One week to go!

T-8 days until I leave for Bangkok again. Yeah!! But this year is different - it's not just a 3 or 4 week holiday - it's 2.5 MONTHS away from home. That's a llllooooonnnnnggggg time. I haven't been away for that long since living in Paris, and I fully remember what that was like for the first month or so. However, I can't imagine working at the National Science Museum will be anything like working in the labs at Marne-la-Vallee! Some experiences are best left in the past and learned from. I could have chosen to go back to Paris for my sabbatical - Francois offered and sent me a written invitation complete with offer to pay my accommodations and flight. However it would not have been a good idea. Anyone I mentioned this possibility to, anyone who knows what went on in Paris, asked me if I was crazy and why would I want to put myself in that situation again? But Paris calls me every once in a while - I liked Paris, I liked France, I liked being 5 hours away from the beautiful Alps for hiking and skiing!! The abuse and head-fucks I could do without however... :)

So! To the National Science Museum of Thailand I go! I'm uncertain what to expect - it's been a bit difficult getting definitive answers and information from my contacts, but I know it will all work out in the end. I don't require much - a desk, an internet connection, a printer every once in a while, a quiet place to write. I may have to call on favors from colleagues to get manuscripts emailed to me, but otherwise I'm pretty self-sufficient with my computer.

To date, I have a tentative schedule, for anyone who cares!

December 17th, 2010 - January 24th ,2011
Staying at Baan Muay Thai (Rangsit), training in the morning and working the rest of the day at NSM in Pathum Thani.
Weekends will be spent touring within 2-3 hours of Bangkok (Hua Hin, Phu Noi, Kanchanaburi, etc.)

January 25 - 26th, 2011
Bangkok to meet up with a friend from the Banff program (Alex, we meet in the strangest places!)

January 27th - February 2nd, 2011
Phnom Penh and Pursat, Cambodia for our Rockin4Tabitha house build (25 houses baby!!)

February 4-5, 2011
Bike tour from Battambang, Cambodia, to Chanthaburi, Thailand

February 6th, 2011
Rest day in Chanthaburi, Thailand

February 7th, 2011
Travel to Bangkok

February 8th - 26th, 2011
Flight to Chiang Mai, and travels around northern Thailand, possibly Burma and Laos.

It's after February 8th that that the schedule becomes sort of indistinct!! It will be spontaneous, spur of the moment, and in no particular rush to do anything or go anywhere.

February 27th, 2011
Fly back to (cold) Ottawa.

To date that's all the real schedule I have. While working at NSM, I'm sure other ideas and plans will arise, but I'm in no real rush to solidify them.