Sorry to anyone who may be hoping for semi-regular updates, but I seem to be doing more travelling than I have time to write. After my latest jaunt to Malaysia, and then another trip to Laos, there's a lot of catching up to do at work. Happily, the department I work in has lots of money. This is because it doesn't pay for anything. It's one of those nice ironies that people who haven't worked in Thailand don't understand. For example, here's a conversation I had yesterday. There is a motorbike in a junk room near my office which belongs to the department, has only 6000 miles on the clock, but is in disrepair after not being used (or taxed) for 2 years. I had asked if I could borrow it.

Boss: Sorry, the dean said no. But I'm still waiting for him to give me a letter confirming it.

Me: Confirming that I can't use it?

Boss: Yes, so just wait a few days.

Me: But I can't use it anyway.

Boss: No. It belongs to the department so it has to stay in the department. You can use it for very short trips, but you need to write to the dean first for permission.

Me: Which would take longer than walking?

Boss: Yes, that's why nobody uses it.

So... nobody uses it so that it can always be available for nobody to use. Brilliant. Anyway, the relevance of that today is that the department just doesn't spend anything on anything. It will keep rotting equipment just so that there is never a need to buy anything. This means that I've caught up in the sense that I've gone as far as I can without any further support, so I'm still behind but no more than anyone else. I was teaching from the wrong book for 2 weeks.

Claire helped (read: did most of) decorating my classroom, and I have a snazzy multi-coloured handprints wall where all my students put their handprint on and wrote why they are learning English. I also got some blackboard paint so I've got some great graffiti walls (unfortunately the department won't pay for chalk, and the shops here don't have it, so that will be on the backburner for a bit). I finally got the moodle website going too, although only my better students are using it so far. It's always the ones who don't need extra help who come to get it.

So I left my travel tales having arrived in Luang Prabang. The conference was at the Santi Resort and Spa, which is in the 'splurge' section of the lonely planet guide. And it certainly was. The catering was superb, the staff were efficient (amazing in Asia), and it was a beautiful place to spend a few days. I made friends with a Thai professor from Udon Thani who looks remarkably like a Thai Rolf Harris (photos to follow). They also had presenters from South Africa who were great at coming from different angles and provoking fresh thought, so it was very worthwhile. Unfortunately there was insatiable demand for photo opps, so a lot of the good stuff was cut short. By the time I came to present, I had a rather disappointing audience. Still, I got very interesting feedback (including from Rolf) so my research can move forward that bit more. I've applied for another conference in the Phillipines so that will be a great opportunity if I get it.

Luang Prabang is billed as a place to go when you're sick of the traveller circuit in south-east asia. Unfortunately a lot of travellers must feel that way, because it's full of travellers. People who would have spent their gap year building orphanages but thought it was all, you know, a bit too commercialised, like, by the corporations. So that means everywhere in LP caters for backpackers. It's good for cheap eats and fun beer by the Mekong, and of course you always seem to attract like minded people so I had some good temporary friends while there, but I think the bubble has somewhat burst on the area and it's probably not worth the hassle it takes to get there. There's definitely charm and reward for the patient (including great cycling), but for the Luang Prabang of the guidebooks you'll have to push on further north. I met 3 British guys who had done exactly the same things as me for the last 2 days, but paid about 10 times as much. As soon as travellers like that arrive, and the locals pounce like that, the slippery slope is looming. There's still no sex traveller scene though, which seems to be starting in Vientiane, so it's still a refreshing break from Thailand. But go there quickly if you can - or ideally 5 years ago.