Requietio

Friday 10^th

I woke up and had to pee. I laid about watching TV until I had another pee and bowel movement, then I dilated.

Robyn phoned the airline and was able to arrange an early flight home. We leave on Monday at 10:15am, and should get to Sydney on the Tuesday at 7:05am. I phoned Pim and advised her of this.

After breakfast at the cafe we went to an Internet cafe hidden in a laneway just behind it. There was so much mail that it was hard to find any replies from my earlier postings. I sent an email to friend in Sydney asking if we could stay at their place for a day after returning. After this we found an ATM and I withdrew more baht.

As we were returning to the room we met Portia just outside the hotel. She was going shopping, but I felt too tired to join in. I lazed around a lot, and later did a tarot reading for Portia. I did another dilation -- still had a bit of pain but not much.

I fell asleep for three hours this afternoon, snoring too (or so Robyn says). After dinner we browsed through the bookshop underneath the hotel for cookbooks. I haven't found one I like though. Also felt a bit constipated. I tried so much to pass a movement but nothing would come. Robyn says that I'm being silly and that I shouldn't worry about it. The thing is, in hospital I only seemed to have movements after enemas -- but that may have been the hospital food at work.

I dilated before sleep, am still on #1.

Saturday 11^th

I woke with a rotten headache. I dilated OK but was still too nervous to go up to #2, though I promised myself that I would with the next dilation. We didn't get out until 10am, where we met Portia in front of the hotel (again) coming back in.

We shopped at Robinson's after breakfast. I felt a little dizzy at the time. We stopped at another department store on the way back, called Ocean Shores and I really felt exhausted there, so much so that I had to sit down on the steps to the 2nd floor. One of the staff gave me some smelling salts called "poi-san" -- at least it wasn't poison!

I went upstairs with Robyn to the cafeteria, but it was just too noisy and bright for me. Robyn took me down to a Mr Donut that was next to the store, and bought me a donut and iced coffee. I sat down for ½ hour in the airconditioned shop and felt better. Then we returned to the hotel and I bought a cookbook on the way.

Robyn suspected that it was the airconditioning that was making me sick. It's the same sort as that used in refrigerators, so it tends to dry one out. From now one until we left, we had at least one window open to let some of the humidity in.

Jenny popped in for a visit and Robyn and I went with her and Linda out to lunch. I felt woozy again and went back to the room. I napped for an hour and then dilated. This time, I did get to #2 -- not the great pain I'd feared.

After watching a film we went out for dinner with Portia, only she'd already eaten. I checked my email but there were no general replies, and none from my friend in Sydney.

Sunday 12^th

I woke feeling better than yesterday. I dilated while watching TV. Less pain this morning and I was able to dilate on #2 for 10 minutes. I was keen to do some actual site-seeing today, as there wouldn't be time tomorrow -- the surgeon's driver would be picking us up at 8:30am.

After breakfast we took a tuktuk to Wat Chalong. This is a Buddhist temple complex in the area of Chalong. I took some photos of temples, bought a "flapping parrot" wind toy, and gave alms to Budda.

I also entered to temple and preyed as well. This involved:

1. buying a bundle of candles, incense, lotus flower, and gold foil;

2. lighting candles in a long brazier outside the temple;

3. taking off my sandals and entering the temple;

4. kneeling and preying -- I preyed for a safe return to a happy, secure household;

5. placing the lotus flower in a bowl with the others;

6. rubbing / pressing the gold foil onto the three statues of Budda there.

I stayed for a while and looked at the display behind the statues. Then I took a photo of the statues themselves. I had at least one bad reaction to this from the locals, though I don't know what I'd done wrong.

Inside the temple there were any number of tourists taking photos, though it was suggested (seriously) that I might have taken the photo while my feet pointed to them. Go figure.

Finally the tuktuk took us back to Phuket Town. The houses and farms and rubber plantations, and almost everything, seem so colourful and exotic to me. But then, this is my first time outside Australia. I can understand Robyn's attraction to this place, and her desire to maybe live here.

Back in town we did a little shopping. I bought some earrings and chopsticks, Robyn bought a small bronze Budda. I shouted Robyn coffee and a donut in return for yesterday.

Then we walked slowly back to the hotel and passed a shop with a Taoist shrine at the back of it. I was very impressed with this and asked the owner permission to photograph it. He agreed, o long as the photo wasn't used for anything bad. It wasn't going to be, and that's also why the photo doesn't appear here.

I had a dilation and afterwards we went for an early dinner and to the net cafe. Still no reply from my friend in Sydney. I emailed some friends in Newcastle with a message to pass on to Jo. I don't know though, if he'll get it or not in time to pick us up at Mascot Airport on Tuesday. Pim dropped in to see how we were, just after I finished dilating again. She likes Robyn a lot. Finally she left after a photo and a hug.

I repacked my bags and arranged for room service to call us tomorrow at 7am. Watched a bit of TV and fell asleep, finally.

Monday 13^th

I woke at 6:20am, went to the toilet, had a shower and got dressed. There wasn't much to do, as Robyn and I had already done it last night.

I phoned Portia before going and said goodbye. Robyn and I checked out at 7:30am and waited for the driver to arrive at 8am. I had to go to the toilet -- the first bowel motion in two days at last. And of course, the driver arrived while I was having it! It didn't take long to get to the airport and the driver handed me my "Certificate of Surgery" before then.

It was strange looking at the sights on the road there. The last time I'd travelled this road it'd been night and wet, with few people about. Now it was day and dry, with activity everywhere. I saw a granny ride a scooter on the wrong side of the road, holding on to her grandchild at the same time. I saw people sleeping in the back of trucks carrying produce. I saw buildings being torn down or rebuilt. I saw people selling any and everything.

I saw my last sights of Phuket, of Thailand, for now. I might come back one day for a "regular" holiday sometime -- who knew. But for now Robyn and I checked our baggage and cleared passports, and so on, all in good time for th flight to Changi.

We arrived on schedule but had a seven hour lay-over until the flight back to Sydney. Despite things, the time seemed to pass quickly. I was able to watch videos for a while. Robyn was able to smoke in special rooms; though we also went to the roof garden as well. We had a late lunch. I browsed bookshops but didn't find anything to buy. And I read yet more of Queen of the Damned, and talked with Robyn. She wants to return to Phuket and live there. I think she will too, though it may take a few years. I really like Robyn. She's put up with my moods, my tantrums and silliness for over two weeks, and hasn't complained or lost her temper once. She's held my hand and more. I think the trip would have been much more stressful for me without Robyn along.

Finally we boarded the plane and were on our way home.

Continued in Lavatio