Good shoulder

Joe had his stitches out on Thursday and received an excellent report from the surgeon. The doctor did say further daily physical therapy would probably be helpful. So out of what might be an excess of caution, we're postponing our seashore visit and will stay in Bangkok for another week. Also, instead of going to the unspoiled far South, we'll take the bus to Pattaya for six days. This is the well, er, um, somewhat non-unspoiled resort town on the Gulf of Thailand that is sometimes known as Costa del Bangkok. We do not want to miss Pattaya, because Barbara Wheaton's renowned-Philadelphia-chef pal Fritz Blank lives there. We have wanted to meet Fritz for years. Then it's back to Bangkok for a final look-see by Dr. Somsat before heading home via New Delhi May 7, arriving in Becket May 9.



The entire shoulder episode has been gratifying. Joe had a long-standing nagging medical problem expertly taken care of. Bangkok Nursing Home Hospital was friendly and considerate. The only bad moment, he said, was on the day of the surgery. The OR staff decided to remove his wristband ID; it might get in the way of the surgeons, they said. He worried that he might be mixed up with another patient and have the wrong surgery performed. He joked that he particularly did not want sexual reassignment surgery, one of BNH's specialities. That, of course, would not have included shoulder surgery---unless somebody was after that Joan Crawford look.



Tomorrow we go by bus to Cambodia on a visa run. Some of the same Thais, no doubt, who came up with the 30-day-tourist-visa rule, have built casinos just inside Cambodia, where we will be deposited for four hours before returning to Bangkok. Also, the Cambodians charge $45 each for visas, even though we will be in the country for just a few hours. Quite a racket.



Yesterday and the day before, it rained in Bangkok. We had wondered what it was like here during the monsoon rains that start in late May. Now we know. It came down in buckets for about an hour, and it was glorious. It didn't cool it off, though. Whew.