"I like pineapple, but this juice is not good," said the masseuse who stopped to take a sip of her beverage and a quick break from working on my upper back. I am notoriously not easy to massage and she had been working hard enough to need to replenish her electrolytes.
"Have you ever been to Chiang Mai? They have the best pineapple there – the little ones," she continued getting back to my shoulders.
"I have. Elephants love those pineapples," I replied.
"Elephants don't eat pineapples!"
"Yes, they do – I've seen it. They love pineapple. Elephants eat a lot of things including ice cream if they can get it," I replied
"In Chiang Mai? You've been there, you've seen?"
"Yes, I have and also in Kanchanaburi."
"Really?"
"Yep!"
She paused – I think to deciding whether or not I was serious – and then broke out laughing.
I was absolutely serious, although definitely teasing her.
And this is the problem I get into with massages in Thailand. Once they know I speak Thai, the massage ladies usually get curious and chatty. We then chat through a massage I might enjoy without talking. When we would get massages together, Emily used to tell me to pretend not to speak Thai so we could just relax. But sometimes I just can't help but speak it – because it feels weird to speak English to a Thai in Thailand. The cat falls out of the bag before it was even fully in there and within minutes, I'm entertaining a Thai masseuse while she kneads my shoulders and stretches me into knots. The fact that I'm big and unwieldy actually adds to the humor and usually I have a new best friend for two hours.
I don't know if it's the quiet, the calm, my relaxation or the fact that masseuses usually just chat about everyday stuff, but I find massage conversation some of the easiest and most fun I experience.
I had forgotten about that before going in to get a day of travel tensions massaged out of me. Was it the best massage of my life? Absolutely not. But, a Thai woman from Bangkok now knows a little more about Thai elephants. So job well done.
All of this was before my plans to go to The Bed movie theater at the SF World Cinemas in the evening – where you watch a movie, literally in a specially designed movie bed. Thailand's economy may trail behind much of the developed world, but it always leads the way in movie theater comfort and technology. The luxury cinemas I discovered in Bangkok in 2001 were already better than those that have sprung up at home today. Cineopolis has nothing on Major Cinemas Siam Paragon! There's no need to reinvent the wheel – I've covered Thai cinemas before, so just look here if you need to refresh or get caught up.
So while I have movies in The Bed to look forward to – I enjoyed the morning hanging out with my friend Chad. Despite his seriously injured knee and early hour of day, Chad was at Chatuchak Park helping train his son Elijah – a now celebrated young Muay Thai fighter at the age of thirteen. I was up early anyway because even though I didn't get into bed until 3:00 am, it's hard to stay sleep too long on your first night or two in Southeast Asia. Given how much I napped on the flights here, 3.5 hours of sleep was pretty good.
Chad hasn't been in a blog in a very long time. Partly that's because last time I saw Chad was in Bali in 2017. and I didn't blog our first two big trips with the kids – both to Bali. With two in diapers, it didn't occur to me that blogging was even an option. Therefore, Chad's last blog appearance was in 2011 when Elijah was an infant.
I met Chad in 2003 when I was working in Taiwan. Taiwan was an interesting period in the lives of everyone I knew there – maybe because Taiwan isn't a place you're likely to go otherwise. Chad was trying to reset himself and his life by doing something really different. I was saving up money from teaching English while my friend Jesiah and I started a foreign nurse recruitment operation out of East and eventually Southeast Asia. The pithy version of our story is that Chad quickly became a friend to us both and a bond formed that at least for Chad and me has lasted to this day. In reality, there were some ups, downs and crazy happenings along the way.
In 2004, Chad came to Bali and met his wife Rina from Java who was working behind the alcohol counter at the local Bintang Supermarket. Their adventure together has had them live in Bali, Virginia, Bali again and for the past four years – in Thailand where their entire family learned Muay Thai as part of their visa. It turned out that while Chad and Rina enjoyed the workout and discipline, Elijah and his younger brother Orion were actually VERY good. So they migrated from Chiang Mai to Krabi to Ko Samui to Bangkok – where they now rent a house not far from where I first stayed when I came here. The boys are home schooled and train at a top Muay Thai gym everyday and compete in important tournaments.
I believe Chad wouldn't mind or disagree if I say he's a fairly intense person who is always trying to find his best path in life. That's where we meet. We have enjoyed many long conversations trying to penetrate the truths of life, figure out our paths and sometimes challenging one another with uncomfortable perceptions and insights as only real friends can.
Spending a few hours in the park, sipping Thai iced teas and having some good, serious, real and empathetic conversation was a great way to begin this trip – and much of what I hoped to get from it. Friends often have different paths at different times in life – but the good ones can stay connected and show up for each other throughout the journey. Chad regularly connected with me when I was on Patmos two years ago during a trial separation. I always appreciate how Chad showed up for me.
Our chat today reminded me of all the times Chad and I have talked about life – trying to figure out our paths and overcome our challenges. In my twenties, I saw this as something one has to do when young – and solve. Once you find the path, you go for it. Twenty one years later, I realize there is no one clear path anyone reaches – the process of figuring it out is a lifelong journey. No one knows what they're doing – sometimes we find something that works for awhile, maybe we catch a break or some wind behind our backs – but life is filled with the conversations Chad and I have been having for 21 years. We're all just lucky if we have a few good people with whom to have those conversations.
So today is a blessing. I had a conversation that exceeded my hopes and topped up my cup and a massage that wasn't everything it could have been – but was at least fun and good for interspecies understanding. And there's a bed at a movie theater waiting for me (even if I have to watch Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire to experience it).
