Rice Grains

I wanted to do two blogs tonight, but I am running out of time. So I will save my Malaysia blog for another day. It was a wonderfully refreshing time.

As for New Year's celebration, Trish and I decided to head downtown Bangkok to experience a Thai celebration. We found something big happening at a mall complex known as Central World plaza. So we bought the cheapest expensive tickets we could find and went to sit down about 5:00--way early.

What a cacophony of NOISE!! There were many different bands playing, pretty much back to back with each other. But Trish and I sat and enjoyed a meal and watched people and the band. To make a long story short, about 10:00 PM, the Thai girls sitting next to us tapped us on the shoulder and and told us we needed to go home now, that there was a bomb scare, or something like that.

Trish and I weren't entirely sure we believed them. Not too many people were leaving; most were still sitting or casually strolling around. But the girls insisted, and we finally decided they were serious when we realized all the bands had quit playing and were beginning to pack up. But nothing was being done in a very hurried fashion--sure didn't feel like there was a bomb scare.

So Trish and I casually ambled on our way, stopped to ask a policeman how to get the BTS sky train station from there, and we were on our way. We even stopped to take some pictures of New Year's/Christmas decorations on the way.

It wasn't till the next day when we heard the real news. I thank God for His care of us. We were at the big celebration where they say a bomb actually went off, though we never knew it. Or maybe that's the one that went off at midnight??? We were gone before then.

At my apartment we stayed up and watched fireworks from my window. Color was shooting from all directions. It was fun! Anyone who knows me knows that of course I had to try to catch the fireworks on my camera. I'll include a couple of those.

New Year's Day Candice and Trish treated me to a tasty birthday cake and then we went to Central Bang Na mall, where we ate an American meal, including a WONDERFUL salad complete with hardboiled quail egg, and then watched a movie in the theater there: The Holiday. We had a really great time--what a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday away from home! Friends are great!