a thorough search, we manage to locate the plot where construction will be taking place; it is empty. What makes it even worse is that squatters have invaded the land with makeshift shanty dwellings. I don't see how construction can take place with all this mess. Straight away, we head to the developer's office. When we reach there, we learn that the managing director had travelled; he was not in the office. Is it because we did not make an appointment
to see him? I ask myself. Yes, I will wait until it is all sorted out. I will use all necessary means to find out the truth. I decide to involve a lawyer in the matter because I signed a contract with the developer.
If not, he will have to refund my money; I have had enough of this.
Before I even finish my sentence, Hong interjects.
"Stop all this nonsense; you are too selfish. Let me tell you, if there is nothing yet on the site, it could be that the developer is not yet licenced to start construction or maybe he is already declared bankrupt. If I may ask, why didn't you make an appointment much earlier before coming here in the first place? As an investor, they could even have picked you from the airport. You must understand that if you invest abroad and that you want the construction erected quickly on your orders, I am afraid you are kidding yourself. I am sure you know that there are procedures to be followed in doing things, especially when it is about technicalities. You do not grab a flight, go in a country, and walk to the site without an appointment.
You should have clarified that the people concerned were present. It is that simple you should know that". I am left speechless.
I get Hong's point; then I ask her to get ready for something to eat. I am hungry. We look for a restaurant in the city centre. While enjoying the sunshine, Hong takes the opportunity to teach me the real meaning of a Chinese business lunch. I learn that it is essential to go out for lunch with your suppliers. She says that Chinese people are careful about what they have to say to foreigners. They prefer keeping some of their secrets to themselves, more so on business matters. It is very right because somehow, I have also been observing it. I need to take more time to learn about Chinese culture.
Most of the time, I speak English and behave as German. I am grateful that I have so far gained a lot from Hong.
In China, employees are reluctant to sit near their bosses. Being too far away from your boss is not a good either. If you do so, they will suspect you for having ulterior motives, and those who sit now, in the eyes of the boss, "are disinterested". "When you go to a restaurant in China, and order monkey brains, you could be seen as being awkward. It would mean that the cook would smash the skull of a living monkey to get the brain". Hong says jokingly.
You cannot guess the reaction on my face after hearing about smashing the skull of a monkey to get the brain out. I frown in disgust, and say to Hong,
"thank you for tipping me about, it, but probably I will never try a monkey brain in my lifetime".
At Chinese business dinner, everyone orders a meal on a large rotating roundel, in the middle of the table. It is usually the host who makes more orders than the guests so that nobody would think about him or her as being greedy.
It is a polite gesture at a business dinner table, to try anything, instead of picking and choosing what you want to eat and leave the rest to others. I think about the many times during business lunch when I have been deciding what I want to eat. Perhaps no one has been noting. Being a foreigner, you can probably get away with it because you do not know what to do. Either way, the same thing can also happen to a Chinese person in Germany.
One other thing I learned from Hong is that having a meal with the company boss is a good thing because it allows you to chat with him at least a little bit. In a situation where you must ask questions, never admit not being in the know, at least you give an utterly plausible-sounding answer, even if it is wrong. Bosses prefer people who can remember numbers, data, and facts. "Oh! Wait a minute!
Did I hear you well? I interrupt Hong's explanation.
"Do you mean I should rather give a false answer than none at all?" I ask.
"Yes, I just said it; I am sure you heard me quite right. Not knowing the answer would make you look foolish, and, it would be like losing face, which is a lot more embarrassing. After the meal, you must leave everything back. If there are any leftovers, it is the job of the host to determine which ones to pack.".
She says assertively, interrupted by bouts of a deep cough. I am impatient with persistent coughing; We have to do something about it before it leads to chronic bronchitis and maybe to pneumonia.
Hong also has a problem with flies and mosquitoes. She has forgotten the mosquito spray. She is now killing the insects using bare hand; it is unhygienic.
I am sipping a glass of wine, thinking of the shopping list for essential things. Regularly, I don't drink too much wine because I know that it contains sulphates that could lead to cancer in the end.
I have always complained about Hong's persistent coughing, but she does not seem to care about her health the way she consumes wines.
I order a glass of grape juice. By the way, many Chinese investors are buying more wineries all over the world, which will eventually make the wine price drop. It could also perhaps lead to many drinkers and unhealthy people as well. Talk about harmful feeding; I am still feeling uncomfortable because of the heartburn.
I am suspecting that it is due to much sugar and artificial enhancers in my body. I have been warned not to overeat of such stuff in Thailand because it could easily lead to cancerous diseases.
I now know why Hong told me one day that in China, many foreigners prefer buying fresh fruits and vegetables directly from the market and prepare the food themselves at home. I too believe it is healthier since you can choose what to cook and what you don't want to. I have always found that self-prepared meals are better and more robust than food prepared outside your home.
Once again, Hong believes that we are a matching couple, but in my view, I think it is the opposite of that. For example, this is what she once said to me.
"Franz, I am fast you are so slow, I am smart, you are stupid, I am rich you are poor, I am pretty, you are ugly, I am tough, you are soft, I am generous, you are stingy. I am strong you are weak; do you think we match?".
She asked. To avoid confrontation and trouble, I replied: "Yes, indeed I am sure that what makes us a good team".
We are in preparation to move to another hotel in South Pattaya.
It is closer to the city centre with better facilities. Yesterday was a day to relax because Hong was still not feeling well, despite taking cough juice. I did some exercise in the Tai Chi course and enjoyed the swimming pool too. In the morning, we will take a free hotel taxi to the city centre. We will get off a few metres away from the hotel to pass by the hospital with our rolling suitcases. I want to get proper treatment for Hong's cough.
Out of curiosity, Hong asks me whether it wouldn't be sensible to take a taxi to the hotel first, drop off our luggage, and then come to the hospital. Yes, I know it could make sense, and I do not doubt it, but since the hotel is in the south, it will take us much time reaching there while her cough is becoming too persistent. We have to use this opportunity; it is still in the morning. Afterall hotel checkin is not before after lunchtime.
We can take a taxi to the hospital, but it will cost us money, yet it is just a walking distance. In my judgement, we have done the right thing, with cheaper means without any cost in spending
