A Near Thing

My lower left leg and foot - cellulitis

I feel well enough to say that at long last I have finally turned the corner on my recent brush with death. It is strange reading the last entry in this blog, at the end of March 2013, because of the allusion to our general well-being. Little did I realise that I was about to be hospitalised a few days later.

Never spent a night in a hospital in my entire life until this; I was even born at home. The diagnosis was  cellulitis in the left leg which had ballooned in the course of a few days and was horribly discoloured and looked truly hideous plus I had fever. So I was admitted to The Riverside Hospital in Bacolod City. Looking back I am glad I got to hospital when I did as it might have been even more serious had I waited any longer.

Cellulitis is a serious subcutaneous, bacterial infection of soft tissue, no relationship as far as I know to the common female complaints relating to cellulite! The above shot says it all. How did I get it? Not really sure. The most likely scenario is that it came from an untreated small cut on the sole of my foot sustained birdwatching on the mudflats near Sum-ag. However it could have been an insect bite or some other unknown cause. A week earlier I went to hospital as I was feeling a bit under the weather and showed the doctor my foot and explained what had happened. The doctors were non-commital and more concerned about high blood pressure. Paracetamol and rest was ordered.

Fortunately intravenous antibiotics brought the infection under control and my fever went after a few days. However, the doctors proposed debridement, a form of surgical cleaning, as a more aggressive means of removing the external signs of the infection. I agreed to this and had a first ever surgical procedure with a general anaesthetic. In retrospect this was really a superficial debridement, a sort of scrape of the surface of the affected areas. The surgeon expressed satisfaction with the results and after a week or so I was adjudged to be well enough for discharge. I was left with a wound on my left instep running from the ankle bone but the surgeon assured me this would heal in time.

Over the next couple of weeks my left leg healed well but my left foot didn't and it produced a fair amount of discharge. I can't confess to having been a good patient either as I picked at the scab. I continued to see the surgeon, however, and he seemed pleased with progress. We returned to Thailand at the end of our scheduled holiday. On a hunch I decided to consult a local doctor in Ratchaburi on our return at the end of April. I just didn't feel happy about my foot. He didn't mess around - he told me to proceed immediately to the hospital as he believed I had Necrotising Fasciitis ("NF"). The good doctor didn't even charge me for the consultation.

So I was admitted to Ratchaburi Hospital that same night. I was fairly anxious as I knew NF was a potentially fatal infection. In short it is a soft tissue bacterial infection, a type of gangrene, spreading dead cells;  it is virulent and powerful and as well as intravenous antibiotics, surgery is required to remove the dead cells.

I was seen that evening by an intern; he said there were two options: hook me up to antibiotics and observe me for three days or proceed with debridement. I asked him when he proposed to carry out the debridement and he replied "This evening", which was not what I was expecting! So after a brief discussion with Luna I decided to go for debridement on the basis that time was of the essence.

Over the next five days I had a further two debridements which were wholly different in character from what I had undergone in The Philippines; they really went in deep. I remember seeing a deep dark cavity in my left instep when they opened the dressing three days after the final debridement. How will they ever close this, I remember thinking.

However I was surprised when the doctor told me I could go home for a few days; he advised that all the dead, infected cells had been excised but that they would need to wait for a few days just to be sure that the had got rid of the infection; then they would perform a skin graft. I was delirious to be able to go home and also to be getting better.

By this time I had checked out NF online and was very aware of what a serious matter it was with a 30% fatality rate - that was far too high for my comfort! I would strongly advise you to desist from researching your ailments online while in hospital - it really is scary. My Thai fellow patients have a much more sensible approach; they come in, sleep, get treated, convalesce and go home and they do not appear to ask any questions.

A few days later I went back to hospital and the doctor confirmed the wound was clear of infection; I was surprised to see that the cavity was full of new tissue. I was also delighted to be free of the infection. So the following day I was taken to theatre for a skin graft. As is usually the case following the procedure, the skin graft site was more painful than the wound site. I was confined to my bed for ten days with my foot in a plaster cast, a terribly frustrating experience.

Alas when the dressing and plaster cast were finally removed the skin graft had only partially taken. I was given the option of a further skin graft or to allow the wound to heal naturally. After consideration I opted for the latter. My heart rate and blood pressure had gone through the roof while in hospital and I was very fearful about the consequences of a further surgical procedure and general anaesthetic. A week later I was discharged with instructions for the wound to be dressed every three days. This takes us to the end of May.

The first occasion I had the wound dressed was a nightmare - I went to an external clinic, part of the hospital, where a nurse scraped the wound with a metal instrument. I didn't like the look of the wound either. So I proceeded immediately to the main hospital and was re-admitted through the emergency room. The staff there were concerned about re-infection and given my recent history didn't want to take any chances.

So another ten days in hospital on intravenous antibiotics. I had a major scare when a lab culture report indicated traces of bacteria known as "A. baum" or acinetobacter baumanii; check this bacteria out on google if you want to scare yourself shitless, which is exactly what I did and how I made myself feel! A blood test, however, revealed, the bacteria had not got into my bloodstream and so normal dressing and cleaning of the wound solved the problem. Subsequent pathology reports indicated no growth. Phew! I was finally discharged on 10th June 2013.

On discharge I decided to attend a different hospital for wound cleaning and dressing. I went to Muang Ratch hospital, a local private hospital and I must say it made a big difference. The doctor there, Dr Ananch, recommended daily cleaning and dressing which he supervised; indeed he inspected the wound every day.

There have been a couple of setbacks requiring precautionary antibiotics. Basically there is no skin over the wound area by virtue of the failure of the skin graft. The medics have advised that the wound will nevertheless close and form a scar. To date this has been a slow process. A small part of the wound has opened twice. However over the last few days the wound has fully closed and it feels wholly different in character. I still get some inflammation and swelling, depending on activity, but much less than, say, a month ago.

It would be hard to convey the range of emotions and feelings that I have experienced over the last few months. Luna, my wife, has been a tower of strength and she has coped brilliantly with all the pressures and demands that suddenly fell on her; special thanks to Mark, a teaching colleague, who drove for Luna during my hospitalisation and incapacity and enabled her life to proceed as normally as possible. I've always felt confident about our relationship and hope I can reciprocate if the roles are ever reversed. This experience served to underline something of the sacred mystery of marriage that the Bishop of Ratchaburi talked about when he married us five years ago.

My sister Katherine in Scotland was a great source of support, phoning virtually every day and even threatening to come out; likewise my friend Tony from Scotland made regular phone calls and emails. Many other relatives and friends came to visit and kept in touch and kept me going. The doctors, nurses and auxiliary staff at Ratchaburi Hospital were really excellent, too. I don't think they have had much experience of caring for Westerners but if I was to get sick again I would have little hesitation in being admitted there.

I had some moments of despair too and at times a real fear of dying, based on nothing other than an awareness of the seriousness of the infection and the possibility of it suddenly erupting or re-erupting. I have lived in constant fear of fever and high body temperature over these last few months; both indicators of bacterial infection. Also concerns about the continued effectiveness of antibiotics in the event of re-infection due to the amount of the stuff that has already been pumped into me over the last few months. I have faith in God, I would like to tell you it was unshakeable, but I need to say I had moments of doubt, when fear gripped me and I didn't like being in thrall to it one bit.

Nurses were responsible for two of my setbacks by quite literally attacking my wound. One, as mentioned above, scraped the wound with a piece of metal and another took to cutting away the dead tissue from around the wound and in so doing cut into a live part of the wound. I am not going to be over critical - they were doing what they normally do and probably had no idea of my background.

There were moments when I felt the best thing to do would be to get on a plane and get back to the UK as quickly as possible. However in the cold light of day I would have to say my treatment overall was good and most importantly I am alive, I have all my limbs, I don't have any infection and I should be back to full capacity in the near future. I think I might have benefitted from better advice about managing the wound after discharge from both hospitals.

I also think I probably tried to do too much too soon as I was under the impression that this is what the doctors wanted; I could say this equally of the doctors in both The Philippines and Thailand. This wasn't actually what they wanted but it is what I believed they were advising. I think they could also have given better advice about caring for the wound. I say this because in effect I ended up with a chronic wound. But let me stress, overall, I am not complaining.

Finally it cost a lot of money, in total about £4,000 GBP to date; half of this was covered by my own insurance. Fortunately we had some savings so were able to cover those costs which were not insured: the only problem is I didn't know I wasn't covered and that has caused some rancour and left a bad taste in my mouth. Looking on the bright side, I am on the mend, I have managed to get my BP and heart rate under control again, and I am feeling a lot brighter and more optimistic.

There is no moral to this story. I think I was just unlucky. I don't think I was irresponsible or significantly contributed to what happened. I don't doubt that I will go galloping to an emergency room if I sustain cut(s) again, no matter how slight. But an experience and I am glad to be on the road to recovery.

The Last Year

We are currently on holiday in The Philippines and it has taken these last two weeks here to relax and wind down following a difficult year in Thailand on the work front. Fortunately we have four weeks remaining before our return.

Let me state the important stuff. We are all alive and well. Margaret is a joy and gives us much happiness. Benny is a perfect monster as befits a three year old. However much our children "take" I have to say what they "give" in return is immeasurably greater. It's a joy to watch these children grow and develop and to be around them night and day. A few days ago we were away for two nights and this was the first time we had left them - I think we started to miss them as the second night approached!

Thailand is an excellent place to raise young children. Of course both here and in Thailand our kids are like small celebrities - people love to look at our kids and strangers even ask to take their photographs; in part this is because they are so fair-skinned. Benny has a mop of curls reminiscent of Dennis the Menace as well as being very "guapo" - so in Thailand, where the guidebooks tell you not to touch people's heads as it is considered the most sacred part of the human anatomy Benny sometimes can have fifty people a day touching his hair. I understand why this frustrates him and so when people try to talk to him he shouts :"No!"

The work situation was intolerable and has been stagnating for a few years after a joyful first year. I am a little hopeful that we may be in the process of turning the corner on this difficult period. I weep for the parents and children. I think they deserve so much better. It is not unreasonable to want to provide your children with a decent start in life by providing them with a good education. This is a transcendent value,  universal - it would be an unusual parent who would not want the best for their kids.

In short I have worked in an environment where I believe some of my colleagues would struggle to secure employment stacking shelves in supermarkets. We are good at quantity in Thailand and indeed often confuse it with quality. The real problem is very few around me have any sense of quality. I have made the cardinal error of challenging some of the nonsense and I stand by that action. Challenge, however, really doesn't work in this society especially not by a white caucasian.

Don't challenge. That's the learning point. Best strategy is to bite your tongue. In effect I have learned that the best thing I can do is to do my best in every class for my students. It troubles me that this nonsense has been going down in a Catholic school to boot. Of course this isn't really a surprise, is it?! Pretty much consistent with abuse in general.

However I have survived stressful as it has been. Life in Thailand remains good. However work is a very large part of my life so my frustrations have been a bit unsettling. But we are still here although we are actually in The Philippines right now and I am looking forward to a happier year.

Life in Thailand.......

There are a number of reasons why I have not posted much here for some time. I am sorry to say that one factor undoubtedly has been the increasing frustration I have felt at work. Sorry to say it has become a bit of a nightmare with management changes and high levels of incompetence. Sort of stuff that I have found very challenging and made me ask questions about whether it is in our interests to stay here for much longer. So it hasn't been paradise! Of course I am nevertheless a very busy person with a wife, two kids and of course a continuing love of birds and wild life. These have been my priorities and focus.

It's a simple, undeniable truth that I could never have made a better choice of a wife than Luna. I am a fortunate fellow in this respect. I can say loudly that I am a happily married man. I am also happy I was born male; the demands our two kids place on their mother, and I imagine they are little different from the demands children in general place on their mothers, are huge and Luna goes about it all in her usual gentle and calm manner. We don't have any help at home either, so Luna works and then comes home and works. Hopefully we'll find someone to help us and that will alleviate some of the burden. Luna recently celebrated her 40th birthday.

Our kids are strong and healthy and happy. Benedict is growing into quite a character and he is a real conversationalist, enquirer and mimic. ("What doing, Daddy?", "What this Daddy?"........) He goes to nursery school where a large component of his tuition is in English so we don't hear him using much Thai. He's a very handsome little boy with a fair complexion and a head of curly hair. He loves Ben 10 and TV cartoons. His sister, Margaret, is now eight months old; she is undoubtedly my child as she has very white skin. However she is undoubtedly her mother's daughter, too, and one of the joys of my life is observing the interaction between the two. Our children attract enormous attention and interest wherever we go, almost to the point where we could describe them as minor celebrities. It really is amazing .......... strangers often ask if they can take a picture of our kids and of course Benedict knows how to screw up his face and be a monster in such circumstances!

We are currently on a longer than usual school vacation. It really was long over due and very much needed. Right now we are on the road, in Trat, in eastern Thailand, close to the Cambodian border and we are heading to the island of Koh Kood for a few days of rest and relaxation. On my first trip to Thailand almost 14 years ago my first visit outside of Bangkok was to the nearby island of Koh Chang. Then I came through Trat and I have to say I have very little recollection of the place as I literally passed through. One change has been the addition of a large Tesco Lotus store which we visited last night.......!

Whatever, we are still here. Overall our lives are very busy but good. Thailand is a great place to have kids and the positives of living here far outweigh the negatives. Work remains difficult but we shall see what next semester brings and proceed from there.

More Margaret.....

I am a happy man this morning. I have a great wife who is an equally great mother to our two children. My son Benedict is amazing. He has coped brilliantly with his sister's birth and the disruption this has entailed to his little life. No histrionics, plain sailing really. He just doesn't understand he can't play with his little sister at this stage in her life and that jumping up and down on his mother's bed is rather painful for her post surgery! Margaret is very well as is Luna. In the background Jona, or Lola as we call her ( "Granny" or "Nan" in Ilonco), is doing sterling work in helping us as well as enjoying her first grand-daughter.

Margaret

Margaret Jona Charlotte Baradero Brett came into this world this morning at the propitious time of 06:54h. She weighed in at 3.400 kg and is making plenty of noise. In other words she is a picture of health and vitality. Luna is in good form, as well as can be expected, given that she has just undergone a Caesarian section. Baby's name: Margaret Jona after our respective mothers, Charlotte after my father Charles who would have been 87 today were he alive, Baradero because it is a filipino custom to give children their mother's family name and her surname is mine. Benedict is a little bewildered but coping very well. Last night was his first night ever without his Mum and I managed to get him to sleep. No real histrionics. I spent the night at the hospital with Luna and Jona told me he woke about 03:30 asked where I was, then his mother, had some milk and went back to sleep. I showed him some photos of Margaret this morning and he said "Baby Margaret". I took Benedict to nursery after breakfast and that will keep him occupied for most of the day; he can meet up with his mother and sister this afternoon. Benedict weighed in at 2.700 kg on birth so Margaret is a big baby in comparison. Jona is very happy because for her it is a first grand daughter, after six grandsons. Right there will be more later. But let me say thanks be to God that Mum and daughter are well and we are all well too.

Benedict

Benedict continues to grow and grow and grow; he's a delightful boy with a bit of mischief! We love him!

Merry Christmas

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all from all of us here in Ratchaburi. With Luna over seven months into her pregnancy we will be taking it very easy this year with the emphasis on rest and relaxation. Our school term ended yesterday and it's very welcome to have about 10 days off. We will probably go to Mass Christmas morning: easier than Midnight Mass with no disruption to his nocturnal routine. We will have a nice meal somewhere, maybe even a trip to Suan Pueng, and then just take it nice and easy.

One of the things I always like to do at Christmas is take in the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from Kings' College, Cambridge. It is broadcast on BBC Radio World Service which is piped into our home by cable TV so at 22:00h that's what I'll be listening to. I like the sacred and holy side of Christmas and I don't think that it gets more sacred and holy than this.

New Year is the big holiday in Thailand at this time of the year. Christmas Day is business as usual. But the western New Year is probably the second biggest holiday in Thailand after the Thai New Year in April. With the exception of Christian schools there will be no closures. Benedict will be at nursery, which means Luna and Jona will get a bit of a break.

I am not feeling 100% with a heavy cold and feeling a bit run down. However I am hoping a bit of rest will do the trick. So once more Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Tourist Thailand - Caveat Emptor

My mate Brian booked a condo for a month on Koh Samui through a company called kohsamui.com and wired 28,000 THB to them. The idea was to sort out a place for his annual Christmas trip to tourist Thailand and after the long flight from Scotland to be able to head to his accommodation with his elderly mother and get settled down.

Five days after his arrival he and his mother are in a hotel at their own expense, no condo, no money back and nobody doing anything. I find it hard to believe this has happened. But from my own bitter experience, Koh Libong in particular, I can hardly say I am too surprised. I would never pay for anything up front in Thailand again unless I was there and was happy with what was on offer.

In the great scheme of things, we all make mistakes and most of us try our best to put them right. In business you say you're sorry and pay the money back immediately because you are fearful of the consequences for your reputation. I am staggered that my mate is still waiting for a refund and likely will have to make a trip to to the tourist police and regulatory authorities. He is being subjected to procrastination tactics: "Sorry the owner is away and won't be back until tomorrow" "It's a holiday weekend". What's wrong with a simple phone call -  give this guy his money back and apologise.

A relative is coming to Thailand soon and he too is headed for tourist Thailand. I am fearful for him. I am sorry to be so negative about tourist Thailand but it really makes my blood boil to learn about this sort of practise. As you know I don't like paying 80 baht for a bowl of noodles!

So be warned.

Update: Brian got his money back after 3 weeks' dogged persistence; there was also some police involvement. He learned a lot of other people were in the same position with this company. So once more, be warned.

Tempus Fugit

Benny at Suan Phueng, Swiss Resort

How time flies! It seems almost remiss of me not to have blogged here for so long especially as the news is that Luna is well advanced into her second pregnancy. Baby is due mid-February 2012. See the trouble a man can get into in Thailand! In view of this Lola is here, that is Granny or Nan, Luna's mother Jona. What a Godsend Jona has been these last couple of months.

Luna's 39th Birthday party

Bilingual Benny astonishes us with his boundless energy, his love of Ben 10 and his linguistic prowess. I was recently preparing a lesson for my Saturday kids. I was previewing an animation on the letter "O" and without any prompting from me he said "OCTOPUS" when this image appeared on my notebook. I heard him say "Daddy's medicine" today as he picked up my latest course of anti-biotics. Yup he got the possessive apostrophe '-s'. Benedict also speaks Thai quite effortlessly and a fair amount of Ilongo, more so since Lola has been here and Mummy and Lola converse in their local dialect. I was laughing recently because I hit Benny on his bum and his response was "Agay" which is Ilongo for "Ouch"! He really is an amazing little boy.

The last few weeks have been dominated here by the flooding in the greater Bangkok area. It has only indirectly affected us here in Ratchburi with shops being emptied by panic buying; hotels here and elsewhere are pretty full with Bangkokians trying to avoid the flooding. As I write I think the worst is over. Certainly the weather seems to be right for this time of year.

I have not been enjoying the best of health of late. I had to have a tooth extracted which caused an infection: anti-biotics. Then I came back from a trip to Malaysia and had a horrible fever: more antibiotics. Then Saturday past I had terrible diarrhoea: even more antibiotics. 36 hours later I am not sure that I am through the worst of this latest ailment.

Anyway my life is full and complete notwithstanding the occasional setback. I mustn't grumble though I would like to be free of diarrhoea!

Mothers Day 2011

I have written before about how well the Thais do Mothers Day which is celebrated tomorrow, the birthday of HRH Queen Sirikit สิริกิติ์มหาราชินี. Today every school in Thailand will have organised Mothers Day events ahead of tomorrow's holiday, (thanks Ma'am! ) and of course these took on much greater significance for us today as Benedict was involved courtesy of his nursery.

We made it to see  Benedict and his classmates dancing. We were so proud of him and as you can see he and his buddies look so incredibly cute. I think it is fair to say they were terrified as well. Clearly practising in the classroom is quite different to being pushed out in front of the assembled dignitaries and doting parents. But our boy done brilliant! I think his teachers did too! I really don't know how they do so well with these children.

We dashed back for our respective schools' activities. I really enjoyed our show. As I say the Thais do this stuff really well and the kids love getting dressed up and showing off. We had a very decent rendition of Beethoven's Ode to Joy by our school orchestra and the usual stuff: poems, prayers,traditional dancing and singing. What a pleasant way to start a long weekend!

Yes this is a blog about Life in Thailand!

A momentous event in the life of Benedict occured today: he had a poo in his potty for the first time! In my eyes he can do no wrong for this! As you can see we keep him busy with ironing in his spare time! My word, it's quite an experience watching him grow up.

Benny can throw things overarm perhaps suggesting he might be a great cricketer! This can be a problem. The mangostein in Benny's hand might have ended up on the dinner table as he actually threw it. Tut tut!

Benny is a great copier as the above shows. RJ is a great friend and Benny just loves playing with him. What a racket they can make. Benny can tell you the photo is of "RJ".

All I can say is Benny is wonderful even when he is naughty. He definitely doesn't like the word "NO"! But he is a real live wire, as strong as an ox with boundless energy.

Benny's teacher at nursery told me he is dancing at school at the Mothers Day events which fall next week; it is celebrated in Thailand on the same day as the Queen's birthday and it is a big event. Unfortunately both of us will probably miss this as we will be caught up in events in our respective schools. We dance a lot at home: Benny loves "Clap your hands".

And on it goes.....

The internet and satellite TV mean I have been able to watch the UK phone hacking scandal unravel blow by blow. It really is remarkable technology and of course it is this same technology that is at the centre of this sorry tale. I watched the appearances before  parliamentary committees of the senior police officers and the Murdochs live on the BBC TV. I gave up on Rebecca Brooks due to tiredness. All I can remember is her hair - as we would say in London, what a Barnet! I can follow events on The Guardian's website which has an excellent rolling blog and I have always had respect for The Telegraph's journalism so I dip in there and  also The New York Times which has broken important parts of the story. I can even tune into BBC Radio 4 which really is Nirvana! I am in small town Thailand, about 100 km west of Bangkok and I am as well informed here as I would be if I was in London itself.

It seems that the real problem here is that eleventh commandment has been broken: thou shalt not get caught! That arguably is the most important commandment of the lot in so far as public life is concerned and God help you if are caught. So what I have been watching really is the high and mighty of British public life performing a damage limitation act. I don't really have any problems with the Murdochs. I was quite impressed by Rupert's performance even at 80 years old, and hearing him assuredly tap his finger on the table as he spoke made me think of what a formidable operator he would have been in his day. I have difficulties with James Murdoch's transatlantic tones; not a real American accent, affected and insincere. I was amused to learn that Murdoch Jnr is renowned for his temper: not a trace of it on show in front of the cameras. And I would love to work in a company where £1 million settlements are almost seen as petty cash amounts and don't need authorisation or scrutiny higher up the chain. I suspect we will  learn  a lot more about News International skulduggery in the coming months.

If I was a police officer I would couch any failings in the language of operational priorities and the fight against terrorism: this makes it rather difficult to get excited about celebrity phone-hacking. I am pretty sure they were complicit with News International. Yates of the Yard had me laughing when he said he was simply a "post box" when he forwards an application to Scotland Yard's Human Resources from the Deputy Editor of the Sun's daughter. If so why didn't the candidate use any of the other post boxes, like the ones which are painted red and have "LETTERS" embossed in big bold letters on their outsides? Or even an electronic post-box? Clearly if it comes to HR via a senior manager it will be given preferential treatment and to suggest otherwise is disingenuous. I am prepared to believe Yates of the Yard was a decent cop because his record shows he has pursued a lot of bent cops in his time. But I reckon they all got it wrong here and probably thought they were home and hosed.

David Cameron really troubles me. It has emerged that Andy Coulson was only given cursory vetting both on his appointment to Conservative Central Office and also in respect of his job as PM's most important media advisor. Now in both instances it is not the case that Andy applies for these jobs as advertised and is then put through an assessment process similar to the other candidates. In both instances there were no other candidates. Coulson was sought out for these positions and in fact he was Cameron's man for both jobs. Dave wanted this guy presumably because he thought he was the top man. There surely has to be a connection between Cameron's aspirations in this respect and his decision to downgrade the vetting process. In other words Cameron must have known Coulson would not be cleared if full vetting took place. So to circumvent this Cameron authorised a basic security check and got his man. So I don't believe Cameron is in the clear on this issue. In fact I don't really think Cameron can recover from this. I think the damage has been done and he will simply be an ineffective Prime Minister.

This throws up the prospect of what damage Coulson can do to his former employers in the event he is the subject of criminal proceedings and needs to defend himself. I suspect the solution there will be not to prosecute him on the basis of insufficient evidence. We shall see. It's all great stuff and I sense we are only just getting started now.

Are you sweating Dave?

No need to blog when Dave's very own people can be as to the point and on the money as this in the Daily Jackboot. They are dropping like flies, the high and mighty. The Commissioner of the Met simply had to go. Truly frightening that British politicos and police can be so easily controlled and manipulated. They nearly got away with it too........

What news from over Yonder?

The political situation in the UK is truly mind-boggling. How can the mother of parliaments have been taken over so effectively by News International? What do David Cameron and Rebekah Brooks discuss when they go horse-riding?

While living in Thailand and Asia it is easy to be critical of governments whose ministers in many instances are crooked. It’s simply the way it is here and I think most people accept this. I often point to the crucial role the press in the first world play in keeping the three other estates, the executive, the judiciary and the legislature in line in the traditional model of western democratic government. It couldn’t happen in the West because we have a free press, is something I hear echoing……..

Of course the part of the press that has persisted with this story has to be applauded for its doggedness and persistence. It’s quite clear that as well as intimidating the leading politicians with the threat of adverse editorial comment, and withdrawal of media support, Murdoch and his minions have also stifled effective police investigations with bribes and threats. It seems to me they nearly got away with it.

I am saddened to learn about murdered Milly Dowling’s parents’ additional suffering, having their hopes raised that the poor teenager was still alive; thanks to hackers in the employ of News International deleting messages on her phone; the Dowlings have only recently been humiliated at the hands of the legal process where they have been made to feel on trial. What must they really feel? It is beyond my imagination.

Equally I am sad for the Brown family that their private grief should be so cynically and needlessly brought into full public view. From what I understand the worst that can be said of Gordon’s personal habits are that he likes to have the boys round to watch the football and rugby on TV and have a few cans and a curry. I don’t doubt that we wouldn’t have been spared the graphic details had he been found to have a few pecadillos.

So Dave hired one of the key players in this sordid business as his media adviser . Enter Andy Coulson, former editor of the News of the Screws and Murdoch über apparatchnik, straight to the centre of the British government. It is beyond belief that the spooks didn’t advise Dave that Andy was a little bit tasty. “I didn’t know how bad Andy really was ……….” Dave decided to show compassion and gave Andy a “second chance”. No doubt you, like me, are hugely relieved that Dave has publicly stated he takes full responsibility for this!

We can all be wise after the event but yet again Dave’s judgement is of deep concern. Dave is the Prime Minister of Great Britain. And Dave has form in this department. Remember Tony Lit, Dave’s choice as the Conservative candidate for the 2007 Ealing Southall by-election, er hem, he had been a member of the party for 10 days when Cameron chose him. Dave told Conservative Central Office to take the proverbial flight with their candidate or else he was offsky. Dave’s inspired leadership prevailed. It was looking good as the campaign developed, fantastic campaign materials coming through the letterbox, Tony Lit family man, Tony Lit fighting crime, Tony Lit tackling drugs and then it all went wrong.  It emerged that Tony Lit had paid £4,800 to attend a Labour fund raiser at which he bid in a charity auction only a matter of a few weeks prior to being selected as a Tory election candidate. Ooooooops! Banana skin! Sounds like a dream candidate! A man of conviction! Labour won a by election which the Tories should have won.

I feel an unending cascade of questions arising from the continuing revelations. Would the result of the last British general election have been different if this story had broken earlier? Is David Cameron really fit to be the Prime Minister? Is this the beginning of Britain’s version of Watergate? What about Tommy Sheridan?

And what about Rebekah Brooks -  überüber-News International apparatchnik? The Digger calls her his number one priority. Dave has said of his riding friend that she should resign. Thanks, Dave and you can take the proverbial flight this Christmas. Rebekah (Bek?!) phoned Brown and told him he they were running the story on the sick boy. She must have known the provenance of the information as editor. To have not known would have been very reckless but criminal nonetheless. She can’t say she was very busy because the story was about the then British PM and if she was too busy to scrutinise the story then she was in the wrong job. I suspect she must have loved phoning Brown. Ultimately did this information enable us to make informed political choices? No it was a naked intrusion into a family's privacy.

So Dave associates with known criminals and criminal suspects and indeed has brought them into the heart of government and includes them as his personal friends. Rupert buys off the boys in blue and they were all busy bringing dear old Blighty back into political orthodoxy and financial solvency following that Brown fellow’s imprudence. No wonder Dave has gone rather quiet and appears to be trying to avoid radar detection.

Enough. I am following this saga as it unfolds and like most I am deeply troubled. What will happen next?  Who really knows but my instinct is this is just a beginning.

All Well

Luna has a good eye and she snapped this on a recent visit to the Similan Islands, on Thailand's west coast. "Your" is often pronounced here as "you a" and "ear" becomes "ea a" and "yea r" is year! There is a webiste called www.engrish.com if you want more of this!

Benedict has started his formal education and attends a local nursery. He seems to really enjoy it. He's a joy. We are now well into term, my third teaching year in Thailand. I love working with the kids. Luna is well and very busy. That's how it is for us : we are busy people!

There is an election pending here, beginning of July, and I rather fear the result will rip Thailand apart once more. Rather re-open the existing fissure. Yingluck, sister of the deposed Thaksin looks set to win and I can't see that "the authorities" will allow such a result to stand. In any event it's weird because I don't really know what the issues are and can't confess to taking much interest. However I think trouble is brewing and the election's aftermath might be a difficult time.

I am glad to say I am still enjoying life in Thailand and the alternative, a return to Cameron's UK,  doesn't do much for me. In truth however I think we will return in time for Benedict's educational needs. He's a bright boy.

Phuket

I love swimming!

After two nights on Similan we headed south Thursday late afternoon to Phuket, a new destination for all of us in Thailand. Phuket is rated as Thailand's most important and prestigious tourist destination. We headed for Phuket Town: remember Phuket is in fact an island, connected to the mainland by the Sarasin Bridge and covers quite a large area so getting about from area to area requires transportation, and as we discovered Phuket Town and most of the other built up areas on the island are congested. The Metropole Hotel couldn't find us a room, fortunately, and we ended up staying at Yuwadee Resort which we found by following signposts on the road. What a gem! It is on the Chao Fa (East) road from Phuket Town to Rawai, on the left side a few kilometres after Tesco Lotus.

Some flowers from Yuwadee Resort

Now I cannot rate Yuwadee Resort  highly enough and in fact if you had asked me what my ideal accommodation would have been in Phuket then this would have been my answer. Over the last couple of years there has been an influx of these types of resorts all over Thailand: high quality, modern, facilities rich and well managed. They are targetted at the burgeoning home market of  Thai travellers. We rented a beautiful wooden cottage and paid 1200 THB including breakfast. It was first class with a swimming pool, wifi, helpful staff, child friendly, restaurant, everything you could want. Off the beaten track and far from the main drag ( thankfully!) but neither an issue for us as we have transportation. Thank God the Metropole sent us packing as we would have paid a lot more and not gotten nearly as much.

Luna & Benny enjoy Yuwadee's swimming pool

Why does Luna like this store?!

A friendly welcome sign on the road in to Patong!

Sadly the weather was very wet and the rain hardly let up during our stay. We managed a drive to Patong.......a friend described it as a "shithole", I'd say that is about right! It had a good shopping mall, Jungceylon, and Luna was particularly keen on the above eponymous shop. She also bought some elephant carvings in the local artefacts stalls in the basement and was pleased with the price.

More of what's on offer in Patong - I didn't know Jack Daniels was a rum!

But Patong simply is the worst of Thai tourism. Fortunately we only saw the day time version of it and I guess by night it is very lively. Lots of Russian visitors once more and also lots from the Middle East too.

Patong Beach & Street Life

The international nature of tourism in Patong

We drove along the south western coast late afternoon and that was a really pleasant drive and quite beautiful setting. I imagine Phuket is hugely overdevelopped and that its character has changed quite markedly over the years.

I must say, weather notwithstanding, I enjoyed our trip and would certainly consider a return trip and would definitely stay at the Yuwadee Resort if I go back to Phuket.

Ko Miang, Similian Islands

An uneventful, near 900 km drive south brought us to Thap Lamu in Phangna Province, the staging post for the Similan Islands, situated in the Andaman Sea, the Thai part of the Indian Ocean. En route we had an overnight stop somewhere between Chumphon and Surat Thani. The noise and vibrations made it feel as if we were sleeping in the middle of the highway but it served to split up the drive and allow a short rest and a stretch.

Thap Lamu is in the Khao Lak tourist area, a collection of resorts and beaches to the north of Phuket. Lots of European tourists in evidence. At the Ko Similan National Park HQ we managed to secure some accommodation on Ko Miang, island number 4 of 9, and the park official organised transportation for us in a daytrippers boat, a very flash and powerful super speed boat taking what appeared to be a party of mainly Russian visitors out for sun, snorkelling and adventure. We joined in for a bit of snorkelling, hundreds of beautiful fish, and also had lunch on the island as part of the deal. For once I was pleased with the prices, not especially cheap but what I expected. I think the fact that the islands are under the Department of National Park's (DNP) management means foreign visitors will not be taken to the cleaners in the way that happens often in these parts.

Surf boy

Ko Miang is really beautiful, the only blight being the daily arrival of boats crammed with visitors who stop off here for lunch. Between about 11:00 and 15:00h these boats disgorge about 500 people for a bit of lunch and swimming. Outside of these times this island is very quiet indeed. The accommodation is basic but it is perfectly adequate and there is a restaurant as well, churning out rather bland, but perfectly edible, food. Once more prices are what I expected.

Family

Luna reckons the beach is the best she's ever been to in Thailand. It is immaculately clean and the sea water is blue and clear teeming with tropical fish. It is really is picture postcard stuff. How nice to stop here for a few days and have a bit of a rest. Benedict is in his element too and seems to be having a really good time.

A few more snaps......

Way to go .........stuff the environment!

Much as I  enjoyed our short trip I was glad to get back to the mainland. In the end the food was too bland! Basically it is prepared a long time before it is eaten so the beautiful fresh fish tastes tired and flat because it has been cooked three hours before it is served. Also the accommodation was just a bit too basic with no electricity during the day time hours and little real protection against the mosquitoes. Don't get me wrong; we enjoyed ourselves immensely. I think two days was about our limit!

A hermit crab

A passing catamaran

Benedict & His Paddling Pool

Tokyo Update

Note: I wrote this yesterday as I flew back to Thailad from Tokyo. I had no idea about the tragic events unfolding in north east Honshu. 24 hours later I'll say this: in most other parts of the world such an earthquake would have likely killed hundreds of thousands of people.

What can I tell you about Tokyo and Japan? Well I don't think three/four days was enough. My trip was to pick up my telescope and naturally I wanted to play with my repaired toy and as you know my primary focus is birds. So you'll need to head to botab if you want to see the results and learn more about Tokyo's birds.

As a younger traveller I wanted to meet people and talk. In my late teens and early twenties France was the place as I was virtually fluent in the language. In Japan in my fifties I have no Japanese and in truth I am not really looking to solve the world's problems with bar-room bull or to impress people with my ideas and patter! So my contact with people was very functional and very limited. But let me just say life is quite different here or should I qualify that and say its outward vestiges are different?

Tokyo must be largest conurbation in the world. As many as 23 million people live in the greater Tokyo area depending on what criteria you use to limit that area. I didn't get a sense of “seething masses huddled together” or of a pressure cooker. I liked the gentle pace of life. Tokyo must be unique among cities in that it is not dominated by road traffic. There are plenty of cars, buses, trucks, lorries, and motorbikes. But I could hear myself think in Tokyo and could even hear the birds singing during the day, including the croaking of crows. Life is not dominated by the sound of straining engines, breaks, horns, sirens or the smell and smoke of engines and queues of traffic clogging up the roads. I don't believe London's congestion charge has managed to create a similar state of affairs. I think a lot of motorists there have decided to pay the charge and get on with it.

Fortunately you are unlikely to be struck by a car in Tokyo. However you may be struck by a cyclist! Pavements and cycleways are often adjacent to each other and some cyclists appear to have little regard for us walkers. In fairness though there are very few walkers. Most people appear to cycle short distances. So you cycle from home to the station where there are huge bike parks. It appears you don't have to worry about your bike being stolen as very few bikes appear to be secured in any way. Pushbikes appear to be very much the order of the day for short trips.

In general the streets are clean, virtually litter and graffiti free. There is next to no street crime in Japan so not only can you leave your bike unlocked you can wander around anywhere without a care in the world. There are vending machines everywhere selling all manner of goods: another benefit of crime free streets.

Finally the public transportation system is awe inspiring. You can get around on the railway and metro lines without too much difficulty: it is ruthlessly efficient, fast, punctual and well maintained and clean. I noticed something quite unusual on one line: on weekdays between 07:30 and 09:00h the final carriage is exclusively for the use of women. I am sure there is a reason why, perhaps because of groping which I understand is quite a problem, but I am wondering about how they could ever introduce something like this on the London underground.

Let me digress! One late afternoon while visiting The Meiji Shrine in Tokyo I had to answer the call of nature and I needed to find a WC - not a real problem as toilets are abundant and like everything else they are clean and usable. The shrine is in a huge park. It was very cold to say the least and I was fearful about catching the cold from waving my bum about. It was my good fortune to find a WC which had the ultimate luxury: a heated seat. I sat there for 20 minutes of joy! O luxury of luxuries: how utterly thoughtful!Back on topic. Now Tokyo is not Singapore or a a gated community. This is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. As I head home the question that is foremost in my mind is: how have the Japanese managed to achieve this happy state of affairs?  

I am mightily relieved to be back home in Thailand with Luna & Beneedict.

Tokyo

Well I wasn't expecting snow and sleet and conditions that made me feel as if I had woken in Glasgow! It was grey, wet and windy, what we call "dreich" in Glasgow, and freezing on arrival here in Japan. And I can't tell you the last time I wore four layers of clothing and needed socks! Anyhow I am used to this type of weather, historically, but remember in Thailand the temperature is in excess of 100 ℃ and getting hotter and at night it rarely dips below 20℃. On arrival it must have been about 3℃. As I left the aircraft I felt my ears tingle with the cold momentarily.

Not much to tell you about today as I was exhausted and cold and the priority was to collect my telescope in downtown Tokyo and sort out a couple of parts, which I did easily. Clearing customs and immigration at Narita Airport was very fast and in my case included a peremptory bag search. At immigration technology is used very smartly; there is a little screen aiding the process and it is programmed to use the passport holder's language. So it reverted to Thai for the Thais and English for me. Index finger prints are taken as well as photographs as part of this process but it worked very well and I cleared in less than ten minutes. Straight onto a very rapid train transfer downtown

Public transportation is impressive. I travelled downtown on the Keisei Skyliner to Nippori at a cost of 2,400¥, ( about 900 ฿ or £18). Clean and comfortable and very helpful staff, the train left on the dot and arrived on the dot. Real hi-tech, fast and smooth. Changing lines on arrival at Nippori was easy thanks to helpful staff. Automation is the order of the day. The platform barriers are easy to use with luggage unlike the "rottweilers" on the London Underground. All in all the underground and railway struck me as very efficient, clean and easy to use. It doesn't seem to be quite as noisy and frenetic as its London or New York counterparts.

The people around me seemed very somber quietly going about their business. Just an initial impression. Downtown Tokyo also seemed to be quiet too and easy going. I was struck by how people wait for the traffic lights to change before crossing the road - definitely not my style!  The roads were not clogged with cars and dominated by the sound of horns and engines. No congestion tax either. I get a sense that Tokyo is also quite low-rise perhaps due to seismic risks....there are towers but not like London or New York. Buildings also seems to be very modern. I do not know the extent of Second World War bombing but this may explain why.

I spent the morning sorting out my stuff and in the afternoon headed to the western suburbs of Tokyo to a neighbourhood known as Kasai where I had booked a room at Fifty's Resort through www.asiarooms.com. It is near Tokyo Disneyland and is also very near to Kasai Rinkai Koen, a bayside park recommended as a birdwatching location.  It didn't disappoint on a brief visit but a combination of freezing cold, wet feet and tiredness meant my first visit was less than an hour. It looks very promising. Fifty's Resort is perfect: a small, clean room with everything I need plus it is quiet and warm! And here they use lots of technology: check-in was done via a machine that  processes payments and gives out change and then issues a key! Plus they have wi-fi which meant I was able to chat with Luna. My mobile phone doesn't work and there do not appear to be an abundance of free internet hotspots in Tokyo. Thailand appears to be more wired-up or at least it seems to be easier to get online there.

I think I am going to enjoy my few days in Tokyo. So watch this space!