Korat had a lot of good, cheap restaurants with narrow storefront rooms, concrete floors and a few folding tables and chairs. I became habituated to one of them, became friends with the lady who ran it and got to meet a lot of Thais there. It was a restaurant but also a place groups of Thai government workers, truck mechanics and soldiers liked to drink. One evening I went to the place intending to get some supper. A group of Thai soldiers who I didnt know at all asked me to sit and drink with them. I explained Id come to eat and they said no problem, they were eating too. I sat with them and they introduced me to a soup of beef, liver, heart and probably other innards along with tomato, spring onion and spices. I loved it and there was a salad plate as well. They were drinking Mekong whisky with Bangkok soda water. They poured drinks for me and they all talked to me. They said they were commandos; free andlying panthers or black tigers or some such. They were recently back from fighting in Vietnam and having a good time. We ate and drank and talked. The two guys sitting on either side of me kept filling my glass, especially when I was looking the other way. I got very, very smashed. I excused myself to the toilet where I could barely stand up. I knew Id gotten way too drunk and Id probably regret it. When I returned those guys were gone. I figured theyd gotten me drunk to stick me with the bill but no, they had paid all with no contribution from me. My heart was warned but I was staggering drunk, sleepy and needed to get back to base. I went to catch a bus and found Id missed the last one. I staggered to the taxi stand and saw no taxis. It was later than I thought. It was miles to the base, I had no way to get there, I was drunk as a skunk and I stood on curb and puked in the gutter. That, I knew, was a sign to anyone who saw me from even a block away, how drunk I was. I felt very likely to get robbed. I was in a situation I felt could only end badly. A samlar driver stepped in front of me. These guys drove leg powered tricycle taxis and a lot of the criminal element were samlars. I took out my wallet to hand it over, hopefully without getting hurt. He didnt take the wallet but said, Pooying wanna talk with you. What pooying, I asked. He gestured to his samlar with a lady sitting in it. She said, Ill take you back to base. I asked how she could do that with no taxis but said shed get one. I said Id be very grateful if I could get back to base. The samlar drove us to a taxi; the taxi drove us to the base where I had to sign for her to get on base. I was unable to sign my own name -- its the only time I ever had to sign with an X, which was the suggestion of the security policeman. He was strangely accommodating to me and the lady. The taxi took us to my barracks. The lady walked with me to my room then left. I had a little worry about who I had signed onto the base and what she might do then I slept. The next day my roommates asked who was the beautiful and well dressed lady. I could only guess she might have been involved in law enforcement. I never knew why she took the trouble to save me from disaster or how we got through the gate after curfew with no trouble.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 02:14:45 +0000
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