Alistair in Thailand 2012

UDON THANI March 9-11th March

Udon Thani is a fast expanding and developing city with many businesses opening branches there or even moving there in entirety. This is because it is seen as the main gateway into Laos by road via Nong Khai and over the Friendship Bridge.

The Thai government have already announced plans for high speed rail links from Bangkok to Nong Khai, Chiang Mai and south to Hua Hin and are actively considering proposals to build such lines from the Chinese and Japanese. The line to Nong Khai would pass through Udon which is another reason for its development.

Since I was last in Udon the new Central Plaza mall, which was in its infancy two visits ago, is now poised to open and it looks impressive. I have added some photos for you in the gallery.

Another part of the city has been dubbed UD Town by the authorities and it is, in effect, a giant night market selling everything from dried fish to designer clothes and it is great to browse round and have something to eat and drink in the multi-choice food court.

I stayed at the Silver Reef hotel again where I have stayed on ever previous visit. It is clean and comfortable though it does not do any meals however just around the corner is the excellent Coffee Corner which has an excellent breakfast on the menu for all of £2.

VIENTIANE March 11-13th March

Every three months I have to leave Thailand and get a new visa stamp in my passport as I come back into Thailand. I usually do this by going over the Friendship Bridge at Nong Khai, getting a Lao visa for the princely sum of £30 and the doing a u-turn at the border and coming straight back into Thailand. This process takes about 45 minutes. However, on this trip I decided to stay a couple of nights in Vientiane itself to see what changes there have been since my last visit.

Vientiane is another fast changing city which has a lot going for it thanks, mostly, to the many French colonial influences that have left their mark on the city in the shape of excellent restaurants, baguettes and European traditions such as jam making.

Lao, as it should properly be called - it was the French who decided on a whim to add a final ‘s’ a few decades ago – is a land-locked country bereft of beaches which means that the type of tourist going there is not the same as those heading to the beaches of Thailand. What Lao has to offer in abundance are beautiful temples and eco-tourism.

Though Lao is a communist-run country you wouldn’t really notice it these days thanks to the large amount of aid that has poured into the country from the guilt-ridden French and others, including China, as well as the many NGOs working there. There are numerous new projects and progress since my first visit in 2007 has been impressive.

An obvious example of this progress has been the building of a grand promenade along the bank of the Mekong river. What was once a grassy bank where hawker stalls set up at night has now been turned into a lovely wide pedestrian walkway. The nearby pavements, which used to get clogged with the wares of stall holders every evening, are now clear and walkable. Each pavement seller now has a smart red-roofed open-sided tent in which to sell his wares. The scene at night is fun and attractive and there are some photos for you in the gallery as well as some of the promenade itself and giant statue of Chao Anouvong, aka King Chaiya Sethathirath V, (1767-1829) the last Lao king who led the Laotian Rebellion which lasted from 1826-1829. This statue is at the end of the promenade and is is very grand and imposing and was erected as recently as 2010.

I stayed at the Vayakorn Guesthouse which I found after some googling on the internet. It is in a converted colonial house and it has a lovely polished wooden staircase to the upper rooms. Rooms in many hotels/guesthouses in Lao cannot be booked direct and have to be booked through a special Lao tourism website (Teamworkz) which is fine as everything is in one place. However, the fax Teamworkz sent to the Vayakorn requested a single room whereas I booked a double and had written confirmation. I knew nothing about this until I was ushered into a single room on my arrival at the Vayakorn. I put my foot down and said I’d booked a double room and presented my confirmation email. Luckily, the Vayakorn owner was on duty at reception and everything was sorted out and I got my double room and as compensation I was offered free breakfasts and the coffee provided was some of the best tasting coffee I have ever had!! I took some photos of my room for you to see.

I hired a bicycle for a day though I didn’t do much sightseeing but I did visit the large and very busy morning market, the Talat Sao, where I took a number of photos to reflect aspects of market life and the exotic foods on sale and I hope you enjoy the pictures. I also passed the Presidential Palace in Vientiane which is now used for government offices and state receptions was originally built to house the French colonial governors and also served as a royal residence during the brief reign of the monarchy after independence. The royal family was banished in the 1970s.

CHIANG MAI March 13 – March 31st

I have been to Chiang Mai many times before but I always stay at the Anoma Boutique House hotel where I have got to know the owning family who very kindly give me a massive discount on the regular room rates. It is very comfortable and very well located being near to one corner of the square-shaped Old City which means it is about five minutes’ walk to the Tha Phae Gate in one direction and five minutes to the Chiang Mai Gate in the old city wall in another direction.

On this visit I decided to rent a motorbike and I hired a Scoopyi just like the one I have back in Kalasin and I had a hugely enjoyable time zipping around the city and exploring more interesting and out-of-the-way places.

One such place I visited with some friends was Huai Tung Tao lake which also appeared to be a favourite destination for Thai families though it wasn’t crowded when we went there. It is a large lake with some low mountains on one side and nice sandy beaches with some small thatched huts for shade and for eating/drinking/lazing in. It was a very nice afternoon, though so hot also.

I was also taken to some lovely waterfalls on the way to Doi Suthep at Huai Keaw which I never knew existed before but I have passed several times but not seen as they are hidden from the road. There is a viewpoint there which overlooks the city but then you can walk along a narrow track alongside a huge overhanging cliff which follows a stream. Further along there is a large cave and some gentle waterfalls the beauty of which lies not in their great height but in the series of smooth rocks the water flows over. You can launch yourself off the uppermost rock and slide helter-skelter along the fast flowing stream, through some shallow pools and splashdown to a halt into the last one.

I also tried some new restaurants and a couple of old favourites. One of the new ones was Galare which is located way up in the hills above Chiang Mai where the area has been turned into an exotic flower garden and where you dine with a lovely view over a lake.

I also discovered that the Hot Chilli restaurant has reopened in a new location. Astute readers will recall how sad I was to find on my last visit that this restaurant, which in my opinion had the best duck red curry in Thailand/the world, had closed. So I was very happy to have dinner there one evening and the food was as good as always.

I was also able to do something I missed doing last visit which was to explore what is called Walking Street during the Sunday night market. At any other time the street is called Ratchadamnoen Road which is in the old city next to the famous Tha Phae Gate in the old city wall.

Again, loyal readers will remember that I took lots of food photos last time so this time I took photos on a Pattern Theme. All the handmade items on sale at the various stalls are so colourful and often arranged so artfully they beg to have their photo taken and so I did. I hope you like the results!! Do let me know,
ok ??

HAT YAI April 2nd – 9th

I had no idea when I went to Hat Yai that it was the third largest city in Thailand after Bangkok and Chiang Mai and I knew little beyond some basic information I googled. It is only 60km to the Malaysian border and thus has many Malay influences in the architecture and food and so on.

I heard about the car bomb that exploded two days before I flew to Hat Yai while I was waiting in departures in Bangkok. It went off in the underground car park of the Lee Gardens hotel on the Saturday two days before I and my friend, who is from near the city, arrived and after dropping off the luggage at my small hotel we walked round two corners to view the bomb scene. If the bomb had gone off in the UK it would not be possible to get up close to view the scene and, at best, all one would see is plastic screens around the site.

In Hat Yai we not only had free access to the area but there was no problem getting up close to take photos of the burnt out Macdonald’s and the shattered windows of the Sizzlers restaurant next door. Not only that but the authorities had the time to take photos of the immediate aftermath of the bomb and have the photos printed onto a large banner for public display; a photo of the banner is in my gallery.

I did quite a lot of sightseeing in Hat Yai: I went up the highest hill to see a giant Buddha and the Brahmin shrine there and admire the panoramic view over the city; I climbed innumerable stairs to reach the top of a traditional Chinese pagoda and I wandered around the cemetery next door with its array of golden statues and I also took some photos around the city by day and night all of which are in my gallery.

I also went to see the Songkla mermaid on Samila Beach, just outside Songkla city, which was erected in 1966 and designed by the then director of the Art and Craft College in Bangkok and is similar to the famous Danish mermaid. The idea for the Songkla mermaid came from the story Phra Apaimanee by Thailand’s most famous poet, Sonthorn Phu (1786-1855).

Incredible as it may seem, there is only one natural lake in Thailand, Songkla Lake, and it is some 80km long and 25km wide. We took a ferry to Ko Yo island, one of several in the freshwater lake, to visit my friend’s grandmother who lives there.

Another evening I went to see the Klong Hae Floating market which was really interesting and colourful. The sellers sit in boats laden with goods or cook food for sale and have a long pole with receptacle at the end to collect money and return change. The sellers also consider the environment by the use of bamboo tubes, coconut shells and clay drinking cups rather than using plastic bags or cups.

Walking around Hat Yai, and occasionally in other cities also, you often see chestnuts for sale which have been imported from Japan and elsewhere which are somewhat smaller than English chestnuts. The locals roast them in a wok with charcoal granules and the smell is a very pleasant one but not quite the come-and-get-me smell of roasting coffee.

KOH SAMUI April 11-18th

I flew to Koh Samui from Bangkok with Bangkok Airways and the flight took just 90 minutes. I visited the island once before in 2007 and I thought the idea of having some nice beach time and seeing all the changes would be fun and that is exactly how it turned out.

I arrived the day before Songkran which is the annual cleansing festival when it was originally believed that sprinkling water over someone helped to purify them. The festival has grown over the decades and has become increasingly popular throughout Thailand as a time of fun and a way to let off steam, and stay cool in the hot season, by splashing all and sundry and daubing their faces with powder. During Songkran Thais and farang take to the streets armed with water pistols small and huge or they cluster in family groups outside their house and everyone that passes gets a soaking. Often the water is laced with ice cubes so you can imagine the shock you feel if, as often happens, you get a soaking from someone behind you.

In Samui I tried to avoid the mayhem though it was very hard as my guesthouse was on Chaweng’s main street where islanders converged from around the island and where there are hundreds of tourist hotels.

The next day was, in fact, Songkran’s main day and it was nice to see many family groups enjoying themselves touring around in the back of a pick-up with a barrel of water to arm their water guns or to fill small buckets to chuck water over everyone.

The following day I hired a motorbike to tour round the island which was fun. Inevitably, there have been many changes since my 2007 visit the most obvious being many more high-end hotels, spas and wellbeing centres and general development but I could not help wondering when the hotel saturation point will be reached. I read somewhere that the island authorities have been trying to lure more high-end tourists to the island rather than backpackers since the former have more money to spend. What is good on the island is that the many beautiful sandy beaches remain accessible to the public and are not hogged by this or that five star hotel.

Not all the island is built up. Far from it! The eastern seaboard is very quiet and peaceful and uncommercial with little lanes running between palm trees and some very nice houses and the occasional very out-of-the-way bistros and restaurants. It was from a deserted beach that I watched a stunning blazing sunset and took a series of photos some of which are in my gallery.

All in all, I had a very enjoyable week on Samui with some late afternoons spent swimming on Chaweng beach, some lovely food and some good fun along the way. On the flight back to Bangko I had a window seat and was lucky to have a clear view down below and I took some interesting coastal photos as well as some amazing photos over Bangkok. Be sure to check them out!!

PATTAYA April 18th – 30th

I flew from Samui to Bangkok and I had a wonderful bird’s eye view of the eastern coast of Thailand from the plane and I took some photos for you.

Songkran in Pattaya is always a week later than elsewhere and I arrived the afternoon before the first day which gave me time to get settled before the mayhem began.

Early next morning I met up with a Thai friend, Nut, and we headed on foot towards Walking Street. It was 8.30am and splashers were already out and about. We bought a small plastic bucket, some small powder bricks (which you dissolve in water in the bucket to form a paste which you use to smear the cheeks of anyone you like) and plastic sealable waterproof bags which you hand around your neck to protect your phone and money etc. My only regret is that I didn’t realise that larger waterproof bags were available elsewhere which would have been large enough to put my camera into and still operate it, so I had no camera to take photos for you.

It was actually great fun. We walked along Walking Street and onto Beach road which, as the name implies, runs for about three kilometres alongside the beach wall. Beach road was closed to traffic and thronging with people. Stages had been set up at intervals where bands were playing or other performers were doing their stuff and in between there were stalls selling food, beer, ice cleam (!) and much else besides. Some stages had giant foam machines attached creating a shower of foam in which people of all ages frolicked while others scooped up handfuls of foam to hurl around.

Not to be left out, fire engines were also parked at intervals along beach road with firemen using their hoses to spray everyone in sight. I know what you are thinking: it sounds AWFUL!! But, in fact, it was great fun. I admit it would not have been fun if I had business to do and it would not have been so much fun if I had been alone. Everyone got wet, but it didn’t really matter because the hot sun soon dried

Towards the end of Beach road there is the new-ish Central Festival Mall which is just the kind of mall filled with interesting and very different shops (by which I mean shops that are not M & S or any of the other too ubiquitous high street stores) that London ought to have but will never be able to. Between Beach road and the mall is a sunken area used for concerts and the like. Today, a good band was playing on stage and the ‘arena’ was filled with people. We went down into the arena and mingled and enjoyed the music. Behind us and the crowd two separate firemen had coupled their hoses to a hydrant and set about drenching everyone below. Crazy, yes, but fun too.

We went back near my hotel for lunch and walked back to where the most mayhem was taking place and rejoined the party. Time passed very quickly and soon it was evening and we walked back along Beach road and enjoyed the music at another stage before going home.

The rest of my time in Pattaya was less dramatic: I spent some time on the beach at Jomtien, did some shopping, browsed the tech stores, and had a second attempt to recover the date from my London pc hard drive. I also saw the movie Hunger Games which was good but could have been so much better. It is reported to have had huge audiences in the States but as the film is derived from a TV series I suppose that is inevitable.

MONDAY 30th APRIL

I took a taxi from Pattaya to Bangkok airport and caught the Thai Airways flight to Khon Kaen where I was met by Mr Jasper and Mr Phong and I then discovered that I needn’t have come back today after all because the first date teachers are required for is May 11th when there is a teacher’s meeting. Until then, the school remains closed. We then did some shopping in Khon Kaen before heading back to Sai Moon.

My room in the teacher’s house was a right mess. Mice had visited the room and left their droppings everywhere in addition to those left by a large Tukay lizard which had somehow died and was lying inert behind the door. The mice had nibbled two of my teaching shirts and had pulled out papers etc and scattered them everywhere. They had also nibbled through the plastic bottoms of two bottles of water which, luckily, were empty so no flood. The room also had a bad smell from all this activity but copious squirting of air freshener effectively got rid of most of it. What fun!!??

The new academic year will start on Monday 14th May I think and I say I think because I’m not sure if what I have heard is correct or not. Assuming it is correct then the term will continue until October when the school will close again for one month and I will return to holiday mode though I have not yet decided what to do. I am eager to go to Burma before all the hotel developers and chain stores such as Starbucks and Macdonald’s inundate Yangon and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, I will have to wait until the end of this month to see if the promised salary increase actually takes place assuming, that is, I get paid at all for a part month at school. I will endeavour to keep this blog updated more regularly and I will be taking more photos for you whenever something interesting happens.

I enjoy receiving and reading your wonderful comments, so PLEASE keep them coming!!

FIRST OF ALL I APOLOGISE FOR NOT UPDATING MY BLOG FOR SO LONG BUT SO MANY THINGS HAVE HAPPENED IN THE INTERVAL TO AMUSE YOU.

THERE WILL BE TWO UPDATES. ONE TO TAKE YOU TO THE END OF TERM. THE SECOND WILL COVER MY HOLIDAY. SO HERE GOES...ENJOY!!

MONDAY 27th FEBRUARY

I heard today that a typhoon is heading towards Thailand which may account for the stifling 24hr heat over the last couple of days. As soon as I heard the news I hoped for rain but we only got about 30 seconds worth which didn’t clear the air at all.

Every Tuesday morning Mr Jasper has M1 (12/13 y.o.) for the first period and I have them for the following period. Today Mr Jasper and I prepared a Treasure Hunt for them as it is so close to the end of term. Rather than hide any form of treasure we decided to hide numbered pieces of paper. There will be six teams of four mixed students and one team of three and the idea is that they will have to find their way to the fifteen hiding places, which are all over the school grounds, and collect the piece of paper corresponding to the team number. Each piece of paper will be worth 6 baht and the team that collects the most pieces of paper in the fastest time will win 100 baht extra.

At 3.30, as the students were going home, I discovered that there was a teacher’s meeting to attend which made me annoyed because it was the first I had heard about it. Mr Jasper and I are constantly forgotten and it is often only by chance that we get to hear about something happening.

After the students went home Mr Jasper and I hid the sets of paper around the school grounds making it difficult but not too hard to find them.

This evening I joined Mr Kay and Mr Pong and we went into Nong Kung Sri to a buffet restaurant that Mr Kay likes better than similar places in Kranuan though I am not sure what makes it different for him. It was an enjoyable evening though.

TUESDAY 28th FEBRUARY

M3 take their O-Net exams today and tomorrow and a couple of teachers from another school have come to Sai Moon to invigilate them. I just hope that the effort Mr Jasper and I have put in to prepare M3 for the English exam was worth it.

This morning Mr Jasper and I began the Treasure Hunt for M1. They had never done one before and were excited. We sent the groups off alternating between a clockwise and anti-clockwise route and each group had an accurate diagrammatic map of the school and grounds with all the buildings, roads and landmarks included. Each group also had a list of clues leading them from one hiding place to another.

The problem was that several groups wanted help with the clues and came back to the starting point where Mr Jasper and I were sitting. This meant we had to give them a new instruction to the next clue. But it was fun for the students and they exhausted themselves running all over the school grounds.

Last night Mr Pong told me that he is bored with Sai Moon. He is in an odd position at school because he is a vocational teacher and teaches computing but the school expects him to do other things as well such as design and print the leaflets that were used last week to promote Sai Moon at other schools.

Anyway, Mr Pong is thinking about leaving Sai Moon and opening an internet cafe nearby. So this afternoon Mr Pong and I went to Kham Yai in Mr Jasper’s car to see if any suitable premises were available to rent.

While doing this it emerged that Mr Pong hasn’t done any research at all. There are already two small internet shops – just rooms with computers and no cafe element of any kind – in the village. One of which is in someone’s house and I have not seen it, the other one I pass every time I go into the village. There are three other internet shops in Kham Yai two of which I pass regularly, the third one I pass rarely. Every time I pass any of these internet shops I look in to see how busy they are.

The one nearest the school gets busy most evenings and very busy at weekends. The two I often pass at Kham Yai are seldom very busy though it is possible I don’t pass by at the busy times. Mr Pong is young and very bright but it doesn’t seem to have occurred to him to check out the potential opposition to see if there are sufficient customers to support another internet shop.

This evening thousands of flying insects began whirling around the lights. Despite the netting on my room windows some managed to creep through the small gaps and very soon several dozen where flying around the ceiling light. Mr Jasper drove Mr Weang and I to Kham Yai to get something to eat but by the time we came back every one of the flying insects had disappeared.

WEDNESDAY 29th FEBRUARY

Mr Jasper and I were forgotten again today. By chance, an M2 student came into my office and mentioned that there is no school tomorrow or Friday. I always double check when I get information like this because students may or may not be joking. The information turned out to be correct because all the teachers will be going to Bua Khao school, on the eastern side of Kalasin province, to look at educational projects.

This afternoon M6 and some of M4 and M5 students went on a tour of four nearby villages to distribute flyers urging people to vote for the next provincial governor on March 3rd. There are only two candidates and, according to the Director, they are 50/50 in terms of popularity and what they offer. The students were ferried on the school bus from village to village and then walked through each village with drums beating to attract attention. It was interesting to walk though the villages rather than pass by in a car or on a motorbike but it was very very hot. There are some photos in the gallery and a short video on youtube.com if you’d like to see the action. The link is: b]http://youtu.be/3kvQtcJnZHQ[/b]

THURSDAY 1st MARCH

All the teachers were up early this morning in readiness for a trip to Bua Khao school on the eastern side of Kalasin province and as a result there were no student classes today.

I went there in the Director’s car along with Mr Kay, Mr Jasper and Mr Weang and it took almost two hours to get to Bua Khao. We stopped off in the town to get some lunch at a comfortable restaurant on the main street and when I looked at the menu I salivated but then the Director did what he often does which is to order something for everyone so I had to dismiss all thoughts of a tasty curry etc.

When we arrived at the school, which has about 3,000 students and as a result it wins practically every schools competition in Kalasin sporting or otherwise, we were ushered into a large meeting room. A local teacher had been assigned to bring dinky little trays with coffee, iced water and a piece of packaged cake to every delegate. I had thought there were going to be delegates from various schools attending but, in fact, the whole exercise was just for us. And the objective ? It was to show us, the Sai Moon teachers, how to create a project for students Learning by Doing. Each teaching subject had a different section and the local teachers guided us according to subject. Two English teachers were on hand to show me and Mr Jasper their project which was titled ‘The Antonym Game’. You can see photos of it in my gallery and when you see them you will quickly realise that the title is a misnomer as it is not a game to be played as such but a project to be displayed to show how the teachers managed to guide some of their (willing) students into creating a display to join other such displays for the benefit of the school. I suppose there may have been some ‘Learning by Doing’ with the students – four we were told - learning some new words during the project work but four students learning a few words out of a class of 25-30 isn’t much of an achievement really. If the ‘game’ had been playable then more students would have had the chance to learn these words and I suppose, in time, other words could be substituted to refresh a real game.

This was all very worthy and good but now my school Director wants me and Mr Jasper to create a display project for Sai Moon. He and Mr Jasper are thinking of simply copying the Bua Khao project exactly but that’s a waste of time I think so I need to get my thinking hat on to come up with a real game that students in any class can have fun creating but can also learn something worthwhile to do with English. Any ideas ???

We left Bua Khao about 5pm but when I say ‘we’ I must quantify it because all the female teachers and some of the male teachers had left for home ages ago which I thought very disrespectful. So it was just the Director me and the other passengers and Mr Noi who drove his own pick-up. We went to Kalasin city where the annual Fair was in full swing. There are some photos from the Fair in the gallery but it is a sort of cross between activities one finds on seaside piers, a market and a fete and lots of people having fun. Traders come from all over Thailand to have a stall at such Fairs selling everything from garden furniture, flowers and nursery plants to flip-flops and Buddhist antiques.

We walked around the Fair for a while which was quite interesting as it was the first one I had been to. There were lots of other people too, all Thai, though it wasn’t really crowded. We had dinner and some beers in the city and then drove back to Sai Moon.

FRIDAY 2nd MARCH

Unknown to me and Mr Jasper a teacher’s meeting had been arranged this morning at 10am. I had asked the Director last night about today as I originally understood we would be going to Bua Khao today as well and he said we’d be starting at 12 noon. He didn’t mention anything about a meeting. As it happens there was no problem as it would have been all in Thai.

I went to Khon Kaen in Mr Jasper’s car this afternoon along with Mr Pong to look at and cost some computer workstations for Mr Pong’s idea to set up an internet shop.

I got back just in time to have a shower and change and then return to Kham Yai where I bought the main drinks for the M6 party – 6 litre bottles of Thai whiskey, two boxes of Leo beer and some litre bottles of Coke. The rest can be bought at the restaurant. Thai restaurants in the countryside have no objection to bringing one’s own bottles of drink in though there’s usually not a huge price saving by doing so.

The party for M6 was at Kranuanthai restaurant where my birthday party was held last August. They have a large room, a separate building actually, with a table that can seat about 26 people, with room for a bar, a large screen and player for karaoke and air conditioning. The whole of M6 attended and there was masses of food – including the delicious roast pork and crackling Thai style - and drink for everyone and the students could sing their hearts out and have a good time without disturbing anyone. It was good fun and finished about 12.30am.

SATURDAY 3rd MARCH

There was no water today for some reason, so no laundry was done. I hope there’s water tomorrow.

I went to Kranuan for lunch again today and Tesco Lotus and to the Yamaha showroom to pay the first of three amounts of 11,000 baht for my Scoopyi motorbike but when I got there I decided I might as well pay the remaining amount outstanding as I will be away for the rest of March and April on holiday.

I have mentioned previously how there is a ubiquitous bird in Thailand which has a distinctive two-tone whistling call. I have never seen the bird although I have looked hard to spot it. So I made a short video to capture the sound of this bird's song. Take a listen and let me know what you think. The Thai name for this bird is Gebower or Gewowow or something like that!! The link is: http://youtu.be/JElmIFqzCj4

SUNDAY 4th MARCH

Fortunately the water supply returned this morning so I was able to complete my laundry. I went into Kranuan for lunch again which was as nice as always. This evening there was another mass of flying insects which, as before, mysteriously dispersed after about an hour.

During the upcoming seven week holiday I still have a free week when I haven’t planned anything though I am thinking of visiting a friend in Ratchaburi, about one hour slightly north west of Bangkok. I have never been there before and was doing some research on the internet to try and find a suitable hotel or guesthouse and came across this priceless Thai blurb for a hotel which might amuse you:

"I embrace the Mountains" is located on approximately 50 acres located 170 km from Bangkok by the open house and refreshments. The atmosphere is cozy. Quiet place filled with lots of mountains, among the masses. Around the house. Natural streams, rivers and air. And abundant with trees and natural life as fully as we have placed this facility is located. From home. Infrastructure and public space. Harmony with the natural world with Mediterranean-style house mix of Bali. (Out of bed in the room. You can enjoy views of Mt. Reaches of the creek which flows through living tissues. Big pond waterfall mimic natural water flows throughout the year), a wreath Hrieg bird grasshopper. Listen to the sound of water, frogs, because musical Happy feelings to every department of natural objects. Truly offers a TV, refrigerator, hot water and a convenient location. Facilities ranging in size from 1,000 to 3,000 liters or more in each room. You can look out over the scenic mountains, streams, waterfalls, sky, beautiful and all of the bathtub, we also have food and drink unto you at the "Business Monday released", which is open from 7:30 to 21:00 pm (kitchen. closed at 20.00) with delicious flavors of Thai cuisine with Chinese, European, clean and hygienic, with staff ready and willing to provide you with a smile and warm (to watch live sports on UBC. The dining room. We sincerely hope that it is likely to be welcomed. And serve upon all of you soon thanks.

MONDAY 5th MARCH

No classes today as everyone was getting things prepared for the ceremony tomorrow.

The band, such as it is, spent time rehearsing this evening but with no agreement on what to play tomorrow and no lyrics yet printed to sing from. We’ll see what happens.

TUESDAY 6th MARCH

Straight after assembly this morning rehearsals took place in the sala for the Buddhist part of this morning’s ceremony for M3 and M6’s farewell. By half past nine everything was ready though we had to wait awhile for the ‘monk’ to arrive. Actually, he wasn’t a saffron robed monk but a village elder who has ceremonial powers - I have seen them marry people for example – and he was dressed in white. Quite why an actual monk wasn’t available is a mystery because Buddhist monks are not like monks in the UK who busy themselves doing things, apart from praying, all day. Monks here seem to spend their time, once they have walked through the village collecting alms, chatting and eating.

All the teachers were present and each had a special floral buttonhole for the event as did the M3 and M6 students. The Director arrived and performed the traditional opening ceremony by lighting candles on the ‘altar’ and reciting a prayer. He then made a short speech of welcome. Also present were the mothers or fathers of many of the M3 and M6 students and several village and tambon headmen.

The students were sitting in the sala with M3 and M6 forming a tight circle around the space where the ‘monk’ sat along with the accoutrements for the ceremony which you can see in the photos in the gallery. At the end of the ceremony the ‘monk’ is supposed to go round ‘blessing’ the students by dipping a flower stem into a bowl of water and sprinkling it over their heads. But the ‘monk’ was unable to get up so Mr Kay stepped in to bless the students on his behalf and, being fun, certain students got wetter than others!

The ceremony ended with the ‘monk’ taking the white cotton threads from the ‘pan’ and tying them on the right wrist of each of the M3 and M6 students and, at the same time, wishing them good luck etc for the future. The students then went on their knees to each of the teachers and parents for them to do the same. It is a moving ceremony and a significant one for the students.

The students also tie threads onto each other’s wrists and there is a frenzy of friendship during which romantic emblems are hung around the neck. The more you get suggests the more friends/respect you have. Just see the photos in the gallery. Students don’t just exchange these emblems they also exchange things like fluffy teddy bears and flowers!

Lunch had been prepared for everyone and was eaten sitting on mats in the sala by the students and parents alike. The school band did eventually play. They try hard with some pretty inadequate equipment but the resulting sound left a lot to be desired.

WEDNESDAY 7th MARCH

No classes again today and I helped Mr Pong place the signs along the route to be taken by the 14 scout groups tomorrow morning. The idea is that on each sign there is part of a word in English and Thai. The signs are only about 6” square and they were placed out of reach on trees at quite lengthy intervals along the route. Each scout group will have a route map on which a symbol marks the rough location of each sign. They have to write down the word or part-word on each sign on their group card. Putting everything together creates a word or short sentence. Points are deducted for signs missed or incorrectly copying the information.

THURSDAY 8th MARCH

The first day of Scout Camp. After assembly the students reassembled in their scout groups and were given a final briefing on the first exercise which involved following a sketch map of the rough roads through the sugar cane fields they will have to follow. I went around with Mr Pong with Mr Jasper driving his car and I saw the groups in action. I also made a video as we drove along so you can see the scouts in action yourself and you can see magnificent country views!! ha ha ha!!! This is the link to you tube.com: http://youtu.be/kUKMDvz91Dg

This afternoon the groups dispersed around the school grounds where M6 Lor Dor students – those that have taken the army option rather than scouting option – conducted a series of tests overseen by a teacher. I was with Mr Pong and you can see his test towards the end of the same video on youtube.com

There was a camp fire in the evening. Well, an electric neon light fire as a real fire, if it were held on the football ground, would damage the grass. A teacher from Dong Mool school acted at MC but before he arrived there were some tedious longeurs which I’m sure bored the hell out of the students as much as they did me. Some VIP guests had been invited as well. At least the Dong Mool teacher tried to set the students to join in his songs.

Later, some M6 students came out dressed as Zulu warriors with flaming torches and danced around the neon fire to great acclaim. How this Zulu fire dancing tradition grew at Thai scout camps I don’t know but it is something that always happens.

Then the Director called me over to his table under a tree. I hadn’t spotted him being present as Mr Noi was taking his place as Scout Chief for the occasion. I had something to eat and drink with the Director which was welcome.

The students also get the chance to dance their hearts out and let off steam around the fire when the music changes to certain traditional Thai music which the students had been waiting for. They just go crazy jumping and leaping around.

That night the students slept in the classrooms which had been cleared of desks and chairs for the purpose and the students had brought along sleeping mats and overnight things as well. The pooying were in one wing, the poochai in the other wing. The teachers were supposed to work shifts to guard each wing in case of problems or any ‘naughtyness’ but that didn’t happen. The female teachers disappeared and I have no idea where they went. The male teachers stayed up till 2am talking and eating and taking shelter from the rain wihc had begun to fall and then went to bed, including me.

FRIDAY 9th MARCH

Up at 4.45 for a supposed 5am start for the students but they didn’t get woken up till 5.30 for some pretty feeble physical exercises under the direction of Mr Yor. He went on a course a few months ago to qualify to direct a scout camp but the result was rather boring and unimaginative and he was evidently bored also.

By 9am it was all over and the students went home for the weekend. By contrast the male teachers opened a bottle of whiskey and another of brandy and set about emptying both.

I eventually managed to depart about 2pm after said whiskey and brandy had been consumed and Mr Jasper took me too Nam Phong where I caught a bus to Udon Thani, the first leg of my amazing 2012 summer holiday to Udon Thani – Vientiane – Chiang Mai – Hat Yai – Koh Samui and Pattaya. The next blog update will cover my holiday. Don't miss it!!

In passing, I have been astonished at the reader figures each of my blog entries which I can see in the admin section online. Most have more than 2,000 visitors but some have 3-5,000 readers. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

SUNDAY 19th FEBRUARY

A quiet day at home in the teacher’s house. Everyone’s away so I was here alone which, actually, is rather nice. I have the windows open and through the open door I can see anybody approaching along the track to the house.

MONDAY 20th FEBRUARY

This morning I went with 3 other teachers to Ban Hat Sai Moon School, a primary school, to promote my school to the 12 y.o. students there who will be leaving their school at the end of this term and may decide to come to Sao Moon to join M1. The problem is with these presentations is that since every local school is virtually the same in terms of facilities and sport etc that it is very hard to make out that Sai Moon is special in some way. One of the very few differences is me, and Mr Jasper. This afternoon we went to Phi Mun school, another nearby primary school and gave the same presentation.

TUESDAY 21st FEBRUARY

This morning we went to two schools in Sai Thong village both of which had a secondary element as well as a full primary school. At both schools we did the same presentation and handed out the same leaflets as at the other schools which Mr Pong had artfully prepared and printed. It remains to be seen if this year’s recruiting drive will be more successful than last year.

One of the schools had an impressive display all about ASEAN, the Association of South East Asian Nations the full implementation of which takes place in 2015 when Thailand will be in direct competition with other SE Asian countries for jobs and skills and English speakers. It is for this reason that more effort is being put towards the learning of English.

With the end of term approaching M6 are busy getting their Friendship Books written. I have not come across these books before but they are slim hardcover books with pre-printed theme pages. The idea is that before leaving school all your classmates fill out a page of memories which you will cherish in later life. Thais are very good at decorative arts and many of the pages I have seen were very creative and students have gone to a lot of trouble having dozens of photos of themselves and their classmates printed then artfully cropping them and sticking them creatively on their page.

One of the things that Thais have in common with other Asian countries is the desire to take endless photos of themselves. No matter how many they already have it is never enough.

WEDNESDAY 22nd FEBRUARY

Another very hot day. It starts off nice and cool but soon hots up and by mid-afternoon it is very hot and sticky.

It is getting difficult to know what to do with M6 in class as they will be leaving Sai Moon in 2-3 weeks and they are not really interested in learning anything more. The Thai teachers have the same problem. With this in mind, when I was in Bangkok I bought a DVD of Schindler’s List and Mr Jasper and I showed it to M6 this afternoon. Thai students learn nothing about foreign history and precious little, apart from some acts about the royal family, of Thai history. We showed the film in the library where there is an overhead projector but we will have to finish it off next week. It is a long film and we had a double for the film leaving about an hour or so for next week.

At the instigation of the Director, Mr Jasper and I have to give students some vocabulary every morning at assembly, starting tomorrow morning. We found an old 2x3ft whiteboard and cleaned it up and will use it to display the vocab. Tomorrow the words are weather related: weather, season, hot, cold, wet.

The Director has started practicing his golf swings on the football pitch during the last couple of hours of daylight before duck around 6.30pm. All the live-in teachers joined him there for a few beers and a chat which made for a pleasant evening.

I took the opportunity to remind the Director that when he confirmed to me that on March 9th the school would close I went ahead and started making bookings for the summer holiday. Since then, however, it turns out that the school will not close on March 9th after all because on Monday, March 12th, Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th all the students will be in school doing their Final Test which I am busy writing now. Luckily, Mr Jasper will still be here and will be able to mark the papers.

THURSDAY 23rd FEBRUARY

This morning, like every morning, I have about thirty minutes on the internet before going to school and morning assembly. One of the websites I usually check is for Thai news in the press. An item this morning was about some parents being up in arms about a question in the M6 O-Net Health Education exam. The question asked students ‘If you have a sexual urge what should you do ?’ The answer choices were: a) Ask friends if you can play football together; b) Consult family members; c) Try to sleep; d) Go out with a friend of the opposite sex; or e) Invite a close friend to watch a movie together.

What was being criticised was that whatever the answer might be, it is only an opinion, not a fact. The organisation that oversees and writes exams in Thailand is NIETS, the National Institute of Education Testing Service and the head of the service had to call a press conference to explain that the correct answer is......oh, but that that would spoil the fun.....what do you think ???????

The new vocabulary board seems to work ok. This morning Mr Jasper and I held the board while he translated the words into Thai and I said them in English. From tomorrow a student will speak the vocab.

The Director is very keen that M6 and M3 do well in their O-Net exams. Last weekend M6 took their exam and later told me they had found it difficult. M3 take their exam in just over a week so Mr Jasper and I are devoting each M3 class to familiarising them with the different types of questions and giving them practice.

The outlook isn’t good though. Mr Jasper can speak Thai and even though he explains the question and translates the four answer choices many students still pick the wrong answer.

Mr Jasper left it too late to pick and brief a student for the vocab reading tomorrow so we went round to her house after school to give her the words and explain them to her and practice her pronunciation.

Afterwards, I went with Mr Jasper and two students into Kranuan for dinner at a barbecue buffet restaurant. At this time of year many M3 and M6 classes from different schools are to be seen at all the buffet restaurants in town, and for that matter all over Thailand, as they celebrate a very important step in their lives. For M6, they are leaving school and loving on to university or college; for M3, they can leave school with a certificate if they so choose or they can stay at Sai Moon and move up to M4.

FRIDAY 24th FEBRUARY

The vocabulary announcement at assembly went ok though the M2 student doing it was very nervous but her good effort earned her the 100 baht I offered yesterday evening.

SATURDAY 25th FEBRUARY

I had the house to myself all day which was nice. I went into Kranuan as usual and had a very nice pork schnitzel, I suppose you would call it, with a potato salad and a small green salad. Delicious!!

Today was some kind of special day though I have yet to ascertain what it was about but the effect was that many families went down to the lake just outside Sai Moon village to fish. I didn’t go there myself but I did see it from the road on my way to Kranuan. Despite the heat, everyone was covered head to toe with jackets and suchlike to avoid any suntan. I don’t know why the lake isn’t used more often for recreation. There is a better lake the other side of the village that has much more recreational potential though it’s unused.

This evening I was invited to eat with the family of one of the female M6 students, her name is On, and two other M6 students, at the family home in a nearby village. It was a pleasant evening and it was nice to get asked.

SUNDAY 26th FEBRUARY

I went into Kranuan again today and met up with Mr Jasper there as he was on his way back from Chumpae, a town about 2 hours away by car. We had lunch at my new favourite restaurant which we both enjoyed.

I have promised to treat M6 to dinner as their leaving Sai Moon party next Friday. I am taking them to the same private room at the same restaurant where the Director organised my birthday party last year. The advantages are several: it is not a buffet restaurant; it is a private room and there is a karaoke facility which they love so they can sing their hearts out and no one will be disturbed!! It is also half the distance to Kranuan, so a lot nearer Sai Moon. Another plus is that they have never been there before and on the way back to Sai Moon Mr Jasper and I called in at the restaurant to book the private room and make arrangements with the owner.

SATURDAY 28th JANUARY

It was back to doing my own washing by hand in cold water today which took about an hour after breakfast this morning. Luckily, the clouds dispersed and the sun came out so by this afternoon everything had dried.

I went into Kranuan on my new Scoopyi about 12.30 and had lunch there and then went to Tesco Lotus to get things for the following week.

Most of the morning and afternoon was taken up with uploading and organising all the photos and joining up and editing all the videos that were taken over the last two days.

About 5pm I went to Kham Yai market to get something to eat for dinner and it was as busy as ever. It seems that the new Tesco Lotus is having little impact on local traders as they sell mostly different items.

SUNDAY 29th JANUARY

I spent much of the day sorting out all the photographs I took last week and making watchable videos out of all the short pieces of filming I also took.

TUESDAY 31st JANUARY

I went to Nong Kung Sri with the Director after my morning classes to open a Thai Bank account and deposit the money that my host family at Muang Baeng had repaid me. On the way there the Director told me that he has to go to another two-day education seminar in Bangkok which many other directors from across Thailand will attend. The snag for all these directors is that they have to pay for their own travel expenses for seminars like this one and all other meetings. Although the costs of gasoline and LPG (liquid petroleum gas) are cheap compared to the UK, these costs do add up and take a good chunk out of a director’s salary.

In addition to these costs my Director has loaned his friend, the Director of nearby Nong Kong Saeng school, Dr Monkern PhD, 10,000 baht leaving him short of cash this month and he asked if he could borrow 20,000 baht from me which I agreed.

It took two visits to the Krung Thai Bank in Nong Kong Sri because they required a copy of my passport which I didn’t have so we had lunch in the town and then returned to school to collect my passport. On our return to the Krung Thai Bank it was an easy process to open an account and I was given an ATM card and a passbook and charged 1,099 baht for the privilege.

This evening I had dinner with Mr Kay and Mr Weang at Mr Phiman’s ‘restaurant’ in the village. When we got there we could hear the distinctive sound of Mor Lam music from next door and we went to look. The family were having some sort of party – most probably a son was returning home – and were dancing Isaan style in the traditional way.

WEDNESDAY 1st FEBRUARY

This evening I went with some students into Kham Yai to visit the annual fair, known as the Patta Jamlong Festival, which was as busy as last year. We walked around looking at the various stalls and then had a drink at one of the makeshift bars that had been set up. After this they persuaded me to go with them into the dance area. I agreed because this was something I hadn’t done last year and was curious.

Police were at the entrance checking for drugs and alcohol etc but once inside there were some 2000 young people enjoying themselves and dancing in a very Thai way to a very good live band playing on a large stage. Various non-playing members of the band took it in turn to take the mike and sing working the crowd into a joyous frenzy with familiar Thai songs which many people joined in singing. You might be surprised to read that I thought it was a hugely enjoyable night but I really do get a good feeling from seeing other people enjoying themselves and having fun.

FRIDAY 3rd FEBRUARY

Around midnight I was woken by our dog i-Lung. I haven’t mentioned him very much but he appeared at the teacher’s house one day not long after I arrived at Sai Moon. He had a twitch in his left leg and he kept pawing the ground with his left foot. His leg would twitch even when he was asleep. He was a very friendly dog though he disliked the students preferring the teachers in particular me, Mr Yor and M Jasper.

i-Lung was also a bit crazy and would do some odd things but he was liked by everyone and followed me or one of the other favoured teachers to and from the house or around school. He would often sleep during the afternoon in my office.

But about midnight I heard i-Lung yowling more then usual. Mr Yor got up to try and pacify him and I went back to sleep. Sadly, that would be the last time I heard i-Lung.

SATURDAY 4th FEBRUARY

I went into Kranuan this afternoon to do my small weekly shop at Tesco Lotus. I enjoy riding around on my Scoopyi on a hot sunny day with the cool wind in my face. There are some photos of my new Scoopyi in the gallery.

SUNDAY 5th FEBRUARY

i-Lung was nowhere to be seen all weekend which was very strange and I assumed he had wandered off somewhere and perhaps had left us although he usually confined himself to the school grounds.

At lunchtime one of the M6 students came to the teacher’s house where I was eating my lunch and he told me that i-Lung had been bitten in the neck by a snake by the basketball court and had died which was very sad news indeed.

MONDAY 6th FEBRUARY

At assembly this morning I talked with other teachers about i-Lung and some doubted that a snake had bitten him and thought, instead, that he had been poisoned by a farmer which, apparently, often happen in Thailand. In fact, this happed to two dogs where I worked in Lamphun in 2010.

TUESDAY 7th FEBRUARY

At assembly i-Lung was still the talking point and Mr Jasper and Mr Noi said they had seen i-Lung’s body by the basketball court which was now badly decomposed. I had no wish to see i-Lung in that state preferring a happier memory of him but Mr Noi insisted I see a photo he’d taken on his mobile phone which, luckily, was very indistinct.

THURSDAY 9th FEBRUARY

At assembly Mr Noi asked if any student had a puppy spare which they could bring to school to replace Lung.

Some of the girls brought a very young puppy to the house early this evening but it was deemed too young as it would need far more care and training. Mr Jasper later swapped this puppy for an older puppy which is much more suitable and looks like it will eventually be as popular as Lung was. It has white forelegs and a nice tan coat of hair and is very playful and inquisitive.

FRIDAY 10th FEBRUARY

The latest puppy was again deemed too young but I had thought it was ideal. Mr Jasper swapped puppy number 2 for another one which is called Ormo and has black hair with copper highlights and has short legs and it follows Jasper everywhere.

SATURDAY 11th FEBRUARY

I went to Kranuan earlier than usual today so that I could have some lunch there and get a haircut and finish off with some shopping at Tesco Lotus. A couple of hundred meters from Tesco is a nice looking but simple restaurant that offers Thai and western food including pizza. I indulged myself with a cheese, tomato, bacon and pineapple pizza which turned out to have a nice thin crust and to be very tasty indeed, and very filling too.

I didn’t get a haircut because several people were already waiting so I thought I would return tomorrow which would also give me an excuse to have lunch in Kranuan again.

SUNDAY 12th FEBRUARY

I invited Mr Jasper to join me for lunch but he couldn’t make it as he had to go to Kalasin city. This time I had a Thai Yellow Curry and Rice which was delicious. Afterwards, I found no one waiting for a haircut and mine was done quickly but the barber insisted I needed a shave even though I shaved as usual this morning.

Now that I have a Thai bank account I have discovered more things one can do at any ATM such as transfer money to another account even if it is at a different bank and I can pay utility and some other bills too.

I spent much of the weekend making final arrangements for the seven week summer holidays and making bookings on the internet. The Director surprised me the other day when he told me that the school will close on March 9th which is a week earlier than last year but it is surprising difficult to decide what to do during the seven week break. I want to visit friends but I also want to do something different.

MONDAY 13th FEBRUARY

The weather these days is getting hotter and by mid-afternoon it is becoming like a furnace. In the local fields, those with access to water have planted a second crop of rice while those without, such as those in the immediate vicinity of Sai Moon, will remain parched until the rainy season begins in May.

Meanwhile, sugar cane cutting continues and the roads are full of heavily burdened lorries taking the cut cane to the weigh station before continuing to one of the sugar factories far from Sai Moon. There is a photo in the gallery of a typical sugar cane lorry with load. Some loads are much higher than this one though!!

TUESDAY 14th FEBRUARY

Valentine’s Day is quite important for students in Thailand and they give each other and give their favourite teachers real or imitation roses or they go round with a sheet of heart stickers to place lovingly on suitable lapels. And before you ask, I did get one!!

WEDNESDAY 15th FEBRUARY

There was a teacher’s meeting with the Director this afternoon after school finished at 3.30 which mostly dealt with plans for the next school year which opens on May 1st. The Director now wants the school to have two English speaking days a week which will be an interesting experience since several teachers can barely say more than hello and ok!

Like last year, the Director and all the teachers will tour round various nearby villages every evening for a week, before the end of this term, to promote the school in an effort to attract new students to M1 and M4 next term. Last year the tour didn’t attract any new students so I wonder what lessons were learned and what will happen on this year’s tour ?

After the meeting Mr Noi drove Mr Jasper to near Kalasin city where he collected a secondhand Toyota Corolla saloon car he has bought. I joined them to keep Mr Jasper company on the return trip and we had a nice early dinner on the way back to Sai Moon.

THURSDAY 16th FEBRUARY

Mr Jasper and I have been trying hard to prepare M3 and M6 for their O-Net (Ordinary National Education Test) exam this weekend which they will take at Huai Mek School which is about about 8km from Sai Moon. The M6 paper was toughened last year and it is now quite difficult for the students. The test is 2hrs long and consists of 70 questions split into five sections: Situations, Writing Ability, Usage, Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary. Before the first question in each section the paper gives an example with instructions in Thai and English. To give you an idea, here is one question from each section. I haven’t included the instructions in all of them as the methods are so obvious, but can you do them ?

SITUATION: Sandy wants to open the window, but Peter is sitting in her way.

Sandy: Peter, _____A_____ I want to open it.

Peter: _____B_____ but let me do that for you.

A. 1. can I open the window ?
2. you haven’t opened the window.
3. you should not sit near thr window like that.
4. would you mind moving away from the window ?

B. 1. Yes, I know.
2. Never mind.
3. No, not at all.
4. Of course, I’d love to.

WRITING ABILITY

_____A_____ are vegetables, fruit and grain _____B_____ in organic matter.

A. 1. That some examples of natural foods.
2. Some examples of natural foods.
3. Of some examples are nature foods.
4. Examples of some nature foods that

B. 1. where they have grown in soil rich.
2. when they have grown in rich soil.
3. which have been grown in soil rich.
4. that have been grown in rich soil.

USAGE

For this one you need to determine which phrase, A, B, C, or D in the sentence is incorrect and replace it with the correct phrase from the respective answer group A, B, C, or D.

Film pictures appear to move on the screen actually are still pictures flashing one after another.
A B C D

A. 1. A film picture appearing
2. The film picture which appears
3. Film pictures that appear
4. The film pictures appear

B. 1. move on
2. to moving in
3. moving on
4. moves in

C. 1. still are pictures
2. are pictures still
3. pictures are still
4. pictures still are

D. 1. flashed on after another
2. flashing one by one
3. flashing from one to one
4. flashing one and the others

VOCABULARY

Choose the word that best completes each blank in the passage.

Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water in areas with a summer temperature of over 21C. The female anopheles mosquito. one of 60 species of mosquito, can ___31___ a small parasite. If the mosquito ___32___ a person who has malaria, it picks up the parasite as it ___33___ the human blood. The parasite ___34___ inside the mosquito and is ___35___ to another human when the mosquito bites again. Malaria ___36___ fever and shivering fits. It is not ___37___ a killer in itself, but it weakens the ___38___ people so that they cannot work very hard. They gradually become ___39___ and more likely to ___40___ to other diseases.

31. 1. fetch 2. defeat 3. carry 4. produce

32. 1. bites 2. hurts 3. tastes 4. touches

33. 1. sucks 2. drags 3. pulls 4. swallows

34. 1. ripens 2. swells 3. extends 4. matures

35. 1. sent in 2. hurried off 3. passed on 4. thrown down

36. 1. mixes 2. causes 3. creates 4. holds

37. 1.closely 2. readily 3. necessarily 4. importantly
38. 1. painful 2. depressed 3. confused 4. infected

39. 1. drier 2. weaker 3. slower 4. hungrier

40. 1. fall victim 2. admit defeat 3. lack power 4. lose spirit

READING COMPREHENSION

Easy to make, easy to eat and easy to enjoy. Moonlight Rice offers you the ultimate in easy salad preparation.

Just one hour of soaking in the refrigerator and you have the perfect base for any summer rice salad. Add your favourite flavour, be it meat, vegetables or nuts, and you’ll have a salad or even a meal to tempt every member of your family.

Moonlight Rice makes overcooking rice virtually impossible. You can cook it in the normal way, through the absorption method, in the microwave, or you can let it cook by itself by putting it in water and leaving it in the fridge for an hour.

Whichever way, it will be perfect rice every time.

55. The best heading for this advertisement would be:

1. Summer Rice Salad Preparation 2. Summer Perfect Rice Salad
2. Moonlight Rice for Easy Salads 3. Summertime with Salads

56. The most suitable slogan for this product is:

1. Add your favourite flavour
2. Easy to make, easy to eat and easy to enjoy
3. Whichever way, it will be perfect rice every time
4. Moonlight Rice makes overcooking rice virtually impossible

57. All of the following can be added to the salad EXCEPT:

1. fruit 2. vegetables 3. nuts 4. bases

58. “...and you have a salad or even a meal to tempt every member of the family” (line 5) suggests that the salad or the meal:

1. may make your family popular
2. will become part of your family
3. may tempt your family members to learn to cook
4. will be appreciated by all members of your family

59. The easiest way to prepare Moonlight Rice is to:

1. leave it in the fridge for an hour
2. put it in water and let it cook itself
3. cover it with water and put it in the fridge for an hour
4. mix with salad

60. It can be inferred about Moonlight Rice that:

1. heat is not always necessary in cooking it
2. overcooking is the most impossible method
3. salads will not be perfect without it
4. it is the most economical rice you can buy

61. This advertisement would probably appear in a:

1. cookbook 2. diet book
3. women’s magazine 4. restaurant guide

Good Luck with all of the above!! Answers soon in a special blog entry.

FRIDAY 17th FEBRUARY

I had to discipline a girl in my M4 class this afternoon. I told the class to open their textbooks at page 56, but she just sat there in a daze and didn’t move. I walked around the class checking the others and then went back to her and told her again. She didn’t move. I told her again. She didn’t look at me or give any hint she might have heard what I said. I told her that if she didn’t have a textbook she should share with someone else who had one. She didn’t move.

So, getting fed up, I told her to come with me and walked towards the door. She didn’t move. I raised my voice a notch and gave it an edge to show I meant what I said. So I told her more forcefully to come with me and stood by the door. Eventually she stirred, but didn’t leave her seat. When she eventually got up and came to the door I told her to face the outside wall and she just walked away. The fact is that if I had been any Thai teacher she would have done what she was told right at the beginning without question. This is one of the few downsides of being a foreign teacher here!

SATURDAY 18th FEBRUARY

I went into Kranuan about 12.30 with pleasant thoughts about what I might eat for lunch at the Thai and Farang restaurant only to find it was closed for a week when I got there.....boo hoo!! So I had Khao Mu Daeng – two kinds of pork on top of rice with a few slices of cucumber and a gloopy sauce at the place next door. Afterwards I went to Tesco Lotus for my weekly shop and then went home.

THURSDAY 22nd DECEMBER – SUNDAY 22nd JANUARY

First of all I am sorry not to have updated my blog since I left Sai Moon at the start of my month away from school. While I was away I took the opportunity to have some R & R in Pattaya and I spent Christmas and the new year there. One of my ambitions was to spend Christmas Day afternoon on the back but I didn’t make it however I did get to the beach with some friends on Boxing Day instead and great fun it was too and I even went swimming.

I flew back to London on January 4th and duly arrived at Terminal Three Heathrow and was reminded once again what a dreadful terminal it is. I have only experiences this terminal but for all I know the others, with the exception of the newest Terminal 5, might exhibit the same awfulness: long, drab, low-ceilinged corridors that turn left and right and go up and down steps. One is left with the feeling that entry to the country is via the servant’s backstairs.

I arrived at the Immigration Hall, a vast room with a worn and discoloured carpet that might once have been blue in parts and another low ceiling that I could almost touch with my hands and I am only six feet tall. I joined the mass of arrivals emerging from the entrance and found myself in a funnel which gradually forced everyone into a single file which zig-zagged across the hall until one reached the head of the line when someone would call one to the next available Immigration Officer. The queuing took about forty minutes and the actual passport inspection only took about two minutes. if that.

Because all my previous flights to Thailand arrived the day after departure I assumed without thinking that this flight would be the same. I didn’t realise my mistake until I scrutinised the mass of hand-held signs looking for one with my name for the taxi to the South Bank where I live. After walking up and down the lines of drivers awaiting their passengers I began to wonder why I couldn’t see my name card. I decided to call the cab company and got a shock at the nearest phone box when I found that the basic charge for a standard domestic all was now 60p! A second jolt came when the taxi firm said he was expecting me to arrive the next day. It was then that it dawned on me that it was still Wednesday and not Thursday as I thought! Doh!!

I then decided to take the tube into central London which, at Terminal Three, entails a long hike down endless drab tunnels to reach the tube entrance. The journey was not too bad as my suitcase wasn’t full. An hour later I was home. It was about 9pm.

I spent a very happy and relaxed two weeks in London. I had a number of shopping assignments as well as some domestic admin to do but nothing too arduous. For three days the sky was clear crystal blue and very sunny and during this time I took some photographs of London which I thought would amuse some of the students back at Sai Moon and give them a glimpse of what life is like in London. All these photos are in my gallery for you to enjoy as well.

One of the tasks I had whilst in London was to decide whether to get a Kindle or not so on the day I met my sister, Ann, we went to John Lewis where Kindles and other ereaders were on display and could be handled and examined at will. In the end I decided not to get one just yet because I usually only read a short while before going to sleep and last year I only got through 3 or 4 books and I have half a dozen waiting for me to read at Sai Moon. I like the idea of an ereader and will definitely get one once I reduce my unread library.

THURSDAY 19th JANUARY

I left home about 6.30pm to go back to Heathrow Terminal Three for my flight back to Thailand. This time I had a ticket with Qantas being the cheapest I could find at the time of booking. Luckily, I tried to check-in online but when I couldn’t I phoned the airline and was told not to check in at Qantas but with British Airways instead as they have a code sharing agreement which means passengers fly Qantas one way and BA the other on flights to Australia. My flight was to Sydney with a stopover in Bangkok.

My check-in area was at the furthest end of the building and not called Check-in, but Bag Drop which was confusing to start with. At check-in there was a problem because they had overbooked the flight (I was told that all airlines do this by 5-10%) and I wasn't sure if I would get a seat or not. But there was a group of Aussies, I think, who had said they didn't mind giving up their seats and going to Sydney the next day (my flight was only doing a stopover at Bkk on the way to Sydney). Although I was constantly assured I would have a seat I was offered 600 euros for an overnight hotel and dinner and a flight at the same time next day.

I had to wait about 20 minutes before I had my seat confirmed and was given a boarding pass. By now time was passing and I thought there would be huge queues at security so I dashed off there only to discover when I got there that I had been given someone else's boarding pass. So I had to go all the way back, get the right pass, return, and then go through security which, luckily, was quite quick.

There was a huge queue at the gate – which was at the furthest extremity - and it took ages to board and I then discovered I had been upgraded to first class because of the check-in hassle which was nice outcome. We took off at 10pm in the end but the flight only took 10 hours 15 minutes to get to Bangkok which is nearly two hour shorter than normal.

Some of the films on offer were the same as on my Eva flight to London but they had Tinker, Tailor... and Sherlock Holmes. They also had a number of TV series on offer including Downton Abbey and I thought 'yes' and planned to watch it later but there was a problem with the computer providing the movies etc so for a long time the entertainment system didn't work and when it did some films didn't work and Downton Abbey didn't work either. So I still haven't seen it! But the seat was nice and the food good.

SUNDAY 22nd JANUARY

I stayed at the Bangkok Heritage hotel in Silom, Bangkok, for the last two nights and this morning I got a metre taxi at 10.30am to take me to Suvarnabhumi airport (the main airport, not the old one that was flooded). Using a metre cab it only costs about 300 baht (about £6) to reach the airport and takes about 45 minutes, sometimes less depending on the traffic.

I went straight to the Nok Air check-in desk and as expected my suitcase was over the 20kg weight limit. I told the check-in girl that I was an English teacher and that I had all my teaching stuff in my case. Only the first part was true but I knew that such is the respect for teachers in Thailand that I would be given an extra allowance and was duly given 5kg extra for which I had to pay a 300 baht (about £6) surcharge which wasn’t too bad.

The flight was only one hour to Udon Thani where, once again, I found taxi drivers trying to charge double the fare from the city centre to the airport for the journey the other way. I decided to get the public minibus instead which was 80 baht rather than the 200 baht for the taxi.

At the bus station I had to wait about 30 minutes for the bus to Nam Phong to depart. I phoned Mr Noi once I was on the bus and he duly collected me and we drove the one hour journey back to Sai Moon.

On the way back Mr Noi told me that he had sold the old motorbike I had been using and that he had bought 5,000 baht (about £100) of lottery tickets with some of the money. He said he wanted to get me a new bike and that his sister-in-law’s family had one for sale.

I noticed a couple of changes on the way back. A new Tesco Lotus has mushroomed in Kham Yai (7 km from my school) which I will check out soon. Also, the road leading from the village towards the school has been stripped and piles of large grit awaits spreading to smooth the many potholes that were in the road.

MONDAY, 23rd JANUARY

Nothing much had changed at Sai Moon while I was away. I was told it had rained heavily for a couple of days during the previous week and, sure, enough, the grass on the football pitch was nice and green. It’s now the Thai autumn and many trees have shed their leaves and undergrowth near the teacher’s house has been cut back by students making the area around the house seem more open.

At assembly this morning I was given a good welcome by all the other teachers and my new black trousers were much admired as was my red check short sleeved shirt which I bought in Chiang Mai last visit. Afterwards I gave out the presents I had bought: a litre bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label for the Director; a selection of various kinds of fudge for the Deputy Director which I knew she would share amongst the other female teachers; a 2012 calendar with photos of English Gardens for Mr Noi to inspire him in his garden.

This afternoon I went with Mr Noi and his wife to Kranuan where he kept his promise to buy a new motorbike. He bought a blue Honda Scoopyi (Scoopy-eye, in case you were wondering how to say it!). I contributed 6,000 baht towards the down payment and Mr Noi paid 5,000 and he said he would pay 2,000 each month for two years. I thought this was very kind of him and I rode back to school on the bike.

TUESDAY 24th JANUARY

It was nice to be back at school again despite the negative things I said about the place last year. The photos I took of London were sought after viewing today.

WEDNESDAY 25th JANUARY

At assembly this morning Mr Noi told me that his wife wanted to have the Scoopyi we bought on Monday and he now proposed that we go back to Kranuan to buy another bike for me. So after class this is what we did; his wife and Mr Jasper came along too. The only difference this time was that Mr Noi wanted me to pay for it. He returned the 6,000 baht I contributed on Monday to which I added another 5,000 for the deposit, as before. I didn’t want to string out the payments over two years adding a lot of interest on top so an arrangement was made where I could pay the balance over three months with no extra interest.

I was a little unhappy with Mr Noi changing things in this way as it landed me with an unexpected expense. But then I thought of a solution. Last year I loaned my host family at Muang Baeng, Loei 200,000 baht (about £4,000) to build a house extension and thus enlarge the shop they have. When I last visited the family back in early December Mr Pinolet (the head of my host family) told me that he wanted to repay the money and I gave him my account details but a few days later he told me that he’d been to his bank and numerous others but they had all said they could not transfer the money to a foreign bank. I later learned that there is a government restriction on such transfers so we decided the only way would be for me to accept repayment in cash. This would be ok for me as I could then use the cash for out of school expenses when I have to go into holiday mode and live in hotels etc. I phoned Mr Pinolet and he agreed with the plan. The only remaining thing to arrange is the collection of the money.

There was one other slightly annoying thing about the motorbike and that was the colour. Of the five remaining unsold Scoopyi’s I chose a yellow and blue one which is not such a good colour scheme as the first bike but the other bikes were even worse and one even had Liverpool FC’s colours and name on it in big lettering!

This morning my M3 class was cancelled because most of the students were practising their dance routine to prepare for tomorrow. In my M2 class which followed there were only three girls left after the boys ran away. Nobody cares of course so nothing will happen to the absentees.

This evening dinner was held al fresco at the Director’s behest at a table set up in the road in the school near Mr Weang’s homestay, as he calls it, where the Director shared the whisky I gave him with some of the other male teachers and food was brought in from the village. It was a pleasant evening.

Whenever the female students perform in the morning they usually sleepover in a spare room in the other teacher’s house so they can get up early and get their costumes on the do their make-up etc. But they are a noisy lot and usually make a lot of noise getting up in the morning.

THURSDAY 26th JANUARY

The girls got up about 3.30amand although they made some noise it was as prolonged and as annoying as last time. I got up at 5.45am for an expected 7am departure to go with the school to Dong Moon School about 25 minutes away for a mixed competitive event starting at 8am. I was only told last night that I was to be one of the three Drama Judges but that was ok since I did the same thing at a similar event last March. Today’s event was much the same with competitions in dancing, music playing, crosswords, speech giving, drama, ‘pan’ making, volleyball and so on. Sai Moon only had two teams entered in anything and that was in the volleyball where we came 2nd out of five teams which wasn’t too bad and the traditional dancing/singing event where we didn’t quite make the top notch because our singer’s diction wasn’t good enough.

The drama event was almost a non-started because for a long time I was the only judge who showed up. I learned that one of the others was at university somewhere and the third was yet to be found. However, one of last year’s judges stepped in so the event could start but then there were only two drama groups: one at senior level, the other at junior level. The scripts were marginally better than last March but the English was still mangled. On top of that, PA announcements being made outside were so loud they drowned out the voices of the actors! With only one group at each level they both won gold medals by default.

After the drama finished I had lunch and was then able to wander around. There were some outstanding sights for me. One was the very large and intricate ‘pan’ that students from various schools had spent all morning creating – I took some photos which are in my gallery. The other event was the music event which featured an excellent 12-piece band playing mainly traditional instruments which I had seen before at another school event. I learned later that the band had played abroad including the US.

I asked the Director if he could collect the money from my host family as he is going to see his wife in Wang Saphung over the weekend and will have to pass Muang Baeng school on the way. He readily agreed so, fingers crossed, everything should be ok.

FRIDAY 27th JANUARY

No classes today since the Provincial Authority in Kalasin city decreed that schools in the province should celebrate Buddha today. Last night some musicians and performers – students from the Kalasin campus of Mahamakut Buddhist University (MBU) in Bangkok - camped at school and rehearsed last night as well.

The event got underway in the Sala hall straight after assembly this morning, ie 8.30am, when two of the MBU students get the Sai Moon students warmed up with jokes and fun. When the Director and monks arrived a simple opening ceremony was held and the music and dancing started. Members of the very talented eight piece band also took the mike to sing and in between music sets there was slapstick comedy with one MBU student dressed as a ladyboy (katoey in Thai).

During the morning the senior monk of the six attending, only about 40 y.o. or so, addressed the students for a short time and told them, amongst other things, that f they worked hard they could get a worthwhile job and travel abroad just like Ajarn Al, ie me!

The morning was fun and I took photos which are in my gallery and I also took a video. If you watch it make sure you go right to the end as it is not all the same!! It can be seen on youtube.com here http://youtu.be/sJ21ftV9ZzM

The afternoon was less fun for me because the morning performers had gone back to MBU and only the two warm-up MBU students were left along with a couple of monks. The Sai Moon students were, amazingly, still very attentive and amused by the proceedings but I began to fall asleep so I left and went home to have a coffee. None of the other teachers remained in the afternoon so I was not alone.

I had a message from Mr Pinolet this evening to confirm the money collection plan but to say that he cannot give me the whole amount due this weekend, only 120,000 baht of the 400,000 I loaned him. It is ok as I know he will repay the rest in the coming weeks.