Happy Surprises!

   It was a warm welcome in Ayutthaya beginning with tuk-tuk operators Gai & Mai.  At the house I was welcomed by the family including new son-in-law/husband and a new house cat. (The cat has upset the ecological balance by eating all the geckos.)  Even the neighbors came over to welcome me back.
   Just as I left last year Max opened her own Thai massage studio.  Business was not sufficient to pay the rent and other overhead costs so she closed it and moved it to the house.  She is also on call at another studio.  Never one to let grass grow under her feet she also bought two commercial sewing machines and is sewing clothing on a piece work basis,
   Piece work is not an easy way to make money.  The machines, used?, cost $300. each.  She is sewing small boy's shirts.  She does all the sewing but not the button holes or buttons.  Her pay is 29 cents per shirt, so, at that rate she'll have to sew 2000+ shirts to pay for the machines.
   Two happy surprises for me.  There is now a bed for me!  No more sleeping on the floor and my first night on it proved it very comfortable.  This blog is being composed on the new laptop at the house, which, Poo tells me was purchased so I wouldn't have to go to an email cafe.  A number of other improvements have been made both inside and outside of the house.

Poo's and Tong's wedding picture.

"I Spy" Banana plant for students at Noble School.