Books and birthdays

21 February 2013

I sometimes justify taking three months off work and travelling to Laos by saying “I’m on Study Leave”. Which is all very well until someone says “Oh how interesting. And what are you studying!?”

Well, I could say that I study different topics every day. Sometimes it’s language – learning a few words of Lao; sometimes history – learning about the IndoChina wars; or politics – finding out about the changing political systems of South East Asia. A lot of the time it’s botany or ecology  – what is that tree and why does it grow like that? What bird is making that call? What impact does slash and burn have on wildlife? Often the subject of the day is agriculture and food science – finding out what crops the local farmers are growing and how they are cooked. Many hours are whiled away with a bit of literature. I have my Kindle for that. Then there’s a fair amount of economics –I’ve been making a concerted effort to improve my knowledge of the alternatives to economic growth.

So I rest my case. It’s study leave.

And as evidence, I offer you my reading list for the trip. I’ve read more books in the last 11 weeks than I have done for many years and have thoroughly enjoyed the luxury of settling down to immerse myself in a book for hours at a time.

Date finished:

• 4 Dec     Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantel [unfinished. Yes, I know ... but I just couldn’t reconcile reading about sixteenth century London while sitting in tropical SE Asia!]
• 6 Dec     Tender is the Night – F Scott Fitzgerald [tales of hedonistic life in south of France fitted beautifully]
• 20 Dec   The Merry Misogynist – Colin Cotterill [Excellent discovery – Dr Siri murder mysteries set in 1970s Laos. Great characters, well written and good humour. Also informative about Lao culture.]
• 22 Dec   The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year – Sue Townsend [Lightweight read.]
• 29 Dec   Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte [What a pleasure to have the opportunity to re-read a favourite.]
• 1 Jan      The Coroner’s Lunch – Colin Cotterill [First in the Dr Siri series.]
• 6 Jan      Love Songs from a Shallow Grave – Colin Cotterill [Dr Siri No. 7]
• 10 Jan    The Flowers of War – Geling Yan [Harrowing account of 1940s Nanking and the Japanese occupation.]
• 16 Jan    The Garden of Evening Mists – Tan Tang Eng [Beautifully atmospheric story with Japanese garden aesthetics set in post-war Malaya. Lovely.]
•  18 Jan   The Godfather of Kathmandu – John Burden [Much grittier than Dr Siri! Sex, drugs and violence set in Thailand and Nepal.]
• 22 Jan    The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern [I don’t normally go for fantasy so I was surprised to be so captivated by this novel. Good.]
• 30 Jan    The Thirty Three Teeth – Colin Cotterill [Dr Siri no. 2]
• 3 Feb     Disco for the Departed – Colin Cotterill [Dr Siri no. 3]
• 13 Feb   Enough is Enough: Building and sustainable economy in a world of finite resources – Rob Dietz and Dan O’Neill [Inspiring and easy to read.]
• 13 Feb   Prosperity without Growth – Tim Jackson [Not such an easy read but worth perservering with.]
• 13 Feb   Anarchy and Old Dogs – Colin Cotterill [Dr Siri no. 4]
• 16 Feb   The Story of Beautiful Girl – Rachel Simon [Moving story of love conquering adversity set in 1960s America.]
• 19 Feb   Curse of the Pogo Stick – Colin Cotterill [Dr Siri no. 5]
•                 David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
•                 Slash and Burn – Colin Cotterill [Final Dr Siri mystery]

Ah – and then the party began! On Friday morning lights, tables, barbeques, sitting mats, drum kit, speakers, PA, crates of beer began to be set up in the garden. Then the whisky drinking started at lunchtime, when two car-loads of Khone’s life-long schoolfriends rolled up from Vientiane. The drinking basically continued non-stop, with just a brief intermission for sleep, until late on Saturday night. Wow – these Lao know how to party!

Michelle's birthday present.

With no neighbours to worry about, the music was full volume day and night - a combination of Lao/Thai karaoke and live music provided primarily by Khone’s friend, Doctor Naughty, who sang those sweet schmaltzy ballads so loved throughout SE Asia with keyboard backing tracks. [Dr Naughty is, in real life, an eminent medical consultant]

The singing doctor.

We sometimes found it a bit difficult to join in wholeheartedly with all the jokes because of our lack of language, and of course we didn't know the songs, but a good time was had by all. I tried to explain “The hair of the dog” expression to Khone at breakfast on Saturday, as she was knocking back her second whisky of the day, but I don’t think she “got” it!

Khone and Khoun -our  wonderful hosts.