Busy....

Well, we're all busy at the moment. Kyaw Kyaw goes to school 6 days a week. English & Thai classes. And he takes massage classes 3 mornings of the week. Sandra does the same massage classes but does apart from the Thai massage course also a footmassage course. And she is going to Burmese classes at the educational centre. Besides that, she teaches english there 2 evenings per week, intermediate level. They have a book to study from but since the taperecorder is broken and many of the excercises need the tape, she hasn't been using this book much. Frans & me are of course taking part in all massage courses. We especially like GETTING them.... and so me usually volunteer if someone needs to be practised on. All in all, we have enough to do.

It was cold in France....

I more or less lived in the hearth for the first few days. It was that cold. Sandra couldn't resist going out and take a few pictures in the garden.

Funny to look at the frost covering everything from hot and sweaty Chiang Mai...

In Duras

We accompanied Sandra's dad when he had to do some business in Duras. It has a really nice little castle but of course it was closed (then again we've already visited it before). Along the way we met Santa climbing up a wall. And Sandra couldn't resist taking a picture of the clock tower. It was very cold though so we weren't out for too long. Quite soon we found ourselves in a nice little french cafe. Much more to my taste!




Sandra's dad was telling her that she was too late taking his picture when she took this one. i think she was right on time....

Finally, the pictures of France

Ok ok, i know. It took me a while... But here they are. Finally. The pictures of our early christmas party at home. About 2 weeks early since it prooved impossible to get everyone together at christmas time. Not that we weren't in the right spirit... Presents, loads of food (it took me a while to loose the kilo's i gained..) and of course a lot of fun... Sandra thought it was great seeing everybody again after so long a time. And i must say, i did enjoy it almost as much as she did. I even have the impression that everybody enjoyed the get-together.

Of course there was a bit of preparing to do. I tried to help but was shooed out of the kitchen.. So i garded the presents. And afterwards i was put in charge of the presents we needed to take back for Kyaw Kyaw.... A very heavy load i can tell you that.

I loved the lights and Aranka was so nice to allow me to sit on her head while i took a closer look.
This evening was also the evening we met our new travel partner Frans. He was really excited about going off on a big adventure. But i still think he's abit too warmly dressed... (he's started to complain lately...)

And then it was the all out for the food.... dig in and help yourself. I did. Till i almost burst.....

I also met the new dogs. 8 months old and still growing (though i have been informed that they'll not grow much more). They're cute and chew on everything.. (sandra took only pictures of the top of the table because there was all the excitement going on. Food, people.. but if you'd look at the table legs you'd see that there are big plastic pipes around it since the dogs liked to sharpen their teeth...). And the od dame. not in the mood for the antics of the young ones...

OK, no more promises

Of updating the pages with the pictures of France & the Netherlands. In Vientiane we eventually didn't have enough time. I tried but it took forever and then some to upload so i had to cancel. And on the way back to Chiang Mai it was soooo cold in the airco (read:freezer) bus that Sandra has been in bed with a cold for the last couple of days. So no going to the internet. We did move 'appartments' that is to say, Kyaw Kyaw moved our stuff. Now we are in a room that has an internet connection so maybe i manage this time. Today Sandra finally felt good enough to work on it. And it works.

The waterboiler has been used/abused intensively these days. Sandra kept drinking hot tea with honey because of a bad throat. kyaw Kyaw loves some of the instant noodles we now can make. At first he didn't really understand why having such a household item could be usefull. He never knew of a waterboiler before. But i think he is now the biggest fan. Instant noodles, tea, instant cappucino. Brilliant... Now we don't have to leave every time we want to drink something warm. Or in the evenings sometimes we're just a bit peckish. Instant noodles do fine then...

Hi from Vietiane

Just a short one since i want to update this place with some nice pictures.. We've arrived yesterday in Vientiane. A little earlier then expected. First or driver from Chian Mai floored it till Udonthani where we did arrive about 1,5 hours before we were expected there. And then, since we had been sent to the second busstation to get to Vientiane adn finding there that we weren't allowed on the bus due to a lack of visa, we hired with 11 people a minibus to get to the border. Arriving there nicely before everybody else... We all filled in the necessary papers and handed over the required amount of cash and a lao visa we had.. More then half of the people from the minibus needed to go to the embassy so on the other end we hired a minibus again. So arriving nicely on time at the Thai embassy. Then a little hunting for rooms (it is after all high season). Sandra thought she needed to be spoiled a little so we got a really nice room (for the grand total of $15 including breakfast). And after she treated all of us to a 2 hour foot- backmassage... heaven...

To Laos

Sandra, Frans & me will be going for a little trip to Laos. Sandra needs a real visa for Thailand this time. We've been here apparently long enough with the normal 30-day entry stamps... And since Frans & i have not much better to do we'll of course keep her company ;-) It will only be for a few days. Kyaw Kyaw has been able to extend his visa. But since he has a single-entry one he can not come with us. Then again, he needs to study anyway...