Sniff Cough

Yesterday the "core entourage" -- that would be Dang and I, accompanied by Dang's younger brother, his wife, Dang's little sister, her cute little daughter, and of course Dang's Mother -- piled into two Isuzu pickups and took a short drive to visit Dang's nephew (this would be the younger brother's son), a young military man still in training.

I'm an ex-military man myself so I know what "training" really means. It's simply a level of existing where the authority figures who control most aspects of your life are promising to ease off at some later point in time, holding out that promise of increased freedom -- IF you can stick it out and get through your current less-than-ideal circumstance. The nephew's current circumstance prohibited him from leaving the post, he wanted to see his aunt, and so we came to him.

We drove right onto the post; no security check, no fifty questions, no forms to fill out, not even an ID check. We simply drove through the gate. This brought back memories of my military routines back in the days before 9/11. Of course nowadays we Americans are so terrified that a handful of fellows with boxcutters or guns in hand will breach the walls and murder someone that every US military outpost in the world is locked down tight. Considering that Thailand is currently engaging Islamic separatists in the south (hell, this nephew's best friend was just killed in this conflict) this level of military confidence strikes me as remarkably measured.

I found the drive though the post reassuring because it had a familiar military look; lots of space, big parking lots for military equipment, lots of fences and gates, expansive lawns, parade grounds, and  housing areas that are decent enough, but not so nice as to cause the general citizens to believe that the troops are being spoiled rotten. (By the way, have any of you Americans noticed the nice new cars our military personnel are driving?) There were exotic fruit trees growing everywhere. Of course these things grow like weeds over here, but these were cultivated; something to do with a program that allows locals onto the post to tend to the plants. Why let all that nice land go to waste?

Honor thy mother...

Dang's nephew was a strapping young lad, tall and lean in his digital camo pattern cargo pants and matching t-shirt, and the display of respect he showed his mom and dad was something completely foreign to me. Our visit struck me as remarkably short and sweet. Everyone exchanged hugs and had a nice visit, then nephew had to get back to whatever he was supposed to be doing and it was time to eat.

A short drive later we arrived at a popular restaurant a short drive down a country lane from the main highway where word of mouth regarding the good food required our attention. It was an authentically rustic covered patio sort of place with picnic style hardwood tables with tops constructed from pairs of 2 or 3 feet wide planks 3 inches thick. It was a dark hardwood that looked to me like oiled mahogany. We ordered up some food, waited almost an hour, and eventually enjoyed a nice meal; mostly seafood. It was worth the wait.

 Then it was back to the hotel/resort for naps. Dang and I were both sniffing and I had a nasty tickle in my throat that felt like it might lead to something worse.