Back to work tomorrow after a fabulous summer! Here are some of the highlights
I have always loved Bangkok, but it was great to spend an extended period there this summer. We rented an apartment near Phloenchit station (Sukhumvit) for a couple of weeks which was great. I had quite a lot of work I needed to finish over the summer, but it didn't get in the way of the fun. I got up early and did 3 hours work and then took the rest of the day off. That way I was able to chip away at my "to do" list without it ruining my holiday. We went to some famous, beautiful sights, had lots of fancy cocktails, tea at the Mandarin Oriental, shopping opportunities and wonderful wonderful food. I really got a taste for Thai food this time - more than ever before and crave spicy soups, wontons and noodles in particular.
- Seeing people in Thailand
We spent lots of time with Kevin and Dawn in Bangkok and Koh Lanta and had a wonderful time. When we are with K&D, in addition to enjoying just hanging out, we always hatch plans and business ideas. I hope at least one of them will become a reality.
We met up with Wilailuck in Bangkok a few times which was great. Having a close Thai friend in Bangkok made me feel like I was really living there.
We ran into Michael B a few times as coincidentally, he was also based in Bangkok - in the apartment building next door! We saw more of him in BKK than we do in Tokyo.
We also had lunch with Pat as he was passing through BKK on his way to the beach.
Before I left I had arranged a couple of university visits (I was actually invited to give some talks to staff and graduate students). When the time came, I started wondering why I would do that to myself when I was supposed to be on holiday - who does that? But, actually, I'm really glad I had done it. The two institutions were quite different, but the staff and students made me feel very welcome. My talks were well received, I learned a lot about self-access and language education in Thailand, and I think I might be invited back. I would love more professional visits to Thailand.
We rented a gorgeous private villa for the week with its own pool. Between the 4 of us (Dawn & Kevin came too) it worked out to be quite economical as it was low season. They do get rain during that time, but our week was perfect. Some of the shops and restaurants close during low season, they don't clean the beaches and the nightlife is non-existent, but none of this bothered us. We went to a lovely beach club affiliated with our villa and found plenty of nice places to eat at. It was the perfect break. I recommend Koh Lanta if you want something a bit different and away from the main tourist areas in Thailand. Krabi province is really beautiful.
I could easily have stayed in Thailand, but I was presenting at a conference in Beijing in August, so off we went. The pollution was hideous and the city was fairly ugly, but the experience was generally a good one. Seeing the Great Wall of China, Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City were really unforgettable. The conference was very good and all the talks I went to were high quality and very academic. My own talk was reasonably well attended and (I sensed) well received. It was good to see my learner autonomy/conference friends. I loved meeting up with Ash and Helen and hearing about their life in Beijing.
I was in Dublin for 36 hours. I actually hadn't planned to go at all as I had so little time, but I'm glad I did as at least I got to spend some time with David's mum and dad, have lunch with Landy and buy a pair of boots (can never find my size in Japan).
How many times have I turned up in Wales sick and have my parents look after me? Too many. This was another one of those occasions and my parents still take me in! I must have picked up a bug on the Beijing metro which wiped me out for a few days, Ugh!
Even though I was ill, I was presenting at a conference in Nottingham, so off I went again a day after arriving in Cardiff. I had booked my first train class tickets and I was determined to enjoy the trip. Actually, looking back, the whole trip to Nottingham was a total waste of time as I was too sick to remember much about it. I missed the conference almost entirely and spent 2 days in my room in the student halls of residence sleeping. Luckily my colleagues carried our presentation and I went back to Cardiff early to try to recover before the weekend.
Last 2 days in Wales and the rest and Beecham's products had kicked in. I felt better - hooray! This is very fortunate as mum had lots of things planned....My brother and his family arrived on Friday night, we picked up David from the airport on Saturday and then drove to Cosmeston for a birthday picnic for my mum. Lovely day! The next day all the family were coming round for tea, so we spent the morning making sandwiches and baked treats, icing cakes, tidying up and rearranging furniture. The weather was great so we were all able to sit in the garden. Great day. The next day, a car picked us up to go back to Heathrow where we boarded our BA flight to Tokyo.
It was great to come back almost 2 weeks before we had to be back at work, so now we are well rested and over the jetlag. I have worked pretty much all the time at home as I have so many deadlines coming up. Ah well, that's just the way I roll. Will that ever change?
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