It’s overcast, the closed in feel of humidity and pending rain hangs over Patong, the surf is dirty and pounding against a grey sky. Breakfast beckons, TMM ( remember him) is back on full rations (bacon & eggs with his pancakes and coffee) and a there’s a bit of colour in his cheeks and sarcasm on his tongue, probably on 7-8 cylinders today.

TMM moves to the pool to get a deckchair under the frangiapani tree, I head for (confessions of a baby boomer here) a pedicure for 250 baht ($10). I have to wait 40 minutes so a stroll down beach road and a beautiful iced cappuchino at a little cafe under a canvas awning help fill in time until I venture into the great toe unknown. I have time to check at KC Optical about glasses for colour blindness that fellow Intrepid traveller told me about, he ( the optometrist) gives me a bewildered look, apparently they don’t know about them, BUT, said fellow travellers from Perth sends a screen shot of sunglasses that say they’ll do just what she said. I’m confused and decided to check it out at home.

Ok, so now the pedicure virgin lines up with the gorgeous Thai lady with long nails, deap cleavage and knowing eyes, I feel pain coming on, or worse still embarrassment at the state of my feet, nails and toes. After an hour of having sharp instruments wash, scrape, peel, sand, and buff my feet there is about half an icecream container of skin, nail clippings, foot detritus of unknown origin and other stuff I can’t describe. But, my nails look clean, tidy, pinkish and even, even the toe with the bung nail I think was falling off, she’s sorted it out. I’m relieved, I don’t feel camp, and don’t actually feel embarrassed, it’s a good job done, think I’ll repeat it at Christmas when I’m back here.

TMM lounges at the pool all morning, sleeping, swimming, making calls, explaining why he hasn’t been able to find carved soap to a little girl who thinks he’s kidding when he says he can’t find it. But wait , good news awaits later in the day.

No lunch today, big breakfast and my belly is slightly dodgy ( fixed by lunch time) so I go for a massage near Sweet, TMM goes shopping for the females in his life, again.

Mid afternoon, we leave the pool and head to the beach, the water looks clear and I have some of Tim’s ashes to leave in the surf at Patong Beach where he came a number of times. The Andaman Sea runs west all the way to Sri Lanka s between the Mekong and the Andaman Sea he’s travelled with me a fair way this time. Next trip we’ll take him is Italy, Switzerland, France and the UK where we’ve left his ashes before.

The surf is beautiful, water is warm, and TMM says jezz that water is a bit salty, I remark that sea water is salty by nature, a comment not taken in jest I think. Its a very nice swim.

Dinner tonight is at the Banthai restaurant, we want plain food, a Leo and a Singha beer wash done sea bass fish and chips, a very nice meal and the most expensive so far on the trip. Jump (the long time Bathai man) is close by, dale tries to get him to sing but he won’t hear of it. The music is live and the young guy singing Van Morrison’s Moondance sure can play the guitar.

A walk down Bangla Road is in order as we’ve hardly gone more than 50 metres from the hotel today. Same same but not much different, booming music, dancing, go go dancers, ping pong show touts, bar girls tempting lonely men to spend money, what a new concept that is.

Then he finds the golden pot and the end of the Bangla Rainbow, a stand of carved soap. Thank goodness, at last hes got what he was instructed by a 7 year old was something he needed to bring home otherwise don’t come home.

Go the Wallabies, it on at 2.30am here, I’ll hear the results in the morning.

Ciao – Paulo