Paula Brukmüller - Flowers from Greece - The Autobiography of the Journalist Who Turned a Personal Tragedy into an Inspiring World Tour

I looked in disbelief at Flavia. That was equivalent to $600. We objected and the Thai shouted:

One thousand baht for the show and 500 baths for beer. It’s 1,500 baht for each.

We tried to argue by saying that the waitress and the guide told us that the beer costs 100 baht, but we were not even heard. The sumo wrestler got up from her chair and shouted even louder, threatening to call the security guards. Afraid of aggression or worse, we decided to pay the required amount and get out of there as soon as possible.

We left the bar in despair, looking for a place to negotiate the value of tuk-tuk to the school accommodation. We were outraged. By Thailand’s consumption patterns, $600 was a lot of money. But it wasn’t the money taken that bothered me, it was have lived such an amazing day but at the same time having to go back home with that bad feeling.

- Girls, I refuse to go to sleep so full of indignation and regret for choosing to watch the show. The amount of money lost there pays very well for the laughter we will have by telling this story in the future. I want to have at least one beer before we leave – I explained in loosen English.

We spent a few minutes discussing how much we would pay for each bottle after leaving almost R$200 each with the giant Thai, when Kate came up with a great idea.

- There is a supermarket on the back street. Beer must be half the price there. – Her eyes widened with hope. And the day was not over yet.

Each of us with a 600ml long-necked beer bottle in hand, we sat on a cement bench under the window of a jewelry store right next to the supermarket and I tried to convince the girls, and myself, that the blow in the show could have been much worse.

- Think with me. Tree girls alone! If she asked 5,000 baht each, we would find a way to pay. I do not regret it. At least I’ll tell my friends that I’ve been in a prohibited ping pong show on my trip around the world and I will still have an exciting turn when I tell the story. – I continued my reasoning – And now we have learned to ask as often as necessary to be sure about the value of tourist attractions. Everything has a lesson. At least that was fun to learn, – I said, proud of my own conclusions.

- Cheers to the exciting adventures that travelling brings! – Kate lifted the bottle, pulling another toast!

- To the genital herpes on Kate’s face! – I mocked, causing laughter.

- To travelers who drink in front of the supermarket! – said a handsome blond young man, tapping his beer in the bottle of his friend by his side, as handsome as he was. – Fernando and Martin of Argentina, he said, approaching us.

In less than 40 minutes, we already had a plastic box serving as a table, two more used as seats, and we’ve found very clean toilets inside the supermarket. We set up a private bar in the middle of the sidewalk and best of all: cold beer for less than half the price.

- The blonde is mine, – Kate said, patting the makeshift table as the boys came in to buy another round of beers.

It was very clear that Fernando had been keeping an eye on Flavia since he approached us. Martin was shy and showed no interest in anyone, but not Fernando. Fernando couldn’t hide that he was really interested in Flavia. And it was exactly him that Kate wanted.

After two rounds of beer, we bought the third and went out to watch the movement of the area. We danced down the street in front of several bars, since the music in almost all of them was extremely loud. At one of these dance stops, Martin pulled me around the waist and gave me a kiss. Everyone was surprised and asked how this had happened. I had no idea.

I thought it was the perfect time for Fernando and Flávia. But Flavia was too shy to show interest. Besides, Kate was throwing all her charm on the Argentinian and I think it intimidated Flavia even more. She was also keeping an eye on Fernando, but she didn’t want to start a competition.

When we got back to the market to buy another round of beers, Kate attacked. With even less shame after drinking, she squeezed Fernando’s ass and when he turned around to understand what was going on, she didn’t even let him finish the question, she wrapped her left arm over his shoulders and gave him a kiss.

- What the fuck? – I asked Flávia in English. She looks at me with a surprised expression, indignation and compliance at the same time. But just on our way home, I was able to talk about that mess in very fast Portuguese, so that Kate couldn’t understand.

- I was sure you would be with the blonde, – I told Flavia, avoiding uttering names so as not to leave clues while Kate looked outside the tuk-tuk with a drunken smile on her face.

- I thought so too, but our friend didn’t give a break, right? – Flavia replied smiling, in a way all that conversation seemed irreverent.

- But it was clear he was into you. Why didn’t you do something? – I asked angrily because that was exactly what I would have done.

Flavia made a “fuck this shit” face and then Kate interrupted:

- Good thing we stopped for another beer.

- That’s true – Flavia and I agreed.

Now, the day was finally over.

Flavia, Kate and I decided to book a hostel over the weekend near Khaosan Road, the famous backpacker street in central Bangkok. There are 12 bunk beds and air conditioning in the room, it was very dark at night, and there were curtains in each bed, ensuring minimal privacy.

Our only obligation on Friday was the 30-minute singing with the kindergarten kids. After that, we set off for our day off. Flávia and I booked for Saturday afternoon a tour in the floating and the train market. Kate chose to do something different on her own.

The bathroom inside the room was unisex and there were three shower booths and three toilets. The warm shower was a real spa, considering I was washing my hair with a handheld shower for a week. The only inconvenience was having to change clothes inside the shower, where there was no shelves or hooks. But who could complain after a relaxing shower with generous water pressure rising from above?

We put on some makeup and went out looking for some fun. Strange as it was for us, used to Bangkok’s “suburb” prices, everything seemed extremely expensive in the tourist region, until we converted the currency and realized that a bottle of beer was about the same price as in Brazil. I believe that because people always say Thailand is a very cheap country, Flavia and I expected even lower prices than those charged. But the massive tourism has changed Thai fame greatly.

We chose a random bar because of the music and the beer price. The waiter opened three large bottles.

- This is awesome! Kate’s eyes widened, raising her bottle for the first toast.

The lead singer and guitarist, the only overweight Thai I’ve ever seen in the entire country, greeted us with a bunch of top-quality international rock songs. In the meantime, a Brazilian funk shook us and also cheered some tourists at a larger table, which took over part of a road with restricted traffic.

When I met Kate on my way to the restroom, I saw that she was excited talking in Spanish with a group of five men.

- They’re Spanish too, – she said, opening her left arm and introducing me in the conversation.

I introduced myself and immediately noticed a different look coming from Juan, the tallest and, in my opinion, the most handsome of the five.

Big green eyes, curly hair combed with fingers to the left and expressive face. Finally, someone about my age after the “crop” of ten-year-younger guys.

By the time I got back from the restroom, Kate was already providing seating for all her new friends at our table. Strategically, she opened a single space for Juan beside her and placed everyone else between Flavia and me. In the end, Juan was facing me, diagonally across the table.