Too fatigued to be Officially Cross

If I weren’t still so weary I’d now be very bad tempered.

Yesterday I went along the Chao Phraya river on the courtesy boat to the Oriental Hotel where I had a sophisticated breakfast of eggs benedict in the coffee shop with my friend C. It is quite expensive there (to stay the night is inordinately expensive) but they kept bringing more coffee rather than only allowing me one measly cup, so I didn’t feel hard done by. We paid our bill, and then sat in reception to find out where the shop was that we were heading for. We didn’t look out of place; nobody said we were lowering the tone in this beautiful 5 star hotel. And we left.

After our shopping we headed back to the river to catch a river taxi up to the Indian cloth market, Pahurat, but by this time the Oriental’s coffee had done its job and I needed the bathroom. I left C waiting by the river and returned to the front entrance of the Oriental where a little man in a suit said, looking me up and down ‘Can I help you madam?’ ‘I’d like to go to the coffee shop’, I said. ‘Sorry, Madam, but we have a dress code.’ This is what I'm wearing: a smart green dress, over black bootleg trousers and I was carrying a Mulberry bag, what could he possibly mean? I said ‘But I’ve been in the coffee shop this morning with my friend. I had breakfast there.’ ‘I’m sorry Madam, we have a dress code. No sandals.’ Can you even see my flip flops?

I’ve been to the Oriental five or six times, always wearing sandals, NOBODY has told me I don’t look smart enough, and you know why? Because I do look smart enough - even with flip flops on.

Because of my extreme inertia I can’t decide what I should do. Should I write to the manager, enclosing my photo and ask him if he can see my flip flops?