12 Jul, 2006

Hi,

Just had a much-needed weekend of 3 days' fun in Bangkok. We got there on Friday around 5.30, then got in a taxi to go to Banglamphu (the backpackers' area). BUT that didn't quite work. The road we were on, after Rob had told the driver which route to take, was absolutely chock-a-block with traffic. We sat in the car for about 20 minutes and moved about 3 feet. We were going nowhere! So we got out and walked for about 15 more minutes, and still the cars had not moved at all on that road. We made our own way to the road where our guest house was, and got in a tuk-tuk - 5 mins later we were there.

The guest house is in the vegetarian restaurant whose cooking class i did. http://www.maykaidee.com We are good friends with the owner and the people who run it, and it's like staying at your auntie's house! the rooms are lovely and clean, the beds are super-comfy, and when you go out of your room you get the great cooking smells wafting up the stairs. (I am such a huge fan of their food!) So it's really a home from home, and i would recommend anyone to stay there.

After a good veggie dinner, we headed out and met up with a good friend, Sian, who we met in the national park last October. She teaches in Bangkok, and is always out of a weekend. She was in "Hippie de Bar", which is retro heaven - full of gaudy decor and 1950s furniture and fittings. So we had a couple of cocktails with her and 2 of her fellow teachers, and when they had gone we set off home. However, we bumped into Mick, a lean, mean harmonica-playing friend of ours, who was going to a party at the next bar along and invited us along.

There were a few people there that we knew and hadn't seen for a while, so the rest of the night vanished and we got out of there at about 5.30 a.m. - the place was still busy! Spent Saturday taking it easy, I had a facial in the forecourt of a disused petrol station!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, and then in the evening we went to Adhere The 13th, the little blues bar that was such a favourite of ours when we lived in the city. Early in the evening, Rob was chatting to some bloke from England who never shut up and I couldn't get a word in, so I went off to Adhere first and got chatting to 2 social workers, one from Brighton and one from Germany, who were in BKK for a conference. Rob turned up, they went off, and we stayed in the bar until about 12, talking to a glamorousThai woman, and then went across the road for some late-night dinner. I had got up at2 p.m. that day, had breakfast about 2.30, then a snack at 5, and didn't want any food until the end of the night, so we went to Soi 2, a legendary lane off the main road, where there are lots of late-night food places where you can sit down and eat and drink some more when the bars have closed. So we did, and got to bed about 2 a.m.

On Sunday, we went downtown to go bowling, which we did, to no great effect - our scores were pretty naff. Did a bit of browsing, too, and in the evening we met up with Sian again and went to Brick Bar, where a ska reggae band plays every Sunday night. That was fab fun, and I was dancing on the seats! (Not quite on the table.) They finished about 1 a.m., and then the football was on, so Rob went off to find somewhere to watch it, and we ladies soon joined him. There were a lot of Italians and French people watching, and they were a bit more subdued than the English hooligans, so we satand watched the whole thing. I was falling asleep by the time 90 minutes were up, but I had to stay for extra time and penalties........got home around 04:30.

On Monday Rob managed to get his passport sorted, so that will be ready on the 25th, thankfully. the plan had been to come back to Prachin when that was done, but no way was i getting in a minibus for 2 or 3 hours, so we ended up staying another night, and came home yesterday. Lesson-planning prevailed, then a DVD, and now we're back at school.

The river is now really high - it flooded last October, and looks fit to do it again, except it's only July this time. The rain last night...........i thought we would never get to sleep! I have never seen or heard rain like it rains here. It started about 10 last night, the thunder began, and it was still pouring like you wouldn't believe at 2 a.m. - same at half past 3, too. Just the weather for hot rice porridge of a morning.........!

Do you know, i teach in bare feet! Everyone does. You have to take off your shoes outside the classroom.