Suitcase and World: Down Time For The Wilted Lily.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Down Time For The Wilted Lily.

Setting out breakfast - street food for Bro and I plus restaurant food for Ayşe.

Before I even fell asleep last night, I had already decided that I would sit today out. My ankle had swollen up to the size of a plum and I held no hope that it would be better this morning. 

Apparently, last night while I was fast asleep on the couch, Bro and Ayşe we planning their day without me. Supposedly, they were talking about going to Amphawa Market and all of a sudden, I fully participated in their discussion. They thought I was awake as my eyes were even open. Apparently, I voiced I wanted to go to the market. When I asked them this morning where they were going, they were surprised because they thought everything had been decided last night. I don't recall any of this so I am standing innocent! All I can say is that I must have a very alert subconscious!

In any event, not only was my left ankle swollen this morning but my entire left foot was. I couldn't even see a gap between my toes!  Although I can hobble around, I don't want to risk further injury so staying back at the apartment was a firm decision.  The Wilted Lady would be grounded today.  Not that I mind some down time!

Bro and Ayşe went out in search of breakfast.  In the meantime, I tested my camera.  I suspect that in my fall last night, I somehow damaged my lens because it didn't seem to be focusing very well.  I am disheartened.  But, I decided to just test it out some more. The object of my lens.   The apartment.

Our living/dining area.  There are two bedrooms.  Bro is sleeping in one and Ayşe in the other.  I am on the couch, in front of the air conditioner :-)

The entrance and our kitchen which has a washer.  The most used item is the freezer :-)

Another view of the living room.  We have a small balcony with a rack for drying clothes.

The TV and DVD player.  I made good use of both today!

After a few minutes of testing, the lens seemed to be okay though the zoom ring is a bit tight at the lower end.  I can live with that.  My poor camera goes through so much!

It seemed forever before Bro and Ayşe returned with food.  Apparently, they headed back to the Soi Pradit market and picked up items from different vendors.  Bro and I had noodle soups while Ayşe had some curry.  Poor thing.  I think she'll be aching for a good Turkish breakfast when she gets home!

Everything came packed ready to eat.  The food look delicious but the styrofoam containers and all the plastic really bothered me.  That will all end up in landfill somewhere and never decompose!



Ayşe preparing the noodle soups for Bro and I.

Time to eat!

After it was all laid out, Bro decided it wasn't quite enough food so he headed across the street and bought some roast pork served over rice.  The noodle soup was plenty for me but he needs a big breakfast!

Bro and Ayşe soon set off on their own.  Their first destination of the day would be Jim Thompson House.  I wished them a good day and then plopped myself on the couch to rest my foot for a few minutes.

Then, it was time to do some laundry.  We had so much clothing to do and the washer was so tiny, it took two loads.  Our little drying rack, on the balcony, was not enough to hold everything so I strung up my drying line.  That thing has come in to use on so many trips!

I've gotten very skilled at figuring out how to string up the line :-)

I spent the rest of the day watching movies (plenty of bootleg DVDs to choose from), uploading a few photos onto my Facebook page and occasionally napping.  It was early evening before Bro and Ayşe returned.  They enjoyed their visit to Jim Thompson House and they also managed to get to Chatuchak Market which is only opened on weekends.  Ayşe brought back a nice gift for me - an herb and spice pack for making Tom Yum soup.  I can't wait to try it when I get back home!

Come nightfall, we headed out for dinner, returning to Samboon Seafood for our final meal in Bangkok.  My ankle was still quite swollen but I was able to comfortably hobble on it.  A good sign.

Back at Samboon, we put our name on the wait list.  This time, they seated us in a small dining room in an adjoining building.  It was nice.   A much quieter space than the larger dining room in the main building.

We ordered a few dishes, including the crab and the morning glory.  Unfortunately, the eggplant that Ayşe was looking forward to tasting contained pork.  We really have to be mindful to ask.  The meal was fine but the room was much too chilly for Ayşe though everyone else in the room, including Bro and I were fine.  She hadn't brought along her sweater because it hadn't quite dried from washing.  Poor thing, she would occasionally leave the table to stand outside to warm up.  She said that when she's tired, her tolerance to cold drops.  I can understand that.  We ate as quickly as we could and paid the bill as quickly as we could.

On the way out of the restaurant, Bro and I  stopped for a few minutes to check out the food that a street vendor was selling.  I had already walked away from the restaurant but Bro noticed the roasted crickets and worms and called me back to see them.  For a few seconds, I was tempted to get a few of each but given that tomorrow is a full travel day, I didn't want to risk tummy issues so I passed them up.  We are returning to Bangkok so if we're back in the hood, I'll definitely get a small bag's worth of each.

Poor Ayşe, she was desperate to get back to the apartment.  By the time we finished ogling at the vendor's bug offerings, she was at least two block's walk  ahead of us.   We quickly caught up with her.

Tonight, we all had to finish up a bit of packing.  Tomorrow morning, we have to meet up with our Airbnb host to turn over the keys and catch a taxi to Dong Muang Airport, Bangkok's second airport, to begin our journey to Koh Lanta.  I am looking forward to more down time.....this time at the beach!

Goodnight from Bangkok!