Free Sunday

Everyone was out to the beach on Sunday. We took a boat out to Ko Larn and ate steamed crab and bobbed about in the warm water. Further description would be superfluous and abusive to those not lucky enough to live here.I had a fun experience upon arriving back from the island: Rick likes to talk about how he first lived in Pattaya back in 1970, when it was just a fishing village. "I used to have a big place just off of Walking Street... I had a pool in the living room with a waterfall... just a short walk to the beach."

As we were pulling back into port, Rick once again pointed out this mystical place, saying, "It was just behind that building with the jet ski sign. The place is still there, but is all decrepit and condemned."

Well, I still wanted to see it.

So we drove back, through, and behind, and found ourselves in this abandoned site where dozens of migrant families were now living. Rick barely recognized the place from the outside, but once we walked inside... well... ...if ever there was a swimming pool, with a waterfall... in a living room... this would be the place.

It was funky: Like finding a legendary lost city (on a very small scale, granted), or some other archeological discovery. The fact that it was once so opulent (literally "the most expensive place in Pattaya at the time," claims Rick) and is now a place for Khmer migrant workers to dry their clothes, makes it all the more fun. Yet, ta-daa: There it is. Walk in and take a look. Way cool.

After that, it was off to TQ2 for boss Steve's birthday party. It was packed to the rafters with all of my friends. There was some crazy farang girl walking around wearing these dorky angel wings, getting in everybody's way. Somebody needs to slap her.Bob served the food as per usual, and everyone got covered with glow-in-the-dark paint. Stan won a bottle of vodka (as per usual), and the heavy-metal soundtrack got everyone dancing.

It was, all in all, a great goddumm day.