Sukhumvit, you’ll find Nana Plaza – the first neighborhood you encounter after passing through the gates into Hell. There, surrounding a small, crowded plaza, stand three and four-story interconnected buildings offering a variety of entertainment options, from regular Go-Go bars to ladyboy lounges to short-time units.
Much like in the US, where urban private schools tend to locate in transition zones due to cheaper rent, Hayden’s school is in a similar area. One morning, as I walked Hayden up to the school gate across the street along an extended cement platform in front of some shops, I spotted a burly, shirtless foreigner in his forties, obviously high and sporting scars on his head and body, but surprisingly devoid of tattoos. With him was a ladyboy, displaying the defining features of both genders (known as “pre-op”), and another professional woman. It seemed they had spent the night there, and as the ladyboy put on the man’s shirt to cover up, the man staggered across the street and attempted to enter the school grounds.
Now, like most private schools and important buildings in BKK, there are typically four or so Bangkok police officers stationed by the gate to manage traffic during the morning and evening hours. The school also has its own uniformed security personnel. One well-dressed cop (all Bangkok cops dress sharply) signaled for the farang to stop with a vertical palm gesture while using his other hand to indicate firmly that the man should return to the other side of the street.
It’s crucial to understand that the Thai cop did not show any intention of physically engaging with the farang, nor did he display anger. Such actions would be seen as a loss of face and inhumane. It makes you wonder how people from this culture perceive Western entertainment that often glorifies uncontrolled fury and violence as a sign of manliness. To them, someone like John Wayne might seem like a circus clown. (Come to think of it, American football, with its glorification of anger and violence, probably looks like a sport played by water buffalo rather than humans to them.)
After the incident, I asked Hayden what he thought, and he simply said, “The girl was naked, and the policeman had a gun.”
Just so you know, Hayden isn’t too young to understand the word “naked.” A few nights ago, as we were getting ready for bed, he took off all his clothes and put a paper bag on his head like a hat, then proudly pranced into the bathroom where I was brushing my teeth and announced, “Look at me. I’m the Naked Chef.”
Papa Joe's Tales, Fables and Parables 