Please take your seats.....

We have a new stadium! My word, yes indeed we do. All under cover, all seating, with good car parking and training and recuperation facilities for competitors. Yes!  Just a mile from my home I found the new Cock Pit; and here it is in all its glory.

I would guess it seats maybe 160 people. As for the ‘recuperation facility’ those of you with a keen eye will notice the bucket suspended from the ceiling. The only things missing are notices giving prices, dates of events, and lists of the stars who will be strutting into the ring. I wonder if they have crazy names like US Wrestlers. And tag teams?

The lorries I mentioned last week stayed for 24 hours, and appeared to be a mobile temple! Well, one was, and I got the impression that the other 3 were supposed to be, but insufficient numbers of faithful arrived to bring them into use. Candles, the usual decorations and a Buddha statue were set up in one and 2 Novices led some payers and chants for maybe 15 or 20 mostly elderly members of the village. After about an hour it was all over, but somehow the faithful had managed to turn the school field into a rubbish tip, from which it yet to recover. I assume that after prayers they tucked into a decent picnic.

(Oddly, the spell checker insists I use upper case for ‘lorries’; can anyone think why I should?

I went to interview a Novice at his, rather more permanent temple on the outskirts of town. It was a charming if, rather ramshackle affair. The Sim itself was small, rather plain and in the centre of a ring of rather cheap wooden buildings. US readers might think in terms of “summer camp”, older UK readers might think Hop Picking c. 1955. The rest of you will have to use your imaginations. But it had a certain charm, with window boxes, and at least 2 of the houses had pet dogs, which for me was a first at a temple. It also had a satellite dish in the grounds, next to the statue of the Earth Goddess. The temples in town seem to be packed out with Novices but those further out have falling numbers. This one had a reasonably healthy population of 23 Novices and 6 Monks, but that is down from a couple of years back when they had 40 Novices.

We have had some more rain. Not much, but a couple of showers and one dramatic, if brief storm. One thing here is that a storm gives you plenty of notice of its arrival, so that well before it started I had been able to bring furniture and washing indoors and batten down the hatches. But there has not been enough to affect the river level, I am sure. For those of you who have not seen the Mekong in different seasons, the flood level in Luang Prabang is given at 18 metres, and ‘minimum level’ (which I take to be minimum navigable level) is 2.53 metres.  Last week it was 3.5m and this week’s forecast is 3.0m.

Even the locals have commented on how hot it has become at the middle of the day, and I have reverted to my policy of not walking in or out town between about 12 and 3pm. Even at 4.30 pm yesterday it was 38 degrees on my front doorstep and 30 in my bedroom.  I have a mosquito net over the bed in the spare room, and was driven into that last night by the mozzies who are now coming out in some force in the evenings.  Still, I am unsure how I am going to cope with UK weather; I see a snow forecast for Northern England.

Although it is still 2 weeks before I leave for UK,I have a definite ‘end of term’ feeling. The raspberry jam is gone, the Branston pickle will do service for one more ham and pickle sandwich at most, if I am honest with myself, the Marmite jar cannot be scraped much cleaner and the temptation to buy some tasteless New Zealand cheese has abated. The authorities are racing (in a manner of speaking) to get me my Multiple Entry Visa before I leave which will make things much simpler in future. But even if they are racing slowly and graciously, it is nice to feel that they are onside and being helpful, although the odds against it being sorted before I leave for UK must be lengthening every day. Somehow, in a country like this when two gentlemen call at your house with a ministerial car, you are not quite sure whether to be grateful and impressed or to hide in the attic. So far I have opted for the former but feel a sense of relief when we are past the Police Station.

Up till now I have been resisting a small but nonsensical payment to the police for.......er,  being on the face of the earth , I guess. But clearly  the holiday/beer fund is low and they have started to make difficulties for others, so I have reluctantly coughed up.  But  they will have to work hard to get any further payments and they might find that terrorising a few motorists is both simpler and more rewarding. I guess this week there were no parties which required them to sit and stop traffic and so had a bit of time on their hands. I notice that Laos is now only the 154th most corrupt nation (out of 179) in the world, compared to 168th 3 years ago. To overtake Russia and the Congo may not be the cause for great celebrations, but at least it is movement in the right direction.

There are a few bits and pieces to tidy up before I leave; a few items to buy, presents and messages to collect and carry back and folk to see. One young man who does not want to see me is one I lent some money to some months ago, and who has gone rather quiet since.  Although I have personally written off the money I have passed the debt on to some rather more assertive local friends, who I assume will pursue the matter in a less gentle fashion than I have been doing.  If I hear of a body in a suitcase you will be kept fully informed; at least my own alibi will be watertight, even if the suitcase is not.

Oh and yes, my monthly subscription to UNITEL online will expire 4 days before I leave Laos, so expect odd emails and maybe even blogs from internet cafes where the keyboard does not have F or L for example (I shall   repeat that....Oh and yes, my monthy subscription to UNITE onine wi expire 4 days beore I eave aos, so expect odd emais and maybe even bogs rom internet caes....) Hmmm...just like my usual typing, in fact.

Having emptied all my pockets and bags I find I have 5 pounds 41 pence in English money to last me until I can collect my new bank cards in UK. Enough for a coffee, some water, the Daily Telegraph and maybe a small Kitkat bar?  I think I shall have to fill my pockets with any second helpings of airline food that I can scrounge, since, after I get to London I have bus journeys of over 6 hours before I can collect any more cash.

 I am travelling the long, slow, cheap way; 10 hours on the bus, 12 on the train, 12 by air and 6 more by bus. In retirement one has more time than money.  I shall be staying over in Vientiane for one night to catch up with a few people there and to interview a prospective new student.  And I notice that on the day I am there VTE is celebrating International Women’s Day. That is especially fortuitous as only yesterday I received several invitations to have my name included in the Distinguished Women of the Year 2010 publication. (Well, there is some small confusion about whether I am eligible for 2010  or 2011, but being distinguished in either year will be fine with me. )That is to say, that I am being ‘considered for inclusion’.  It seems that if I can manage  to click  a  box I have an excellent chance of being included.  I guess if I can get it all sorted in time I will  qualified to be be regarded as a VIP by the time I get to Vientiane for the events there. Oh dear, i suppose I will need a new outfit....my Teddington Studios Baseball Cap might not pass muster, though with some red white and blue ribbons on it,  who knows?

OK; time for my breakfast


Alan