A mound of green papaya, ready to be mixed.

The lobby of Bumrungrad International Hospital

Curries.  No jello.

Hospital food.  Admit it, the phrase conjures up images of jello.  Red jello.  After that, perhaps a wilted salad and a sandwich.  Not appetizing.  But on the second floor of Bumrungrad International Hospital, you can visit the Food Experience.  Granted, you have to stroll by the McDonalds (with Ronald himself, wai-ing outside the sacred golden arches) and take a pass on a cheeseburger and diet soda (which may have led you to visit Bumrungrad in the first place) and Au Bon Pain, but once you run the gauntlet, you are inside the Food Experience.  It's like Thai street food, but sanitized.  All types of curries.  Soups.  Salad.  Fresh.  Tasty.  And they serve beer.  Snap!

We stopped by Bumrungrad today, in preparation for some appointments tomorrow.  We walked from where we are, on Soi 21 - it was a hike, and the soi leading down to Bumrungrad was unremarkable, at best.  But Bumrungrad impressed - more on that tomorrow.

I had a dental appointment today at Bankgok Smile.  Again, unimpressive externally, but very nice inside.  The dentist, though, really stood out.  I had filled out an online form while in Kuwait, answered a few questions and there I was.  As I've said previously, I was under the pressure of my father to get rid of the Bozo tooth - a cap that I  have had for 35 years that has withstood the test of time, while my original teeth, bathed in coffee, have not.  I said in the online form that I wanted veneers.  She cut to the quick and asked what I wanted - why do you want veneers, tell me what you really want.  I said I wanted my teeth the same color.  She said that veneers probably weren't right for me and gave me an alternative - laser whitening, and replacement of the ancient crown.  She asked if I was more concerned about the cosmetic aspect or keeping the  structural integrity of my original teeth (I know, quite the leading question).  I really like the fact that she didn't try to upsell me and give me a mouthful expensive work that I didn't need.  Nor did she give me a lecture on all of the Jello I had eaten in the past...

I go out for a bike ride every Friday with an eclectic group of expats who live and work in Kuwait.  Yesterday, I told my Iranian friend Mohammad that my wife and I were going to Thailand for a vacation.  Out of the blue, he asked me if I liked to fool around or if I was a one woman kind of guy.  I told him I was very much the latter kind of fellow.  He said that he heard in Thailand, there were all kinds of young, attractive women who would be happy to accompany middle aged men like me.  He also said that he didn't know any American women, but from the movies he watched, it seemed like American women really don't like their men to fool around - do they really take it that seriously?  I assured him that they most certainly do, and I'd be happy to introduce him to my wife who would validate what he has picked up from American movies.

So, a bit of a misnomer - we're really not off on a holiday, we'll be going to Thailand for medical tourism.  The premise of medical tourism is combining a vacation with some medical procedures, and the cost of the vacation + whatever you get done should be the same or less than if you stayed in your home country.  I'll be getting a physical, visiting a dermatologist, but my focus will be on dental work.  My wife will be getting her bunions operated on, they are painful and she can't walk very far without her feet hurting.  She started a blog about her experience, and I have a slightly competitive streak in me, so here we go.  I chipped a tooth when I was a wee lad of about 10 while walking my bicycle across a bridge (of sorts) in Florham Park, NJ.  The bridge was two planks laid over two telephone poles, and was our shortcut to stores that stocked candy (which didn't help my dental situation) - I tripped, fell about 12' and landed face first on a shopping cart that had been pushed into the brook.  I got it capped when I was maybe 14.   Over the years, the porcelain cap stayed the same color and the rest of the teeth, like me, got older.  My dad has been particularly bothered by the  contrast between the capped tooth and the rest of my teeth - he calls my cap the Bozo tooth.  I thought it added character.  Well, it's time to get the Bozo tooth fixed and see what else they have to offer - I'll be going to Bangkok Smile for my dental work http://www.bangkoksmiledental.com/dental_veneers.html
and Bumrungrad International hospital for everything else.