Karma Catches Up

February 12

The heat, or maybe it’s all the energy I have devoted to dissolute living, has finally caught up to me. I’ve spent most of the last couple of days napping, when I haven’t been sleeping.

We went out Friday the 12th to drop off some dirty clothes and to wander.

The lady at the laundry wrote a note with my name, the weight (about 3.5 kg), and the date it would be ready, Feb. 13, ’59.

We have been seeing dates in temples reckoned according to the Buddha Era. This is 2559 B.E. I didn’t realize that was in popular use, too.

I wanted to explore a new part of the old city, in the southwestern corner of the wall. We never got there. It was so hot walking down Rachamakka, that we got as far as an air-conditioned juice bar where we each had mango and guava slushies. That was lunch. And so much for wandering.

One of the high points of the trip was a reminder about the dangers of trying to cross the language barrier with a wise crack. See the photo of the day for details.

We managed to walk albeit slowly all the way back to the hotel, maybe a half mile, where I promptly went to bed and stayed there till dinnertime.

Joanna wanted to go back to the grilled fish place, whose name I have learned is Lert Ros. I was game for that. Those red fish, which I took for red snapper, are listed on the menu as red tilapia. If so, then they are the tastiest tilapia I have ever encountered. Tilapia usually tastes like nothing much at all.

We had that with white rice and an unchilied mixed vegetable. I had a half liter of beer.

It was dark and cooling off, so we took another short walk before calling it an evening.

Next morning, the 13th, we went to Archer’s for an English breakfast. I had that with coffee and no beer. I was just not feeling like a wise-ass so I wasn’t going to fool around with anything.

On the way, we cut through the yard of Wat Pan Ping, one of the 20 or so temples in the neighborhood. It has what I believe is the Lanna roof, a gable on top of a gable on top of a gable. What struck me as different was the blue in the color scheme of the decoration. Red and gold with mirror surfaces are almost universal in the temples.

I tried to photograph it, but couldn’t get the color right. The temple faces east. Maybe it will work if it’s a different time of day.

The yard at Pan Ping is home to a clutch of colorful roosters. Maybe they are rescued fighting cocks. Who knows? Anyhow, one needed to show off a little more than just by running across the yard, and Joanna caught him doing it.

At Archer’s Joanna had a photo challenge of her own. She was fascinated by a wooden bas relief of Buddha’s face hanging high on the wall.

Contrast and available light were low, but I think she came close to getting it with this one.

We strolled from Archer’s a little way to the Coffee Bar, the open air coffee bar in the soi by the U.N. I got an Americano to go, and then it was back to home base.

We didn’t even have the room cleaned. We just took fresh towels and a couple of bottles of water (provided daily by the hotel), and a roll of toilet paper.

Toilet paper, indeed any kind of paper, is at a premium here. They’re about half the size of an American roll and the hotel gives you one a day. One of the first things we did was buy some of our own at 7-Eleven.

We had noticed earlier that the special of the day at Eden was tajine of lamb with prunes. Sounded too good to pass up. We got there around seven, but the tajine wouldn’t be ready till eight.

We went to the U.N. where I asked about dry vermouth and club soda. It tastes like a cocktail but you can drink it when you want to sober up, but they don’t serve martinis there. No Campari, either, but that didn’t surprise me. There are bars in the States where you can’t get that.

I wound up getting a bloody Mary. They let me put in the Worcestershire myself. I haven’t had one of those since that great one with the pickled string beans in New Orleans. That was more than a year ago. Maybe when I get back to New Orleans, I’ll have another.

The tajine was savory and served with boiled potatoes on one side and couscous on the other. The prunes added delightful sweetness that went well with everything, including the mildly spicy lamb gravy.

Too hot for Joanna, though. She had tried a sample of the gravy on a spoon. I didn’t feel any heat, but she did.

The lady at Eden, who cooks the Thai food on the menu, knows what Joanna likes, and served her a kale and chicken dish without chili or salt, but still made it taste good.

A little stroll and I was done in again.

And to all a good night.

Harry



Feb. 14

Dude. 

Here's to dissolute living. 

Karl