The French rolled the wine bottle across the floor to the English, who picked it up, uncorked it, and took a short drink. The American moved restlessly on his bed, causing the springs to creak noisily."That's really rotten," said the American. "I was thinking of heading up to Bangkok in a few weeks, but if it's such a pit...."
"Now, don't let him put you off it," said the English. "He's just inclined towards trouble. There's a good deal worth seeing besides the ladies and the drug pedlars. The Thai wats, for example. There are some excellent temples, all leafed in gold, glittering in the sunlight. You'll see the monks scurrying here and about in their saffron robes, carrying their begging bowls. And there'll be old women on the steps, selling temple rubbings, the likes of which you've never seen before. And you can travel the klongs, too. Those are canals. You go down them on long boats with propellers mounted on pipe-like shafts. You take one down to the floating market at sunrise some morning and buy yourself some fruit and vegetables right off the grocers' boats. It's quite a sight."
"And the beggars on every street, yes? The fake jewel sellers, too. And the pirate drivers in the three-wheel taxis. And the pondons - men so pretty they make you leave women forever. And don't miss the Mekong Whiskey that turns your insides out and the Thai spicy soup that melts your lips and tongue so you can no longer taste anything. These, every man should know once. But for me, never again. Even the fool can know a heaven is not in hell."
"Where is heaven then?" asked the American.
"For me," said the French, "maybe there is no such heaven. Any time I feel near to it, something is not right. The people. The country. The food. Always something."
"What's near, then?"
"Maybe the Malaysia East Coast."
"What a sleepy place that is," said the English. "Nothing to do. Nothing to see. No one who speaks English. Even the great leatherback turtles of Trengganu find it boring."
"Ah, so you may say. But the life is easy there, yes? The banana and the coconut fall off the tree into your lap. The fish, they jump from the water into your hand. The people wear no shoes, no nothing but the one piece of sarong wrapped around the body. And they never worry how to live. Never. Also, it is an easy place to get the money."
"How might that be?" asked the English. "I'd be most interested to know how one makes money anywhere in Asia while travelling. Short of selling blood or blue jeans, that is."
"You must have the imagination," said the French. "In Kota Baru, near the Thailand border, I met a compatriote. A young French girl who was also wanting to get the money. I used my Polaroid to take some special photographs of her. Many posings, all nude, yes? And the Malay people, they buy these for ten ringgit each. They love the white women. The light skin is so sexy for them. But their religion is too strict. It is impossible for them to get such photographs. I could sell many, many and so pay for my trip to Bangkok. That is when I had the bad fortune, lost the Polaroid, and got the sickness."
"Tough break," said the American, reaching across to the bed of the English to take the bottle of wine. "So why did you go to Singapore to get treated? Why didn't you go back to Malaysia?"
"In both countries, they ask many questions, of course. It is very, very strict. They can make you cut your hair at the border even. I am thinking, maybe they take away my visa when they know of this sickness. In such a case, it is better to lose the Singapore visa, so I go to the clinic there. Lucky for me, they do not care so much and I can keep both visas."
"I doubt if they would have deported you from Malaysia, either," said the English. "Why didn't you go back there after you had recovered?"
"Ah, in Singapore, everyone is saying how wonderful is Bali. Go to Bali. The beautiful beaches of Bali. The beautiful sunset. The cheap and open living, a la belle etoile. I think maybe here is the easy life too. Only they did not say to me about the rains, rains, rains."
Just then, there was a sound behind him. He didn't move. As long as the darkness still hid him, he was safe.
