A Brit in The Orient.

While you were there, did you see any Vietnam war era cover runways in the jungles of Thailand Laos and CAmbodia? Are they all overgrown now? Id like to think so. We have get-togethers of the old "military engineers" and contractors that were hunting for strategic deposits (including special soils). Most of the old guys (like me) still worry that our evidence of having been there would be a permanent scar in the jungles.

Tell me you didnt see any

There are a lot of permanent scars in the jungles. Some of them are so big that everybody has forgotten that they used to be jungles. Most of Europe for example.

I wouldn't worry about an itsy-bitsy cover runway fm.

As the concrete and aggregates disintegrate and disperse it could well lead to a previously disadvantaged mutation of the species of the Venus Flytrap proliferating and becoming the source of a new wonder drug which might cure all known diseases.

If ever a freeway is going through nearby somebody could make a killing on cheap aggregate.

Always look on the bright side.

Farmer:-

I have quite a bit of knowledge and experience regarding the Vietnam War and various occurences in Laos and Cambodia especially, plus some good stories and information from Thais who were resident around the USA air base around Udon Thani.. I'll have to rattle my memory cells regarding these tales. I also have some photographs from the tunnels around Saigon which I was very fortunate to be able to go down in the late 1980's well before Nam opened up to tourism. I have some photographs I took of the underground war rooms, kitchens, operating theatres (did you ever see a NVA operating room underground?)

I'll dig some out and scan and let you have sight of them in due course. Some extremely interesting stuff there is too.

Spendi, I have had a great day in my big garden and my big office, and I took my wife into Preston in my big Mercedes to collect her big Jaguar XK8 Convertible which had been serviced, there was a big bill to pay as well; some £458..00 and a few pence for a service would you believe. Then I paid to fill the big tank for her at £50..95 (it was already almost half full so that wasn't so bad) but it seems I over rated you classing you on a par with Accrington Stanley!

You haven't scored a goal and I left you with penalty facilities all day!

Dear me you are declining old man.

I'm off to the ABA (Amateur Boxing Association) club any time now, I'm still doing some coaching assistance four nights a week. During the course of the evening I'll be wearing big pads, a big body protector and taking some big blows from some big lads with a view to them being the next champions!

One lad in particular standing at 6 foot two inches and weighing in at 229lbs, can really hit hard! I'm glad to be wearing the body protector I can tell you!


I'll be back about 8pm and after eating my big chicken breast complete with a stir fry of various vegetables and plenty of mushrooms, with a red hot chilli and garlic sauce, I'll see if you have improved.

If your not up to doing a better job, shut up, because you are coming across as a pathetic old sap with a lack of knowledge, as usual.

I'll do some additional entries on the thread later this evening.

Hey Fatso-

You are merely lording it over us ordinary folks.



You mean before any ordinary common or garden riffraff got there and turned it into a place that there was no special kudos in having been to. That's what you mean. This is all an excuse to rub our noses in our ordinariness and a way of constructing a disinfected barrier between yourself and us. Every line you write drips with your desperation to be different and a cut above.

But this is a little pond. A very little pond. Put you in with Sgt Growler and Cpl Snot of the Ordinary Lowland Fusiliers and you would sound like a babe in a shawl. Georgebob ran a bloody aircraft carrier aground in an east-African port entrance for goodness sakes.

I knew a guy once for ten years before I found out he had flown Lancasters over Germany on the night raids. Sliding down a rope is pathetic. Lady pensioners can manage that. And you should see what some ordinary firemen and policemen have done all in a day's work.



Macs sell that sort of thing right round the world. And there's boxing clubs and wrestling clubs and diving clubs and judo clubs in every small town in the world.

You should work for Mrs Clinton. You could make putting your overcoat on sound like a bid for the George Cross.

No wonder you keep out of pubs.

spendi, in the herd we often have a cow that gets all full of itself . Tries to lord it over the paddock and wants everything to be looking at her (or him), oushes over feed bins, screaming for attention. Usually those cows go to the butcher real quick. You wanna get sent to the butcher real bad?


Then just shut the f*uck up, will ya? youre getting to be a real pain in the a*ss with your contrariness to everyone. Almost Any thread has your presence , and its rather annoying listening to your verbal preening and kvetching. WHy dont you just go find another pbb that you can join and bother the people over there. Let us mere mortals to vicariously enjoy mathos trip you d*ouche*ba*g.

This is correct: Mathos should be able to get on with his account, which is very good and people enjoy, without unseemly interruption.

On the other hand, no-one is forced to read Spendy's stuff and the principle of freedom of speech is upheld here as much as anywhere else.

On the third hand, most of Spendy's stuff is not seriously meant although it sometimes appears very mean-spirited indeed.

So buck up, Spendy, do. You've upset Clary on the Brit Thread and she doesn't deserve that.

Don't get over concerned with Spendi lads, he's little more than a slight irritant.

He is a sad, desperate excuse for a man, who's view of his own place in history and no doubt his local society has been shattered.

Feel sorry for him, not angry. Our pity is the most response he will ever gain.

Controversy is the last refuge of the unimportant.

fm-

You forget that after nearly three months away from A2K Mathos interrupted a good discussion we had been having on the ID thread with this-



Addressed to me.

You also forget that an anti-IDer took Foxy to task for using the "I" word and seemingly chased her off the thread and these posts you are defending are "I" City. You didn't object to the attack on Foxy. Which seems ungallant.

Methinks you are partial in your judgements. You have already shown signs of bouncing off Mathos to retail your own exploits and possibly you are looking forward to more detailed descriptions.

I think Mathos is quite capable of fighting his corner without your help and I am also aware that A2Kers like a good scrap in which the issues raised are given a good airing. And there are issues.

And I don't know why you seek vicarious enjoyment from what is nothing but a monologue of pure bullshit.

You should never let other people get your kicks for you.

Real Brits go to Blackpool or Torquay for their hols by the million and keep the currency at home. They don't take risks, if risks are being taken, which I doubt. They sit in deckchairs and nod off.

If you are going to start blathering about somebody being "full" of himself I think you might start with Mathos.

Why do you always try to shut people up when the argument is not going your way? Do you only pay lip service to free speech?

And Mathos has not complained. You are the odd one out in that respect.

He's making his own movies.

Leaving Trivia out of things I go on very few threads.

Mathos wrote-



That is true. But it isn't just me. Everybody looks shattered to me. I am not afraid of admitting it.

Why can't you ignore my posts and let anyone who wants to read them do so. I ignore the vast majority of posts.

I would bet money that our Foreign Office would prefer that these sort of junkets are not encouraged and for a number of very valid reasons. They can cause no end of trouble and expense.

Mac wrote-



For sure. When did I say he shouldn't. I enjoy his accounts. I'm pressing him to show they represent the truth of a three months holiday otherwise we would all have to believe Mrs Clinton's story about how she showed bravery under fire. Was questioning her statement "unseemly"?

How do you define unseemly Mac? Anything you don't care for is it?

Excuse my outburst. Im feeling much better now. I suppose I should be more clinical in my dealings with whats-his-name, but his lack of common courtesy belies his "upper crust" pretentions.

Namkhong Riverside Hotel, in the sleepy little town of Chiang Khong sitting right on the banks of the Mekong, and what a nice little hotel it was. We stayed for a few nights, it was from this point that I was originally attempting to get into the jungle canopies of Laos. The hotel had pleasant guest rooms, forty in total we were on the top floor with unrestricted views across the Mekong to Laos. There was a pleasant little balcony attached to the room, and we would sit outside about seven in the morning taking in the views of life on the river whilst enjoying a hot mug of Liptons tea, complete with a teaspoonful of condensed milk utter bliss! The cocks crowing, pigs grunting, dogs barking and the aroma of food cooking from the the street below us and the kitchen breakfast room of the hotel.

The room was furnished with a small dressing table, wardrobe space, colour television with cable channel, (we didn't turn it on to be honest with you) refrigerator with mini bar bathroom with full amenities and air conditioning which was certainly a requirement! Not bad for some £7..50p per night including breakfast for the two of us.

The town itself was quite beautiful, little more than one main street with a few side streets. Several homestays and very small guest houses, but very few tourists of occidental origin. There were several Thai and Malaysian tourists who apparently made trips into Laos for amazing savings on various goods such as blankets, towels and carpets which certainly appeared very colourful in their presentation and one can only assume there must have been a reasonable level of profit to be made judging by the quantities going across the river to waiting pick up trucks! Either that or it was an easy point to smuggle across alternative matter, which didn't concern us anyhow!

The main street was very clean, houses and small shops well presented and several bar b q points of a late afternoon cooking mainly freshly caught river fish which tasted delicious.

It was a nice walk from the hotel down to the immigration point on the river at Chiang Khong, the crossing to Laos was short, certainly no more that six or seven minutes on a long tail. The immigration point at Huay Xai in Laos, was total chaos, obviously the country wanted the good old pound sterling, USA dollar or Thai Baht, their own currency was not an issue to be considered. I seem to recall the entry fee at Huay Laos consisted of a passport size photograph (we always keep a selection handy with our passports) and about $30 for the two of us to gain entry.

We had put enough clothing toiletries etc into one rucksack for the both of us to cover our requirements for two or three nights, plus you can always rinse simple clothing like underwear, thin shorts and T shirts through a room wash and rinse and hang out to dry.

There were two separate stages for the boat trips down to Luang Prabang, one was a slow boat station the alternative a faster long tail 'speed boat' as they put it down river. The slow boat consisted of an old long multi seat boat with a timber roof supported by thin uprights. There were a few life jackets, a toilet, a table, cups, spoons, boiled water available, hot and cold drinks, fruits and snacks. There was opportunity to call into tribal villages on the way down river and overnight accommodation for the first night of the trip could be arranged in a guest-house in Pakbeng. From Pakbeng the boat would depart early the following morning taking the rest of the day to reach Luang Prabang.

fm wrote-



and



I don't think "common courtesy" is your strong point either fm.



Not at all.

Do you think people should be encouraged to go on these sort of trips which is what is bound to happen when a one-sided and self-serving view of them is presented and left unquestioned on the record?

And common courtesy requires an answer to remain in the discussion.

I'm sorry Fatty.

My concentration went down the tube in fits of laughter at around the "small dressing table".

How did the boxing go?

The fast trip on the long-tail they claimed could be done in some eight hours, if all went well and they would only make a couple of stops for fuel.

The boat man was quite comical with his approach to personal requirements, 'You want piss or ****, can do in river off boat, no problem'

Somethings in life really make you laugh at times. Simplicity and it's innocence is a bonus in this field.

We thought it might be a good idea to have a look around this area of Laos for the remainder of the day, we had spotted a couple of pleasant looking guest house type facilities in Huay Xai itself. The surrounding area of town was extremely poor looking, dirty even, filthy if the truth were known.

We found a half decent restaurant and purchased some bottled water, checking the seals and dates carefully, it was Singha of Thai origin and we were familiar with the brand. We discussed how just across the mighty Mekong we had experienced an outstanding variation of scenic beauty, be it the flat lands complete with traditional Thai haystacks, paddy fields, palm oil trees or natural jungle. The mountain roads we had travelled offered glimpses of cleared crop fields which no doubt had recently harvested profitable crops and fruits of hard labour. We had taken in the beauty of The golden Triangle itself, over-shadowed by The Yunnan territories of mighty China. The meandering beautiful, life giving Mekong. But we had memories of seeing this river many years ago in high monsoon season, a river that roared like a mighty dragon, carrying gigantic teak trees, boulders as big as cars made to resemble pebbles, being hurled along at colossal speeds, we had seen human bodies and animals including enormous water buffalo being hurled down this main artery. The previous late afternoon and early evening we had strolled through the picturesque town of Chiang Khong, we sampled freshly cooked fish, drank coffee and tea, we watched the shutters come down all over town except for a couple of guest houses and our hotel at 6pm. A few of the roadside eateries remained awaiting the odd late customer or two. An odd bar with an elevated service area overlooking the clean streets, fresh flowers and flower basket displays bringing colour and the odd bee or two, The ginger well fed cat might just be deciding were to go gecko hunting before he or she turned in for the night, if they do such a thing.

Some of the homestays offering a simple bed for the night for as little as 50Baht including a morning coffee! We recalled the first really scruffy looking Thai we had seen in weeks, complete with dreadlocks, sauntering down the main street, half drunk and wild eyed, he hoisted his ill fitting trousers as he passed us by, and rummaged in a waste bin by the roadside. He removed a plastic take away bag which appeared to contain the remainder of a fried rice meal, he swallowed the contents and tossed the empty bag onto the street.

An elderly lady, sat by the front of her small timber and bamboo home rebuked his actions and walked from her stool, she picked up the offensive litter and placed it in a small yellow refuse bin by the roadside.

Here we were in Laos having by now made the acquaintance of a Thai/English speaking taxi driver, heading towards the market and the additional filth of Huay Xai.

I have some photographs of the town and market to show. I received an e-mail from Dutchy earlier today stating that he had comp problems and could be off line for a few days even.

Any volunteers to enter some pics?

PM me if you are able to with your e-mail address and I will forward the same onto you. Any assistance would be appreciated.

The Boxing!

Not so good tonight to be honest with you.

Sometimes when contests are on the horizon, the lads don't quite get it right for a night or two, timings out, conditioning is not so good as it should be. One of the lads wrenched his elbow joint tonight and had to be taken to the hospital, he was in a great deal of pain, so his contest for Saturday will be a no go, that's for sure.

One of the Saturday contestants also plays football for a local team and they have won some cup or another, he cannot train on Wednesday night, he has to go for the presentation, then a big slap up meal afterwards! That could play havock with his weight and timing etc.

Oh and I got pretty badly bruised by the big fella despite the body protector, he was in excellent fettle tonight. Lets hope he maintains the level for Saturday.

PS Don't for one minute think you are getting away with anything..Your time will come.

have you ever , ever eaten durian fruit. When I was over there they had graphic signs with a durian fruit with an X through its picture. Ive gotten close enough to smell em and nearly gagged. I always wondered what the attraction was.

Mathos wrote-



Whenever I hear the expression " to be honest with you" I place my hand on my wallet.

We have done durian fruit fm. It's a bit like going barefoot. Not us. Same as FSA unapproved meat. Maybe it's an acquired taste like marriage or eating periwinkles with a pin.



You're kidding. I have a lot of experience of fast trips on the long-tail and it never took eight hours and nor did I stop for fuel. It usually went well though.



That's not all that comical compared to mixed trips round Douglas Bay. Especially when they are becalmed.



I don't recall ever doing that in my entire life. It sounds like you have been searching out, at great expense, paranoia opportunities.

"Past their sell-by date" goods are always handy money.



No chance. The Golden Triangle will never be over-shadowed.



Fancy forgetting to add that you thought of spendi. I feel all let down.

Spendi wrote;-

'Fancy forgetting to add that you thought of spendi. I feel all let down'


Don't feel let down old timer. I have quite a selection to attribute to you, all in good time though!

All in good time.