Testing - from ET in Paris 

More Thursday

At about 5.30 we went down to reception and joined the conference people waiting for the buses - it was a bit fraught as there seemed to be far more people than buses but as with everything here (so far) it came off peacefully and efficiently and with lots of smiles all around. The bus was ACd. and arrived at a beautiful place in no time at all (I cannot remember the name of the place) but it was a restaurant complex - lots of siting on the floor at gorgeous teak low tables. We were a bit alarmed about sitting on the floor, but there was actually a well under the table so it was comfortable. On our own, we were not sure where to sit, but eventually found a tavble near the back. The women there were very friendly and welcoming and insisted on moving around so that we would be in a good position to see the show. They were also very chatty and R was soon describing her prseentations etc etc, when all of a sudden we were asked to move to one of the VIP tables immediately to the front of the stage. It was a pity in some ways but c'est la vie. After sitting on our own for a time, we were joned by an American woman & her husband from Univ of Washington in Seattle (that may have been one ogf the sponsoring universities). They seemed pleasant enough, but I get very pissed off with Americans quie easily, especially when they claim to have seen all the tempels in CM and to know all the best restaurants but have only been there 2 days and also claimed not to have needed to use a taxi !!!!
We managed to oredr some beers but the Thais also served red & white wine (probably only to the VIPs tho' ?) and there was not too much need for conversation once the show had started. The show was excellent, the Thai girls beautiful and the dancing great. It was an excellent evening and one I will remember - we took a number of photos - hope they turn out OK.

What did I do on Thursday ?

Plenty to write about, including Net centre, my Thai tailor, a visit to Doi Suphet and (nearly) to a jade & silver factory, lunch at Riverside restaurant, wandering in the afternoon and back to th etailor. In the evening it was a conference night on at a Dhansok (is that the word?) so it was a very full day.
Spent over an hour a th enet cafe - response times, especially on blogger were very slow - I am sure it was nothing to do with my being tired - yet again we were up half the night talking & reading. I even looked at the footie fro a bit and that was at 02:15. We are not yet used to the time difference although I am sure it s much worse for R a she is working and is on edge until her presentations are completed.
The tailor was not very interesting tho. I was a bit embarrassed that he left some Dutch people to look after me but they were very relaxed and polite about it. It was a strong sell - he wanetd me to go for a suit with 2 pants and 2 shirts and 2 ties, I rather liked the light grey material and the dark stripe he showed me, so I elected to go for 2 suits but just one trouser each with a couple of shirts - one a lovely blue (forget what he called the material) and another very white. We eventually agreed $360 which I reckoned at 1.75 was = 200 pounds (boy this keyboard is baffling) and I need to go back at 16:30 for a fitting. When I left the tailor - on AESFGHUI road - there is a taxi rank there and one of the guys agreed to take me to DS and back for 300B - was a good deal since the hotel had suggested 500 and a personal tour was slated at 1200. He was a nice guy but had no English annd, you can imagine how good is my Thai. It took about 30 mins. and was avery steep climb all the way a real spiral - so I was a tad surprised to see a guy jogging up. There were lots of buses and scooters as ever. I chickened out on the 300 steps and took the cable car up to the Wat which was very pretty but very hot. One of the downsides iof taking shoes off is burning feet when one stands in the wrong place. The Thais - there were loads of them there - are very devout and I felt really out of place. The view over CM, which is the main reason I went was too misty to make much sense but it was nice and cool and breezy up there with a beautiful garden - lots of bougainvilla (spelling ?) in flower.
I had an email from Nick the other day - a bad joke about Superman; a text from Si about the Celtic score (oh dear oh dear) and today have read an email from Janey (she wants to change jobs again) and one from MC (which was sent to R) - it is brilliant to be able to keep in touch with them even from so far away).
The taxi driver was very keen to take me to a factory - I went along for a bit but began to get nervous and persuaded him to take me back. He did so with alacrity and with many apologies - he really was a nice guy. I wonder how nervous he was when he left me at DS, with his reg number and my promising to return so that he could take me back and so that I could pay him ?

Overnight

The reception finished by about 8:30, we returned to the hotel room had a brief meal from room service & went to bed. R was asleep instantly by about 09:45 and after starting the last Donna Leon book I followed suit. R woke about midnight and after chatting fro an hour or so weboth readuntil about 3.30 - will be shattered tomorrow - or is it today, actually I do not feel too bad at all at the moment !
The Donna Leon is excellent, there is some magic there - a familiar place, familiar people with strong characteristics and DL's own opinions coming thro quite strongly - it ios excellent and I will hate it when it is finished.

Conference reception

In the evening, we were invited to a reception at thepool on the 7th floor of the hotel. It was beautifully laid out, including a stage and dancing area wuith lots of food & drink; the hosts had very kindly labelled the food in English so at least one had an idea of what one was eating. The Dean (we think) introduced herself to us (R is a VIP here!) as the chairperson of the conference organising committe and made some small talk with us fotr a while. It turned out that she has been in both Dundee & Edinburgh recently but we did not manage to glean why. R met Tirraporn (a lecturer witgh whom she had been communicating by email), Abba came & found us again (the woman we met at Bangkok airport) but it turns out that she is speaking at the same time as R but in a difefrent room. I think she & R promised to communicate by email in future - I woner if R will maintain these contacts ?
We also met a small Thai woman - cannot remember her name and a British woman (with aScottish father) who lives and works in CM as a social scientists. She had spoken about her research with a Karen tribe but also seems keen to get a job in the UK & try living there for a bit - perhaps that's why she seemed to stick close to R for the rest of the evening. I think her name was Maggie McCarron but I will need to check the conference program to be sure - it may be an idea to log some of these email addresses her for the future. R also met and talked about Sheila Trinn - from HK University, who is organising a conference there in 2005 - maybe maybe.

Day 2

What is it like ?

It is very different - one thinks of Asia and leads you to India & China, but Thailand is ionteresting. We are probably very lucky to be here on business as it were, 'cos we have met & talked with a few perople that otherwise, as tourists, we would miss. It is very, very warm even before 10:00 I have taxied and walked a bit & was in need of cool water to cool me down. This internet shop is well ACd so it's fine here and at 30B for 30 mins with the next 30 mins free what the hell - I can write as much or as little as I would like.
The Thais are, on the whole very friendly, smile a lot and seem to be relaxed if a little deferential to westerners. I think they do their best to be patient with us.
Yesterday, Wednesday I walked around CM most of the day and failed really to get my bearings until the middle of the afternoon. The initial impression was a very spread out place, a little like the US and I was surprised at the quantity and speed of the traffic and the level of pollution.

This terminal is far too slow - I have just tried to save a post & have lost 3 paragraphs!

Yesterday - Wednesday was the first full day here - after a rushed breakfast - where the westerners seemed to be segregated from the rest R dashed off to se the IT people and join the conference - she seemed pretty tired but also determined to get the most out of the day. After a bit of indecision, the pool looked lovely but was deserted apart from a few Thais working there and as there was nothing else at the hotel I decided to shoot off into CM - I think my target was probably to try a river cruise on the Mae Ping river. I taxied into CM - 100 baht - and started out at Thapae Gate. The old part of CM is apparently bounded by a city wall and moat - it looks very straightforward on a simple mapp but I managed to get very lost in no time at all. Reading the book later, it seems that most of the comercial etc activity is in the section outside the moat to the east of TG between TG and the river. I had walked to the west! and had gone outside the boundary to the North through CM gate. In CM, it seems moer usual for the taxis to hail the customers - there would be no problem in getting a taxi back to the hotel, as long I I could get the guy to understand where I wanted to go. Once lost to the North, I decided to turn back and find a cafe I had passed for a drink, I asked for pineapple juice, which was translated fro me by a westerner at another table but from the time it took to arrive I think they had to go out and kill a couple before squeezing them to make my juice. It was very refreshing though but still warm as I was sitting outside, in the shade but also in a slight breeze. I read some of the Bangkok Post - will keep trying, and was a bit surprised that the waitress was so interested in Arsenal (Champions' League footie tonite, in Europe). Afet leaving the cafe, about noon it was very hot but I took the backstreets aiming to go back to TG. I came across a restaurant called Salsa which, it turned out was run by an American with a Thai wife (??) , 2 kids and a mother and, perhaps, sister - in - law. The food was fine, the bolted down hifi (playing loud jazz) and the bookcase of thrileers and travel books addede to the sense of amatuerism. There was also a stove of some kind which exuded large amounts of smoke from time to time, adding to the ambience. Still very warm I found TG and walked along Thapae Road towards the river. I passed a tailor and a massage place and finally managed to find a bookstore which was open - lots of English books! - and bought Nancy Chandler's tourist map of CM - an excellent map. I stopped again for a latte & a loo in a small cafe, which again was probably catering more for westerners and after perusing the map & understanding where I was I decided to order a suit and have a foot massage. The suit order will have to wait but the pedicure and foot massage was great, I was only a little put off by the big guy with beautiful long hair and make up. He did the massage, including shoulders & neck at the end while a Thai girl did the pedicure - she did struggle quite a bit woth my awful feet though. Not absolutely convinced about teh suit but I may try again tomorrow.
The taxis are either tut-tut - the small 3 wheeler or an Isuzu thingie with 2 facing benches in back which can be hailed and I thibnk can also be shared - a bit like a bus maybe. I will find out a bit more on this as the week progresses.
After a beer and a plate of pineapple at a rest on the riverside - called Riverside ? - I found the Warathot (?) marekt - that will be worth anothet trip later in the week - if only for Si's Diesel Tshirts. A tut-tut back to the hotel was fine, only 60B, but emphasised the pollution - now I see why some many drivers especially, were wearing masks.

T.
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Just got here

What a journey - waht a lot of impressions - I need to write a bit about sex tourism, deferential Thais and knowing where I am and what to do next.
Started out from Glasgow on the 15:25 to Amsterdam, an uneventful leg notable only for the fact that we picked up so much rubbish we had to buy a bag; which has turned out very useful in Chiang Mai. When we reahed the gate at Schiphol, I was surprised by the number of middle aged men, on their own or in groups travelling to Bangkok. I remebered the articles I had read about sex tourism, and the proportion of male vs. female tourists who visit Thailand. The flight to Bangkok was listed at 11 hours ansd we had a middle & a window seat - it was packed although I was sat beside (English !) a very pleasant chap - did not catch his name - from Taipei who seemed to deal with forklift trucks, had learned his English in California. Neither of us got any sleep at all - 20 mins here and there and arriving in Bangkok th etemp shot up to around 34-35 degress, yes just about 100F.I was not to clear about the bags, the announcement sugested that we should collect them, go thro immigration & book them into the flight to Chiang Mai - however, that was not the case, the bags were checked all the way through. We checked in for CM at about 12:30 but the flight was 15:25 so there was a bit of hanging about to do. Found a seat in the domestic departrure lounge, R read a bit, I was too tired & did a bit of people watching. I was surprised how many British (though I don't suppose they were necessarily all British, so I should realy say Western) men of al ages with Thai girls or women on their arm. Strange - I wonder how the Thais like that!
Then a very heavy disgusting looking guy turned up with his 18 or so year old Thai boyfriend and proceeeded to sit & fondle him in the airport lounge in full view of everyone. Perhaps I am too set in my ways, but I was a bit horrified. We sent some emails from an Internet booth and went down to the gate. There we met a conference delegate - she was at a Univ in Bangkok and had just finished her doctorate, which included a year in Michigan USA at Ann Arbor Un. She is presenting at the conference, on Thursday and is also defending het thesis on Tuesday of next week in Bangkok in front of 7 or 8 people in an open session. One of her examiners is an American. I did not catch her name but she was very kind and asked the bus driver to wait for us, after we got into another fankle with the luggage when we arrived in CM. I was amused by the cabin staff announcement on this flight - it was only an hour but was on a lovely 747 Thai Int plane - much roomier and brighter than the KLM, although it was daylight and sunny, which probably makes a difference. Anyway, after the usual announcement, she finished of by asking the passengers not to congregate in the aisles and doorways drinking and talking and please to not lie on the floor. What was that about?
In the bus/taxi journey from CM airport to the hotel - still not sure how to pronounce it - we met several other Thai conference people - very friendly, saying welcome to our country and so on. The hotel is very urban - a bit of a concrete jungle although that is just a first impression and we were very tired - arriving a little before 6PM, local time which is now 6 hours ahead of Glasgow. Text message from Janey too, which we both replied to - the mobile said the message had failed, but Janey did receive it.

It is a huge hotel - 13 floors with many rooms along an oblong terrace which overlooks the lobby below - pretty warm too but good AC in the room, provided the lights don't fail, when the key slips off the switch! After a wash up, we hasd a wander thro the hotel looking at the conference rooms so that R could get her bearings. Stopped in tghe bar for a beer - there was live music - an Elvis - in at least 2 places in the hotel but theer was nobody about. Either we were too early or .... Eventually we deceided to go for room service - it was fine. The bed is huge - I gave R a wave in the morning as she was at the other side - perhaps that is why it is called a twin room. I planned to stay around the hotel this am., but there is nothing much there - the pool looks lovely but was empty - I think we are eating there tonite. Took a taxi into CM, but I definitely do not have my bearings yet - I will probably get lost. While waiting to cross the road, which is not too easy here, several taxis stopped to offer a lift, so I should be OK for getting back to the hotel.

Lotus Pang Suan Kaew Chiang Mai

Lotus Pang Suan Kaew Chiang Mai - Special PROMOTIONAL and DISCOUNT rates available now for the Lotus Pang Suan Kaew Chiang Mai

This is the hotel we shall be in from Tuesday 19th until Sunday 24th October - in Chiang Mai.

Weekend 9th & 10th October

Saturday - did a bit of shopping with R., some things from the chemist for Thailand including a few books to read, including the Da Vinci Code which seems to be the novel of the moment; even Lee was talking about it. Watched some football, Scotland were pretty much humliated by a very ordinary Norway tema and England beat Wales, without really breaking sweat by all accounts - can it get any worse?
Si arrived later & announced that he & C have decided to get married - some time next year. They do seem to have hit it off very well; onlu having met on Friday 23rd while wetting the baby's (Si's niece JLW) head at the Shed. Both seem a tad immature, but let's see how things develop. It is a bit strange that Si & C have not yet approached her parents to let them know - I guess they are both a bit nervous.

R has a lot of work today before our trip, notably writing up the speeches & presentations for the Thailand conference, but also completing her part of a book chapter, with Hazel, which I think also needs to be completed by Friday 15th. She failed to get up when the alarm went off so went to 10:00 mass rather than 08:30 and was still pffaffing (is that a word) about at 11:30 when Lee arrived with JLW. No work done today, worth speaking of !

However, Lee & N stayed for Sunday dinner and Si & C also showed up. MC cancelled out and R made the mistake of calling to ask where she was - we promised ourselves ages ago that we would never do that! Jif was flying again but is due back in at about midnight - we will make sure to keep her some toffee cheesecake altho' I guess I should not be encouraging herto eat such rubbish - it won't make her any slimmer or any fitter!
We had a lovely meal, Mike came too and it was calm & friendly - I think C will prove a welcome & excellent addition to the family!

Jennifer & Abbie
Posted by Hello

Thailand trip

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.whyte5/AllforMCsWedding3.htm

Let's look at some things to do in Chiang Mai during the conference. One site I read recommended a walking tour - sounds good, but might be tiring in the heat - must find the site again and see if there are directions.

Chiang Mai nature tour- http://www.tours.chiangmai-online.com/nature.html#ping%20river - apart from the elephants this covers a butterfly farm, orchids and river rafting - possibility.

Hotel is - http://www.chiangmaihoteltravel.com/chiangmai_orchid.htm.

Maps - http://www.chiangmaihoteltravel.com/chiangmai_maps/riverside.htm.

ATM addresses - http://www.map4travel.com/ATM/asia/thailand/chiang_mai.php

Babysitting

Yes, it is tonight. JLW was fine & was expected to sleep soundly from about 7.30. No, started crying at about 7.05, very sorely and eventually fell asleep at ~ 7.15, just before Simon + Josh came back from Safeway with the gripe water. She slept then until about 7.50, was bright & alert for 15 mins. and then started screaming again. Nappy changed, gripe water administered but cried for about 20 mins before falling asleep, absolutely exhausted again at about 8.30. Still asleep now 10.00, but R has the telly on very loud !