I Held My Breath

I must be honest, there have been some unpleasant moments over the past few weeks. Be it the sighting of a monstrous cockroach on the side street, or having to realize that the quality of food here has ABSOLUTELY no correlation to the outward appearance of a restaurant. Or trying to accomplish anything online and getting stuck on finding the "translate" button.

It's certainly not all champagne and roses between Bangkok and me when it comes to safety precautions. I mean, smiling at a toddler, good. Smiling at a toddler who is sitting behind the handlebars of a motorbike, not good. In the US we have a whole show dedicated to people who step in when they see someone in trouble. Ever hear of "What Would You Do?" We used to watch it all the time, expounding with every scenario whether we would intervene or butt out. Well, this is the real world, not TV. And when you witness child endangerment, it is NOT a time to make a fuss. You smile. And KEEP WALKING.

And when you see painters leaning over the edge of a ten story building without safety harnesses, you just wait and watch. (in case someone needs an ambulance of course")

The real heart-stopping moment came when two of the painters eased backward down the two ropes. Again, no harnesses. They walked down the wall to sit on these two seats, so they could paint the areas that couldn't be reached by leaning precariously over the top. Scary.