On the way back to Berlin.  I’ve got Nikon liaising with Higher Authorities and I’ve packed emergency Thai-style Cheesy Wotsits (they’re not the same…)

See you soon!

Excitement at fever pitch, I crossed the Friendship Bridge from Issan to Laos on Saturday and went in a tuk-tuk to Vientiane, the capital city.  I had inadvertently arranged to go during the first weekend of the Buddhist Lent, which meant many people were travelling and accommodation was hard to find.  But I managed to get a place for two nights on the riverfront within walking distance of the city centre which was OK, as there were many  makeshift cafes on the river bank serving local food and Beer Lao.

What struck me first was the quiet; Thailand is relentlessly noisy, but Vientiane is very quiet.  And there are few Western brands in sight, except for Toyota and Honda cars and motorbikes, and Pepsi, which is pervasive. It’s one of the few remaining Communist states left in the world, though you’d probably never guess.  Despite the bombing carried out by the Americans during the Civil War (1962-1975) (AIUI, to try to stop the Ho Chi Minh trail), the US dollar is the de facto currency there, as it is in Cambodia and Vietnam.

I went on a wandering tour of the city, most of which can be done on foot, although when the sun was out, it was dreadfully hot.  The French built a lot of boulevards and French-looking houses and there is a triumphal arch, Patuxay, which contains shops and stalls selling souvenirs and has the best views in the city from the top.  There are also numerous temples and stupas.

I went to several of the little cafes and restaurants along the River Mekong for lunch and dinner.  Going back to Thailand was faster, as I didn’t have to queue up to get a visa from Thailand, just the 30-day stamp, which they give you for nothing.  I travelled back to Udon Thani on the (airconditioned!) International Bus and flew back to Bangkok from there, after eating Som Tam, a spicy papaya salad which is the speciality of Issan.

Oh my, it’s back to Berlin on Monday evening.  They say the repair works at the Grünberger are scheduled to be completed in my apartment by the end of the 25th, so I should get home to dryness.

There is no comparison between the Bangkok Hilton and The Victory Executive Residence, but I did momentarily get addicted to the TV series Prison Break, and it got me thinking.  I’m also currently reading a book about a man who spent 4000 days in prison in Bangkok for smuggling drugs.  Captivity is a curious thing, particularly if you didn’t do anything wrong (as quite a few people in prison didn’t).  Outcomes in life seem rather arbitrary sometimes.

More later.

They’ve got a new machine at Dr S./B.’s surgery.  It’s a Salt Machine with Air Flow which is used to descale the teeth and the spaces between them and make the final polished result more gleaming.  It’s quite nice, actually, and Dr S./B. said that the Japanese clients especially prefer it because it makes no noise, compared with the Ultrasonic Probe.  I’ve always liked salt, and see it as a guilty pleasure, because I know many people think it’s bad for you, though I’m skeptical, lumping it as I do together with the man-made global warming issue.

Anyway, with the tasty salt and air flowing around my mouth, Dr S./B. asked me how old I was.  I was eventually able to reply after the suction was complete.  Dr S./B. said, “No, No! You are still young, Mr David.”  I said, “thank you” and asked for some more salt.

Because it was just a normal cleaning procedure, I don’t have to stick to white food and so was able to go to Starbucks afterwards, though I got very wet in the rain, which has been falling almost continuously for several days now and then felt rather cold in the air-con.

I had chicken with basil, spices and plain rice tonight.

Thanks, Nikon dear, it needed a boot up the bum – so it’s full steam ahead.  I saw some of K.’s photos before I left Berlin and the exhibition space seemed very interesting, even though it had not yet been painted.

I’ve been back in Asia for a few weeks and have been travelling around a fair bit.  I went to Koh Samui for a week to visit D. but was ill for several days with a very high temperature.  D. came and ministered to me with a tepid sponge and I even got some antibiotics after I developed a tummy upset.  The end effect was to feel pleasantly purged and renewed.

So I went back to Bangkok and then (for visa purposes) had to leave the country.  I travelled to Kuala Lumpur, where the leader of the opposition has been accused of something lewd (I stayed at the

Station Hotel (€16 per night including breakfast), which has fallen into disrepair since they opened a new Central Station, but still retains much of its former charm), and then onward by train to Singapore,

which is possibly the most boring place in the world, though I vaguely remember going to certain parts of the West Midlands that come pretty close.

Anyway, I am now back in Bangkok once more, in residence at the (now yellow) Victory again.  I have got the room next to my previous room.  It’s a few inches bigger.