Last weeks arranged talk at the BMW Owners Group in Sussex was cancelled .... snow stopped play. Then, as the snow finally cleared and the roads once more became safe for bikes, I succumbed to a very serious case of Tiger-Flu. “H1-N955“, it’s quite similar to Swine-Flu ... but just a little more snotty.
Housebound with a lethal and highly contagious illness, I’ve used the time to clear out my unwanted junk and brush up on my diminishing language skills. It’s quite amazing, but when I arrived at my current address, I had a loaded motorbike and two world-weary suitcases .... the sum total of my worldly goods. I’ve just spent the last two days clearing out crap and I‘ve still got far more than I arrived with. if only I could do the same thing with money. Where the hell did it all come from? And, when I refer to it as ‘carp’ I really do mean ‘crap’. In the past 12-months it seems that I haven't thrown anything away. I’ve turned into my Dad .... I‘m a bloody magpie. Thankfully, I’ve been able to arrange storage for the things that I want to keep, and hopefully this time they’ll be in a place that’s slightly less flammable than Sailing Grove proved to be.
One item that I need to take with me is as I write, working it’s way across London. ‘Dakar Duck’ will once again be joining me. ‘Milk’s‘, his permanent keeper, is despatching him by special courier and he’ll wallow in my hand-luggage until I can attach him to the mighty Minsk in Hanoi. It’ll be good to see him again, share a few beers, recall some happy memories and generally catch-up with what each of us has been doing.
This week I’ll hopefully sort out my visas, start planning a more detailed route and no doubt begin realising just how woefully unprepared I am. As for my language skills, well ….. Pom rian-nang-seu Thai, poot mai ngaan-kian. Pom bpen-jao-kong aa-jaan Tassaneeya, gap Internet ‘thai2english.com‘. Gaan-pat-at-naa chaa, pom giat seuk-saa. .... That might look quite impressive, but only if you don’t speak Thai. If you’ve ever opened one of those ’Dearest Friend’ eMail requests from a Nigerian Brigadier General with an unreasonably large charitable donation … 'same same' my Thai.
www.justgiving.com/geoffgthomas
What it should say: I’m learning Thai, spoken not written. I have a great teacher in Tassaneeya, together with the Internet site ’thai2english’. Progress is slow, but only because I’m an idle student.
Once again Geoff you are an inspiration to us all.... not the journey or the Thai, but the clearing of 'crap' LOL. Good luck with the planning and I hope you have a great trip. As per usual we will be here in our humdrum lives hanging on yo every word.
ReplyDeleteMike (LB)