Lost in Translation

While hanging out in foreign hotels, no young traveling women befriended me, though there are so many “Lonely Planet” types from Europe in Laos that it probably could have happened there had I stayed a little longer. I guess such things only happen in movies.

Coincidentally, I did see two Scarlett Johansson movies while I was traveling. The first was the new movie, “The Island,” which reminded me a whole lot of the 1976 movie, “Logan’s Run.” I was walking around the neighborhood movie theaters looking for a Thai movie to watch, but finally gave up and watched Scarlett. Years ago in Thailand, movies cost about 25 cents, the theaters were not air-conditioned, and instead of popcorn the popular snack was dried squid. The smell in the theaters was unbearable. For $1 you could sit in an air-conditioned booth in the back, which was always my choice. Now the squid is gone and replaced by popcorn, and the theaters are elegant. Tickets are now $2.50 and for $12.50 you can get a double reclining love seat with blankets and pillows. What a deal!

The other Scarlett movie was shown on the airplane between Tokyo and Los Angeles. It was “A Love Song for Bobby Long,” with John Travolta. Not a great movie, but pretty good and well worth staying awake for.

I finally found a Thai movie to see the following day. It was a comedy set mostly in a mental hospital. It was delightfully politically incorrect and not all that hard to understand the language. Not the silly love story that most Thai movies were way back when, but refreshing.

Not too much was lost in translation.