Sunday 1st

Apparently, 1 in 5 people in the world are Chinese. And there are
5 people in my family, so it must be one of them. It's either my mum
or my dad. Or my older brother Colin. Or my younger brother Ho-Cha-Chu.

But I think it's Colin.

Monday 2nd

This evening saw the staff go-karting competition.. Five heats, two semi finals then the final. The final was just like one of those races you see in films where it is so exciting right up to the photo finish...

I came third

Click above for more pictures.

Tuesday 3rd

Today is the Thai festival of Loy Kratong when Thai people get together to celebrate the end of the rainy season. Lotus flower boats with candles are made which are floated on rivers and ponds.

The Thai staff at school invited us to their Loy Kratong celebrations tempting us with Thai food, beer and entertainment. I bought myself a Thai traditional costume and entered into the spirit of celebrating the end of the rainy season.

It rained!

Click here to see the photos: Loy Kratong

 

Wednesday 4th

Heard more from Andy and Monica on their Asian travels.

"We had one near disastrous experience of this on the road from Xiahe to Langmusi. the conductor was determined to charge us Y30 a head when we all knew that the price was Y12. An argument ensued that led to the conductor throwing our bags (Monica and me plus a Dutch couple) off the? top of the bus. As he did so we loaded them into the inside of the bus. Eventually the conductor refused to hand down the last bag, mine, and? left it hanging on the side of the bus as the driver prepared to leave, still with the price undecided. I clambered onto the roof to prevent my? back ending up in the dust and dirt of the road as we prepared to drive off. As I swung the pack onto my back momentum took over and the bag and me swung into one of the windows smashing it into a hundred pieces. At this the conductor went truly mad and started shouting as only the Chinese seem to know how. We thought the game was up and we would have to give up on the bus, but they soon agreed to let us ride for Y20 and loaded our packs back onto the roof - securely tied this time. As we took the dusty five hour trip to Langmusi we were accompanied by the regular tinkle and crash of glass falling from the broken window"

Thursday 5th

Hard to believe it's bonfire night back home. Visions of standing rounding a blazing fire eating jacket potatoes are hard to conjure up. It's definitely getting cooler here now tough and it is quite possible to feel comfortable without air conditioning on all the time.

Friday 6th

Had an interesting maths lesson this morning. Well it wasn't really a maths lesson as all Yr. nine students had been invited down to Yr. 1 and 2 to read stories to the Munchkins. It was their book week and the children had all come dressed as a character from a book:

Natalie Yr. 9 reading to a captivated (one exception) group of Munchkins.

Saturday 7th

Saturday morning, the most exciting sporting fixture Thailand has known. A three way snooker match between the shopkeeper, the guard and the school teacher (representing the rest of the world). I generously agreed to pay for the table at the snooker club but didn't realise the price included the services of a young lady who followed us around the table with one of those rests (X on a stick) for the whole hour.

Needless to say, "The rest of the world" did not win but looking on the bright side I did learn that lop is the Thai word meaning negative (don't ask me why).

Sunday 8th

Oh my head ... yes a typical Sunday morning in Amazing Thailand.. Sun shining.. the sound of electric drills in every other house ... and a tiny bit of a hangover.

Monday 9th

I have received a letter from Subramanian in India. First he tells of good news but then ...

"I will be having a baby in 6 months... I need your great help. One of our student named Jayakumar. I hope you may remember him. He is living in Tripur at the moment. His owner is having one million American dollars. It is in a single currency. I am sending a copy of it. Is it possible to change there or through your friends in America? They could not do it here. He had it from a politician instead of property. Now that fellow in foreign countries. The owner promised that if we do it, he will give a big amount to Goodwill as a donation. They have checked whether it's original or not. It is original! They cannot do it directly because it is a very big amount..."

He sent me a photocopy of the bill in question. On the back is written "This certificate is backed and secured only by confidence in the American dream"

Someone's in for a nasty shock!

Tuesday 10th

Yrs 10 - 13? parents evening making another 12 hour day at work. This time I'm suffering from the recurring Delhi belly so not a happy time.

Wednesday 11th

Covered a PE lesson today. It was mixed soccer. The head of PE said to the Yr 9 children at the beginning of the lesson "You know what to do!".

As good as gold they ran once around the pitch in silence... stood in front of me to do their stretching exercises... had ten minute practising passing skills then organised themselves into four teams for some games. I did not have to say a word. I just sat there next to the pool under the shade of a palm tree and watched them get on with it. The easiest lesson ever!

Thursday 12th

From the dictionary:

Brain, n.: The apparatus with which we think that we think.

Friday 13th

After an impromptu Thai lesson from the lead guitarist of "The group", who'd dropped in to marvel at the size of my huge house; I ventured out to eat at 10pm. After the usual tasty cow pat pak (vegetable fried rice) I jumped in a taxi heading for the club on Soi 55 (half way into the city from here, Soi 105). After 20 minutes driving along Sukhumvit we got caught in this Cre-at rot-tik (serious traffic jam). We sat there for ten minutes till the driver decided to smile at me, do a u-turn and hurtle off down some back streets ... a short cut. We had a fascinating tour of these back streets through which, I thought, we were making good progress towards Soi 55.

The time was now past 11pm as we emerged from the tour of these back streets only to see the unmistakable site of Seacon Square, Sout East Asia's largest shopping complex, which is only 5 minutes from my house. The driver smiled undeterred and continued on this alternate route to Soi 55.

We hadn't got as far as Soi 71 yet and I was in great need of the hong nam (toilet) so I told the driver to drop me off (jot in e cap). I got out paying the 183 bhat fare (the largest I've had to pay yet) and found a bar to dash into as my need for the hong nam was now acute.

If there is one piece of advice I can give to potential vistors to Bangkok it is don't dash into just any bar !!!! ... but that story I tell you when I see you!

I had one beer then got into a taxi home arriving home at 12:20pm. Sarah, my next door neighbour, was sitting out on her front door step with her visitors. "Had a good night?" she cheerily called out over the wall.... hmmmmm.... Friday the 13th.

Saturday 14th

Are you hungry? Alan Connah sent me this document to beef up my day.

Sunday 15th

Click here to see pictures of my early morning spin around Bangkok

Monday 16th

Just as I was starting to think that that many Thai people had hearing problems, today I realised that what I thought was a hearing aid was just loose change! Yes many people here choose to carry around their coins in their ears!

Perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised, the Romans carried their coins in their mouths, hence the expression "cough up!"

Tuesday 17th

One of the few things I remember from Sunday School is that people used to sleep on the flat roof of houses in the Bible lands. As my house also has a flat roof I thought this evening would be an ideal opportunity to try it as a meteor shower was forcast for the early hours of the morning.

The workmen living in the house behind mine had the same idea.

Once I realised how much harder the roof was than my bed I had second thoughts... so I slept in my bedroom after all. I did get up at 1:30am though and venture up to the roof to have a look at the skies... but the workmen on the next roof sign languaged that they'd seen nothing yet so I went back to bed.

Good pictures of the spectacle I missed in today's paper.... happens again in 77 years... must make a note in my diary to buy a lilo or camp bed before then!

Wednesday 18th

All the publicity posters feature the phrase "Thailand - The Land of Smiles"... do you really believe it? Well having been here four three months now I think I can confirm that Thai people smile more often than any other race I know. I can also add that the width of their smiles, the broadness of their grins, would put a Cheshire cat to shame.

Thursday 19th

"Niran Sukchalerm brought four rustling plastic bags filled with frantic lizards, worms, live centipedes and raw pig's intestines for his act, during the 10th anniversary celebrations last weekend of Tarm-Pai-Du, one of Thailand's top TV shows.

He ate them all. Alive.

However, his was not the only act to amaze the audience of 10,000 Thais, who had thronged the large convention hall at The Mall, an enormous shopping centre in Bangkok.

There was a man who bounced a durian (as opposed to a football) off his head, one who lifted drums with cables attached to his eyeballs, and one who inhaled an entire spool of string through his nose and pulled it, dripping, out of his mouth"

5pm Friday 20th till 11pm Sunday 22nd Weekend in Chiang Mai Thailand's Second Largest City "Rose of The North" "Venturing out of the hotel on Saturday morning I found myself walking along a quiet road along which the shops had not opened. A car pulls up along side me, the back window opens and ..."

Click here to read all about it

Monday 23rd

Coped quite well at school today after the action packed weekend.

Congratulations to Nick at school for coming up with the monk joke

Why did the monk cross the road? To see Wats on the other side!

Tuesday 24th

My form, 7T, were unbeaten in the interform football competition today:

Mike and I decided to venture further for evening meal this evening so we decided to go down Sukhumvit towards Cambodia.... well 200yds towards Cambodia anyway!

We had dinner in "Ben's" restaurant though they spoke no English and we had to eat whatever they gave us.. which was OK. We then went next door to a place called "Hi-Fi 2002". We had no idea what it was but decided to live dangerously. It was another live band venue but the theme was sort of space age (ish). All the waiters wore silver Star Trekie jackets and the place was decorated with all the latest disco type lights and gizmos. The band was more like a dancey boy band that rock but they were very good. Only managed to keep eyes open for their first two songs so must go there again one weekend.

Wednesday 25th

Saw the school production of "The Tempest". Absolutely first class! The most professional school production I've ever seen. The set was excellent, acting by the senior students stunning.... just a pity about the playwrite... couldn't understand a word of it!

Must try to get a photo or two of the set and costumes...

Thursday 26th

"If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well"; so when the lower school decided that it was time for the children to hear some Scottish music, who was bought in but The Scots Guards no less. They performed for the children this morning:

Friday 27th

Today was what seemed like the last proper teaching day of the year as we have the residential trip next week; then only three days with the pupils in during the very last week which will be taken up with the festive spirit I think.

Saturday 28th

Morning spent Christmas shopping at Chatuchak, Thailand's largest weekend market selling practically everything under the sun from almost 9000 individual booths. Very strange shopping for Christmas in a country that doesn't celebrate Christmas. There were no Christmassy things on sale at all... no Christmas music playing and no tinsle or Xmas lights anywhere!

Sunday 29th

"when in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream & shout"

Monday 30th - Friday 4th December

School Residential Trip to Khao Yai (see December diary)

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