Thailand VS. Talen Round 2

Flooded Bedroom at Nova Avenue Condo

I’m not sure if Buddha is watching out for me or I am being punished for a past life but one thing is for sure, I’m not such a big fan of water anymore.

Yesterday the maintenance man showed back up at the condo around 3pm to look into the electric water heater under the sink as it stopped working…again. Now, I don’t know if it was his extensive training or just a whim but he decided it would be a good idea to jam a screwdriver into the offending water heater which fought back by exploding on him and knocking him across the floor. So, now I am left with no hot water, no power, valves still leaking and a dead Thai man on my floor.

The maintenance man came back to life and muttered something about the water heater being broken and he would fix tomorrow. Of course, when he left I half expected him to go to the electrical room and fix the tripped breaker I had mentioned to him but alas that was too far into the realm of common sense. Back to the Maintenance office I go and 5 minutes later the lights come back on and the resurrected maintenance man is back at my door with a brand new water heater. The water heater is installed and for the first time since I moved in there are no leaks and copious amounts of hot water for everyone.

Pookie and I had earlier gone shopping and picked up some essentials like a rice maker and ingredients for her to cook with, so , we settled in and Pookie made a great Issan meal for us and all was right in my world. Unfortunately, I have been fighting a head and chest cold all week and that coupled with some lingering jet lag had me in bed by 11pm. After some much needed prayers to Buddha Pookie and I snuggled up and drifted off to sleep…and then all hell broke loose!

The new rice cooker Cooking with peppers Vegetables and Pork

The Chef at Work

At 1am I am startled out of a sound sleep by massive banging at the front door. I jump out of bed as quickly as I can only to fall flat on my face, that sometimes happens when you have 3 inches of water running across a tile floor! I open the door to find 4 security guards telling me I have a leak, Sherlock Holmes would have been proud.

Here comes the flood Here comes the flood 2 Here comes the flood 3

I open the sink cabinet to turn off the water but to my surprise the water isn’t coming from the valves or lines, it’s coming from under the cabinet because a pipe inside the wall has broken. The security team finds the main shutoff for the unit and then it’s time to play “Who’s on First?”.

Me: Can you call whoever is in charge and get them here?

Security guard #1: Cannot.

Me: Why?

Security Guard #2: Office closed…1 am.

Me: I understand that but don’t you have an emergency contact number?

Security Guard #1: Yes.

Me: Can you call?

Security Guard #3: Cannot.

Me: Why?

Security Guard #1: Office closed…1am.

Me: If the building was burning down you would have to get a hold of someone right?

Security Guard #2: Yes.

Me: Who?

Security Guard #2: Pom.

Me: Okay…call Pom.

Security Guard #1: Cannot.

Me: Office closed…1am.

Security Guard #4: *covers mouth to hide giggles*

2 hours and what seemed like a thousand gallons of water later we had the mess cleaned up and and went back to bed, not looking forward to the morning that was coming fast and the prospect of no water. The security Guards did help us out a lot while they were removing the water from the hallways, stairs and elevator so I am thankful to them for that.

Here comes the flood 4 Here comes the flood 5 Here comes the flood 6

Unbelievably this leak is totally unrelated to the previous ones. I think once they got the first leaks fixed the pressure went back up and since water likes to find the path of least resistance it was easily found in another bad pipe. Luckily the property managers and the condo’s management team have been very gracious and falling over themselves this morning and it seems it might all be okay again for a little bit. This is a brand new condo, we are the very first tenants and this is Thailand ( TiT ). Problems are to be expected.

I’ll leave you today with a small conversation Pookie and I had before going to bed…it showed me I still had my Western mindset and I really need to change my thinking some.

Me: Pookie, I think Buddha mad at me.

Pookie: Teelac Buddha not mad at you, Buddha help you and watch over you. You fall bad when you get out of bed but you not hurt. You stand in deep water but you not die from electricity.

Can’t argue that logic…

talensig

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14 Responses to Thailand VS. Talen Round 2
  1. Catherine
    August 27, 2010 | 12:52 pm

    Lordy, Lordy Talen! What next?

    Reading through your post reminded me again of something I’d read when hunting down a condo to purchase:

    Do not buy new.

    1) Problems are not sorted out yet.
    2) Incompetent management a possibility.
    3) I don’t remember a three…

    So look on the bright side. You have one out of three going for you.

    And, as you are a renter, you can still move.

    :-D
    Catherine recently posted..My Skype Thai Language Learning ExperienceMy Profile

    • Talen
      August 27, 2010 | 3:41 pm

      Cat, I don’t want to know what’s next but if it involves water I hope to hell it isn’t a tsunami!

  2. Joe
    August 27, 2010 | 1:25 pm

    You are getting deep into the LOS Twilight Zone, Talen. No turning back for you now !

    “Mai pen rai”

    • Talen
      August 27, 2010 | 3:42 pm

      Joe, If I get any deeper into the LoS twilight zone I’ll be Rod Serling.

  3. Mike
    August 27, 2010 | 2:42 pm

    Talen, time to buy two or three amulets and visit a fortune telling monk ;-)
    Mike recently posted..Electricity in ThailandMy Profile

    • Talen
      August 27, 2010 | 3:43 pm

      Mike, there are already 3 amulets a few garlands and nightly prayers to Buddha…but I will take the fortune telling monk under advisement :)

  4. Paul Garrigan
    August 27, 2010 | 5:19 pm

    Hi Talen, at least you are getting all the bad stuff out of the way now rather than later. It is obvious from your posts that some of the most highly skilled technical minds in Pattaya are now focused on fixing your condo :-)

    • Talen
      August 27, 2010 | 8:19 pm

      Paul, I think handicapped monkeys with hammers have a better chance of fixing something …luckily they brought a new guy in today who actually had tools, a brain and knew how to use both.

  5. Lloyd.
    August 27, 2010 | 6:00 pm

    I would have just packed up and left, if that’s the quality of the apartment thing aren’t likely to get better!

    • Talen
      August 27, 2010 | 8:22 pm

      Lloyd, thought about it but I really don’t want to pack up and move again…the property management team is top notch and they have already told me if any further problems arise they will move me for sure.

  6. Lani
    August 27, 2010 | 8:11 pm

    would it make you feel better if i said this might be bad feng shui? stop thinking you deserve this or something like that. can you move? or should i ask – can you swim? :P sorry couldn’t resist.

    • Talen
      August 27, 2010 | 8:23 pm

      Lani, it could very well be bad feng shui I will have the monkeys move things around a little to see if that helps. Although I can swim I’m really hoping I can just sleep tonight…fingers crossed.

  7. Uno
    August 27, 2010 | 10:21 pm

    ah I laughed a lot, what an adventure! … No wonder it is called “Thailand, Land of Smiles “…. in every way, hehehehe … :) However, the more will you have to go, and just being there! Fantastic!

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