I was able to monitor last night’s I.U. Basketball Second Round N.I.T. victory over Arkansas, revenging a regular season loss. I woke up about midnight, after our alcohol-free Michelin Star dinner at Nahm. Since Thai election laws prohibited the sale of alcohol, the gourmet meal was surprisingly affordable at less than 6,000 baht ($200). At one time, it’s world-renowned chef made it the #1 restaurant in Asia, but it failed to rate among our Top 25 dining experiences. I did, however, appreciate the reasonable cost, and the spiciness of the “Angry Beef” woke me up at halftime for the second half of the game. Fortunately, the Hoosiers did not add another loss to my already “angry” stomach. GO THAIU!

I was not able to actually watch the game on T.V. from our room in Bangkok, but I got the detailed, live “play by play” action on the ESPN app. It followed a familiar pattern of sad fundamentals that included a slow start, poor free throw efficiency, 3-point shooting woes, plus ridiculous long scoring droughts. Freshman Romeo Langford did not leave the I.U. bench, apparently still nursing a back injury. He sat out dreaming of a huge NBA contract as a certain lottery pick. The good news was that It gave next year’s guard tandem a chance to get in more minutes. Also a positive, Senior Juwan Morgan will play at least another game in a Hoosier uniform. They’ll face Wichita State later this week. It will allow my cousin and I a chance to watch it together from a Phuket beach bar stool, representing the Indiana Alumni Association in Thailand. Our Hoosiers somehow won the game thanks to equally bad shooting by Arkansas coupled with a strong rebounding edge on our end. The obnoxious “Pig Sooies” (See Post #578) stayed in contention with superior free-throw shooting, but missed the game-tying final shot. GO THAIU!

We’re waiting on our flight to Phuket, after one last run/walk on the crowded, narrow streets of downtown Bangkok this morning. I also had to dodge the temporary wooden-framed election billboards that were tied to each and every street sign. They should all come down tomorrow when the bars reopen. Our last Bangkok meal is at the airport McDonalds as we await boarding. The “Thai Fries” were great and the “Buddha Burgers” tasty, consistent with bowing Ronald’s Quarter Pounder Combo in his U.S. restaurants. While we’re eating, I’m looking out the window from inside the terminal at another religious shrine surrounded by a huge manicured garden guarded by what look like golden goose gargoyles. Otherwise, it would look like any other airport around the world.

We’re “Thai Tired” and will need a nap by the time we check into our next Marriott Vacation Club apartment at Mai Khoa Beach. The only scheduled plans over the next couple days involve a seafood dinner at THIW Soen restaurant and a boat trip to “James Bond Island,” as seen in the movie The Man with The Golden Gun. Both will be a chance to get re-acquainted with my cousin, Jim, who teaches English here in Thailand when he’s not involved in Chamber of Commerce fundraisers back in The States. We also look forward to meeting his friend Sinee, a native of Thailand. It will give us a chance to learn more about the local culture from her perspective, and extol upon her the Glory of our Old THAIU!