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On our first night in Pattaya we passed a clinic that offered blood tests. The last time my liver was checked, four years previously, the test showed that my liver was being damaged by my excessive alcohol intake. I had elevated LFTs. I had no idea where things stood now.
There had been a bit of mild abdominal pain recently but nowhere near as bad as when I drank. I knew that a lot of this pain could be due to other factors, but I still really worried about my liver. Here was a chance to face my fears. I made a pledge to myself that whatever the outcome I would not drink again. I now enjoyed my life and even if it turned out that my life expectancy had been reduced, due to my previous addiction, I wanted to spend whatever time was left sober. I went into the clinic to take the test.
While I was having my liver function tested I decided to also have the full range of blood tests including my cholesterol, which hadn’t been checked in years. The process only took a few minutes to complete and was less than a thousand bath. The told me that the results would be back in two days. I thought this a great service. I left the clinic pleased that I had taking some action to check on my health but also nervous about the possible results. I decided to try and not dwell on it too much.
Oa started complaining that she was hungry and so obtaining food became the next priority. The Thai restaurant we selected wasn’t very fancy, but the crowds of Thais eating there suggested that the food must be tasty. I missed Thai food while back in Ireland; where I found the food to be very bland. It’s strange, I would miss western food when I went a while without it but would be disappointed with its blandness when I would eat it again. The only exception to this would be bacon which always tastes delicious.
We ordered four dishes; som tam, deep fried beef, spicy pork salad and fish in lemon sauce. I hadn’t eating spicy food in Ireland so my tongue was out of practice. Luckily the meal came with raw vegetables which I was able to stick in my mouth to remove some of the heat. Oa is quite tiny, but she loves her food. She also swears by the Thai saying;’ mai pet, mai aroy’ which means if it is not spicy hot it’s not tasty. We were unable to finish all the meal, as there was so much food, but I felt pleasantly full.
We walked back to the hotel room. The bars were jammed packed by this time with evidence of drunkeness everywhere. To my sober mind this scene no longer looked exciting but seemed threatening. Many of the people seemed out of control, and I spotted a few who looked miserable despite the festive atmosphere. I didn’t envy them their partying any longer and felt relieved to be going back to my room sober to enjoy the rest of the evening. Along the way we bought some fruit to eat back in the hotel in case our hunger returned. Thailand has a fantastic selection of fruit which varies throughout the year. When back in Ireland the fruit seem a bit limited in comparison. I wasn’t back in the hotel room long before falling asleep.
I woke up around midnight. Jet lag was having its affect. The partying could still be heard outside, and I knew that it would continue until almost sunrise. Unlike the first time I came to Thailand there now existed a closing time for bars at about two o’clock. This ban didn’t seemed to be enforced much of the time. It was still possible to get drunk at anytime in Thailand, especially in Pattaya.
We decided to move to a nicer hotel the next morning. I wanted somewhere with a swimming pool. We rented a motorbike and took a ride out to South Pattaya. We looked at a few places but in the end settled for a resort where we had stayed twice before called East-sea resort. We had enjoyed staying there previously; although for me a lot of the attraction had been alcohol related. It had the choice of at least three different swimming pools and wi-fi was available for my laptop. Our present hotel also advertises itself as having wi-fi, but they forgot to mention, on their website, that they charged for this service, and it was far from cheap.
We got a taxi and brought our stuff to the new hotel room. I wasted no time before having a dip in the pool . I swam around for a short while, but as usual became bored after a few minutes. Oa joined me and we played around in the water for a while. I had enough and decided to go read my book. Oa was irritated with me because she wanted to stay in longer and didn’t want to stay alone; after all it had been my idea to get a more expensive hotel, because I wanted a pool. I laughed off her annoyance.
The rooms in East-Sea were of the bungalow variety and each had a little balcony where we could sit. I brought out a book and my new laptop and checked out the wi-fi. It worked all right but seemed a bit slow. I had been eager to use the internet since my arrival back in Thailand, but now that I was back online I couldn’t think of any sites I wanted to visit. I opened my book instead. Oa had enough of the sun and as usual became terrified that it might make her skin darker so returned to the room for a nap, We spent the rest of the day just lazing about with the occasional dip in the pool. In the evening we dined locally.
The next afternoon we decided to do something different. I had noticed people and jet skies earlier in the day. This was something I had never tried before and my sober mind felt more adventurous than my drunken one had been. We rented a jet ski from the beach in Central Pattaya.
I started off slowly as I had heard that these machines could be dangerous. It didn’t take me long to get my confidence though, and I was soon speeding along and trying to scare Oa. The weather was boiling hot so the water seemed very inviting. Oa roared out screams of laughter and terror. We took turns riding the jet ski for an hour. When Oa was in charge the ride became much slower and less bumpy. We finished the ride with our spirits high, and I was once again thankful for being sober and able to enjoy life. I had seen these jet skies for rent many times over the years, but never considered using them. I was only ever concerned with the bars.
Later that evening we returned to the clinic to get the results of my blood test. Despite my best efforts it had been playing on my mind, and I felt very nervous as we approached the receptionist. What if my liver was damaged beyond repair? She handed me my results in a white envelope. My hands shook as I opened it.
My Liver Function Test was normal - what a relief. This didn’t prove that my liver hadn’t been damaged, but it was certainly a good sign. I once again silently gave thanks to Wat Thamkrabok for getting me sober, and for providing the medicine, which I believed, had helped heal my liver. As a bonus bit of good news, all my other blood results were normal too.
We stayed in Pattaya for a further two days. This felt about enough time for enjoying the local attractions. We had visited a couple of temples, browsed through many markets and eating in a few nice restaurants. We took the night bus back to Phitsanulok where we were lucky enough to arrive in time to meet another a bus to take us to Chat Trakan. I was really looking forward to seeing our dog Cola again after our two month separation.
