We taught a full day on Tuesday, walked home and had a quick shower and last minute pack and within the hour we were whisked off by Daniel's giant Merc to Taoyuan International Airport's AirAsia counter. We were Thailand bound and expecting to be ensconced in our hotel in Chiang Mai just after midnight.

Despite a few spazzdoggies who we didn't really want to see boarding the same airplane, we managed to ignore the disturbing influences and in less than 4 hours we'd touched down, negotiated customs with our carry-ons, found our driver after a slight confusion and realized on the 15 minute trip to the hotel that none of our aforementioned "friends" were joining us...relief!

A bargain airfare and a short break had seen us decide to go big on the accommodation, and the X2 Riverside Resort, Chiang Mai certainly lived up to (and exceeded) our expectations of luxury, style and comfort. The incense was silently puffing from strategically located gourds, the receptionists were impressively liveried and attentive, and the room itself was gargantuan; luxuriously outfitted and stylish. We played with all the room "toys" for a while and ate some exquisite tiny cakes that had been left for us before collapsing into crisp linen on a king sized bed.

Dad would have been proud of the fact that we got up early enough to partake of the "pre-paid" breakfast in the stunning all glass "Oxygen" dining room and bar the next morning. The room blends into the scenery despite its soaring ceilings and decadent space. The glass walls and roof make it seem like it's floating in the manicured gardens, perfumed by frangipani and lily. We were surprised to realize that the breakfast was by menu, rather than buffet, and rather stunned by the open ordering of any number of dishes, we slightly under-catered. Hot meals slid from the waiter's hands onto our placemats, croissants and pastries occupied cake stands between us and quality champagne was offered (and consumed!). Bowls of piping hot, strong roasted coffee were accompanied by fizzed milk and whipped butter was slathered on cakes and breads.

We spent the vast remainder of the day lazing in the cabana room poolside or lolling in the water itself of the impressive, infinity edged rooftop pool straight above or top floor unit overlooking the Ping River. This beautiful pool ran the length of the main building and had a shallow section for banana lounges and tables in the water and a section for swimming in the other half. The pool was sparkling with mosaic tiles, some of which were rainbow coloured and with an electric hue and dazzle. We claimed a cabana room with gigantic daybed, snavelled towels and were served glasses of ice water by the barman looking after the well-stocked bar and keeping an eye on the fitness gym as well. Later on in the day, we ordered a few beers to sip on as we swam and floated our way through the remainder of the morning and afternoon. For the entire time we were there we didn't need to share the pool with any other guests: it was not only our private pool, but we had our own dedicated barman as well!

That night we booked at the amazing Oxygen Dining Room and experienced their Michelin chef designed menu. I had the Thai set and Cassy the vegetarian.The courses were suitably fancy and Michelin style: lots of explosive and exotic flavours, delicately arranged and decorated plates and jellies and foams in abundance: it was all a little overwhelming, and we staggered out after our multiple courses very full and wondering what culinary train had smashed us down then thrown us up and flipped us like pancakes on a griddle! It was an amazing experience however, made especially memorable by sitting outside overlooking the mood lighting in the frangipani trees and the sweeping lawns running all the way down to the banks of the Ping.

Gilt soaked dragon heads, elephants and buddhas overran us the next day as we did a temple crawl of the inner walled sanctum of old Chiang Mai. Our (private as it turned out) shuttle bus delivered us in style to the Three Kings Monument, a notably bland edifice among such gaudy company, but a central point for drop-offs and set-downs. Trusty old-school paper map in hand, we managed to find a few things, get ourselves lost, find our bearings again and soak up most of what the inner township had to offer. The temples were suitably grand and dripping with gold, while the grounds were neat and impossibly pretty with water lilies and other flowers lighting up every nook between the buildings. Eventually, templed out, we hailed a rough and ready tuk tuk for a hair raising trip back to the resort as he chopped and choked down inside lanes and between cars before depositing us in a plume of blue smoke at the front door!

We enjoyed yet more private pool time in the afternoon as well as a couple of beers while we made use of the comfy cabana room to read the day away on our duelling Kindles. As the sun stated to drip away for the evening we headed off down the road in search of authentic Thai food which we found just a hop and skip away from the resort. The crowds were just startiing to trickle in and we ordered from a huge menu some grand favourites like Green Curry Chicken. Other dishes followed including some exceptional prawn spring rolls....what a treat! Kayaks carried inexperienced paddlers down the river with the current, local ferries plied the Ping and dextrous geckos entertained us by gripping the inner window panes of lanterns dotted along our eating platform. It was a moving canvas and a delicious meal....oh, authentic Thai cuisine is just so wonderful! Satiated with food (and more beer!) we strolled back along the riverfront to reach the little gate leading to "our" jetty. From here, after a sit in the grounds again for a while, we made our way up to our room and another restful sleep and sleep-in.

A full breakfast the next morning followed by further private pool dipping and associated reading, we reluctantly showered and packed to make our way home. Car, plane, car and back home to our attentive girls, we still had a whole lazy weekend ahead of us! We'll definitely do this again!!

The link to the full photo album is here.

We added to our Taipei tradition of watching the AFL Grand Final at Patio 84 on Saturday. Formerly the Green Bar, we started watching the big game there so many years ago that it's difficult to recall: let's just say it's more than one decade and less than two! Many of the same old jokes eventually came out as well, including the always hilarious cry of "Who's throwing coasters?!" which Marcus skillfully demonstrates in the last photo above.

This celebration was tinged with sadness as our trusty companion, Shaun, will no longer be with us in coming years as he's packing up mid-year and traveling back to Tassie with his family. My half time brickbats and bouquets to the tipping club participants went off without a hitch, although I do admit I avoided saying too much about farewells lest I lapse into sentimentality and suddenly find myself unable to talk!

There are a plethora of farewells coming up: Dame Nellie Melba springs to mind as does our mate Lewy who organized about 4 farewell shows just for himself! This time, Shaun is already having an official farewell downtown at the Hyatt organised by the school, a full on weekend of golf and roasting organized by some mates and another friend's gathering at a restaurant downtown which we will attend. The AFL final was an un-offcial gathering, but Wal and I will hope to get Shaun down to Uli's at some point as well, if he can squeeze anything else into his already very full dance card!

Cass enjoyed the usual stellar fare at Il Mercato's cafe on Friday night for her Book Club monthly get-together. The weather was squirly with a typhoon bothering the northern tip of the country as it meandered its way to Japan. The wind and rain didn't deter all of them, but they were a little light on their usual number. Nevertheless, they enjoyed the outing and vowed to double time on the book talk next occasion, as they demurred on the discussion this time due to the absentees.

We watched the wonderful Sydney Roosters clinically dissect the Melbourne Storm in the NRL Grand Final on Sunday evening. What heroics and brutal defense! What courage to play through shocking injuries! It was quite the spectacle and emulated the huge excitement in a very close contest the day before.

We've been so busy grading essays at work that we've barely drawn a breath lately: 100 or so each later we've just handed them back ready for another onslaught on Wednesday and Thursday. We've decided that we need to reward ourselves after that, so in the next break we're jetting off to the Thai city of Chiang Mai and the luxe resort of X2 Riverside. Should be blissful.....we just have to make it there now!

Cass finished Richard Flanagan's First Person but I ditched it half way through. She's now reading Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday and I'm reading the latest Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child, The Midnight Line

 

We steeled ourselves all weekend, did our best to relax and distract, pampered ourselves with plumes of frigid air conditioning and plates of delicious comfort foods, and generally did everything we could to counteract the coming onslaught of filth and privation at the Longmen Camping Ground for the annual Grade 8 Camp.

This of course was last weekend, and I didn't complete a blog entry last Monday as we were well into the greasy depths of yet another chapter of this most unfortunate week of the year. We were thrust right into the zone from minute one at school on Monday as the kids twittered and bothered, lined up with overblown cases and pillows, then marched as one to the phalanx of buses that would transport them northward into the blistering heat for the next five days.

Cass hates this week with a rare passion: in fact I can't think what riles her to the same extent, except maybe various fools that we have to contend with from time to time. Her mood visibly droops as camp time approaches, although she does a remarkable job in hiding this sombre feeling from all and sundry at school. I am less successful in masking my true feelings: it seems quite a ridiculous exercise to punish the kids so tortuously through the day just in the hope that "at least they'll sleep well tonight". What?! I'm not sure of the learning goals here but surely it has to be more than that. The real killer is that the faculty are expected to not only accompany the kids on all their adventures, but also to monitor/coach/supervise/model for them as well: in my mind, the oldies need a little more care...we're four times their age!!

Anyway, suffice to say, the experience was as horrendous as usual. The food was sub-standard and served up from a secretive kitchen by grubby attendants, the activities were arduous and of questionable merit and the sun roasted and singed throughout the five days with no relief. At least there were some small mercies: Cass and I had an air-conditioned cabin for the 6-7 hours we were allocated for sleeping, and I only had to brave the tents for the last night. The clear skies meant no extra discomfort due to rain, and the kids were generally, and remarkably, well behaved....no doubt utterly exhausted as we were!

It's a 1980s model summer camp that works for the sporty and energetic kids, but not for a lot of others. Its model has been supplanted by more inclusive (not pure PE activities) camps with a far greater emphasis on safety and negating risk factors. It just hasn't moved with the times at all. I've got a sneaking suspicion that our gleaming new Tech Cube, due to be  open in January, will be hosting various week-long projects in September next year. Wishful thinking? Watch this space.

Suffice to say we weren't at all impressed! We did our best to wash the stink of camp off over the weekend, both physically, with suitcases full of dirty laundry needing to be loaded, washed and dried as well as metaphorically where we ate tasty food and reveled in the comforts of home with our two lonely furbabies!

Photos: Wol and I needed to watch a prelim final of AFL on his phone as the internet was out at the Green Bar. Photos from camp. Someone need a beer on our shopping trip on Saturday!

Final's fever flashed furiously over the weekend, beginning on Thursday night, concentrating on Friday and rounding out on Sunday as the exhausted viewers finally drew breath and contemplated on results and upcoming fixtures. My adopted AFL team, the Richmond Tigers, dealt Hawthorn a lethal blow on Thursday night, meaning they now luxuriate in a week off to lick their wounds, and are just one more win away from a grand final berth.

Wol's boys were both recovering from an illness so I went round to his place to watch the big Geelong game on Friday night. I got more than I bargained for when I realized he had the game on delay and the two boys were still up and racing around. I played with their robots, read them books and even got a kiss goodnight for my troubles: too bad it didn't stick as they were both skittering around escaping their room for some time after that! Eventually we got some clean air to watch the game and although it was pretty entertaining, Wol's team, Geelong, lost to a rampaging opposition.

Cass went up to "Lady", the seamstress to get some more of her old clothes adjusted and re-modeled on Saturday afternoon. She wasn't sure whether to go ahead or not, but she has some top quality gear made from the finest materials. This coupled with lady's cheap prices and skillful sewing made her decision for her. After our usual shopping rounds and weekly stock-ups, we ordered some delicious Oggi Pizza for the late afternoon on Saturday, then scooterd home before some prodigious thunderstorms flooded the suburb making a cozy hideaway of our apartment. The rain continued to bother and sheet at various intervals through Sunday, and the temperature dropped a few degrees making it almost bearable for a stint after a long brutal summer that has witnessed almost unrelenting enervating heat and humidity.

We took advantage of the inclement weather to binge watch some quality TV, this time in the shape of "Cardinal", a Canadian crime thriller. We managed to watch all six episodes over the weekend as it was heroin addictive and gasp-inducing thrilling. It was one of those shows that you want to eke out over a period, but just couldn't stop watching!

Our great friends, Shaun and Katie, are leaving mid-year in December and returning to Australia and their new home and jobs in Hobart. One of our other colleagues is organizing a farewell PowerPoint for them and I made our slide the other day. The photo above is the collage I put together: the most notable thing is the preponderance of alcohol, friends and fun times... we'll really miss them.

Photos: a park we walk through to and from school, Virgy's head, Wol's new upstairs studio at his apartment, Cass getting some fittings at Lady's, Peri Peri at Carrefour (hooray!), the changing face of the suburb, and Shaun and Katie's collage.

A green, corrugated iron fence masks building sites all over Taiwan. It's no coincidence all the fences are green: there is some building code that requires this. There has been a green fence erected in our most proximate section of Chung Shan North Road for well over two years but narry a sign of building or even preparatory works until this last weekend when one old shop was stripped of cladding to reveal its cold cement skeleton (see first photo).

Cassy's cobbler and an enterprising fresh fish restaurateur have resisted the green fence in this large , derelict block, but all the other businesses succumbed long ago. Cassy's "lady", the seamstress, has moved to the other side of the suburb and my scooter man was also displaced along with a tiny antique shop. Most disappointing though, considering the subsequent lack of progress on building the next great glass and steel residential tower, is the demise of three great little bars here! The Bund 18 was slick and new and had a bright atmosphere, the Woo Soo Bar was dark and alley-like with a grungy appeal and the heavy liquor local bar, Bottom's Up, was for hard core Gaoliang drinkers only! I don't resist progress but a green fence for over two years......come on!

Cass had a delightful time with her good friend, Kristin on Friday. They went to the very slick cafe section of the signature restaurant Il Mercato to have an early dinner and a few wines and a good, long catch-up. Kristin had plenty of wonder to relate from nearly two months in Europe over the summer holidays and they wined and dined in spectacular style and quality. The mirror image of this was no doubt Wol and me scoffing German sausages at Uli's over a few sweet as honey Northern Taiwan lagers, talking about upcoming footy finals and his sick kiddies..... We still had a rip-roaring time, though!

We scootered down to various shopping outlets for the groceries before settling in at Eat Burger for an early dinner on Saturday. It was as fresh and delicious as usual, especially as we lashed out and got various sets which included drinks, appetizers and salads to accompany the main course of burgers.

I managed to watch a few NRL final round matches and Cass even joined in on a couple, as the games were quite fascinating and high stakes as points for and against changed throughout the matches, affecting where teams would finish and ultimately, who they would end up playing in the first week of the finals. It was a real roller-coaster of excitement, disappointment and acceptance.....I don't know how the players coped with it all!

I always forget to take a photo of my classes, so today I actually wrote it on the board as part of my schedule: if I forget, they're sure to remind me! Other photos are of a skeletal building in the green zone, Carrefour shopping help, Cass getting the bread and an interesting set of alley front doors opposite Eat Burger.