I’ve not done this for more than 10 years.
Idling. Taking the scenery in. Noting the unfamiliar noises in the background. The murmurs of locals and travelers alike.
Travelers. Not tourist. For the life of me I can’t stand tourist. Loud ones. Whinny one. The everything-is-wrong type … I mean, so go home now! and save us all the pain of listening to your ‘pain’… but errr… leave your dollars please.
So.
I’ve been occupying myself with reading materials and some photo editing. Very little of the latter as I am in a foul mood and I am determine to remain in such a mood. Mauling over the fact that I am not out there cultivating more sunburn shoulders. But anyways, I am convinced that if one stares long enough at the local newspaper, one should be able to decipher the language.
Pops a bum into the chair diagonally across me.
We did our cursory smile. Nod. Silent ‘hello’.
After much unbearable silence the conversation unfolded to the what I would suppose be a normal traveler’s discourse. The weather. The food. The places to experience. The future travel plans. The en routes to take …
{ though I am dying to ask if he’s contagious since his bum landed on the seat diagonally across me, but no, damn upbringing, I could not bring my otherwise blunt self to ask }
blah blah blah
blah blah blah blah
{ aaarrggghhHHHHH … what’s your freaking maladies?!? }
o.k. this is coming from me who parades around in a hippo-cum-elephant foot wrapped carelessly in some makeshift bandage.
stunned! Mr. Spot-tie asked me about my hippo-cum-elephant foot!
I mean, between me and you, though my foot may be emitting some peculiar odour (which I doubt Mr. Spot-tie is able to detect at his distance) I look decent and in pink of health!
So, I replied out of politeness.
Well, 30% politeness, 70% heh hehe heh motive – hey! it’s my one shot to ask Mr. Spot-tie about his … well, spots!
Trying to compose myself and contain my excitement on the latter, I kept my answers to three succinct-to-the-point breaths:
“Tripped and sprained.”
“Saw the village healer at 3pm.”
“Can’t wet it. Holds a blackish concoction of herbs in a paste.”
His in turn was an elaborate animated version which could have been condensed to: “Bed bugs in Bangkok.“
Nonetheless, I wouldn’t have asked for the shorter version.
I mean, why in God’s name would I want to trade in an exclamation such as:
for time to idle away convincing myself I’ll be able to read wriggles if I stare at the newspaper long enough?
.
.
{the other 1/2 of} Haque 
LOL!
keat! over my dead body…
by the time we hit mongkok yday, i told my bro that we hv been acting tourist for the last 3 days…lol.on another note, u and yr sunburn shoulders..lol. i think u must hv defined female travellers to must hv sunburn shoulders huh?? what about them wrapping themselves up in flourescent batik table cloth????lol.
my dear pinkfairies, it ain’t matter – a leopard looked better.Dear Grinch,The HAPPY HOLIDAYS I embrace… anything for some time off with a good book, cuppa and loads of snoooooooooze.:)
So long as snakes wouldn’t be wriggling across the lawnas, I wouldn’t mind reading wriggles. Only joking! This is so liberating. Happy Lancome holidays to you too sweet one.
psst… was he cute?my type?
:Dmerry christmas babe and man… you should be more careful.hugs!