Friday, December 14, 2007

Can I be your friend?

I have been on quite a dry spell. Though I did meet Zofia, I could not really "hang out" and do things; except of course her finances and hitch hiking. Overall I have not been speaking much for about a month. I did meet a young American couple from Alaska but it seemed as though every time I was getting into town they were leaving or vice versa. I had been able to have dinner with them once and take a walk another time but that was the extent of my english speaking contact for the month. So as you can imagine I was quite starved for conversation. To see someone wave and smile in recognition was enough to make me choke up. I needed some friendship. I was determined then to make a time when the couple and I could be in town for a day together and do something. I emailed them and asked if maybe we could meet in Krabi. They wrote back and explained that they might be moving on before I got there but they would be at the Blue Juice guest house if they were still in town and to look them up there. So I did of course, as soon as my feet hit the pavement in Krabi. I was so excited becasue they were still booked in the guest house, so they were there, but were out to dinner. When I met them they said they were moving on the next morning. Ugh. They were excited because they had rented a motobike that day and had gone to this really cool temple that was up a flight of ...1,272 stairs. They said the view was incredible and that I should go. I was holding back tears, I had so wanted to hang out with them. They invited me to go to the night market with them for dinner and I jumped at the chance. At dinner they talked about their day together and again about the temple. Then Richard said it would be great to see the sunrise from the temple and eventually we made arrangements to do just that. They still had the motobike until ten the next morning so we decided we would all squeeze on and get to the temple before six. They would pick me up around five. I was SO excited. I told them I was staying on the street around the corner and that I would be standing outside at five. I could barely sleep that night for checking the alarm. When 4:45 did come ,I got up, dressed and hurried downstairs. In my hurry I almost ran into the locked garage sized door across the front of my guest house. CHIT CHIT CHIT . I had heard about this, that someitmes guest houses lock you in at night. Fuck. I grabbed the gate and shook it and tried to pull it apart, but it was locked. Definitely locked. Then I heard it. Their motobike rounding the corner. I flung myself at the gate, smashed my face against it and shoved my arm through the bars. I waved frantically, they searched casually; and they drove by. I wanted to cry. I might of actually. I stood at the gate, dejected. Then I heard them again. I slammed myself against the gate and this time, five in the morning or not I yelled at the top of my lungs. They slowed, looked around and stopped. "Oh shit" they said. I asked them to give me a few minutes to look around and check the back door. I went back to the kitchen area and found the door locked but a large window open. I looked out and there seemed to be a back yard off the porch but I couldn't see any further than that. I raced back to the gate told them there was a possibility and I needed to get my headlamp. I ran upstairs and then back down, crawled out the window and shone my light off the narrow porch. The porch dropped off (no stairs) to ... the most putrid smelling, gross looking, old, rotten pile of peelings, egg shells, soup broth, and waste the restaraunt had generated plus chewed on chicken legs, rice and other food not eaten by customers. I jumped. Not far enough. My crocks filled with the stuff and my hand dipped deep into the pile. I gagged and kept going. Three steps later I was free of the pile, but in the walled in back yard. Damn. I am shaking my feet and shaking my head. I am searching for a way out. Yes, I am desperate. I find where two sheets of tin meet but are not bolted together. I pull them apart and spy an alley, but I have to make it through someone's packed garage to get there. I step into the garage, onto their night market food cart, over their motobike and scare up the dog. I let out a yelp, the dog does too. I start running for the opening. I get to the alley scare up another dog and a couple cats. I hit the street and ran around the corner sqeaking in the juice in my shoes. I reached Richard and Tasha triumphant but grossed out and stinking to high heaven. I spent the next few minutes scraping my shoes, feet and hand on the pavement. Then I used some of Tasha's purell gel on my hand and I was ready to go. I climbed on the very back of the bike with a huge smile. I was with friends.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm in tears with sadness for your loneliness, and exurberant for your tenacity to reach your destination. And, I'm not at all surprised. After all...you're just being you. Stay strong...we're with you every step of the way (in spirit).
We love you,
Sandy

Anonymous said...

Ooooh, you poor thing! What a pitiful image I have of you pressed up against the fence... I'm glad you got "out" and were able to go to the temple - I can't wait to hear the rest of the story!

Anonymous said...

Even stinky friends can be good friends!
So happy that you found an escape from your accommodations and were able to spend time with Tasha and Richard. Bet they didn't even notice....just another ripe American.
Miss you and thinking of you...
Jan