I was meant to meet an old friend from Taiwan, but his wife was covered in a nasty rash so he stayed by her side. There were reports of Covid making a comeback among the Cape Town gang and I had caught the dreaded lergie (a cold). I spent two days recovering in a room away from the crowds back in Ao Nang, nursing myself back to health with lemon shakes, fruits and greens.
Downpours quickly ended any attempt to take a walk, so I took the opportunity to get some work, admin and laundry done. I was staying in Muslim Street (named “Muslim Street”) and there were beautiful calls-to-prayer coming from a huge mosque nearby.
I got one, cheap Thai massage (250 Baht) after feeling rather better, and the lady asked if I had been boxing. I had never noticed that it looked as if I was wearing dark eyeshadow on my left eye since the Muay Thai bout! Brain apologised to Body, for making him believe that he is still so young. I hopped on a scale in the shop. I had been shedding an average of 1kg per week!
‘Sherry’ is a divorcee of 42 who was a solo traveler from Iran, who has been living in Australia for 8 years. She proudly calls herself Persian. She had been wanting to meet my friend via a dating app, but since he is now back in Chiang Mai, he put us in touch and we spent her final day and night in Thailand together. She had not had a good experience…
On Day Two of her long-overdue holiday, she fractured her tailbone and had to carry a bum-ring around in order to sit. She was not happy with her accommodation (which had a private balcony pool!) so asked if I could help her find someplace else. By the third stop I asked the hostess of the fancy resort if I could use their outdoor pool. “Of course!” said she, so I had a long wallow as a non-paying guest and wondered if I should make a run for it. When Sherry finally came down, she dropped her phone and cracked her screen…
An opportunity to practice patience, empathy and listening presented itself. Sherry cheered up during an ocean swim as she told me that Nature is God and that she firmly believes in reincarnation and has lived multiple lives. All good, but what was strange is weirdly uncomfortable obsession with her cat… I’m a cat person, but I have never heard someone refer to their feline companion as their “soulmate”. Good luck “Roofy”. Long may you live.
Sherry then suddenly wanted to try everything Thai during her final hours! She brought over a HUGE fruit platter, which was quite a treat. There were three fruits I had never tried myself before. Two were quite lychee-like, but the third tasted as if a banana had made a baby with a mango! I asked a local what it was called and he said it’s “mangosteen”. I don’t know about that. A “banango” or “manana” sounds more fitting.
Now Sherry was in full swing after a second mojito. She very nearly dragged me to a tattoo parlor to get her 6th tattoo in 2 weeks. I told her I was not ready and suggested we go find a place to dance. So on a rooftop, I learned some Persian dance moves. That was special, but the music was not appropriate for Sherry, so we relocated back to the beach and played Persian music from my phone. I then walked her home.
Persian dancing (with an actual cat-obsessed Persian) on a beach in Thailand, was my absolute highlight. Sherry said that her highlight was all the photos I took of her from her phone… Each to their own.
Next: Thailand #19 – Khoa Sok
Previously: Thailand #17 – Muay Thai Beating!
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