A little incentive....

I recently decided that it'd be a good idea to get fit. I was feeling rather sluggish and substantially overweight and was simply waiting for inspiration to get moving. I went out for dinner and a friend of a friend mentioned that they have started training for the Bangkok mini marathon in November. Where as most people murmured words like 'crazy', 'fool' and 'smog, heat, pollution' I thought it was quite a good idea.

I have undertaken to get properly fit on a few occasions in my life and each time it has resulted in a somewhat 'obsessive' approach to exercise. It seems that I can't motivate myself to do it unless I do it everyday. Then it seems that when I don't do it I don't feel right so I'm more able to keep going.

Over the last month I have been running on the treadmill a lot, doing yoga, interval training and other such energetic things. This all takes place in the small and meagerly furnished gym in our apartment. Here the treadmill is so old that you have to make sure you foot hits it with backward propulsion or it stops dead and you fall off. It took me about 3 sessions to master the technique. I had managed to get up to about 5 kilometres a session within 2 weeks. However I am very aware that running on a treadmill is nothing like proper outdoor running so I started to look for somewhere nearby to go running outside. I live about 3 kilometres from the biggest park in Bangkok that is a sea of exercise enthusiasts morning and night, but I don't fancy the ride there and back on the back of a motorbike through rush hour traffic, especially not the way back when I'm all sweaty, and I'm certainly not such an enthusiast to run 5-10k and then walk 3k home.

One of my colleagues mentioned that he goes running right behind my apartment. Much to my surprise, one of the most popular exercise spots in the area is the largest Chinese Cemetery in Bangkok. I went down there last week for the first time and found that not only does the cemetery have a marked running track, but it also has areas for basketball, Taikwando, badminton, Thai-chi, aerobics, learning the 'Cha-Cha' and a huge weight park all surrounded by the thousands of traditional grass covered, waist high mounds of the Chinese tombs. Not only are there hundreds of people who choose to go there to get fit, there are those who go there to join one of the many games of chequers, to relax, eat and watch TV, or just to sit on the grass and watch everybody else get fit. Yesterday I even saw runners taking a break to sing karaoke. It's hard to know who there's more of; those above ground or those below.

I never thought that what is technically a graveyard could be such a social place. Everybody is really friendly and seems to know everyone else. The number of people old and young who are there getting fit is a big encouragement, but there is no better incentive than the surroundings themselves to make you want to get fit. I am now up to running 8k!!

The pic above is not one of the cemetery I go to but I've not been brave enough to take me camera.

My new favourite place

As I mentioned on the last update, the Thai government obviously feels that we've been overworked this month what with having 2 bank holidays, and had decided to give us a third bank holiday on the spur of the moment. What was nice about this one was that it was so people could go back to their home town and vote, meaning that going away on a break was a reasonably stress free event.
For this weekend we had arranged to go to the closest island to Bangkok, a little known island called Koh Sichang. This small island which can be more or less explored on a bike in a day is often dropped from most peoples holiday considerations as it is located close to the mouth of the Chao Phrya; the dirty great river that flows out through Bangkok. I only know about this island as I was taken there by some long-term expats in 2001. As I recalled the island was low key and relaxing while also being pretty easy to get to. However, the price you pay for convenience and quiet is that it lacks the crystal clear waters and the bars to go to.

The journey down to the island was reasonably uneventful. We left school at 15.00 and were on the bus and moving by 16.00, just over 2 hours later we were sitting on the top of an old Thai ferry with an amused collection of Thais. I have been told many times that you should never trust a Thai boat and it's always wise to sit out in the open or on the top deck, definitely not down below where they usually try and shove you. The boat ride out to the island was an interesting 45 minutes; in the dark with only the occasional use of a spotlight, in slightly big swell, you slalom in and out of the many giant tankers and cargo ships that are waiting to be unloaded with the goods for Bangkok. You never quite realize just how big those things are until you're running along the side of one in a decrepit old wooden boat. The journey was a little bit hair-raising at times but we arrived at the pier safely and were met by the owner of the resort we were staying in.

From our last trip away I was fully prepared this time for the resort to be a bit of a disappointment and not as nice as the pictures. I am very happy to say that this time I had no reason to worry. No photos can really do this location justice. Not only that, but the owners went out of their way to make us feel welcome. As we were taken to our hut which was slightly back from the water but still with a good view, we were told that we would be able to move to one of the other huts later. Then we were taken down to a mat that was laid out for us to eat and drink on the top of the rocks overlooking the sea. The resort we stayed in was called Malee Blue and is owned by an architect and a landscaper. They are a lovely couple and they have put thoughtful touches everywhere. Most places I go in Thailand I always end up saying 'now why did they put that there...?' Or 'what we could just do with is a....' This wasn't the case here. The owners (much to the amusement and criticism from the other people living on the island) tried to make it as un-resort like as possible. They wanted to make it feel like a fishing village, completely natural, without any concrete and in a remote place away from the pier. While building it they were often told they were crazy and they should build on the road and make concrete apartments. Thankfully they did not listen and they now have the most popular and beautiful place to stay on the island. There are only 11 huts and the place has the feeling of a community. In the evening most guests end up fishing for squid off the rocks and it means you end up talking to far more people than you usually would, be it in pidgin English or Thai. While I was staying there my Thai improved a lot, one evening I commented on some of the food we ate, the next day they took me in the kitchen and taught me how to cook it. With my basic Thai it was very entertaining for all (I think most of the staff and family came to watch!).

Apart from having somewhere so nice to stay the weekend was also really enjoyable due to the fact we hired a motorbike for most of the time we were there. I explored more of the island this time than in all the previous visits combined. Our first visit was to an old Chinese shrine built in a temple on the hillside. The best thing about the Khao Yai Spirit Shrine was probably the view, but the shrine itself was quite interesting, set in a cave that had been painted completely gold and had a figure carved into the wall. We continued up the hill from the shrine another 300 steps to see the imprint of the Buddha's footprint and a rather well dressed rock. The steep climb in noon heat nearly killed us but the view from the top was worth it, as was the cooling breeze!!
Next stop was to the old Phra Chuthathut Palace. This was once used by the royals when on holidays from Bangkok. Most of the buildings have gone now but a few pretty ones remain and the grounds are still well kept. Our main reason for going there was to walk up the white chedi that stands on the hill. Apparently one of the kings had this chedi specially designed to be hollow so that he could go inside and meditate. We had the place to ourselves and were kindly allowed to go inside. It's in a fantastic location and is really peaceful.

Even when we weren't going anywhere in particular it was just nice to explore the island's quiet tracks and roads on the bike. Koh Sichang is unlike most other Thai islands and is rocky, craggy and slightly windswept. It's more like Scotland than Phi Phi or Samui. We went down to the only beach on the island and had a drink, but didn't stay there long as the beach had rubbish on it and the water wasn't very clean. We then took a bit of a wrong turn on the way back and ended up driving through a disused quarry and up a small track on the other side. Along here we found a lady and her herd of goats chilling out under some trees and a very small and rocky beach with nice clean inviting water. No tourists and absolutely no umbrellas.

All in all, this was one of the most rewarding and relaxing trips I have been on. What with the cool breeze, nice surroundings, good food and friendly people, I was really sad to have to leave. I can't wait to go back. Hopefully I only have to wait till next month!

Long weekend away

So…. After 8 full weeks of teaching without one of Thailand’s many bank holidays last weekend we finally got to take a short break and go away for 4 days. Nick and I were joined by a friend from work and his girlfriend and we headed out for some R ‘n’ R in the back of beyond.

We had decided that we wanted to do something a little different and avoid the regular tourist areas; places within driving distance of Bangkok end up absolutely crawling over bank hols and it can end up taking over 5 hours longer than usual to get there and back. For this bank hol Nick had found a resort that was in a little known area called Kung Wiman about 40 kilometres from Chantaburi.

Our journey down there was surprisingly easy for a bank hol, we seemed to avoid all the traffic. We got to the resort, a new ‘eco’ spa retreat, and it felt like we were the only ones there. In fact, by the time we had eaten breakfast (a single option of bacon and eggs to be consumed everyday for four days!) the next day, we still hadn’t seen anyone else. The resort was not far from the beach and we got stared at quite a lot when we walked down there. There were no tourists Thai or otherwise anywhere to be seen. Over the course of the next four days we didn’t see another foreigner in the area, it is definitely the most ‘Thai’ experience I’ve ever had. Kung Wiman seems quite new to the hol scene and when we hired the bikes we did see busier areas, but it was kinda nice that things were so quiet around us. We got to enjoy the beaches without jet skis and banana boats.

The break was mainly eating, reading and playing cards. The food was fantastic but limited. We ate seafood more or less straight for 4 days, and for someone who is reasonably new to eating fish, prawns and crabs (especially the type you have to peel, crack or de-leg) it was quite an experience. By the time I got back to Bangkok I was desperate to eat steak or bangers and mash. However, if it hadn’t been for our Thai friend who came with us our menu would have been even more limited as everywhere we went the menus where only in Thai and my food ordering is far from up to scratch.

On our day exploring the area (on rather decrepit mopeds), we checked out another beach, visited a local temple and went around the local mangrove forest. The King here is very environmentally minded and has set up an educational tour around the plantation that is constantly being extended. It’s all free and really well set out. You can see new areas being planted and also oysters being grown. While we were down there I tried oysters for the first time (cold, de-shelled and over ice, definitely not to my taste), we got around 50 oysters for less than 1 pound 50.

The place we stayed was set in really lush tropical gardens with waterfall, pool and lookout point over the surrounding area. We did find that although the rooms were nice and the people there very friendly, that they were not really set up for guests. In the pictures posted on the internet all of the terraces are decked out with cushions, mats and plants to make them look nice and inviting. When we got there the terraces were more or less bare with not a plant or mat to be seen. Me being the ‘pushing demanding foreigner’ that I am, obviously was not ready to let this slip as most Thai visitors would and went and asked for cushions and mats so we could sit outside. It took 3 attempts before the staff went and raided the proprietor’s house for stuff. This was obviously a case of dressing the place up for pictures, and while I understand that this takes place everywhere, there is a limit. I hope that they now realize that people will come to expect what is advertised and they need to be a little more prepared. On a better note, the spa treatments were professionally done and the massage was well worth it.

After our 4 day weekend we have now returned to work and are just about to take another 3 day weekend. Even better than this, is the fact that somebody high up the chain of command has just decided that 2 bank holidays in a month isn’t enough and that we need one more. We have just had a week on Monday confirmed as ‘Referendum Day’ and we have another day off.

The pictures are from around the garden, our explorations, and our room. You get the nicely presented brochure picture of our room. After much pestering we got some resemblance of this.

Football Madness...

Currently Bangkok is holding some of the football matches for the AFC Asian Cup. Somehow somebody managed to convince me that it was a good idea to go watch the Thailand V Australia game. The idea seemed a good one at first; give Nick a chance to watch footie and go support the locals and all that, also any sporting event involving Aussies is usually a laugh. However, when it came to the day of the event and we were trying to work out how to get to this new international stadium, we found that there was no way of getting clear directions of how to get there, no website (including the organizers of the competition) had a map for directions. The only things we did quickly learn was that there was no form of public transport to anywhere in the region of the ground, and that every person you ask or site you search gives you different instructions on how to get there.

After deciding on a route and packing our rain macs we set off under an ominously darkening sky. After a bit of grumbling we managed to convince the first taxi driver that came along that the journey wouldn’t take too long and he should take us all the way. As the sky got darker and the traffic slowed, our driver began to mutter the word ‘traffic’ under his breathe with increasing frequency and started subtly pointing out the benefits and convenience of all the motorbike taxis going past us. It didn't take us long to realize that we’d chosen one of the most congested and roundabout ways we could have gone.

We arrived at the ground nearly two hours later and having paid nearly double the asking amount to the taxi driver for his reasonably quiet grumblings, the skies had well and truly opened and the rain looked set in to stay. It seems that the Thai approach to organization and safety at sporting events is predictably bad. The first gate into the stadium grounds that we walked past was closed and had men, women (many in high heels) and children climbing about 8 feet to get over. There were no officials around and we thought for one moment that perhaps this was the done things and that the gates had been closed early. After wandering around the ground we found the correct way in and then joined a queue to get into the stadium itself. I use the word 'queue' in the loosest sense of the term as it seems that in Asia that queue means that 30% of people stand in what could be called a line and happily ignore the other 70% who stroll straight up to form a widening mass at the front. Now being British and from a nation of expert queuers, I find this highly irritating, more for the fact that no-one else sees fit to stop others from doing this. Following that old 'if you can't beat them join them' rule, we abandoned the queue and walked to the front. We got there just at the point everybody else decided to do the same, the result being that around 200 people were all trying to cram through a gap about half a metre wide. Thanks to Nick we got through just at the point it looked like it was turning into a crush.

Once inside the stadium things were a little better. We quickly realized why our seats were so much cheaper than some of our friends, we had no roof and the rain was still falling. We were sat in the Aussie section but it seemed that there was little segregation between the Thai and Aussie areas, in fact they were pretty much mixed. The Aussie supporters were wearing yellow to match their team, but as it was Monday the Thais were all also wearing yellow even though their team colours are red (more about the yellow obsession some other time). It was hard to tell the supporters apart.

The match was better than we expected and the Thais actually played some pretty good football. It got really exciting in the second half and even though the Aussies were one up it looked like the Thais were going to score. Anyway, after 75 mins we decided to make an early exit to avoid a 2-3 hour journey home. In the last 15 minutes after we left Australia scored 3 more times. Shame we missed the goals, but glad we missed the noisy and rather obnoxious Aussie supporters next to us bragging. Missing the goals was worth it anyway when the journey that took us 2 hours on the way there took us 20 minutes on the way back.

A day in the life of an ESL teacher...

We’ve now been teaching for over 2 months and are settling into our daily routine as teachers in Bangkok, and it seems like a good time to let you know exactly what it is we do out here.

There is a whole range of teachers working in Bangkok in a vast variety of positions. It is possible to earn enough money to survive here just by working odd days teaching at language institutes. Here a teacher will teach a handful of different small classes but will only see each set of students once a week for a few hours. This option is great for those who aren’t in need of a large amount of money and the security of work permit. It means there is more freedom to do as you choose and there’s less time required on lesson planning. While these classes can be fun as they are mainly conversation based, you don’t really get to know you’re students that well.
There are also quite a lot of people who do only corporate work. They go from place to place offering seminars to different companies. I have had next to no experience of this type of teaching so don’t really know the details. From talking to friends though, I’ve learnt that it generally involves a great deal of planning and travelling around, and you can often end up just being a foreign face there more for show because the government requires it, than actually expected to teach people.
The large majority of teachers in the city are based within schools. Again, the variety of the work available is great. When I started teaching in 2001, I was based in an all girls’ government school. I had 27 classes a week with up to sixty students per class. Often there were not enough desks in the classroom, the girls knew very little English, and I was faced with stony expressions and very little desire to learn. On top of the 27 hours of teaching I had to mark (and usually complete) the worksheets each girl was expected to do in every class. That’s roughly 1600 worksheets. Basically this adds up to very long hours, very poor pay, absolutely no job satisfaction and just generally a horrific experience. I lasted a sum total of 3 weeks and 2 days in this position...just long enough to get my wages and run.

These days life is a little bit easier. We begin our day at 6.30 am, with a reasonably relaxed breakfast and shower (well relaxed by my usual 10 minute bed to door dash standards), before taking an 8 minute stroll to work. We get to work at about 7.20 and have to be ready to stand outside the classroom with the students for morning assembly, this includes singing the national anthem and the school song, mercifully teachers are not expected to join in. Classes then start at 8.00, break at 9.00-9.15, lunch at 11.05-12.00, break at 13.50-14.00, with regular classes then finishing at 3.00. Two days a week teachers also teach the extra ‘homework’ classes for those students paying for them. School then closes at 16.00.
As a grade one ‘homeroom’ teacher, I am expected to teach English, Science, Maths, Phonics and Conversation to 6-7 year olds. I teach my own class for sixteen 55 minute periods a week and am sometimes required to teach small conversation groups from other classes (though this has yet to happen this year). For an example of the standard of grade one at Bangkok Christian College; we are currently covering animals in Science and the students are now expected not only to be able to name animals, they must also talk about where they live, what they eat and classify them as mammals, reptiles, fish, amphibians or birds and talk about their life-cycles, all in a foriegn language. This is very different from anything I was learning as a six year old!!
If you’re lucky, you can be approached to teach privately after school. This is a pretty good money earner and means you can make nearly half your salary again for just an extra hours work a day. I teach for between one and two extra hours a day, which makes for a pretty long day but is worth it, especially as it’s really rewarding working one on one with students who are having difficulties.

Teaching is just about the only job that I can see myself doing long term. As long as it is interspersed with regular diving breaks that is!! You get great job satisfaction, constant variety, long paid hols, decent pay for living in a tropical place (if you’re lucky). I’m not going to mention all the lesson planning, marking, poster and worksheet making!!

The pictures are of my students pretending to be good and actually do some work.

Kanchanaburi

So...there’s one really bad thing I forgot about teaching, the fact that you’re sick more often than not. When you put 33 bodies into one small space, have them go outside, get hot and sweaty or wet from the rain before coming in to a nicely chilled air-conditioned classroom, there’s bound to be a lot of sickness, and we always one kid off at a time with something or other. The week before last I had a bad time in my class and seemed to do nothing but shout, by the end of the week I was off with a migraine. I felt like death and the headaches took about 3 days to go. Having recovered from this we decided that the following weekend we needed to take a break from the city and head out to the mountains of Kanchanaburi for some R ‘n’ R. We figured it would be a good idea to get some fresh air and chill out.

We have found an amazing place in Kanchanaburi; it is a small guesthouse on the banks of the River Kwai. We stay in a raft-house right on the river. About a kilometre up river is the bridge over the river Kwai. This is the famous bridge that was built during the Second World War when the Japanese wanted to link Thailand and Burma. It is estimated that 16,000 POWs and 100,000 Asian labourers died whilst working on the bridge, railway and the famous ‘Hellfire Pass’. I have been up to Kanchanaburi at least 15 times and most of those times have included a trip up to the bridge; when you can get a moment free of tourists (and there are many happy snapping visitors at all hours) you get to feel a little of the history of the place. Most of the time however, there are too many tourists having their pics taken so you just have to join in and look gormless with your camera. As you can see from the pictures though, the bridge has been left with a reasonably bare structure. Much to the entertainment of the local long-tail boat drivers, those with slightly less co-ordination and concentration have been known to step right through the gaps and drop 30 feet into the brown river below (not mentioning any names but for once it wasn’t me....).

This most recent trip to Kanchanaburi we decided we wanted to explore the hills a bit more. We hired a moped, stocked up on chicken fried rice and took off in the vague direction of the hills. When you leave the rather large and touristy town of Kanchanaburi behind, you soon get out into really scenic areas with people drying grasses in the road and farmers driving cattle and goats along the verges. The houses get fewer and further between and more and more rustic. It wasn’t until after an hour of riding in the baking sun that we realised we’d forgotten any form of drink and the chance of a shop was quite remote. After rehydrating at a random ‘Pepsi’ stop we then ate lunch under a tarpaulin while sheltering from the rain – very glam. On the way back to town we got caught again and ended up pulling up under a bus shelter as the rain hammered down. We started a trend and were soon joined by 4 others.

Anyway, after our rather wet and chilly drive back we have both spent over a week recovering. We both still have hacking coughs and sore throats, and due to the fact that I have to make myself heard amongst a class full of over-excited 6 year olds, I have been giving Marge Simpson a run for her money all week. So much for a healthy break from the city

Night-life....

Before we left England we swore that when we got to Bangkok that our recent lethargic attitude to going out and socialising would change. It was very easy to blame a lack of money or the immense cost of an English ‘night-out’ as the reason we rarely went anywhere. I think in 15 months we went out in Manchester about 3 times and in London about 5 times. I think to be honest we’ve just fallen into that 2 sided trap where we have gotten used to enjoying nights in on the sofa watching movies and being free from having to make unduly taxing conversation, and we’ve also given ourselves long enough of a break off alcohol to feel our bodies recover. Why is it that hangovers seem worse the closer I get to 30...? Surely I’m not getting too old..? It’s not long since I was back in Roatan, partying like there was no tomorrow. So what happened in a year and a half to make me change from having to convince myself it’s a good idea to stay in as opposed to now where I have to force myself to go out? Well...I’ve come to the conclusion that I never really used to feel my hangover that badly before because I never really felt that good in the first place. When you drink nearly every night (god bless Sundowners), you’re pretty much permanently hung-over anyway. It seems that now, not only are we going from sober to drunk far quicker than ever, but that the force of the hangover is far greater regardless on the substantially smaller amount of alcohol consumed.
It’s probably this reason that has meant that we have managed very few proper nights out. Even fewer when you take out those nights out that actually ended up being more shopping than drinking. The problem is now we can’t really use the excuse that we can’t afford the taxi home, or the drinks out for that matter, or that there isn’t anywhere near us worth going to. However, we now have a new excuse... having faced 36 bouncing 6 year olds whilst suffering from a hangover once or twice before, I have learnt that teaching and drinking are just not compatible.

A few weeks ago we had our first visitor and had grand plans of going out to loads of places and showing her all sites of Bangkok. It doesn’t matter what kind of a budget you’re on here, there really is something for everyone. You can do it cheaply, either by going to small local Thai hangouts and paying the equivalent of 70 pence for a large bottle of Chang or Singha, or you can go to Khoa San road and hang out with every other foreigner on a budget; eat a square meal and drink yourself silly for less than a fiver. While there are the very cheap options for a night out, it is also possible to go out and burn money really quickly. There are a wide selection of bars for the wealthier locals, expats and more discerning tourist. A few of these places have decided to charge you more simply for the privilege of pushing you closer up to the smog line in the sky. For the price of 320 baht a cocktail (about 5 quid; quite cheap for London but very extravagant here), you can stand on the roof of one of the taller buildings in Bangkok and in very fine surroundings survey the city below you. The experience although somewhat extravagant for a regular night out, is nice to take people who are visiting. The view (once you get used to standing on the edge of nothingness and manage to open your eyes) is pretty unforgettable. Now we have another thing to add to list of ‘must do’ nights out in Bangkok, aside from the ping pong and Katoey shows that is.

The photos are from our night out with Kate at the Sky bar, 64 floors up.

Disasters waiting to happen

There’s always something new and unusual to see when you visit or live in a country that you’ve not grown up in and for westerners visiting Asian countries this is particularly true. Then again no doubt Asian people visiting western countries would find many of our day-to-day activities a little odd.
Back home when we get on public transport, it is the norm for people to offer their seats to old people or pregnant women (well everywhere outside of London anyway). In Thailand it is the norm for adults, old, pregnant or otherwise, to give their seat up for a child. Here it is children that are given the greatest respect (perhaps that’s why they are such brats half the time). If they don’t get given the seat on the bus or sky-train, then it is expected that they will sit on somebody’s lap. You frequently see children and bags farmed out onto complete stranger’s laps. I think that people back home would have a slight trust issue with this.

Perhaps one of things that stands out most here is the different ideas on safety and regulations. Having lived in a selection of places I’ve learnt that everywhere has its own idea of what is or isn’t ok. And, apart from the obvious ‘diving with student’ regulations I’ve never been a great stickler for rules. Living in Bangkok however and you’re constantly faced with things that either at best make you do a double take, at worst make you cringe and turn away for fear of witnessing disaster. Whether it’s 3 adults and 3 kids on a motorbike with no helmets on while travelling at speed in four lanes of traffic, or simply a guy on a moped with a Vicks nasal stick up each nostril (evidently this unique brand of air-conditioning isn’t that dangerous – until he falls off and it becomes a unique type of brain surgery), there’s always a reason to be looking out the window of your taxi.

The other day Nick and I were having breakfast on the back balcony and looking at the guys working on the new building across the way. They have been building some new apartments and are now painting the outside. This is a job that seemed to fall to one person who, as you can see from the picture, was in a rather precarious position. Every time he moved the whole structure (which wasn’t that stable to begin with) wobbled violently. The scariest thing however, was the fact that for him to go up or down a rung he had to span a distance greater than his actual height, while dealing with the wobble and the unsecured bucket of paint.

It seems that even where children are involved, even the precious little Faberge eggs that we have in our care at school, that there can be an insane disregard for danger. Very near our office, all the old school buildings have been knocked down to make way for a new larger structure. If you are to look through the door of my old classroom you will see three walls and a vast gaping hole where the opposite wall once was. Half of the structure has been knocked down and there are minimal if any supports to secure what’s remaining; stuff is constantly falling. The worst part about this is that children have been playing outside the classrooms and the doors have remained unlocked. It took one of the other English teachers to point out the potential danger in this before they actually thought about securing the area. It is a real miracle that there aren’t accidents happening all around us.

City Scape...

...whoever said cities couldn't be beautiful??? it seems that everyday we get something new to look at, be it spectacular sunsets, stormy skies and lightning shows, or even firework displays provided by the fancy hotels along the river.

Here are just a few of the things we get to see from our balconies.

Just a few of the sunsets within our first few weeks here.

We get about 2 firework displays a week. The photos are a work in progress. It took us quite a few attempts to get remotely clear pictures.













And obviously with all the rain we're having, we get a few of these...

Even when the sun's gone down and there's not much going on the view can still be pretty cool.

Life in Bangkok

Well, so we’re back from the beach and turquoise water into the rain and the smog. The first three weeks back it seemed to do nothing but rain. Not the usual torrential downpour kind of rain, more like the constant grey drizzle that my home town is so famed for. At the time all I did was complain about it as I had been looking forward to spending all my free time before school started getting even browner. Now I realize how nice it was having weather about 10 degrees cooler. Bangkok currently has a heat index rating of about 47 degrees, and believe me that means it feels really stinking hot.
After all the worry about sorting out work, getting jobs was actually very simple. I wasn’t so worried about myself; female teachers with reasonable experience, TEFL certifications and real Degrees are like gold dust out here. Schools always prefer employing women as they figure they’re not just here for the sex life.... Anyway, as it turns out both Nick and I found work really easily. He nearly ended up getting a promotion in the first week when the main Grade 2 teacher didn’t turn up. Don’t think he liked the idea of so much responsibility straight off, so far he has managed to hang on to his Grade 2 teaching assistant position. 3 weeks in and our department alone is still 4 teachers short. People really weren’t kidding when they said there was a teacher shortage. Seems that all the new rules and regulations have scared everybody off. It’s a bit silly really, there are loads of really experienced and good teachers out here but they just can’t get the work as they haven’t got degrees. Instead the students just go without a teacher...round of applause to the Ministry of Education for that one.
By the time we had sorted out work and had been back in Bangkok for a couple of days, we realized that the apartments that we had gone back to (the same building Nicole and I had spent a couple of years in), really weren’t so nice anymore; dirty walls, dark corridors, dirty furnishings etc etc etc. Not only that but the traffic really has gotten worse. Take a city that’s roads are at a standstill half of the time anyway, throw in another 3 or 4 years of traffic increase and what do you get?? A desperate run for the Sky-train and Underground as everybody else queues an hour to get a mile or so down the road. Then again it takes a braver person that me to get on an Underground system in a city that’s foundations are constantly sinking and shifting. Anyway, we decided to look for an apartment within walking distance of the school. We got a little bit carried away and have now landed ourselves with a monthly rent far greater than we had budgeted for. As much as I hate spending unnecessary cash and generally take the budget option wherever I can, I’m really enjoying the treat of living somewhere a little bit more luxurious. We have a beautiful 2 bed apartment that has great views, loads of space, leather sofas, 2 balconies and a nice pool. It’s quite a step up from the £25 a month studio I started off in. It also has a kitchen which is both a blessing and a curse. It means that we can have people round for dinner, but it also means I’m having to cook more than I have in ages.
So now we’re all settled, all we need is for people to come out and visit us. Our first guest arrives on Monday and is coming with empty bags and a desire to do little other than shop. I’m really looking forward to doing yet another tour of the shopping areas I’ve already made myself very familiar with over the last few weeks. I’m hoping that we have somebody come out to see us once a month...sometime around payday so I can use it as another excuse to shop, go out, and generally spend money. Saving can start later!!