Streetfighter 3

The great thing about being in South East Asia is that amazing things can happen without any warning or precedent. This morning, for example, we were having breakfast at a table on the sidewalk, when a commotion took our interest. Whirling down the street at relatively low speed was a fighting trio made up of one man and two women (both of whom were in what looked like pajamas). The floral woman had the woman in green by the shirt while simultaneously pummeling the man with her other hand. The man was trying to stiff arm the floral woman while sort of protecting the woman in green, all with a completely impassive face. The floral woman was shouting and occasionally brandishing a motorbike helmet which she used to strike the man on the top of the head.

The trio was in the middle of the small side street where we were dining, not more than 15 feet away, and for more than twenty minutes their domestic dispute continued. A crowd gathered to watch, with absolutely no intention of interfering. One helpful spectator explained to us that the floral woman was the man's wife, with many small children, while the woman in green was his girlfriend (or possibly second wife). If two men or two women were fighting, he related, then people would break it up, but since this was a family issue, no one would get involved. An older woman in polka dots approached and did get involved - the mother-in-law. She promptly hit the man over the head with open palms and then bit him on the forearm. Things were escalating and the crowd was growing. Tourists were snapping photos, shop owners running down the street to get a better look. Finally, the whirling domestic dispute crashed into a parked motorbike, knocking it over and threatening to topple a couple of tables. The street fighters moved out to the main street, causing a traffic jam and a chorus of loud honking. We returned to our noodle soup to finish our breakfast and wonder how the guy was going to get out of this one. Without much commotion or any police involvement, the fight was over and the disappointed crowds returned to their morning routines.