October 2021

LOCKDOWN SMACKDOWN - ZOOMING THROUGH SCHOOL – GREYSCALE - WHEELIES AND POWERSLIDES - SELF PUBLISHING PROGRESS - FINAL 5.

 Difficult to get a solid grip on this time now. With the rest of the world opening up, Lao is locking down as COVID really takes hold. With no chance of heading out of Vientiane or going to my site up North, I am feeling restless and discontent. The lights of Thailand, just a short distance across the Mekong from our house, beckon cruelly. I have taken to fantasizing out loud to Mina;

“Mina, do you think it’s possible for you to take me to the airport tomorrow morning? I have a few things I need to do in Bangkok. It’s just for a few nights and I’ll be back on the Sunday afternoon flight.”

Mina looks at me. 

“What you talking about, you crazy or what?!” 

I’m not the only one struggling with this, though. Little Christopher is missing school terribly, with no friends to play with and the 5-6 zoom lessons per day a poor substitute for a 7-year-olds social life. I’m trying my best to be all things to him, a father, friend, teacher and mentor. My efforts are essential to his well-being, but they do little to fill him up in the areas he really needs. Tough times. 

With all this self-induced pressure on me, it’s interesting to see my creativity take a dive. I struggle to lift the burdens of work and home sufficiently from my mind to allow my creative spirit to roam free. As a result, my photography feels grey and uninspired, as are my few weak attempts at writing. Better to aimlessly scroll through YouTube videos, right?   

Despite the exploding COVID situation in Laos, the strict lockdown regulations set in place appear to be receiving less enforcement resulting in some inconsistences throughout the capital city. On the positive side, all the police checkpoints have disappeared, some restaurants and many coffee shops have opened for business. After supervising Christopher’s major set of zoom lessons and “classwork” in the morning, I head out to the office after lunch and work alone till the evening to catch up on the backlog of my morning's work. 

I bought Christopher his first “real” bike, a blue 20’’ 7 speed MTB. His old bike was really a toy. In the evenings, Christopher and I ride down to an abandoned school field near our house and ride our bikes around. During this time, I practice my wheelies, while Christopher practices power slides and gets used to having a set of gears. We are both improving in our separate objectives. Long controlled wheelies is a skill I have always wanted to develop, but never really had the time. I can now do around a 4 seconds burst at a time. It doesn’t sound much, but it is actually a vast improvement. 

In terms of my book development, things moved quickly this month. We finalized the book cover edits and completed the print book formatting and type-setting. I was shocked to see that the final proofreader found 123 errors, and this after a full set of professional line and copy edits! I also now have a set of ISBN numbers, one for each format, print and e-book. All that remains is the e-book formatting and a media marketing pack.  

I had an interesting experience this past week at work while developing a concept proposal for a new UK government funded grant for my site. Nothing unusual, X amount of GBP for a 5-year period. Been there and done that on more than one occasion. The thing that got me was the realization that this is most likely my last 5 year anything in terms of my formal working life. When I write the final report for this grant, if we get it, I will be 67-year-old. 

October 2020

LAST STORMS – BOAT RACING FESTIVAL – LAO OCEAN CYCLE – EARLY CHRISTMAS - MANAGEMENT PLANNING – ACROSS LAO CYCLE PT 1 – GOODBYE MOM.

Last storms of the season

last of the rain season storms, dramatic and ferocious, hit the country causing some serious flooding down south in the province of Savanakhet. Between these storms, the annual rice harvest is in full swing all over the country. 

Approaching storm on the Vientiane waterfront.

Boun Ok Phansa / Boat racing festival

A subdued and largely reduced, (due to COVID restrictions) annual boat racing festival took place in Vientiane immediately after the last day of the Buddhist lent period. Along with all the people from our village, we got to place our small boat float of flowers, candles and offerings into the Mekong river. The ceremony represents a blessing to the Mekong river for all the gifts it provides villages, towns and cities along its route to the ocean. A primary source of fishing, transportation recreation and refuse removal, but now increasingly under threat due to the many dams built within its catchment areas and on the river itself, higher up in China.

Our river blessing float about to be let loose in the Mekong River.

Lao ocean cycle

To make the most of the long weekend this month, I decided on a 3-day circular cycle trip from Vientiane via the “Lao Ocean” which is the Nam Ngum dam.  My original plan was to cycle to the dam, take the ferry over to the other side and continue around and over Phou Khao Khouay national park and back to Vientiane. When I arrived at the village on the other side, however, I was immediately blown away by the relaxed and peaceful atmosphere of the place. This was truly a paradise, one of the most beautiful, laid back places I have come across in Laos. I couldn’t bring myself to leave the next morning, so instead, I cycled around the village coastal areas, exploring the small bays, fishing jetties and villages. The children especially appeared to be thriving in the freedom and beauty of the place, diving off the wooden river boats, fishing and generally enjoying life on the “ocean shores. Huge mountains arise from either end of the horizon, adding yet another dimension of beauty to this place. It was difficult to leave when the time came, the local ferry loosely at anchor just below the window of my guest house. As with many of these experiences I have enjoyed in Laos over the years, I was the only foreigner.  

Nam Ngum dam

Early Christmas

With some opening of international freight services, I received a number of very welcome packages, some of which I had ordered in March, before COVID lockdowns earlier in the year. My sister sent me my driver’s license, wrapped with Cape Union Mart clothes and cycling shorts for my trip across Laos, and a colleague brought in with her from Canada, a batch of film stock I ordered. This was followed a few day later by the arrival of the original batch of film stock I had given up on which I had ordered from China in March! In addition, 2 classic film cameras ordered through e-bay, arrived from Japan after a 5-month delay in Singapore.

Film stock from China arriving just after a back up stock from Canada.

NEPL Management plan consultations

I had time for one quick trip up to the Nam Et Plou Ploy National Park (NEPL) before starting on my Lao country crossing cycle. I have been trying to take my annual leave for a few months now, but each time, someone on the program has something so important, that I need to postpone my leave. In this case, it’s to participate in the NEPL management plan consultation process, which is an important task. I can feel I need a break, its been non-stop from before COVID, and I feel stale and unproductive. 

Some of the NEPL technical team during a draft management plan review process.

Lao country crossing cycle

I have always wanted to cycle across Laos and with COVID international travel restrictions still in force, this was the ideal time. After a few days at home, catching up with a backlog of work and digging from next month’s pile, I was finally able to turn this idea into reality. My trip started on the 21st  with an internal flight to Luang Namtha and a short cycle up to the Lao Border with China at Boten, a crazy casino city. I then basically headed SE across Lao on my Mercer steel framed custom cross bike, Southern Cross” By the end of the month I had travelled 846km’s from the border to Muang Mo in the central area of Laos, with body and bike still very much intact. The journey continues into November.

On the road near Oudomxay

Farewell Mom

On the 19th my mom passed away quite peacefully with my siter Ellen at her side. She was doing ok only a few weeks before, but then she had a small accident in her room and broke her hip. The operation seamed to go ok, but soon after, infection set in and she slid into her final days with us. Although not entirely what she had in mind, even before the accident, mom had come to terms with the fact that she was nearing the end of her life, even embracing it, saying that she was ready to move on and go to be with dad. Always a mom, ever content, consistently considerate. I'm happy she went peacefully, but I regret that I didn’t get the opportunity to visit her in Cape Town just once more time, to take her out for tea, have fish and chips at Kalkbay harbor and have her spend time with Mina.  

 Not only did she give me life, she taught me how to live.

Goodbye Mom.

Mom during my previous visit to Cape Town during 2019