New Friends
This afternoon I decided to walk further down my street to explore. I made a couple nice discoveries, a little coffee stand, for one, that makes iced coffee the Thai way (instant coffee, sweetened condensed milk, lots of ice). I have almost become addicted to that stuff.
There is also a little icecream shop where hopefully I can go when I get my coconut milk icecream cravings. That is one of my favorite sweets in Thailand. You can buy it in at least one Thai restaurant in Columbus, but a scoop there costs something like $4.50, and here I can buy a small scoop for about 5-10 baht (10-20 cents).
As I ventured further down the soi, a couple ladies at a somtam shop called to me. Wow, it had a real village feel there, much different than my apartment area, which somehow feels more caught up in the rat race of life. These ladies--and some men--worked in between talking. They told me I should live in their apartment building because it's cheaper and because everyone knows everyone.:)
We exchanged phone numbers, and they asked me when I could come back to visit. Ummm, wow, I feel like I may not have time before next Monday again. But I hope I can go then.
When it was time for me to leave, they could hardly have it that I wanted to walk back; they said it was much too hot, and taking a motorcycle taxi would only be 7 baht. I told them, no big deal, I don't mind walking. But about that time a man was ready to go pick up his daughters at school, so my new friends sent me off with him. He is actually one of the motorcycle taxi drivers that has taken me places.
I have to laugh because when Thai people find out I am not married, they very often ask if I want to marry a Thai man. And this man found out my age earlier in the conversation, so he made a point to tell me that he is no longer married. Not anything to laugh about, but funny because of his implication.....