Tipparat and Richard

I head to Le Grande Cafe, a calm spot on this busy street, looking forward to some writing and wind down time. The place is ideal for this and has free wi fi connection. I sit next to happy couple enjoying their dinner. And so I end up doing no writing but have the pleasure of meeting Tipparat and Richard. Tipparat is from Thailand and Richard is... well Richard is... a citizen of the world. They live between Prague and a small town in Thailand. You see they both have their own business bases as well as each other. Richard runs a large software company with some important and eponymous clients around the world. This man has been to close 100 countries at different times for shorter and longer periods. We talk about a lot of places, but India and Lebanon stick to my mind as ones he is particularly fond of, particularly Lebanon. Richard's country list is impressive but at the same time I don't envy the rythyms of his life. I would rather visit a smaller number of countries in a different way. Life is short, I want to go to many places but it is impossible to be everywhere at the same time. I want to add experiences and not just names to my list. Richard is a very interesting man and we have a very pleasant conversation.

Tipparat is bubbly, full of life and energy. She is a young farmer from Thailand, strong and business minded. Soon I see hundreds of pictures of her beautiful farm, its produce, her angelic 5 year old daughter, Marisa, her mother, Buddhist celebrations at her village. She prefers Cambodia to Thailand. Like a British couple I spoke to earlier, she thinks that Cambodians are much friendlier. I however am taken by Tipparat’s Thai friendliness. What an individual! I have a blast with her and she gets me a bit drunk on the beer she buys me. We are online so we exchange contact details there and then. Richard is almost falling asleep as we two chat away. It’s been a long day for those two, so we soon part.

In my mailbox, I find a message from Stephane inviting me to meet him at a bar on Pub street. Pub Street is full of loud bars and is pedestrianised in the evenings. Take away the Khmer writing and faces and it could be in any tacky resort in the world. Reluctantly, I set out to meet him saying to myself that I should  not reject anything before I visit it once. I am 2 minutes away. Again I am late but I am thinking that friendly Stephane will probably have hooked up with other people and I will find him there drinking merrily. But the bar is unbearable and really loud, like a Saturday night on

St Mary Street

in Cardiff. I don’t even look for Stephane properly. I just turn and go back to Le Grande Café, check some emails and have a long night cycle ride along the river. The night is warm and starry. I think I have had my socializing for the day, my eyelids feel heavy, my derriere hurts from the bumpy motorcycle ride and I am ready for bed.