Selling up

Excellent – things are progressing well – love the internet. Someone in Laos is sending me some contact info for some schools, and I’ve planned how to get there.

I feel amazingly relieved. I haven’t been sure for some time about what I wanted to do beyond selling the house and going. But I was in a sweet shop of countries. I’ve been dotting between all the options unable to decide what I wanted. South America and Africa would both give many colourful photo opportunities. That’s tempting. But I felt as though a light shone down on Laos a couple of days ago. Since then it’s been so clear. That’s where I want to go. And my focus is now totally on getting there as soon as possible.

I’m thinking of flying via India – go and visit some friends out there, then on to Bangkok for a trip through my memories. Bangkok is a real marmite city – love it or hate it. After living there for two years, I have to say I love it. But I haven’t been there for twelve years. It’s going to be very different. And I never quite made it to Chiang Mai when I lived in Thailand, actually I never vaguely made it to Chiang Mai, so I thought I’d head up there then cross into Laos, and on to Vientiane – or wherever I end up working. According to everything I’ve read today it’s a chilled place with laid back and friendly people – just stick to the paths – knew that one already –I think it’s had the most bombs per square metre of any country – actually just made that up from half remembered facts from many many years ago – but it’s something to do with bombs being dumped or missing their target or some such event that involved not being at war yet somehow getting thousands of mines and bombs throughout the country. So excited. Just hope the house sale goes through quickly now. I got another interesting fact on Laos today too. Apparently it’s the third largest supplier of opium in the world. Stay away from the poppies. My ex husband is from the Golden Triangle in Burma and as a kid used to slit the stems then go off and play. A little while later he’d return with his friends and they’d suck on the stems. He decided to stop doing this when he turned ten!

There’s a strangely cleansing feeling about selling all your possessions. Or rather almost all of them. I’m keeping a few books and arty ornamenty things but the rest is going. Everything else is just dragging me down. Tethering me to the UK and keeping me from doing all that I want. But it can be so hard to see treasured possessions with their new owners. Most things have a history and a memory attached. I scuppered myself a bit on this – I’d arranged for someone to look after some of my bits and pieces but my plans enthused her, so now she’s going off travelling too and can’t look after my stuff after all. Much better that she is off for an adventure than acting as a storage facility for me. But……….

I hope that I will never want any of this stuff again. Actually I hope that I’ll never be back again. In the meantime I’m busy selling and giving away everything I own. Anyone want a sandwich toaster?