The McPherson's

Update #3

We were buying some street food and Jason asked (in Thai) if they had change . The lady said she did and then spoke really quickly saying something I didn't understand. I think she expected us not to but Jason is quick and realized she said, "Maybe I don't have change and you could just give me a tip." Jason laughed and responded to her
quip. She blushed and laughed, and then after she gave us the food and the change Jason gave her a tip. They don't routinely expect tips here so when you give one it is very appreciated.

We drove the tuk tuk outside the gates of our neighborhood for the first time. Traffic is a little scary and crazy here. We went to a Thai massage place within walking distance from our house. We got a two hour Thai massage for $7.50 each. It was fabulous! They don't just rub the muscles, they stretch them out and pull on your joints to help you loosen up. They walk on you, use elbows to dig into the muscles, and sometimes use their whole body weight for leverage. Jason and I were in the same area that was curtained off. They gave us loose fitting clothing to wear for the massage. The two girls talked to each other in Thai in whispers at first and then gradually expanded into a full fledged conversation. We didn't complain and they chatted and gossiped away. I was curious to know how much Jason understood and we had a laugh afterward that they had no idea that he spoke Thai. Jason enjoyed hearing local Thai spoken and although he didn't follow all of the conversation he knew enough to gather that some of it was about us Farong (foreigners). One of the girls answered her cell phone and rubbed my back with one hand for awhile.

I went to a Thai supermarket today. It was as big as a Costco. It is challenging to know what things are because the local products are all in Thai. You have to look at the pictures and try your luck. I have gone before with friends who know what some things are and helped me
out. There are so many interesting things. The eggs are not refrigerated because naturally eggs have a coating that protects them and we wash that off in the U.S. The meat is out on these huge open trays with ice under them. There are all kinds of seafood and meats that I don't even recognize. They have all kinds of parts of the
animal available that we don't have in the states too like pig heads and chicken intestines that look like worms. They have lots of dried
meats and seafood in big open barrels. There are all kinds of fruits and vegetables which I don't know the names of yet. They import things from all over. I took a taxi there and back and the taxi driver helped me load and unload the groceries. I gave him 20 baht to say thanks. Cup Coon Ka.

We went to the pool for the first time last week. It was so hot! The water was lukewarm and didn't really cool us off. Jason said the water cools off at night so the morning is the best time to swim. There were slides and diving boards and a children's pool with partial shade over it. There are black decorative tiles set in patterns around the pool which get so hot! I kept reminding the kids to put on their sandals when they were outside the pool. I noticed a stainless steel cover by the children's pool and guessed that it would be hot to the touch so I pointed it out to the kids not to walk on it. When I wasn't looking Justus ran on it and screamed that he was hurt. We put him in the pool for awhile and carried him home. That afternoon he had blisters on his feet and it hurt to walk. But being the quick healer that he is; was fine the next day with no more blisters!

We went to a 'Welcome the Newcomers' party on Friday. We had hamburgers, hotdogs, baked beans, salads, soda and desserts. These foods are really expensive and hard to find here. I guess we haven't been here long enough to appreciate it and would have preferred Thai food. There was Mango sorbet that was really good though. It was fun meeting new people and finding out what people who have been here awhile like about Thailand. One lady loves to go to rock concerts and thinks it is so strange that the Thai sit quietly during the music and politely clap when each song is over. Our neighborhood is so safe that no one has had anything stolen but people have accidentally left their doors open when they are gone and come home to a house full of mosquitoes.

There is a small grocery store within the community here that sells American foods. Normal mild cheddar is $8 a pound, Hershey's candy bars are $3 each and cold cereal is $7 a box of only 12 oz. We have been eating oatmeal for breakfast and leftovers for lunch. We have been avoiding refined prepared foods which I am happy about. It is easy when those foods cost so much more than meat, veggies and rice. We found that we miss oatmeal cookies and ice cream - is that any surprise? and the kids miss cold cereal. I found some ice cream that has whey in the ingredients but no milk or cream. We found that if you mix in lime or lemon juice in it tastes pretty good. You can find regular ice cream here but it costs a lot. We have friends that get milk delivered and spend $100 a month for for a family of five.