I just can't stop!

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This is the end...

Thank you to all who read, I promise to do something with this material, Sayunara guys!

6th Time in Bangkok... Still Awesome.

So, once again - I am in a different country, well I'm back in Thailand. The job at the bar was fun but it was too much for me. My bad side - e.g. the drinking, smoking etc became a bit excessive. So I quit... I'm getting good at this now, let's hope it doesn't carry on! Will I find another job? Well I'm going to have to, and I will soon... but for now it's Bangkok, and then the beach. I'm thinking about heading down to Koh Chang, an island close to the city, for a week break from all the breaks I've been having.
So my general take on Cambodia for any who want to go? Go. Cambodia is a wonderful country, never have there been a people with more smiles that the Khmers, utter patience and a contagious joy for life grip their persona. The country is, obviously, in a bit of a mess... The landmine victim's conditions are appalling, and the child welfare system is non-existent... and that's not even the half of it. I met in 2 girls in Cambodia, they were taking Human rights courses and came over to the country to publish a paper, on child prostitution and trafficking in the country, mainly the capital. From what I've heard the abuse of trafficked children is extremely open in a certain district of Phnom Penh, Svay Pak. Most apparently are taken from Vietnam, and it's not just Westerners who use these devilish services... the Khmers are also big customers. Most people reading this wouldn't even know that this could exist... open brothels filled of stolen children? But it does, there is heaps of evidence... look it up, read about it, get facts and tell someone else... broad knowledge of the crimes by good people around the world is a really good way to stabalise this problem. The main problem is undeniably the corruption of the Cambodian government officials, namely boarder control officers and the street police but who knows if there is enough international pressure something could be done to change that... the world is just people, therefore enough of them can change it.
But see Cambodia if you ever have the chance, for a start it has one of the most under-appreciated cuisines in the region... it's on the spice cross-roads of Asia and its dishes are a fusion of Thai, Chinese and Indian... The national dish is Fish Amok where the fish has been steamed in coconut milk, lots of chillies and lemon grass - served on coconut rice - $1!!!!.
And of course, how could anyone forget the temples, the jungles, the sugar palms, the flatness of the horizon, the sweet smiles of the local bicyclists, the ghost of the French and of Pol Pot... see it, live it... Au Kuhn Chan!

Employed and Recovering

So I got the job at Angkor What? Bar and it's good to be thrown back into the swing of full-time employment and what a bar to be working in... Notoriously and rightly the coolest bar in the country, Me, Harry and Nicholas almost lived there for the 10 days we spent in this town last year, spending way way way too much money and allowing Harry to drink until he actually became allergic to the alcohol he was drinking. Good times. It's impossible not to have a great night in this town, and working behind the bar is no exception. A-bombs, buckets, drunken rabbits and beer towers are all in my domain now and drinking behind the bar is not a choice, it's a necessity. This may get slightly wearing, but I don't have a contract, I can leave whenever I want, it's paying the bills and they're all free... plus did I mention how much fun it is? Anyway drinking does seem to be a necessity in this country for westerners, its so fucking hot you can't fall asleep, you have to pass out! And you wake up in the morning, no hangover as you sweat to it all out - nasty I know :) It'll be a fun few months/weeks? I like my boss, not a huge fan of some of his expat friends, who seem to think that just because they get free drinks they're to be treated like royalty and I should drop everything to look after them... You would think you would be grateful right? I know one thing for sure, if there is one thing I do not want to do in life it is to own a bar out here, it leads to your nights becoming interchangeable... same music, same hours, same same, not different. Alright for some I suppose, Charlie (the boss) doesn't seem too bothered when he's pulling in close to $1000 on a good night - and this is Cambodia. One benefit, the tips are incredible, the 3 bar staff and I must have got $100 between us last night, it's collected at the end of the month and dished out depending on the number of shifts, my friend who works at Charlie's restaurant and used to work at the bar said she regularly paid her entire month's rent on those bonuses, can't wait... I need to move out of my place, it's the cheapest room possible and with no window, it's not very pleasant... It's not as hot as you'd expect it to be but it's irritating to have to sleep with my bathroom light on so i don't wake up in the dark!
The last few days really detached myself from the room as I came down with a 24-hour (and a bit) fever. Luckily I had had this one before in the summer otherwise I would have freaked out and thought I had some kind of tropical infestation as the flesh between my eyes and nose, below my eyes and the upper bit of my nose swelled up beautifully, so once again for the first time since August in Italy (much to Carpanini's and Arthur's amusement) I looked like this:

I wasn't blue, but I really should have been, at least I would have looked cool rather than scary... That really wasn't the worst of it as that was accompanied by a high fever, the first migraine I've had in years (I thought it strange that I didn't get the migraine in August) and of course my wonderful ability of fever-related delirium including lovely lovely want-to-kill-myself night terrors! Wow, so all in all a good 24-hours... I obviously didn't go to work, I just stayed in bed, watched movies, drank lemon juice and spoke to Harry on skype - Charlie was really nice about it and I could tell he was surprised that I came in last night, especially how the Avatar-face hadn't quite subsided! But he was pleased, I felt I did well last night... wasn't tired until the very end and kept everyone the other side of the bar happy and merry. The truth is, I didn't feel so great when I woke up yesterday, I just wanted to do something, I was bored sick in my room that is lighted like a casino, how can I tell if it's day or night, my watch might be lying? I also spent my first afternoon at the orphanage yesterday, it was great... the kids were just as approachable and curious as they were the first time I met them... constantly asking me questions, many times trying to ask how old I was... I learnt after Nepal never to tell kids you look after or teach that you are 19 (if you are 19 that is!)... they don't believe you, so you might as well dodge the question, and with kids dodging questions bring just as much amusement as ease. We spent the afternoon drawing and talking, some of the kids played badminton in the sweltering sun, something I think I'll have to wait a few weeks to be able to do, I have to siesta at the moment! I see people jogging here, it's madness!
Well that's me so far, I think things have worked out well... I have a job, i have something to do during the day, and free beer is readily available to me... what more could a 19 year old need right now? Well A/C would nice but beggars can't be choosers can they.


A few lines below I feel it important to change the tone.
It has now been a full year since our brother Adam Coombs passed away in India whilst volunteering with needy children. As much as a tragedy this is to all those who met him in his life, loved him and lived with him nothing could scratch the surface of how his wonderfully strong and loving family are coping. I think even those who had never heard of his name should send a thought to a wonderful life lost too soon and a brave, unexpected family who forever will remember their son, brother, cousin and nephew. I am certain that not a day goes by without thousands of thoughts of our lost friend from all around the world, he touched so many people in such a short time. I guess in that way he accomplished more in his 19 years than many do in a lifetime.
We love you Dez, keep on jamming with that bass guitar of yours so obviously unplugged...! xxx

Dancing Orphans, Light-Fingered Hookers and Collective Nouns

In the last 24 hours in Siem Reap I have both found and been unwittingly given reasons to spend both a long and a short period of life in this ancient, colonial town. Both of which depend, in entirely different ways, on me finding a job soon.

Ok, let's get the bad one out of the way first so I can end this short post in an optimistic fashion void of the annoyance I am currently feeling. Last night after going to a shop to but standard sitting in your room alone at night stuff (i.e. crisps, ice tea and cigarettes) I was almost definitely pick-pocketed by a small group of of Cambodian prostitutes, what's the collective noun for prostitutes? A whorde? Anyway the last two nights, including the last, I have been pounced upon by a drugged-up, desperate hackle of hookers who did their best, in the very Cambodian fashion, of getting some business. It's a horrible thing to be attached upon by horde of thoroughly annoying, spaced-up probably-not-women. So I did what I did last night, walked on with a few attempts of releasing myself from their finger-sharp holds, saying 'no' perpetually for the last 10 yards of my walk home. It was only when I woke up this morning when I realised that my wallet had gone... Now obviously I can't know for sure that it was them, but it fucking well was. I had my wallet at the shop, a mere 100 yards away. Earlier I had a few beers and a free shot of tequila so I was a little drunk but wasn't out of it on any level. I went back to the shop today and I didn't leave it on the counter, I didn't put it in the shopping bag, I put it in my pocket... I mean I can't explicitly remember the action in itself but one rarely does even in an pure and sober state. Their hands. They were all over me, extreme body contact... how could I notice? I was concentrating on keeping my cock covered just incase one of them regrets the operation s/he once had and decides to rip mine off in a desperate karmic attempt. So there we have it, my cash, my cards, my contacts all stolen by a lechery of ladyboys, that's SE Asia in a nut-shell. So yeh, no money, and I thank God for the invention of the restaurant tab but a job soon, hopefully. The dude in the hotel here says I should go to the tourist police, and I will... but I can say now they won't do shit... "Ah! Stolen by a lady-boy prostitute now?... And you say you didn't sleep with her?" I'm told the tourist police station is a good 2 miles from here and with not a dollar in my pocket and mid 80 degree, 100% humidity heat I hardly see that happening. So I'm going vigilante, the receptionist says they're on that corner most nights and he wouldn't be surprised if that's the scam they're maneuvering rather than what they were advertising. I'll wait, and if they come back, well I don't know... shout at them, ask them for my shit back and threaten to call the police or rip their implants out, that'll scare them.

So before all of this pathetic pandemonium I was really enjoying my evening. I had a great talk with my Father on skype, met some an interesting group of people from Holland (a fly of Dutchmen!) and found a reason to stay here other than to make money. I was invited to go to a local orphanage by a volunteer that I met the day before yesterday in town and watch the kids preform in a dance-show that they put on 3 times a week in order to find contributions from tourists. After a pleasantly long walk I arrived at 'COFCO' just as it was getting dark. I was shown around the place by the volunteer's husband and got to talking to a few people involved there. The place didn't nearly have enough money for what it was... no surprises there. It was over-crowded and ill-equipped for Cambodia's character. But it wasn't dirty, or smelly. It had a good supply of food and the kids were fed 3 times a day... and the kids! They were amazing, so happy, approachable and personable. The dance idea I'm sure would shock a lot of people... These kids dance 3 times a week for money? Outrageous! And maybe some would be correct, but they loved it... they were clearly never bored by these activities... I mean that's what it was to them, just fun. I'm sure most had little clue that their dancing was keeping rice on their plates and a roof over their head, it was just a game. Plus Khmer traditional dancing looks just as fun to preform as it is to watch. It's different to the dull, slow, finger-bending Thai dances you might get pulled into by one hotel or another out here. It's tribal, rhythmic, a little bit exciting as well. They dressed up mainly in animal outfits, most commonly the bizarre monkey/lion amalgamation traditional in ancient Khmer art and architecture. Three kids also changed the tone a little with a hip-hop number centered around an acrobatic 5 or 6 year old with classic orphan hand-me-down-three-sizes-too-big clothes that suited the genre exceptionally. They were amazing fun, after the performance was over a couple of the kids got a hold of the laptop and started playing some of their favourite music and invited us all up for a little trip the light fantastic to Justin Beiber, Lady Gaga and all the 'greats' that music has to offer... I was transported back to Boudhanilkantha in seconds, faith that children in almost any situation have one thing in common, they love their life. Nothing was different about this rascal of rapturous orphans. I spoke to one of the locals at the orphanage and told him that, provided that I do find a job, I would love to help out there and teach English if they needed me, he excitingly accepted and shook my hand - presently they had only two Spanish speakers, Cambodians speaking Spanish eh? And that was it, my night... another adventure of misadventures tangled up in both the fortunate and the luckless. But you know what, I'm still, and always will be, smiling. :)

Siem Reap Revisited.

Ha Ha Ha Ha, I have not been keeping anybody in the loop recently have I? To be fair, it's because I really haven't been kept in the loop either.

So I got another job, in Isan... a wonderful place and I was so excited to start doing what I want to do and getting paid... as I am broke! So I said goodbye to Nen, got on a train from Bangkok to a small town near Si Sa Ket, 13 hours North-East. It was quite a journey, I was lower class so didn't get much sleep... but it was ok, I had a job, things would work out... right?
Wrong on one fundamental level, let me explain. Upon my arrival at the train station I was picked up by the school (good sign), taken to a huge school of 3500 students one of Thailand sleepy, highway-side towns. I had my interview and was welcomed to start teaching on Monday. I was thrilled, and why wouldn't I be.. the answer to my unemployment/tourist visa problem were over. They told me that they would take me to the house (house!!!) that I would be renting for 4,000bht a month (about £80)... they told me it had two bedrooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms and a living room. I was excited, I have never had a house before...

We rolled up outside a wonderful looking house, with a garden covered in mangrove and pine trees leading to an old wooden door. I met the owner outside the house, a large woman who couldn't speak due to the copious amounts of tobacco in her brown-stained mouth, but a large and soiled toothy-smile settled my nerves that this was my new land lady. She opened the door into the reception of the house, it was bare but I thought that was normal as it was the reception... she opened the door into the living room and kitchen... Oh dear. The house was a house, a big house at that... but there was nothing in it, no beds, no fridge, no stove, not even a bloody chair. The lady from the school looked at me expectantly, "ok?" she says. I look at her and couldn't not laugh! No, not really... where shall I sleep, where shall I cook or where can I sit and stare absently into space as this was clearly the only thing I could do in this house! She told me that I can bring the furniture from my home... "I'm sorry, my home?" I still don't really know what was going on in her head, I probably seemed mad, it was a really nice house... but how on earth could I live here. I had no money and definitely no furniture and I wouldn't be paid until the end of the month or be entitled to an advance for 2 weeks! So after I explained this to her, and the fact that I couldn't stay here I would need to find another, furnished, apartment she did the standard Asia thing and left me to my troubles but with a smile of course.

Hmmm, I must have sat on that floor for a good half an hour thinking what the hell was I supposed to do? I gave my buddy, Kamel, a call. He was teaching in Chaing Mai and I met him in the agency's office... he assured me that he had a bed, and a television for that matter. I mean the TV I couldn't care less about but the rest... how could I be a respectable teacher when after school I return home to sleep, eat and work on the floor with only a few ragged pictures of local monks to keep me company, I'd become ferrel. I decided to take matters into my own hands and went to the school again, I couldn't find the lady, but I found the principle... I explained to him my situation with him nodding intently throughout, after i had finished he said 'ok, she will show you' and ushered me out of his office and into the company of another lady working there... she then proceeded to show me the classrooms again, and do the whole bit... the principle clearly couldn't speak English. I went on this tour again, partly because I was so tired and was working on auto-pilot and partly because I had nothing better to do other than sit and stare, cross-legged at home. I then was introduced to an English teacher... perfect, I could explain my situation to her... I introduced myself and within a minute realised that this English teacher also could not speak English. It's a show of my immunity to all things Asia that I was neither surprised or frustrated by this! I asked her to introduce me to the other TEFL teacher there, his name was Peter and he was a 30 something year old man from South Africa. He was sympathetic, apparently this happens a lot... someone comes down, they show them a house or apartment with nothing in it and then the teacher leaves. But surely, I asked, I could just find a furbished apartment? He shook his head, unless I was willing to live 2 or 3 hours away from the school this was the best I could get, at least I had air-conditioning he joked and then realising my terrible predicament, apologized.

So that was that, I had no money to buy furniture and no way to find an apartment with those basic necessities needed to live not even comfortably. I left, and no one stopped me... they must get this a lot. So I had problems, a bigger problem than money right now was my visa, without the work permit they would have given me had I started I had 4 days left on my tourist visa and then I would be an illegal immigrant or 'alien' if your American. I gave my mother a call, she has always been the best at putting things into perspective. It was lovely to actually speak to her for one thing, I hadn't in ages... after the phone call, I picked up my bag and left the country.

And now I'm here, in Siem Reap, staying at the same hotel that Harry, Princess and I stayed in last year... 'the shadow of Ankor', mwa ha ha ha ha! A $5 room thank the lord, as I need to find a job pronto... the infamously corrupt Cambodian boarder control officers also did not help my poverty-ridden situation! So my plan is to find work, and tonight when the bars open that is what I'll do. I'll continue to look for teaching work of course but right now all I care about is getting some loot so I can leave the credit card alone... I hate being in debt to people, it makes me tense and for good reason. But I am in a wonderful place at least... since I got into this country I have felt it was the right thing to do, everyone is smiling, there is money in the air... and being back in the developing world is as refreshing as coming back to the developed world from Nepal, cheapness, standard filth. I think I may get bored of places too quickly, I may need to work on that :) But I have to tell you all, after my 3 hour journey to the city to rural Cambodia, it is a fantastically beautiful country... very flat, but with the most amazing assortment of arid plains, dense jungles and distant mountains, very very different from Thailand topographically. I've always been amazed how when crossing a land boarder into any country, be it in Europe or Asia, how different the scenery is... I know it's only a romantic thought that the boarders are drawn up because of distinct changes of landscape... it's definitely not the reason but how now brown cow?

Career Purgatory on the Andaman coast.

Oooooooooo, been a long time but I still love you all long time :)
So where was I? Oh yes, the job... well that didn't work out too great I'm afraid. I'll skip the details, they're hideously boring especially when you lived them on a 14 hour minibus journey like I. But the general jist is that the darn thing just weren't organised well, I wasn't conned; not in the slightest. I just fell a victim to standard Asian senses of time and explanation. So where am I? Phuket, not Phuket Phuket as I'm not a 50yr old expat on the look out for hookers or am I Sweedish. I'm staying in a fantastically local place in the south of the island. About as local as you can get as I'm staying with a Thai family in the local gypsy village where people don't speak thai and I'm sleeping on a matress on the floor, just like Nepal then ;)
I've been traveling with this amazing Cambodian/Thai girl called Nen for the last 5 days, she was on the minibus that took all us failed teachers down south hitching a ride down for a holiday, although she actually owned the minibus as one of her many many businesses in this country. After everything Trang-wise went down the toilet and due to the facts that I liked her and I really didn't like the sound of another 14hour minibus journey back to Bangkok the morning after the 14hour minibus journey from Bangkok, I decided to stay down south. We found a quiet little bungalow on a deserted beach on the East-coast (presently at a critical tsunami danger!) and chilled out for couple of nights. Then we came here and I'm having a fanstastic time. Phuket (again not Phuket Phuket) is beautiful, with fantastic beaches rolling out into the rough, deep blue Andaman sea. At night we cook dinner and visit her friends in a local reggae bar where the evening brings live, intermate jams and complemtary beer and the other thing you might find at a reggae bar. She is fantastically cool, stunning and I'm very happy I'm spending this time with her.
So the next move? Not exactly sure yet, I was told by a friend that he could potentially sort me out with a job near Chaing Mai at a school he will be teaching at and had taught at two years ago, same pay and free accomodation and gym membership? That sounds swell, but according to the TV last night, Chaing Mai and it's surronding area and mostly underwater and with a tropical cyclone heading over from Papua New Guinea it doesn't look like that is going to get better, but we shall see... how knows kayaking to work in a rudementary boat made of petrol tins and rope could be a laugh.
Yes it is getting wet out here, every day now the tears of Buddha fall to release a new generation of everything that could possibly bite you to peices but it doesn't half cool things down. Last night we slept to the sound of the storm hammering onto the corregated iron roof, it was incredibly hynotic and before long I was lost in a daze I haven't experienced since my flight to Kathmandu, proper rest, no strings attached and a breakfast of oily fish and the garlic bbq praws of last night to wake up to. I love gypsy villages. So I guess my exciting and romantic last few days have shadowed the very true fact that unless I find a job soon I can kiss this country a hugely premature goodbye. I don't want to do that, and I do want to teach. But I have to accept that if things don't work out then things don't work out. Nem has offered me a job running her bar in Bangkok as a temporary solution to this predicament. I'm taking it and will continue to look for teaching work up there, even if it's a full time job or just a couple of conversation classes a week I will be happy to get the practice.
But things could be worse, I could be in Connor's position. I've been in regular contact with him recently and things, as predicted, have gotten worse back in Boudhanilkantha. Connor is in trouble and is hiding out away from the orphanage outside the city, I can't be too detailed because I know some Nepali people could have access to this blog and you never know who knows who. But he is in trouble and possibly has people looking for him, and all he did was try to help 19 wonderfully special children who have had a shit life... I miss them greatly, not a day goes by without me thinking of them and although Thailand is everything I've known it to be and more, a side of me wishes I was back there in the front line rather that recieving emails every day about how fucked up everything there is. Again I can't go into detail but there is a plan and hopefully if all goes correctly (which is a giant leap of faith to make throughout Asia, let alone Nepal) things may resolve. We shall see, I trust you are all praying for the future safety of these innocent children and of a good-hearted man in the front lines of corruption. This will be concluded, happily or tragically I cannot know. It seems only western children have a concept of a compulsive happy ending, I'm sorry to end this on such a note but it's occupying my mind.
Mango trees with monkeys in them, there that's a bit happier.