The Triumphant Return!!

Well, I was back about 20 minutes before I was being hailed as a superstar! Admittedly, she was only trying to get me to stay at her hotel but it's nice to feel wanted. She went bonkers when she found out I was a boxer. Thank god, she said. All my friends reckoned you were Yakuza. Yes love, I'm Yakuza. I run the Dublin branch. And travel economy. And stay in rat infested Hotels like the one you're trying to bring me to.
So back in Bangkok an hour at this stage, and already it tries to sap at my happiness reservoir. The locals take it in turns to try and gouge me and I am forced to keep an ever vigilant guard against anyone who looks remotely happy, because smiling faces usually means I'm about to offered the deal of a lifetime on a Rolex, or a luggage set, or the hind quarters of two teen girls or whatever else they think you'll put your hand in your pocket for. 'There's daggers in men's smiles', as Shakespeare once said and I am now certain he was in Thailand when he coined that. But I refuse to have me head wrecked, so I stay out way past bedtime and get up to all sorts of shenanigans before retreating to my 'hotel'. I say hotel but it looks like a set from Angela's Ashes, to be honest.
The following day, I am back at the airport and am pleasantly surprised to get a great deal from Thai Air (usually the most expensive) of all people. They even throw in a slice of edible fruitcake.
Actually, before I continue I have to ask... who are all those people who get their luggage off the rack before me? What time do you put it on the plane? How early do I have to be to get my bags first? Have you ever met anyone who didn't have to wait for a bag? There's a joke in there somewhere, but right now all I want is my fecking stuff! So, straight on the plane and it's off to Chiang Mai with me. Within an hour and a half of leaving Bangkok, I am at Chay-Yai gym with the head trainer instantly recognising me and interrupting his afternoon smoke to help me out of the car with the bags. I am sure he must need a fighter soon. Or a lend of some money. Then the local fixer comes along and we go flat hunting. To be honest one apartment is pretty much the same as the next out here so I take the first one with internet access.
I head down to the gym for the afternoon session but more to shake of the cobwebs than launch a triumphant return, despite what you may have read in the title a moment ago. While there I am inundated with well wishers, including local cops, shopkeepers ( the mama-san I used to live beside in particular) and even the local Mafia Boss. Between them they manage to raise a smile on my otherwise dour face.
With that all in order, I take off to organise my other essentials, specifically; Inoculations and mobile phone. And I've been dying to catch up with Mr. B since I left London. I have to do all of this on a bike that has only the loosest affiliation with the term vehicle. Light enough to be carried under one arm, held together with spit and you'd have to talk it into going over 50kmh. I end up having to stretch it over 2 days as I'm just too late to catch most stuff on the Saturday. So now it is Sunday night* and I am back to work in the morning. Actually, it is more accurately Monday morning, but a combination of adrenalin and the introspection that follows a break up have me wide awake.
I get the distinct impression that it's going to be a hard day at the office...

*Note- I wrote this entry on Sunday night but couldn't get to an internet connection until today. The hospital have also e-mailed me regarding my blood test. We need to talk, it seems. Never a good thing when it comes to blood tests.