Greg's Next Big Adventure

[calisota]

Exciting news Greg! Sure you can't do a stop over in HK the first week of April?

Costs, having to be in Thailand on a certain date, costs, been to HKDL twice, costs...

Greg

[churros]

Just been reading some of your fibbing posts...

Anyway you need to update us wants been happening since HK or gave I missed the posts somewhere else?

[KeithS]

Anyway you need to update us wants been happening since HK

I was just thinking the same thing - where are you now Greg - are you still in Thailand or have you made your way to Laos?

[calisota]

I'm in Laos now, been here for just short of a week and haven't had much time to scratch myself.

This is the first day that I have had a few minutes to do some personal stuff online and even then I'm squeezing it in between work stuff. We had to hit the ground running because we arrived the same day as the new lot of volunteers and, of course, they look at us as if we know everything. I'm glad I was here before and at least know my way around town.

Hopefully things will settle down soon and I'll be able to write a decent email.

I did manage to get the same room in the guest house that I had last time so I feel pretty comfortable. I am also the only room to have a TV! Certainly something they didn't have last time and from the way the power and aerial are taped to the walls I feel it's a bit of an experiment. But at least i get to watch a good variety of channels from Thailand even if I don't understand a word anyone's saying.

Greg

[churros]

Doesn't quite compare to the Lantau island digs

[calisota]

Thought I would post a long overdue update. It won't be very long though becuase of time and equipment limitations, but more of that to come.

Its been an interesting time so far. Unfortunately any job that involves people is going to have its issues. We have already had to deal with people who have broken the law and the odd one or two who have refused to do any of the teaching they came here to do and just sat in coffee shop or bars. You really have to wonder about some people.

I only got back from Bangkok a couple of days ago. We had a 19 year old girl, her first trip out of the UK against her parents wishes, who had her passport stolen. There is no British consulate in Laos so we had to go to bangkok to get her temporary documentation to fly home. Sounds easy but it involved 4 days travel, a trip to the laos capital, visits to 5 different government departmets and 3 different consulates, 2 fights, an overnight train trip and 2 border crossings.

All that being said, I really enjoyed it ( although it wasn't my passport so i was more relaxed than her) and it was my second trip to bangkok in a fortnight. I am now the proud owner of a new watch, a new phone and an Asus Transformer.

I keep saying that I will write more when things settle down but they never seem to. I even had to spend the night sleeping in the corridor of the local hospital, looking after a volunteer, and this is not a hospital you want to end up in if you can help it!

Greg

[KeithS]

Hey Greg - it is great to hear from you. I always say that most jobs would be brilliant if it were not for the staff and the customers