What else can I carry for you?
I am a mule.
mule [myool]
noun
def. A mule is the offspring of strictly a male donkey and a female horse, typically sterile and used as a beast of burden.
I would like to clarify immediately that I am not a mode of transport for illegal drugs. But over the last several months, as I’ve traveled between Vietnam and Laos, and back and froth from Hanoi to Saigon, I have carried my fair share of boxes of materials and things our hospitality team members needed. No worries.
This weekend, I am headed to Bangkok. I am cashing in on a whopping 1.5 days of vacation and heading out on Thursday night. It’s a mini, mini-vacation. Friday is health check day, as Bangkok’s hospitals are state-of-the-art and provide a wonderful and complete check-up service. I’m actually looking forward to this, as it has been two years since I did this in Japan. I am overdue.
I’m going out with some colleagues on Friday night and hopefully meeting up with an old college buddy Saturday. Every other moment of my time will be consumed with shopping. Indeed, my intention is to take an empty suitcase and come back with an over-stuffed one. (But one which does not go over the Air Aisia 15kg limit.) But I reiterate – this is a vacation weekend for me!
My colleagues in Bangkok had a lightbulb go off in their heads yesterday and I was asked to carry over some brochures…and a few bottles of wine. If you live in this region long enough, you know what’s up. And they know I’m coming to shop. And coming with an empty suitcase. Shanna can be our mule! Cool!
Me being me, I agreed to bring the 3 bottles of wine and the 10kg (??seriously??) of brochures. But today, I got another phone call and another request to transport goods into Thailand. The Bumrungrad Hospital rep in Hanoi asked if I could take some food to one of her friends who is getting treatment for leukemia. How in the world can I say no to that? Of course the agents of Air Asia can say no to my suitcase if it is over the 15kg limit…that or be happy to get more money from me!
So as I pack my suitcase tonight, I am trying to pack as lightly as I can, simply so I can pack everyone else’s stuff to carry over. I don’t mind being a good friend and serving as a mule in this situation. Beast of burden. Fine. I just hope the part of being typically sterile isn’t true! Yikes!
On the Bright Side,
Shanna