Lost and Found

When I met Rick at the airport in Krabi, I was pointing him back to belt #1 and 2 where the luggage for his flight was coming through. He walked out and greeted me with "Have I got stories to tell you!" and proceeded to say why his luggage would not be in Krabi. At 1:00 in the morning last night I had received a call from a woman (and I could hear Rick in the background so I knew he had gotten to Thailand) who asked me what guesthouse we would be staying at and what the phone number was. (I thought it was just nosy customs.. but she was from lost luggage).
"Mechanical difficulies"--that catch phrase for "folks this plane is going to be late and there is nothing you can do about it" is what Rick heard at the beginning of it all in Kalamazoo. An hour later, he was still on the ground and should have been in Detroit boarding the next plane for Tokyo. Finally in Detroit, he was told he might make it "if you run" and being a Nordic Trak faithful, he was there in no time--only to find out that they had given away his seat! Finally they gave him a new seat-but in the middle. When he asked if he could have an aisle like he originally had, the stewardess told him he should be glad he was getting on the flight at all and walked away. As Rick is a person to make lemons out of sour stewardess comments, he befriended the two interesting people on either side on the flight. In Tokyo, it was another sprint to catch the next plane to Bangkok, making it with not a minute to spare.
Of course, once in Bangkok, he knew his luggage did not arrive, and he was making his claim (thus my late night phone call). Being the good natured guy he is, he showed the true colors of "rolling with the punches" or would it be better to say rolling with nothing much--you can't wear the CD's that he had in his carry on or the two photo memory card he brought me...
"Essentials" was one of the words spoken over the next few hours as we went to the supermarket for soap and searched for unscented deodorant (how do I describe that in Thai when I know about 10 words?) I could stand in close proximity to him and he smelled fine to me, but when one has lost almost all they brought and traveled halfway around the world, I respect whatever they feel they need and we will be searching for it. Into the air conditioned store for some clothing items and whatever else was needed.
I give remarkably resiliant Rick and A+ for just laughing about it over a cold yogurt drink and his first Thai curry dinner 1 and 1/2 hours later. He did say after a purchase that it is amazing what you can live without! I still have my 35 lbs. of luggage and have only added to my belongings over the last two months so at this point I am not one to talk about what it is like to live "without".
After an afternoon nap, we ventured into town for the night market and its array of prepared foods --neatly stacked piles of fruit, endless curries in bowls, fried foods of every kind along aisles lighted brightly with bare bulbs hanging everywhere.
A few treats picked up along the way--coconut filled sesame deep fried treats, a banana crepe fried and topped with condensed milk, and sweet rice with mango (Hey! when you're a grown-up you can have dessert first --or ONLY!!) Then a drink to round out the evening (a coconut shake for me and a Chang beer for Rick) and we head back to Chan Cha Lay--our guesthouse where the airy rooms have small white tiles embedded in the aqua floors in the design of sand dollars and the open air shower lets you sing to the heavens (or at least pray to them for lost luggage to find you!) And so goes the first day in the Land of Smiles!

As I write this on day two of this journey... the luggage has arrived so all is well in Krabi!