Julia's Gone Running - Day Twenty seven

Cappuccinos, Cocktails and Tom Yum Soup...

We woke up late, and decided to head straight out for a run... Our route was up and down the road outside our hotel; it is about three quarters of a mile long and quiet and traffic free; at one end there is a roaring road of three lanes of traffic and the other end stops abruptly at some gated homes set amongst tall tranquil trees.

So we ran up and down it for five miles; side by side, quietly, our new land unfolding in each step...

The cafe owners by the roadside called to us to come in, a man riding a bicycle pulling a trailer full of ice cream rode past inviting us to buy..

We smiled and waved and gestured no... not for now!

The sun was high in the sky, the heat intense, my body felt a bit strange and vulnerable running at 2.30am UK time, even though our sleep pattern has immediately shifted to Thai time... I am not sure that my body has quite yet...

We had missed the hotel breakfast, but the memory of Tom yum soup called us back to yesterday's cafe with the bright eyed little boy... who danced around us again, and brought us another Buddhist bracelet.

We ordered our meal... 'the same... 'The mother of the little boy said, when we had given our order...

While we were waiting for her to prepare it, Love, our waiter from the hotel appeared.

We greeted one another as if we often find each other hanging out in this cafe; he then told us that he only eats chicken and comes here everyday for his meal...

He sat in the table next to ours, and I told him that today it is my Godson Alfie's birthday and that we reckon this warrants another celebration tonight in the form of one of his cocktails..!

He laughed...

Yesterday the anniversary of meeting Anadi, today my Godson's 12th birthday... I can always find something to celebrate... A reason to order a cocktail !

After he had eaten, he came over and suggested that we could get a taxi into Bangkok just round the corner and then, just as he was leaving, he stopped and said 'you know the address, 43 KingKaew - for coming back'

He then wrote down for us another two words which were more specific to where we are located.

We said good bye and he asked if he would see us tonight

'You will' we assured him...

He walked away, and then turned back again and smiling said 'you won't find cappuccino in this place...'

I laughed and said

'Cappuccinos, Cocktails and Tom Yum soup are all I need to be happy... We hailed a taxi - he didn't speak much English, so in the end we said shopping mall... And hoped for the best...

The last place in earth I would ever go to in the UK is a shopping mall...!

He drove awhile and then he pulled over on the side of a busy road and we clambered out with no idea of where we were; the streets were full of people, and vibrant with smells and tastes in the air; a mixture of pleasant, spicy and unpleasant, mixed and mingled and wafted around us in the heat of this Sunday afternoon...

I don't know where we went; we saw not one other western person.

But it was a very good experience.

I bought some flip flops and a bra, with the help of two beautiful young women.

I had left my only blue bra in the glove compartment of Felicity Fiat...

I have a habit of taking my bra off through the sleeves of my clothes when I have had enough of wearing it, this generally occurs near the end of the day! But sometimes sooner...

I remembered (after we had handed the car back in) that I had done this when travelling to a Turkish restaurant in the last couple of weeks - to be more comfortable - and that it is still there...

I like to own a blue bra... a blue bra pleases me and goes with most of my clothes!

I discovered that they have different sizing for bras in Thailand - the one I have bought is a size 3!

They had no changing rooms, so the two young women suggested I try it on over my T shirt.... This I did!... It seemed to fit well enough... So I now have a blue bra and some blue flip flops....