My Girl – Chameleon
First I must offer my apologies to Boy George and Culture Club for not only stealing their song lyrics but also tweaking them a little bit, I’m sure they won’t mind.
Monday sees me head out to Thailand once more and on this trip I will be visiting Kanchanaburi and also heading up to Udon Thani. For this post I thought it best I lay out a little background to the person who nearly always gets a mention in my stories and that of course is my girlfriend Wonderful Wi.
Desert loving in your eyes all the way
If you look in my eyes would you say
I’m a man with conviction
I’m a man who likes to know
How to sell a contradiction
I come and go, I come and go
Karma karma karma karma, karma chameleon
I come and go, I come and go
Loving is easy cause your colors are like my dream
Red gold and green, red gold and green
You may be wondering why the post is titled Chameleon and that is easily explained in saying Wilai is just like most Thai women in that she can change her hair style and look in seconds. She can go from sophisticated to wild and sultry with just an elastic band and a flick of her hands in no time at all.
The top photo is my favourite one of her (not Wi’s) and is what I call her girl next door look. The photo on the right was taken in Muang Loei and is her normal look for when we are out and about. My chameleon has many other styles and they are always accompanied with a big booming smile.
I don’t hear your sweet words everyday
And I really love to hear you say
That our love is an addiction
When we cling our love is strong
When I go I’m not gone forever
You sing along, you sing along
Karma karma karma karma, karma chameleon
I come and go, I come and go
Loving is easy cause your colors are like my dream
Red gold and green, red gold and green
Wi is a bubbly lass and forever has a smile on her face. She is naturally quite bright but academically at times she’s not the sharpest colour in the lunch box. In fact when it comes to simple arithmetic’s she’s sometimes the sandwich that fell on the floor.
Many times when we are looking around the big shopping mall in Udon Thani Wi will be viewing the latest ladies fashion and I will be generally hanging around somewhere nearby waiting for my chance to beat it to the nearest bar.
I try to show a little interest in the shopping experience and quite often Wi will rush over and drag me to where she has been mulling over a possible purchase.
‘Hus…band. Before these jeans 900 baht. Now have 30% discount, how much I must pay. Hus…band like jeans or not.’
‘They are very nice jeans Wilai. Now they discount to 630 baht. Very cheap.’
‘Hus…band clever too much. You speak very nice and very cheap. Maybe hus…band can pay. If expensive I not ask you pay.’
‘Okay Wilai.’
Her arithmetic might be bad but her equations are pretty damn good.
Every day is like survival
You’re my lover, not my rival
Every day is like survival
You’re my lover, not my rival
I’m a man with conviction
I’m a man who likes to know
How to sell a contradiction
I come and go, I come and go
My nickname for young Wilai is Dek Dek (baby / toddler) because to me she looks so young but her actual age I never seem to know. I first met Wi nearly six years ago and in that time she has been 29 two years running and this October she will be 33 which is the same age as she was on her last birthday. I guess it’s down to those arithmetic’s once more.
Wi’s passion is gardening and her love of flowers in a way shows what a sweet country girl she is. She’ll spend hours and hours in the garden and many a time early evening I have had to open the living room curtains to let the light allow her to see what she is doing.
Two years ago we took a trip to Muang Loei at Christmas time and I really do like looking around a new town or city. I didn’t see much of it because we spent most days going to garden centres and the annual Muang Loei Flower Festival, it was the same last Christmas as well. This festive season Wi wants to go to Chiang Mai which is somewhere I’ve never seen before. I reckon they must have a flower show there as well.
Karma karma karma karma, karma chameleon
I come and go, I come and go
Loving is easy cause your colors are like my dream
Red gold and green, red gold and green
We’ve only ever had one big argument and that was quickly resolved. I gave her some money to go shopping, clever arithmetic’s on my part that time. End of argument. What I really do like about Wi is that she hardly ever moans, except if I’ve had a few too many drinks and even then she’s more persuasive than nagging and often suggests I sleep off my afternoon drink to enable me to enjoy more of the same evening time. Clever words to a drunk person.
Alcohol and Wi don’t mix. One time in the Irish Clock Bar in Udon Thani I bought myself a Murphy’s Irish beer and a orange juice for Wi. It was the first time she had seen the black beer as she later called it and she watched with fascination every time I took a sip. When I went for a refill she asked to try the drink herself and I returned with a pint for me and a half for her.
From her very first taste to the last she drank the beer unknowingly with a frothy white moustache on her upper lip. After she downed the last drops she suddenly leapt to her feet and announced.
‘Husband me dunk (drunk) me wery (very) wery dunk. Black beer too stong (strong). Me wery wery dunk and hot. Black beer stong too much. Dek Dek hot and dunk mark mark.’
I knew then that she would never touch another drop of Murphy’s again and at 80 baht for a small glass of the Irish stout I thought thank Christ for that.
Karma karma karma karma, karma chameleon
I come and go, I come and go
Loving is easy cause your colors are like my dream
Red gold and green, red gold and green
Karma karma karma karma, karma chameleon.
Wilai loves watching movies and is also perfectly happy to watch a game of football with me and can get quite involved in the match. She’s not really politically minded but like so many Isaan people she feels a certain amount of loyalty to Mr Shinawatra.
Wi prefers the village life to the big city and her treats for each month are chancing her luck on the Thai lottery and a trip to the city shopping mall to catch up on the latest fashion. To me she’s just a quiet, cute country girl…… my chameleon.
By the time this post is set to go out I will be on my way to London to catch my morning flight to Bangkok via Abu Dhabi. I’m planning to have a relaxing 14 day break in Thailand and my next post will be from the Land of Smiles. Good luck and best wishes.
Martyn,
Wilai has a beautiful smile and it sounds like you have met your match in this great lady. Have a safe journey and lots of fun.
Unfortunately for me mine likes the expensive jeans….but lately I’ve been able to dodge that bullet.
Oh, and Martyn, do watch out for snakes in the loo….I have a touching story of one miss Pookie going to the hongnam this week only to get bitten while there…she’s ok but I know one hongnam I’m never using again.
.-= Talen´s last blog ..On the Road Again, Thai Style =-.
Martyn clearly a great girl. Doesn’t time fly? It hardly seems five minutes since your last visit. I hope you have a great time or as MTF and WW might say a wery ice mine!!
Are you visiting Malcolm in Kanchanaburi?
.-= Mike´s last blog ..Mong -Thailand’s Paper Tiger? =-.
Talen I know the kind of hong nam you’re talking about, Wilai had an incident at mama’s house a few years back but managed to vacate a bit pronto. I will look forward to the Pookie post. Cheers.
Mike time does fly I’ll be home before I know it and I’m only at Heathrow now. I am hoping to get down and see Malcolm but cannot put a definite yes on it yet, it depends how things pan out and where the young one wants to go on day trips. Plus I am a bit of a private person at heart and as much as I’d like to meet you all sometimes things are best left as they are. Hope you understand that.
Have a great trip sir. You’re more than welcome to drop by Saraburi, should find the time and get the urge.
.-= Jon´s last blog ..Bryan Robson set to coach Thailand =-.
Martyn,
What a sweet letter to Wilai 🙂
‘I am a bit of a private person at heart and as much as I’d like to meet you all sometimes things are best left as they are. Hope you understand that’
I’m getting to the same frame of mind. My worry is that meeting everyone will change things, and I so very much like how it is now.
And this comes from experience. I belong to a very close online group. We’ve helped each other through love affairs, engagements, weddings, births, divorce and death. We’ve trotted around the world meeting each other. And while meeting strengthened some relationships, it weakened others. Forever.
In saying that… I’m finally connecting with my online Italian buddy in little over a week. We’ve known each other for about ten years, with this being our first time meeting in real life. But as she’s such a piece of work anyway (as I can be too), I doubt we’d be surprised over anything that happens.
Anyway Martyn, have a great time on your visit to Thailand. As ever, I expect to hear all about it. Well, most of it anyway… 🙂
.-= Catherine´s last blog ..Thai 101 Learners Series: Getting Personal =-.
My Girl – Chameleon yes they can get great results with just a hair bauble
boy George and culture club those where the days i met George o dowd aka boy George with my then Irish girlfriend in Europe discotheque Reykjavik Iceland 1987
but it was not the first time i had met him would you believe that my sister turned up at home with him in full dress back in 1985 not the real boy George but her new fella dressed up just like him she introduced him to my mum and dad while i was set on the sofa fu-k me my jaw just dropped my dad was lost for words but is face said it all
its funny how things make you think of events gone buy
Martyn,safe flight have a wonderful time regards john
.-= John´s last blog ..my expat plan udon thani issan part 1 =-.
You wrote:
‘Hus…band clever too much. You speak very nice and very cheap. Maybe hus…band can pay. If expensive I not ask you pay.’
‘Okay Wilai.
It’s a good thing I wasn’t drinking when I read that line because I’d still be drying off my keyboard and screen! She sure knows how to sweet-talk. 😉
Anyway, you lucky guy, back in LOS probably by now, with your lovely Wi.
Cat wrote:
“I’m getting to the same frame of mind. My worry is that meeting everyone will change things, and I so very much like how it is now.”
I feel I have to concur. We all have our “real lives” and “online lives.” If the two intersect, we can deal with it then. Let me quickly say that I enjoy the blogging camaraderie. Everyone’s been especially helpful and encouraging. I hope I can do the same.
all the best
rick
Jon thanks and being in Thailand the trip will naturally be one joyous ride of wonderful sights and fun, fun, fun.
Catherine thanks for your comforting words. I do feel a bit bad about not meeting up with our community buddies but I think you have put it so well….My worry is that meeting everyone will change things, and I so very much like how it is now…..That is how I feel. Thanks for putting it over far better than I did.
John you really do have some great stories and you should put them down on one of your blogs, they’d be a great read. I will be popping down to Ban Dung at some stage of the holiday and will have a drink for you.
Rick thanks for your nice words and your time in the LOS is coming soon and I’m sure it will be longer than the short 14 day break I am presently on. Perhaps you’ll get a chance to meet up with some of the community but for me at the present moment and with such a short trip then I’ve got to give it a miss.
enjoy issan udon thani and even back of the boonies ban dung glad you like my stories ive worked and travelled from Iceland to Queensland and met some interesting people from boy George to the dali lama in india
when i work my mind wonders of to better days and more recentley over the last 9 years issan is my bolt hole
asia as a whole is a wonderful place
enjoy your holiday and give my best to Wi
regards John
ps say hello from me to steve and mali at the clock and the ban dung boys gary garys bar /Eddie from eddies bar bruce if he gets back from auzz and big dave the chang monster
.-= john´s last blog ..typical expat day in ban dung issan thailand part 2 =-.
We can all have a virtual beer one day while we are sitting at the same internet cafe not talking to each other 🙂
.-= Talen´s last blog ..Thailand Blogging Two Years On =-.
‘We can all have a virtual beer one day while we are sitting at the same internet cafe not talking to each other’
That’s the spirit 😀
.-= Catherine´s last blog ..Thai 101 Learners Series: Bringing Abstract into Real Life =-.
Nice article I love this quote Every day is like survival
You’re my lover, not my rival
Every day is like survival
You’re my lover, not my rival thanks for sharing 🙂
Catherine I must agree and say a great line from Talen but what else would one expect from the American masterblogger. I am currently suffering from a few photo upload problems and will post when back in England. Probably having my best holiday ever and amazingly drinking less alcohol, more water and eating a little fruit and lots of amazing and tasty Thai food. All the best from one happy and waist expanding HD.
‘the American masterblogger’
And he is at that. I’ve taken on board more than a few of his tips.
Have fun on your drinking less holiday. I like to do that too (especially on the plane out). For the plane ride back, all bets are off.
.-= Catherine´s last blog ..Thai 101 Learners Series: Bringing Abstract into Real Life =-.
Thanks Catherine, I don’t think I’ve ever drunk so much water in my life but still finding time for a few beers and I’ve eaten loads of Thai food this holiday. I think I must becoming civilised at long last.
How romantic and such a lovely tribute! I love women that can change like that, so elegant and effortless. My husband has one look that unfortunately looks like a chav but was deemed “sporty” in South Africa.
.-= Emm´s last blog ..New York day 5: Museum of Natural History =-.
She’s very pretty:) I don’t drink beer anymore too:) Not very good for me as well.
.-= Jade´s last blog ..Earthquake in Singapore =-.
Emm and Jade I have one look and it’s old, haggard and downright annoying. Wilai will appreciate the compliment about her looks but I will foot the bill for the extra posing photos that will surely come. I really would like to upgrade to chav. Thank you.