Music, the Universal Language (or: Have Ukulele, Will Travel)

Unlike my trips to Bali, it isn’t my not-too-shabby local language skills that open doors for me here in Thailand, although I’m sure my friendly willingness to bow in respectful sawat dee ka and to utter many genuine kop kun ka thank you’s goes some way. It’s the fact that I am known as The Australian Woman Who Sings and Plays Ukulele in the Restaurant with the Band that seems to win me special favours.

For instance, the pool guy, with whom I play an hysterical game of rock paper scissors one afternoon, offers me full day use of a masks and snorkel, even allowing me to take it on a boat trip if I want, for the usual hourly rate charged for hotel only use. This is right after eening-meenie-miney moing my way towards a decision about which novel from the slim selection of English language ones among the many Russian ones, to pick, and then asking for the Thai translation (it seems these kids rhyming games are universal). There is a kind of book exchange stash of dog-eared B grade novels, behind the counter of the kiosk, presumably pass-it-on holiday reads, read and then shed by former guests.

Even those staff who have not witnessed me maka da music first hand soon get to hear about it, since the head waitress, Noi makes a point of telling the other staff, indeed anyone within earshot, each time I walk past. The only intelligible words to me are ‘ukulele’ (she pronounces it the authentic Hawaiian way- ‘ooh-koo-lay-lay’),  and ‘Australia’, so combined with her air guitar gestures, I kind of know I’m being discussed.

Anyway, I really enjoy meeting and chatting with the hotel's house band. Victor, Elvie and their son Apo are all talented musicians and singers, with whom I ended up doing a small set and jamming a few times. For this, the charming Noi, who has a great, wry sense of humour, rewards me with a cold drink each time, and Victor jokes that it is my salary for the night!

 

L-R: Apo (short for Apocalypse Guerrero Garcia!), me, Victor Garcia

 

 

L-R Apo, Elvie and Victor

 

 

!!!!! :-)