A Dickens of a Day: Part Three

(You may click on Part One and Part Two to see the previous two episodes of this entry).

We made ourselves known to the staff member at the hotel reception desk, only to discover that she had neither knowledge nor record of our booking. My battered and bounced old body was already tired from the stresses of our journey, and my entire being was not less than a little fatigued, but even so on receipt of this news I felt my weary self lurch into potentially argumentative most-miffed mode. But my spirits were soon lifted and my objections were placated when it was revealed to us that there were two rooms still available for occupation. One of these vacant rooms was slightly more expensive than the one that we’d originally booked, and the other was marginally cheaper than the second room which we believed that we’d already booked for our driver. We took both rooms without hesitation.


I ensconced myself in our room and lay down for a much needed nap. The room was not air conditioned. I switched on the fan – and it didn’t work. Her@Home reported this matter to the desk staff with all due haste. They responded with, “We know. There’s no electricity at the moment. Power cuts don’t usually last for this length of time”.

Her@Home reported this information back to me, and we quickly and unanimously decided that we should seek another hotel. In pursuit of this objective she telephoned to her brother for help. He responded rapidly to our situation. Within minutes he arrived astride his motorcycle at our hotel. Her@Home leapt into a side-saddle position on the pillion seat, and the pair of them disappeared into to the hot, dry Isaan dusk.

I laid down on the bed, ready and anxious to enjoy a perspiration soaked doze in the fan-less room.


Approximately thirty minutes later I was woken by the sounds of grating, screeching, and sporadic rattling that signal that an ageing fan is about to whir into action. And the ceiling strip light flickered into life. This was a moment of great relief for me. The electricity had come back on!

A few moments later I heard the sound of a motorcycle in the hotel courtyard, followed by the welcome music of Her@Home’s delicate footsteps approaching the room. She entered the room and reported her findings to me. She informed me that the rooms in the first hotel that she’d looked at were extremely small and poorly appointed. And then she continued by telling me that the rooms in the second hotel that she’d investigated hadn’t been blessed with the luxury of running water for more than a month. She added that the staff at the second hotel had informed her that the lack of running water had been very bad for business. It just shows how fussy potential hotel guests can be, uh? There are no other hotels in the locality. Under the circumstances we decided to stay put where we were. This wasn’t really a decision. It was more a reluctant acceptance of the fact that we had no viable options.

Then Her@Home sat down next to me on the bed (there weren’t any chairs upon which to sit in the room). I like it when Her@Home sits close to me. She emits a warmth and an aura that makes all and anyone close to her feel calm and peaceful. She clasped my hand, and I suspect as result of her contemplations concerning our already exhausting day she said, “Today’s been the best of days. It’s been the worst of days. It’s been a journey of wisdom. It’s been a journey of foolishness”. I left school at the age of sixteen, therefore much of this type of philosophising is lost on me. She continued, “It’s been….”

I interrupted her. “What the dickens are you talking about?” I enquired, and then added, in an effort to divert her train of thought, “Let’s see what’s on the telly”.

We plugged the TV and the little channel selector box that sat on top of it into the electricity sockets, and switched on both items. It was only then that we discovered that neither contraption was supplied with a remote control. And suddenly I felt optimistic. I knew that things could only improve from now on. After all, what tribulation can life present that is more cruel and more vexing than the torment of a perfectly good and functional TV supplied without a remote control?

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COMING NEXT on Doodee’s Thailand: More pictures and observations from our trip to Isaan.

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