Week Two on Break

 Coming down from the high of being in Khon Kaen, we returned to our quiet apartment at the temple in Bangkok. Our neighbors all went away for the break and it feels a little lonely here. Plus, we are fairly secluded anyway, as our apartment is in a hallway requiring a passkey. 

We came home to no hot water, due to the temple being worked on. There was no hot water for the next two days either. Dennis braved a cold shower, but I took a shower in the arrival center. When the hot water came back on, it startled me that tinted brown water poured from the faucet. We let it run, and in about a minute, it had cleared again. We take these modern amenities for granted until they're gone.

We hired a taxi to Sirijat Hospital to visit Dr. Cherdchia and his assistant, Aiy, whom we first made friends with back in 2014. the doctor has done a lot to implement Lean processes at the hospital, which (Lean) is Dennis' expertise. The Dr. showed us his latest project that involve ambulance rescues. In Thailand, one doesn't go to a doctor's office, they go to the hospital for everything. 

He uses Lean processes to refine the system. He built a small Lego neighborhood to study the processes more successfully. 

They also fed us a delicious Thai lunch of Pat Thai, chicken and noodles, and coconut and chocolate ice cream for desert.

On May 29, 1971, while Dennis was serving as a young missionary in Thailand, two of his companions Robert Huntington and Gary Willis died in a terrible traffic accident in NE Thailand. They were wonderful young men and usually serious. Huntington is the tall one and came from Tacoma, Washington. Gary Willis, center, was from Mesa, AZ, and the third guy with the big mouth is Dennis. He remembers this day every year.

We went for a Thai foot massage. Everyone who comes to Thailand needs to have one during their visit. These ladies worked on our legs for an hour, and then massaged our shoulders. They take their work very seriously. It was hard to get them to smile. :-) They knew just where to rub to cause excruciating pain! When I'd cringe, I saw the pleasure in their eyes.

We went back to the mall to buy a new purse because mine gave up the ghost. I discovered I am purse-nickety when it comes to purses, but we finally found a nice one. We dropped in again at Sunrise Taco and had a great meal.

Dennis had the enchiladas and I had a taco salad. Both were good. We also ordered a slice of pecan pie. It was a step up from the single serving packaged one at Walmart, which we can't get here anyway.

These vending machines sell action figures from popular shows and movies. They are plentiful in the subway terminals. I wanted the Totoro from this one, but I had a three out of seven chance of getting one. Hmm. Not that big of a gambler for $3. I'll probably give in and try for one in the future.

Workers are cleaning the lighting in the breezeway between the temple and the garden court. Every day, it has been a different project in this spot--usually furniture being refurbished.  Four more days and the temple will open!

Dennis counted 16 lottery ticket vendors on his walk. So many. The man didn't want to be photographed. This is a common scene. Too bad so many depend on gambling to make a living.

Dennis' favorite fruit vendor packages and slices the fruit without ever touching it with his bare hands.

Our delightful granddaughter turned two. Her mother made this beautiful unicorn cake. We were able to watch her blow out her candles by FaceTime. Thank you, technology, for allowing us that small pleasure.

We've kept busy during the break and done fun things, but I'll be happy when the temple opens again and we can return to serving our Lord Jesus Christ through temple work!