We are back in the UK We returned home from New Zealand via Vancouver. This part of the trip was a real joy as we were catching up with some old friends who live in and around the Vancouver area; college friends as well as people we met when we did our 6 month house swap in this area in 1990 and friends from Freeland who have a house in Kamloops near Sun Peaks ski resort. We are back in the UK now in our own house, we got back on 3rd March and we are here for the next few months. It’s just beautiful in the UK - sun is shining and the daffodils and crocuses are out. Each time we return to the UK we appreciate just how lovely is England - just a ... read more

Procrastination and dogged determination to complete a blog irrespective of dwindling readership- are these the signs of the demented? Hope not as I sit here, a sad Old Aged Geek, trying to catch up and finish off my blog before we leave New Zealand and head home. At the finish of the previous entry we were trundling our wheelie cases out of Indonesia clutching a dog eared Lonely Planet guide on our way to see the sights of SE Asia. Time constraints and a commitment by Colin to attend a conference in Kuala Lumpur in mid December meant we had to limited ourselves to three main destinations; the Angkor temples in Cambodia, Chiang Mai in Thailand and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. Experiencing different cultures up close and intimately was interesting (euphemism for jolly uncomfortable sometimes). The ... read more

Happy New Year Colin is in NZ and, through a bit of a ticket mix up, I’m still here in Australia (is he trying to tell me something). I’m enjoying great hospitality on the outskirts of Melbourne with Nic and Sandra, clubbing mates of Colin’s from the 60s in Twickenham (Church Youth Club that was!!!). I’m availing myself of their fast system to upload the final chapter of the Namphong boystown story. Those of you who braved the ‘sell by date’ feast in November may be wondering what happened to the money you donated to endure the ordeal, be assured it has been spent wisely. Half of it has been used to start another sponsorship (see the photo of Tanayuth) most of the rest was used to buy a new pump to bring water from the ... read more

In my last blog I’d just arrived in boystown and was rather overawed by the place itself as it was not at all what I expected but then I’m not sure what I had expected. My only experience of a children’s home before coming here was one I used to visit in Long Hanborough occasionally where social workers looked out for the children’s welfare and house keepers ran the home. Ironically, although this one lacks the material comforts and is run with minimal funding and staff I find it has much more of a buzz about it. It is a happy, purposeful environment. What has so impressed me is how the boys look out for themselves and each other. They are remarkable boys and a tribute to Dr Anukul who with gentle discipline and quiet authority ... read more

Arrived Bangkok Friday pm and was met by Dr Anukul , a retired professor from Khon Kaen University who has been director of the boystown in Namphong for 15 years. Anukul had trundled down country by bus from Khon Kaen to Bangkok to meet me and be my guide in Bangkok - what a star. Bangkok - first impressions - not so good - it is a concrete forest of high rise structures growing out of a crawling mass of horn-honking vehicles of every shape, hue and age. Thankfully I was being driven around Bangkok by Joe who had been a student of Dr Anukul at Khon Kaen university 25 years ago. They have developed a warm and friendly relationship. Joe and Anukul were to be my escorts for my 2 days in Bangkok. Day one ... read more