it! We had planned to go to a neighbouring island today, but because I am not feeling well, I decide to go out of the hotel, and instead, relax on the beach.
In the afternoon I go down the hotel reception to ask where I could find a bank nearby. I want to transfer money for the lawyer, with my German credit card, because the interest rate is lower in Thailand, compared to China. Although there are other ways of transferring the money through banks without an account, still that means depositing cash, which would make it much more expensive than using a credit card. The truth is we do not have too much Thai baht on us; otherwise, we would have used cash to pay the lawyer. I
do not believe that withdrawing money using a credit card and then deposit it as cash in the bank is a wise thing to do.
The directions given to us by the receptionist were wrong. After going around in circles, we come across an employee of a foreign exchange bureaux, who tells us that the nearest bank is far from where we were standing right now. After a brief walk through the dirty and busy main road, we decide to take a taxi. We negotiate the fare, and Hong pays, looking at me with critically.
"You are far too soft in negotiating; you will never get rich!" she grumbles.
I ignore her provocations and look at the taxi window. The transfer of money using a credit card is a success. I pay some into Hong's account, at least to stop her from moaning about paying for everything.
We walk around the place and find an ice cream where we could have a brief stop to have some. From there, we go to a busy night market within the vicinity where I see a signpost that catches my eyes. It reads. "Traditional Thai Massage," I tell Hong that I need a massage. She agrees, but on the condition, that she takes photos during the massage, of which I had no problem. We proceed on to the reception to get more information.
A young beautiful Thai woman behind the counter tells us that no cameras are allowed in the massage parlour. Hong frowns in surprise! I go to the massage room. After the session, I am now feeling younger and lighter in weight, but the happiness is, however, short-lived. When I go to the reception to pay, I realise that I had forgotten my wallet in the hotel. Hong always does the spending;
therefore, I did not need my purse. However, this time, she refuses to pay. She claims that it has nothing to do with her.
“…after all, I have been watching a movie upstairs for the entire hour that you spent in the massage parlour”.
I quickly sense that she is jealousy about not knowing what was happening between the masseuse and me in the room. I cannot dismiss her, thinking that I could have had sex with the lady in the room.
"This is ridiculous! Hong, I do not have any money on me here, I did not refuse you from having a massage too," Those are my words.
"Listen, I said I am not going to pay, please find a way of sorting out your bill, if you have no money then go and clean the massage parlour to compensate for the debt.", she says emphatically.
It is going too far; it isn’t funny anymore. I have to compose myself to hold back the embarrassment. When the cashier insists that we are not going anywhere until we sort out the bill, Hong gives in and pays, saving me from further embarrassment. Before taking a baht back to the hotel, we eat a portion of shrimp, tea and fruits. It is a Sunday morning. The skies are bright blue, and the weather is charming. It is a pity that it is the last day of our holiday. Before breakfast, I rush to the pool for a quick swim before other hotel guests could take advantage.
They greeted me with "Dobroe Utro" in Thai, and I answered back cheerfully as if I am one of those many Russians we met in the hotel. Hong and I go to sit down on the table on the hotel terrace overlooking the sea. While enjoying the gentle movements of sea waves, she starts telling me about her conversations with Russian
hotel guests. She realises that I am not paying too much attention to the subject, and abruptly changes the topic.
"We must leave this place early because I want to get VAT refunded for our souvenirs at the airport. We need to allow plenty of time to do this because there are long queues to join".
We take a taxi ride to the bus station. While inside the taxi, I pull out of the bag some of the fruits I bought to have a bite. I am horrified to find them littered with ants, which are also crawling over my laptop. It is disgusting.
When we are on holiday, I ask Hong questions about China, and the Chinese culture, to make her proud of how knowledgeable she is. Most of the time, she is dodgy, she tries to play "hide and seek".
She tells me not to disturb her with any questions, until we go back to China, because she is here for a holiday and she wants to enjoy it.
"If you want to know more about China, I will answer only one question a day, until we go back," she says.
"A German husband is then good business for a Chinese woman," I reply ironically. She smiles with a nod, but I am not sure whether the smile is real or not.
"To get rich, we have to do something extraordinary," she suggests that we could design a software application and sell it expensively.
She knows this is only a simple joke because none of us an expert in software engineering. She again comes up with another idea, that we could may be design artificial organs since many Chinese are eating an unhealthy diet. She thinks at least some Chinese somewhere, will need an organ at some point. In China, it is already possible to produce a functional living kidney they are using organic ink and 3D printing. She explains further.
"The Chinese artificial kidney does not contain veins or blood channels, and its life span so far is only four months. There is still a lot to be done. Whether these kidneys will ever function properly, is what is under serious scrutiny. For example, if you need an artificial prototype organ, you must pay money to university professors to make it for you. Other than taking your money, the professors will do nothing much, because most of their publications anyway are just mere translations from the West. Maybe I will have to buy a 3D printer and build a prototype myself." She says jokingly.
I shake my head because I have no idea about this whatsoever. I tell her that I want to live a simple life and prevent diseases from attacking me. "Organs of people executed in China, are removed without anyone's consent. We also know that even Germans who cannot afford high costs, run to China for their organs to be transplanted". She reveals. I am shocked at hearing this.
At the airport back to China, we get our VAT refund. We manage to get away with extra weight on our baggage at the check-in counter. I manage to hide the excess weight in my rack-sack. I, however, crack a joke with the lady at the check-in that slim people like me should be allowed some extra baggage because I do not add much weight on the plane. It is merely a joke; the lady seems not to be bothered either. She looks confused. It is a busy since she is working alone. It is now my turn. She puts, the baggage on the scale, the sticker prints out of the machine, and I give way for the next passenger. I am lucky to get away with some extra weight.
In the waiting lounge, I use the opportunity of free internet to check on emails, but the speed is unbelievably slow. It is now time for boarding. I am getting a bit nervous because Hong is shouting at me to hurry up to join the queue. The passenger's compartment in the plane is small. I am struggling to stretch my legs. I feel uncomfortable. To make it worse, I am sitting near the corridor.
Every time stewards pass by with drinks and food trolleys; I feel nervous.
I try to get a quick nap, but it is not possible. People are talking on top of their
