My Sister said it would be ok, we could earn some money for our family and we could come home to our village in one year. That was four years ago and we’re still here. It’s not ok, I’m always tired and we don’t earn nearly as much money as some girls in the other bars. We owe Mama and that bastard Pai twenty four thousand baht and can’t leave until we have repaid them. They told us they would come to our village and drag us back and make us do worse things.
Some men are nice and they take me out for some food and I translate for them and hold their hand. They have to pay my bar fine so I can go with them, sometimes they pay all week so I don’t have to go back. They always promise to send me money, but only one did when he went back to his home. Some of the other girls fake being pregnant and send them emails and call to them to send them money, but I can’t lie like them.
That guy at table fourteen is sitting by himself and hasn’t bought any girl a drink yet, he keeps looking at me. I will go and sit with him after this dance and see if he will pay my fine, I’m hungry. I hope he doesn’t want to go short time with me, he looks squishy and fat.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Jane's watching the stars
Tommy wasn’t sure if he was dug in enough or if the OP could be seen from down in the valley. The patrol had been inserted ten days ago and it had taken then three days to walk in, mostly at night and then another seven to dig in and set up the observation post. The valley had no tree cover and the four huts they were watching were surrounded by boulders strewn along the valley just below the snow line.
The cold wind off the snow bit into his neck and the darkness was playing tricks on his eyes. The three man SAS patrol was tasked with observing a small compound and there had been little movement since their arrival. His picket was only for 2 hours and soon it would be over and he could sleep. Ten days of cold rations was taking it’s toll and Tommy wasn’t enjoying his first patrol with Bravo Company.
Tommy could hear Johno behind him, fifteen years in the regiment always on two hour rotations mean Johno was a walking alarm clock. He slept for one hour and fifty seven minutes and awoke fully rested. Tommy kept his vision down the valley and he shifted from his sniper scope to normal vision to keep his field of view open. He could her Johno taking a piss into the plastic sealed jar they each carried and would take with them when they were extracted.
Johno crawled into the pit “what’s going on? You fall asleep did you?” Tommy liked everything about life in the regiment except wankers like Johno. Lifers who knew nothing else and saw it as their job as having to break new troopers. “No, been awake the whole time, funny that hey?”
“Whatever, what’s going on?”
“You’re a master soldier, I’m sure you’ll work it out.” Tommy hissed at Johno as he pulled back his rifle and backed out on his stomach towards his sleeping bag, he needed some sleep. Before Tommy was out of the pit Johno grabbed his arm, yanking his rifle out of his grip. “What the fuck are you doing?” Tommy yelled in a whisper at Johno who was staring at Tommy though he couldn’t be sure through the camouflage paint, long beanie and heavy beard Johno had.
“What the fuck did you mean by that? I asked for a situation report and now you fucken well give it to me!” Tommy laid still, the dead of night carried even the slightest whisper and the last thing they needed was a pack of them hearing them and coming out for a look. “Look, like I said, there’s nothing been going on. One bloke came out, took a piss on the south wall, had a durry and went back in, not even a light’s been on.” Tommy didn’t want to argue with Johno, he’d heard about him before joining Bravo and straight away he had zeroed in on Tommy and had been riding him hard all the way since they deployed. The patrol commander Trig was an old mate of Johno’s and even though he was ok to Tommy, he didn’t stop Johno giving it to Tommy. He was younger and fitter than both of them and was doing more than his share on the patrol, but he wanted to make a good impression on the legendary patrol commander.
Tommy pulled his arm free and grabbed his rifle pulling it under his chest away from Johno. “I don’t know what your problem is Johno, but like it or not I’m in this patrol and plan on staying for a while. It’s blokes like you that keep this place in the stone ages and full of meat heads.” Johno kicked towards Tommy’s face, Tommy grabbed the boot and twisted it forcing a bolt of pain up Johno’s leg. Johno let out a gasp of pain which he stifled knowing any noise would carry down the valley.
“You have two choices mate, you can either pull your head in and get on with the job or continue to ride me for reasons only you would know, in which case I can take your shit and you will run out of energy. You’re a fucking dinosaur!” Tommy let go of Johno’s foot and crawled out of the hole. Johno turned to face the valley rubbing his leg.
Confronting Johno was probably not the best approach and in another place, it could have escalated badly. For that Tommy was thankful to be in the valley operating in dead silence when it did happen.
The stars carpeted the black sky like diamonds. Jane would be lying looking up at the same set of stars that he had stuck in the same pattern to their bedroom ceiling before he left. He told her that no matter where he was on this trip, she could always look up and see the same stars together. The stars took him home and released him from the cold of the valley, for the next few hours at least.
The cold wind off the snow bit into his neck and the darkness was playing tricks on his eyes. The three man SAS patrol was tasked with observing a small compound and there had been little movement since their arrival. His picket was only for 2 hours and soon it would be over and he could sleep. Ten days of cold rations was taking it’s toll and Tommy wasn’t enjoying his first patrol with Bravo Company.
Tommy could hear Johno behind him, fifteen years in the regiment always on two hour rotations mean Johno was a walking alarm clock. He slept for one hour and fifty seven minutes and awoke fully rested. Tommy kept his vision down the valley and he shifted from his sniper scope to normal vision to keep his field of view open. He could her Johno taking a piss into the plastic sealed jar they each carried and would take with them when they were extracted.
Johno crawled into the pit “what’s going on? You fall asleep did you?” Tommy liked everything about life in the regiment except wankers like Johno. Lifers who knew nothing else and saw it as their job as having to break new troopers. “No, been awake the whole time, funny that hey?”
“Whatever, what’s going on?”
“You’re a master soldier, I’m sure you’ll work it out.” Tommy hissed at Johno as he pulled back his rifle and backed out on his stomach towards his sleeping bag, he needed some sleep. Before Tommy was out of the pit Johno grabbed his arm, yanking his rifle out of his grip. “What the fuck are you doing?” Tommy yelled in a whisper at Johno who was staring at Tommy though he couldn’t be sure through the camouflage paint, long beanie and heavy beard Johno had.
“What the fuck did you mean by that? I asked for a situation report and now you fucken well give it to me!” Tommy laid still, the dead of night carried even the slightest whisper and the last thing they needed was a pack of them hearing them and coming out for a look. “Look, like I said, there’s nothing been going on. One bloke came out, took a piss on the south wall, had a durry and went back in, not even a light’s been on.” Tommy didn’t want to argue with Johno, he’d heard about him before joining Bravo and straight away he had zeroed in on Tommy and had been riding him hard all the way since they deployed. The patrol commander Trig was an old mate of Johno’s and even though he was ok to Tommy, he didn’t stop Johno giving it to Tommy. He was younger and fitter than both of them and was doing more than his share on the patrol, but he wanted to make a good impression on the legendary patrol commander.
Tommy pulled his arm free and grabbed his rifle pulling it under his chest away from Johno. “I don’t know what your problem is Johno, but like it or not I’m in this patrol and plan on staying for a while. It’s blokes like you that keep this place in the stone ages and full of meat heads.” Johno kicked towards Tommy’s face, Tommy grabbed the boot and twisted it forcing a bolt of pain up Johno’s leg. Johno let out a gasp of pain which he stifled knowing any noise would carry down the valley.
“You have two choices mate, you can either pull your head in and get on with the job or continue to ride me for reasons only you would know, in which case I can take your shit and you will run out of energy. You’re a fucking dinosaur!” Tommy let go of Johno’s foot and crawled out of the hole. Johno turned to face the valley rubbing his leg.
Confronting Johno was probably not the best approach and in another place, it could have escalated badly. For that Tommy was thankful to be in the valley operating in dead silence when it did happen.
The stars carpeted the black sky like diamonds. Jane would be lying looking up at the same set of stars that he had stuck in the same pattern to their bedroom ceiling before he left. He told her that no matter where he was on this trip, she could always look up and see the same stars together. The stars took him home and released him from the cold of the valley, for the next few hours at least.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Euro Posers on Koh Samet
Last weekend we packed up and headed south to Koh Samet to celebrate the Kings birthday and that it came with a day off. So a few hours of driving, a speed boat ride and complementary sweet drink upon arrival had us comfortably checked in and ready to laze on the beach.
The beach was nice, the water a little milky but otherwise a welcome retreat from Bangkok, Sky Trains and Sales at every shopping centre. At home in Australia, the thought of laying for hours at the beach could not have provided for anything less than absolute boredom, but here we can lay back, grab a cold Singha, some fresh fruit and any number of badly coloured sarongs and we have a perfect afternoon. But not to be content with providing some of life's simple pleasures (sarongs excluded), our weekend at the beach was made all the more pleasurable for the seemingly unlimited supply of Euro tourists streaming onto the island.
They seemed to arrive from nowhere, unlike the locals who all seem to awake at the same time and arrive in large groups all sporting the same t-shirts and shorts. The locals bring with them all sorts of blown up rideable objects and they flock to the water but only after 4pm. They are great! However the Euro tourists were there when we arrived, were first on the cabana chairs and first of course to get their breasts out. The breasts were everywhere and in all shapes and sizes.
Now being a grown-up, liberal group we were OK with the naked flesh and the ample quantities of it spread along the sand. What we couldn't get our heads around was the photo shoots and the poses they pulled. It seems Europe has no aqua blue beaches so every person must need to take home a photo album of themselves in prone, half soaked beach shots. Cindy Crawford was everywhere and even the blokes seemed to need some shots sporting the tight latex look. Everywhere we looked, the cameras were out, heads slung back, hair draped down, chests puffed up, it was hilarious...
I used to think Asians did the best photo poses, but after the beach escape I have to drop them below the Russian's and Eastern Euro Tourists and I look forward to next time. I just hope Sue will have remembered to charge the camera battery because we have a portfolio of shots in the memory banks that we need to get done.
The beach was nice, the water a little milky but otherwise a welcome retreat from Bangkok, Sky Trains and Sales at every shopping centre. At home in Australia, the thought of laying for hours at the beach could not have provided for anything less than absolute boredom, but here we can lay back, grab a cold Singha, some fresh fruit and any number of badly coloured sarongs and we have a perfect afternoon. But not to be content with providing some of life's simple pleasures (sarongs excluded), our weekend at the beach was made all the more pleasurable for the seemingly unlimited supply of Euro tourists streaming onto the island.
They seemed to arrive from nowhere, unlike the locals who all seem to awake at the same time and arrive in large groups all sporting the same t-shirts and shorts. The locals bring with them all sorts of blown up rideable objects and they flock to the water but only after 4pm. They are great! However the Euro tourists were there when we arrived, were first on the cabana chairs and first of course to get their breasts out. The breasts were everywhere and in all shapes and sizes.
Now being a grown-up, liberal group we were OK with the naked flesh and the ample quantities of it spread along the sand. What we couldn't get our heads around was the photo shoots and the poses they pulled. It seems Europe has no aqua blue beaches so every person must need to take home a photo album of themselves in prone, half soaked beach shots. Cindy Crawford was everywhere and even the blokes seemed to need some shots sporting the tight latex look. Everywhere we looked, the cameras were out, heads slung back, hair draped down, chests puffed up, it was hilarious...
I used to think Asians did the best photo poses, but after the beach escape I have to drop them below the Russian's and Eastern Euro Tourists and I look forward to next time. I just hope Sue will have remembered to charge the camera battery because we have a portfolio of shots in the memory banks that we need to get done.
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