funny story
Ok I (TJ) have to tell this story. Sarah and I kept cracking up over this all last night and this morning. She's sitting next to me to censor what I might say so it possibly wont be as funny. But here goes. Yesterday we decided to take our clothes to a small laundry company outside of our hotel (the hotel charges more). Before we left the room she had all our dirty clothes sprawled all over the floor taking inventory. I ask "what are you doing, lets just throw it in a bag and go". She says she is "making a list" (her and her lists) because she wants them to read her inventory list and give us a price (price bargaining here is on everything) on the laundry. She also says "I don't want them going through my dirty clothes in front of me on the front counter".
She's so modest. Well guess what........ We walk into the store a (barely one toe inside the door) and our bag is grabbed and it must of been if not 12 possibly a 100 little Thai women shred our bag apart and DUMP everything out on the counter. You would have thought it was a poker game and the clothes were chips on the table. Hands coming from every direction grabbing - sorting - counting. And guess what our clothes were dumped on the front counter. Now as we are given a price (1,000 Bahts) or $30.00 we say no. Now these people are holding our skivies. One lady had a pair of my boxes clenched tightly in each hand. Our clothes were now hostages. When we said no that's too much, their grip on my skivies became tighter. I actually saw the little Thai ladies knuckles began to glow with white. Fear began to overcome me and my knees were weakening. But this challenge of commerce was quickly becoming a dual of Bahts and laundry. We would prevail. We began negotiating. With a room full of woman holding our dirty stinky clothes (did I say it's hot and humid here. We are sweating a lot) We negotiated to 700 Bahts. We left the store and laughed. Just what we didn't want, our clothes being dumped all over the counter..... is exactly what happened.
now for the rest of the story...............................................
We go back late that night. The store looks closed however a light was on. The glass window is now covered with newspapers. We step up to the door and see 2 women. They opened the door. One lady being the fierce negotiator (did I mentioned she breathes fire and has eyes of a dragon???) recognizes us and goes to retrieve our laundry. Trying to get all the way into the store front and out of the rain, Sarah steps onto a mat to dry the bottoms of her flip flops when the second lady quickly notifies us that Sarah is standing on her bed. "Your bed?" we respond. So what does Sarah do. She takes off her shoes and still remains standing on her bed?....... Her bed was in front of the counter. Isn't that where we should stand??....???... We got our clothes and left. We laughed about the whole incident. So everyone be careful. If Sarah comes to your house and stands on your bed with her shoes, just let her know, she will gladly take off her shoes and continue to stand on your bed. :)
