11-18-10: Recovery

Noodle soup for breakfast plus Thai coffee and a green milk tea for
me. Tried out my new phrase, can I take your picture and was told no.
It was disheartening. Farang for our vitamin c booster, consumed in
front of the 7-11 because they have chairs out front. Money run from
the ATM - worst exchange rate yet: 28.01. Bleh. Coffee at a new place
(pai coffee), stayed there to write, but poor kid doesn't have a book
anymore, so he is sad when I write.

Chang and a yogurt drink juice box to fortify us to walk back to the
guest house to use the facilities. Went by 99 guesthouse to find Naa,
a cook recommended in the guide book whose restaurant was not where
the book said. We found her husband, who speaks very little english
and he said to come back to the guest house tonight at six...for? We
arent sure, but it involves eating - kin khao. Guido's for lunch of
pad Thai, sprite and Chang. Played cards, jenn is on a record losing
streak. Went to a second lunch of rice and meat and veggies and more
Chang and more cards. We are nursing our overexertion of yesterday
with lots of food and beer, how better? Oh yes, you can get a foot
massage! Which we did next. It was ungodly good. Foot soak in lemon
grass lemons, oil rub of feet and legs, wooden awl and pressure
points, more rubbing....hour goes by...finish it out with an arm and
shoulder/back massage quickie, and a cup of tea. Hot damn. Addicting.
The proprietor even said, come back tomorrow? Thai massage? We smiled
and left, but might take her up on it.

Coffee to help us rejoin the living, more sore than before. Went back
to 99 to figure out what is supposed to happen tonight, we found Naa.
She was giving an english lesson, but welcomed us to sit and talk for
quite some time. She tried to get us to engage her pupil, but she was
shy. Speedy gonzalez is Naa's favorite - channel 2. She was wearing a
sarong, not expecting company. She showed us how to read the town name
- pitsanulok, in Thai, insanely cool. Those squiggles do mean
something!! She gave us some good info about the festival and that we
should only ever pay 20B to ride to or from the old city. Overall she
renewed my interest in learning Thai or any language for that matter.
We left with promises to come back the next day to go with her husband
and a tour group to Tak to see Loy Krathong Sai - burning coconut
husks in a line. Tomorrow she is leading an all gay tour group, who
made special exception to meet with her, usually only using male tour
guides, but they call her "gibbon," in Thai this means she is the one
woman with a bunch of Thai men, not sure if it is a rude thing to say
or not, but she didn't mind. It was a delightful conversation and she
welcomed us to come back whenever we wanted to talk or sit around. We
might take a cooking class from her if we stay in town after the
festival.

After this, market food, Chang at chopper, street dinner of morning
glory, tomyum and pad see ewe - WAY too much food. Rolled ourselves
home for a second day in a row. (with a bag of donuts for a late night
snack if we get hungry!!) I promise we are not gaining a million
pounds, yesterday we climbed up and down a mountain, we just like to
eat.