I apologize to everyone for my extended hiatus from my blog. I resisted blogging in hopes of maximizing my reader’s marginal benefit. I want to make you’re hungry for more. My latest adventures in Thailand recently brought me to the bridge over the River Kwae.
My boss asked me on Friday if I wanted to go with her and her husband to a bridge where many people die. I told her I had no desire to die anytime soon. After realizing her English mistake, she explained it was the bridge over the River Kwae in Kanchanaburi, where POWs were being held by the Japanese. Intrigued, I decided to take the free trip. What I didn’t realize was I just signed up for a “family” day trip.
My boss her and husband were both going, myself, and the 12 year old dorm student at Prep were going. My boss forbid her real son from joining us so he could work on his thesis. I wondered why he even wanted to go; it didn’t seem like a great time. I just figured this would be cheap way to see Thailand.
When we arrived at the resort, I realized why her son wanted to go. It was a nice resort, beautiful foliage everywhere, ponds, and a wonderful view of the river. Yes, I had made the correct decision to come. Despite my joy with the trip, I wasn’t told the real purpose for this trip. It was a reunion for military cadets (my boss’s husband is a Lt. General in the Thai army). I felt very out of place at the dinner, with many of the guests asking if I was my boss’s son (they had not seen “me” since I was little). Luckily my boss took me and Jed to a night market near by. When we got there, we started shopping. When you go shopping, what’s the responsible thing for a “big brother” to do? Look after his kid brother. After I watched him buy a Swiss army knife (totally against dorm rules, which I wrote) I turned my head to look at fake watches. I turned my head back and he was gone! I didn’t have his phone number either, so I wondered the market for an hour looking for him. I was dripping sweat as I frantically looked around for him. How was I going to tell my boss I lost our only boarding student? Not good for business. Finally I found him, he has wondered off with my boss, so luckily he wasn’t freighted (he does scare easy, he made me leave the bathroom light on at night and made me walk him to the bathroom in the middle of the night). Disaster avoided, back to the resort.
When we got back, Jed and I went at it. We were constantly fighting for the remote. He wanted to watch Thai cartoons; I wanted to watch anything English. In a last ditch effort to seize the remote he stuck it down his pants, knowing all too well I couldn’t go after it. So I responded by barraging him with blows to the body by pillow. After a few meager attempts to withstand my attack, he surrendered the remote (I used it by placing a sheet over it). We compromised on National Geographic’s animal extractions in Thai. Another reason why I am not responsible, I let him stay up until 12:30, way way way past his bed time.
The next morning included breakfast and an hour in the pool. Afterwards we were going to the bridge, the museum, and back home. Well, neither my boss nor her husband wanted to go to the museum, so it was up to me to take care of the little tike. As you can expect, I didn’t act like a result. We’re walking through the memorial museum, surrounded by reminders of that horrific event. There was quite a somber mood throughout the entire place. Jed told me he had to go to the toilet. Fine, when nature calls. I took him through an obstacle course to the bathrooms. It was the same floor level toilet I had trouble with earlier in my trip (this time I took a picture). After 20 minutes Jed was not done. I called to see if he was ok. He said yes, five more minutes go by before he comes out. He’s asking for soap now, which is understandable. I notice his pants are all yet and he was smelling his phone pouch. He tells me it smells bad. I ask him if he got poop all over it, while making him stay away from me. I keep telling him to stay away from me and that he stinks like poop (yes, I know, real mature) and he’s finding it hilarious to tease me with his poopy hands. Well now we’re laughing harder at this game of cat and mouse. I then realize that we’re laughing out loud in a war museum! How inappropriate is this? Finally I collect myself, find him some soap and we head off. Just before we leave he buys a wood spear, again a no no on the “things not to bring to the dorm” list I created. It was a wonderful family trip, except we didn’t get lost which usually happens. Whooops, spoke too soon. We definitely got lost on the way home. Yea, it was a good weekend.
Jesse, you do know the difference between wonder and wander, don’t you.