Bangkok 20/8/06

Again almost a month has passed since my last posting, rainy season continues.
Yesterday I went to a local water fall which was very beautiful, it started raining and Poi became very scared at the prospect of landslides, the water positively gushed down the mountainside it was all pretty amazing. She is Stephen's TA and need I add brilliant. Next month all the National parks in Thailand will double there price of admission, making it a ridiculous 400 baht to go to them. Thailand is rapidly removing itself from the backpacker circuit with policies like this. Fortunately with a work visa I get to pay local prices which is currently 20 baht but which will also double to 40 baht next month.
Last weekend was the Queens birthday, therefore a long weekend and we went to Ayutthya which was the capital of Siam during the fifteenth century till it was sacked by the Burmese, some of the ruins were lovely, little boys frolicked amongst them attempting to foist postcards upon me, but considering I have still to send the flotilla I purchased in Chang I restrained myself. Some of the ruins have been restored, restoration is a funny kind of damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario, if you don't the remains crumble away to rubble if you do to much you risk making the whole place look tacky and fake.
It was great to get out of Bkk for the weekend and empty my head. School is rife with rumors and intrigue it's bizarre but the Thai's seem to love intrigue and gossip, personally I can't be bothered. I had an observer in my class the other day, observing my little ADD boy, luckily it was a day when he was behaving well.
My TA is still driving me bananas, he is like having an extra child in the room not an assistant at all. but as most of Thailand it is a boys club and he is a friend of one further up the food chain so is unlikely to be fired. Anyway I must write some lesson plans I promise to write sooner next time.
N.J.