Look What I've got!

I've just been given a copy with Ange's photos from Laos and thought you might like to see this....

We had gone to visit the 'bomb' village near Phonsavon where the people who live there have managed to use the remains of bombs throughout the village. However, we managed to turn up the day after someone had died and so were there for the ritual slaughtering of a cow. As we wandered around we noticed various people walking around with bits of fresh meat in their hands and this little girl was very proud to show us her bit. Mmmmmmm.

The cat sat on the mat

This week I have tried my hardest to improve my very shoddy thai. I decided that if I am going to stay here I really should be able to do more than direct taxis and order food. So after 4 days at Pink Chilli language school I feel that I have come on.

I am proud to announce that I can now say these useful phrases:
1. The cat sat on the mat
2. I am crazy.
3. The antarctic is getting smaller because the world is getting hotter!

However, I have also developed a Geoff like habit of saying 'Breast' as a substitute for many words - I'm not sure why but it just slips out - and have to make long convoluted sentences to avoid words that have the 'ngya' sound in it - much safer for everyone involved I promise you.

Gonna keep up the lessons for a little longer I think. I'm yet to see what difference it makes in practice as I'm not sure the general thai population will have the same patience with me as my teacher did. We'll see......

Warning!!!!

Thai residents have today been warned of the imminent arrival of two of the UK’s most notorious and depraved residents. Tom Codrington and Ian Scothern are known throughout the United Kingdom for debauched nights out and the ability to imbibe large amounts of alcohol leading to well-documented atrocities.

Although thought to be heading for Gullivers and the PatPong area of Bangkok intelligence suggest that their accomplice, Khun Ali, will be attempting to introduce these two immoral men to more traditional Thai culture.

The Head of Scotland Yard in London suggests caution and advises all women to avoid contact with these “monsters”. Meanwhile London Mayor Ken Livingston offers a hand of friendship to the Thai Government while admitting that “residents of London will sleep better knowing that these degenerates are not longer in the country.”

Today our thoughts and prayers are with the Thai population.

Top Present!

Hoorah! We have finally broken up for the Christmas break. What a slog the last couple of weeks were, but we have made it. And of course the Christmas break means presents! I received a pretty good selection of chocolates and scarves but clearly some of the kids had been allowed to choose the presents themselves. So here is possibly my favourite present of all time!

Hong Kong

Just had a fantastic weekend visiting Jules in Hong Kong. What a city!

We started off Saturday in Stanley with a bit of shopping and leisurely lunch - what more could a girl want from a Saturday afternoon?

Then in the evening we hit the Hong Kong night spots! I have to say that my favourite has to be The Feather Boa. A very small, intimate place, opulently decorated and serving possibly my favourite drink of all time. We ordered Strawberry Daquiries - but these were daquiries with a difference. First the glass was coated inside and out with chocolate! So before drinking your strawberry coctail with hint of chocolate you needed to lick the chocolate from the outside of the glass - heaven!

This was soon followed by a very brief visit to the ice bar. Although we were given huge coats and felt like the characters from the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe it was still riduculously cold in there. Luckily shots of vodka are designed to be drunk quickly so we were soon at the bars at Lan Kwai Fong.

Also at Lan Kwai Fong were hundreds of people dressed as Santa (all for charity darling)! Very bizarre looking down at lots of red fur lined outfits from above. If you had a Santa suit on there were cheap drinks so Jules, Adele and I liberated a few Santa hats and wangled several free drinks. The music was cheesy, the drinks were flowing and boy did our heads hurt the next day.

However this did not stop us from a very queasy ride on the ferry to Lamma Island, but lunch and a wander to the beach soon sorted us out, although I have to admit it was more than a tad chilly - I'd forgotten some countries have seasons!

Our final destination was the Kowloon side to watch the light show and view the fantastic Hong Kong sky-line.

I will definitely be back! Enjoy the pics.

Mad Dogs Win!

We had our end of season netball bash on Monday night (Kings birthday on Tuesday and it was bank holiday so we had plenty of time to recover) so off to the Bulls Head for dinner and drinks. This was my first event in my new position of Treasurer but somehow I managed to pay the right bills despite the free drinks.

As encouragement to get the girls out on a Monday night Billy from the Bulls Head donated 2 bottles of champagne for the team with the best turnout. Needless to say the Mad Dogs pulled it out of the bag and happily collected our bubbly to heckles of “Well you have to win something!”

On the Shelf

Well it is contract renewal time and several people have been surprised when I have said I’m considering staying in Bangkok. Why wouldn’t I stay you think – the weather is great (most of the time), the food is amazing, the beer is cheap, I have a fab apartment, I have friends aplenty – what would stop me? Well it seems that everyone assumed I would leave due to the high probability that I will remain single as long as I remain in Bangkok.

I have tried speed dating, attended a singles supper club and scoured the pubs and clubs of Bangkok but to no avail. I have heard a rumour that there are 3 single men in Bangkok who are not here for thai girls but I am granting this the status of urban myth.

This is not to say that there are no interesting men. Occasionally I will meet an interesting (and, amazingly enough, interested young man) but invariably I will find that they are on vacation and flying out the next day. Obviously this is not going to make for a lasting relationship.

So with a contract renewal comes a joint unwritten contract with the highest shelf in single-town. I will have to make do with compliments from random taxi drivers who say I am ‘suay’ – beautiful – but I do understand that perhaps they are just buttering me up for a tip. So I may be on the shelf, but I promise I won’t let myself get dusty. Hey ho – what is one more year!

Food By Phone!

I have said it time and time again. I LOVE LIVING ON MY OWN. It is fab! If there is a mess I can only get annoyed at myself. I have loads of space. I can be noisy when I want and I can be quiet when I want. And I get the whole sofa to myself. I am slightly concerned that when it does come to sharing again I will be unbearably annoying and anal but I will cross that bridge when I come to it. For now I will revel in my independence.

However, after all the fun and games and late nights with Tooch and Ollie that end of term cold that I was warding off finally got me in its grasp. Only a cold but coupled with sheer exhaustion and a shriveled liver it meant that I didn’t leave the apartment for 3 days.

The first day was fine – sofa, box of tissues, and movies. But I soon grew tired of this and realized that it possibly might be nice to have someone living with me who might give me some tlc and go to seven eleven on my behalf.

But who needs a flatmate when we have ‘food by phone’. This is the Bangkok bible revered in rainy season and lovingly caressed on those days when you are so hungover you are scared to go outside. All it takes is one call and a young man will jump on his moped, pick up your food from the restaurant of your choice and deliver it to your door. What could be better when you have a snuffly, red nose and are too tired to change out of your trackies! We love you Food by Phone.

Tour Guide Ali

It was lovely to have Toochie and Ollie in town last week and it was fab to show them all my favourite haunts. So it was up the Banyan Tree for coctails at Vertigo. It definitely lives up to its name - poor Ollie - but he recovered quickly enough when he saw the beer towers at Lumphini. And of course no trip to Bangkok is complete without a pitstop at Cheap Charlies. Don't worry we didn't just roll from bar to bar, but had some absolutely amazing food and Tooch and Ollie managed to do a fair bit of shopping and sightseeing too.

The Plain of Jars

What are they? How did they get there? Who used them? I particularly liked the idea that they were for brewing laos whisky or that they were part of a huge banquet. But whatever they are they were pretty amazing.

Slightly concerned by the MAG signs - not the most coordinated person in the world and was convinced I would trip and fall on the only remaining landmine - but managed to come back with all my limbs. Great job they are doing.

Lost in Translation

Had an entertaining conversation with one of the kids in my class the other day who wanted me to tell him how to spell a word. However his pronunciation wasn't great so I had some difficulty.
"how do you spell Y?" he said.
"W - H - Y" I answered.
" no Y" he repeated.
"W-I-D-E?" I tried.
"No, Y. Like Wipe your Butt!"
Needless to say I couldn't spell it for him as I was laughing so much. However, was very impressed that this was the only sentence he could come up with!

Vang Vieng, Laos

More Nicknames

Having been here over a year I have been getting used to the Thai nickname thing and don't even think twice when calling someone Meow or ManU. However, did giggle today when I found out we have a kid called Bomb in the school.

In true bad taste I will leave you with the vision of his parents losing him in an airport!

Welcome!

Hey boys and girls, welcome to my blog. This is the first attempt and to be honest the whole getting pictures onto the site thing has been a challenge. Laos pics will follow - I have had enough for one evening and I have a bar of dairy milk waiting courtesy of Tooch and Ollie - bless them.

Anyways, the idea is that I will post my ramblings here rather than send you mega-emails. Hoorah - I hear you say.

So keep in touch - think there is the option to comment etc.

Look after yourselves.

love ali
xxx

Too Many Singhas, a tambourine and a gay bar!

Crowned dancing queen after dancing on the stage - not bad in a gay bar!























What a show!

Too Many Singhas, a tambourine and a gay bar!