Last night was Rachel Sparks-Graeser’s last night in Chiang Rai and a few couples in Chiang Rai came over for the farewell party. Gee, Blah’s husband, strummed at his guitar, alternating between “Canon in D” and “Hotel California” while we enjoyed Rachel’s famous Cashew Chicken and red wine in whatever glasses we could find.
When Kevin and I took a motorbike to pick up the wine, we stopped by a new place to get bags of ice for about a penny each. A bunch of Thai men were standing around and we heard the word “Farang” (Thai for “foreigner”) as soon as we pulled up. Kevin has been in weeks of Thai class already, so he had a small conversation with them as we purchased the ice and I exchanged a few phrases with a man whose name was “Amen, like the cross.” They offered us shots of Thai whiskey, which we could not culturally turn down without offending them. Kevin swallowed and they laughed when I did the same. We exchanged names and lots of smiles and farewells until next time.
On the remaining mile home, as the whiskey burned down my throat and into my belly, we drove past the old airport where dozens of kids were running around, fresh from school, and enjoying the open expanse of concrete for their games. Mountains of green rolled behind their play and the evening’s cooling wind ran across my face.
“I live here,” I said into the wind, then went inside the house to meet new friends while Rachel said farewell to them.
Posted by: collettostories
Category: Thailand
Tags: friends, goodbye, hello, motorbike, Thailand, whiskey, wine
