PART OF THAILAND'S BORDER with Burma touches the provincial capital of Prachuabkhrikhan, a drive less than an hour from Hua Hin's town centre. There is no official crossing. Many traders from both nations nip back and forth with their goods. People use the area to buy and sell goods, often illegal items. Usually, the sales are conducted in a friendly enough manner.

There are cross-border relationships and friendships. On this occasion, Burmese men refused to trade with their Thai customers.

'Enough of dealing with you pimps. Any more of our women get snatched, and we'll start a border war!'

'Yeah, right; you think we fear you tramps? By the way, we do not understand what you are talking about.'

And so it went on. The bickering escalated.

Then gunfire rang out on both sides of the crossing. The whole area was hotting up, which suited Pu Yai's ideals and another person's financial plans. This unfriendly exchange, both verbal and violent, was not uncommon. But it went unnoticed by most people in Hua Hin.

'Okay, Nick, listen up. It is simple; I find people who want things. Houses, trips, transport, workers or anything else, then we, or rather you, find whatever they want.'

'But, I am a builder!'

'This, my friend, is much easier than stacking bricks and not as hot!'

'Maybe,' an underwhelmed builder replied.

'Look how easy this is. Already we have a tenant for the office space. Who, I may add, pays nearly the total monthly rent for the whole building. Moreover, we now have two French girls who have already paid their rent and deposit. What more do you want?'

'Oh yeah, where's my cut?'

'I had to spend it making contacts.'

There were only a few places in Hua Hin you could call a pub or a bar, unlike Bangkok or Pattaya, where there are many. However, the number of drinking establishments was growing, which was great news for Kev and Nick, who was in the middle of most deals between ʼfalangsʼ and local Thai people. Luck played a big part in all this because language skills were critical. Their contact could speak English, one of the few locals.

'It's hard to believe, but some so-called foreign 'businessmen' sign contracts they can't read!'

Nick looked at Kev as if he was making it up.

'You must be joking. Who would do that?'

'I heard one guy say, "my girlfriend said it was okay". True enough. He thought the contract was for three years, but it was for three months. So he spent a small fortune doing the place up, then got kicked out.'

'Serves him right. He should have used us to do the renovations!'

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'Yes, but more to the point, I want to offer a translation and advice service.'

'You can't speak Thai. How are you going to do that?'

'I'm working on it. It'll come to me.'

Nick shook his head, not for the first time, about his partner's schemes.

Most Thais could not speak English, and most foreign visitors could not speak Thai. Kev had a Thai colleague who likes him and the Brits, and he speaks more than passable English. The guest house owner is well-known and extremely popular in town. The perfect partner. Another idea was taking shape.

It helped that Khun Daa would not deal with any foreigner without Kev. Khun Daa has lived life to the full. He was a bundle of fun and had a wealth of tales and stories to relate to, and he was great company to be with. And easy to work with. The only thing missing from his life were children of his own. He had a wife; she had died during the War, and Khun Daa loved no one else, before or since. There was, but, an unwelcome problem looming, Khun Daaʼs health was failing. It seemed no local Doctor could help. He was old, and reaching his age without suffering ill health, was incredible, except for his wartime broken leg. So the day came far too soon when Khun Daa called for Kev to visit him.

Kev arrived at the guest house and showed through to Khun Daaʼs bedroom. A room packed full of wooden furniture, the drawn curtains made the room seem darker. The elderly gentleman looked like he had lost at least a stone in weight. In the few days since Kev had seen him, his skin had yellowed and dried like a newspaper in the hot sunshine. Kev didn't want to show what he was feeling. He gasped. He could not believe his eyes. How could his friend have gone down so fast?

'Kev, the end is near for me. I have a few things I want to say to you. As you know, I have no children, I will leave the guest house for my sister's kids, and I need you to do something for me. My nephew Dam needs a guiding hand and is a good lad but wayward. I want you to guide him and set him on the right path. Educate him in Western ways. Hua Hin will soon be a popular tourist town; as you can see, it is growing fast; I want Dam to be a leading light here. That, my friend, is why I have spent so much time setting you up. Dam will need ex-pat connections. Now I need some help from an Englishman. I have good friends in every important position in town, and they will help you and Dam. Please donʼt let me down.'

Kev was dumbstruck and thought he was the genius who got their business cracking.

'Kev, one more thing, you need to learn to speak Thai! I have arranged it. You start lessons tomorrow. My niece, whom you have not yet met, will arrive from Bangkok tonight. She has recently qualified as a teacher, and you are her first pupil. Now please send my family in - good luck, Kev.'

That was the last he saw of his friend.

The funeral was arranged quickly; it was the first of many Kev would attend. A Buddhist funeral in Thailand can last many days; this one lasts nine days, from 11 am to noon and from 7 pm until 9 pm daily. And on the final day, they will cremate the body. After that, all the mourners place paper or sandalwood flowers dok mai chan on the deceased's body. After that, they chant prayers, and everybody says their final goodbyes to the dead.

The temple was packed, and extra seats had to be arranged at the back to ensure everyone could sit down. The Abbot said he had never seen so many attending a Hua Hin ceremony.

Kev had hated French lessons at school. He remembered one Monday morning telling his mother he had a headache coming on for Thursday. On seeing his mother's puzzled look, he explained: 'We have double French on Thursdays.'

To his surprise, he enjoyed the Thai lessons. Or was it because of his teacher? She was shy, quiet, and beautiful. Kev was falling in love. One hour a day, Monday through Friday, learning fast and wanting more.

The Thai language differs from French or all the other European tongues. It is a tonal language. Sometimes, words that sound the same to the untrained ear mean the direct opposite. A classic example is near and far, klai, and kai.

Kev missed his old friend more than he could imagine, but otherwise, things were going well. Except for his problem with pronouncing the Thai for "near" and "far".