Another weekend in paradise. Nothing much new. I watched a movie on the computer, About Schmidt. It was American, dubbed in Thai, subtitled in the world's worst English. Truly, every scene had a least one word not just misspelled but tortured. I surfed the net, studied my Thai, then went to Big C for laundry detergent. I wound up buying a laundry basket, hangers,some groceries, and a quilt (just to use as a bedspread.) By the time I was done, $30 later, I had a large load to navigate on the songtaew with. But it wasn't too crowded , and since it's Saturday I wasn't wearing a skirt, so all went well, no farang flashing today.

They have the most beautiful Thai New Year's cards for sale for 30 cents per - why I don't know. Our new year isn't for 2 months, Thai new year is in April. The Big C also has bins of raw meat which you pick and choose over and put in a plastic bag to be weighed by the attendant. Kind of gross. I know we buy raw meat, too, but I like to keep myself removed from the details. Western things are so expensive here! $1.50 for a can of Campbell's tomato soup! Many things are cheaper in the US. Normal stationary supplies are at least equivalent to US prices - scotch tape, etc. But Thai stationary supplies are cheap like envelopes, pretty little notebooks, cheap quality pens, etc. A Walmart quality quilt runs $30 - probably $12-15 in the US. But vegetables, fruits, and street food are so cheap as is any labor intensive costs - massage, $4-6/hour, regular pedicure, $1.40, 4 hour bus trip , about $6, 15 minute songtaew ride, 21 cents, housekeeper $3 for about 2 hours work, although it takes them all day.

One thing I have noticed is how many more people they employ here to do a job. It takes at least 2, often 3 people to run the bus say from Mahasarakham to Khon Kaen, a one hour ride. And that's not counting bus station employees. First, you go to the bus station booth (manned by about 3 people), but they won't sell you that particular ticket (I'm not sure why.) You must go to the actual bus parking bay where 2(!) men(in loud pink shirts) sit at a collapsible TV table. One takes your money and writes you out a ticket. The other one watches. Maybe he spells the first guy when he gets tired or has to go to the hong nam. You get on the bus (which leaves every 5-15 minutes, so I don't know why all the protocol.) The bus driver in his loud pink shirt drives the bus. One attendant in a loud pink shirt makes sure everyone is seated in the proper seat, and on longer trips , hands out water, a napkin, a straw, a bun, even blankets on night trips. The third attendant in a loud pink shirt checks your ticket AT EVERY STOP. Somewhere along the line, one attendant gets off the bus, and they pick up a different fellow, I can't really figure out the rationale of this move. Maybe halfway out they switch shifts or routes? Maybe he goes back to the original bus station? Maybe he's on break? Not sure. And you soon learn there is no point in asking a Thai - even if they could understand you. Their answer will not make sense, and if you ask 3 Thais you will get 3 different answers. The simple truth is, they want to be helpful and something in their culture says that giving an answer, any answer, is more polite than saying "I don't know."

If you've ever taken the Greyhound to NYC, you know that the one bus driver does it all. Here's to the (US) bus driver, the best of them all!

There are many small gold shops here, almost always owned by Chinese. (BTW, they sell 24k gold here, it's so yellow it looks fake.) The shops all look alike - about 30 feet wide with glass cases fitted tightly from left to right. (I often wonder how the workers get behind them, there doesn't appear to be any opening - maybe they jump over every morning.) Behind the counter are glass cases of jewelery on the wall, all locked. And there are as many as 6 shop girls just standing there, a couple of feet apart, leaning on their elbows on the glass cases, giggling to each other. I've seen as many as ONE customers when I went in. Everything is encased in glass so there's no danger of shoplifters. I never saw anyone busily windexing the glass, or sweeping the floor, although the shop is moderately clean. Are they expecting a rush? A robbery? I wonder if many employees signifies a prosperous business?

The dusty little mini-mart downstairs at the university sells dusty stationary supplies, old mottled melted and re-hardened chocolate bars, chips, soda, and water. They have 2 cashiers on duty at all times, and at least one employee on the floor.

Now that I think of it, though, I don't recall ever waiting in line in Thailand. Can you imagine the culture shock when these people go to a US Walmart on a Sunday and have to stand in line until their ice-cream melts?

Well, gotta do something about my laundry. I'm not happy with my 30 cent laundry service. She folds the clothes and shoves them in a plastic bag and they are very wrinkly. Maybe she'll do better with my new laundry basket or I could (shiver!) go downstairs and wash them myself. NOT.