Red Jack in the afternoon, Chang at night

Pattaya, 24 Febr. 2012.

A party is in full swing when I arrive, knacked and weary from five and a half hours in a local chicken bus, but the big bottles of Red Jack on the table, the familiar face and Flemish accented voice of Luuk The Mad Belgium I met last year, the excited giggles of the lady Receptionistas, make me forget the horrors of traveling local wise instead of just shell out a few more Thai baht and do it the tourist way, minibus without frequent stops to pick up or drop passengers whose baggage looks like they are moving house, or maybe farm considering it is not all that uncommon to find a wooden bamboo basket containing life roosters under your seat, maybe they are on the way to some rural cockfight competition, some facts of Thai life they don't really want us Farang to know about...Western animal rights screaming animal activists could well be done without at these events...

hurrying upstairs, forget about the film of persperation and fine dust covering my large thin frame, don't bother to check out the New Star provided TV in my room for possible malfuncions, just drop the heavy gear, my worn backpack containing my smelly clothes and chaotic sketchbooks on the floor and haul my white ass downstairs, join the whisky party, say hello to Luuk and get smashing drunk with the reception ladies who are always in the mood for Sanuk, Sanuk, despite a whole night's shift of tending La Reception D'Hotel...still have to figure out how these small bodied Asian ladies can hold their liquor, but that is for another day...probably will find myself wide awake tonight, a super dry feeling in my throat induced by Red Jack and off to the boulevard drinking big bottles of Chang Export at four o'clock in the morning watching those Hot Mommas who are well versed in the midnight trade and always willing to share a drink with me, tell me about their crazy lives and entertain me while hopelessly trying to get the whisky out of my system by drinking ice cold beer from the Seven/11..or was it 7/Eleven...never mind, when I drink whisky the Thai way I know how it will end, not much of a good night's sleep but loads of beer after waking up from a troubled couple of hours of sleep...