Tai and I were back in Thailand for the Songkran, New Year, holiday. And we managed as always to do so much in so little time.

 

Songkran is to Thai families the same as Christmas in the West and it was good to be able to spend some time with our families. Alex came to Bangkok for a few days at the end of his Easter holiday; I am always happy that he and Tai get along so well. We had not seen Alex since he came to Dubai at Christmas and it was good to have some bonding time together.

 

Then we spend two night in Pranburi, on the coast south of Hua Hin, with Tai's mother, elder sister and two nieces. I did enjoy being part of the family; we rode bikes, swam, toured the Hua Hin market, went to Monkey Island and ate. You can see some of the pictures in the photo album.

 

And the little SGA Cessan Caravan to Hua Hin was a very different experience from the EK 777s.

 

Now as we both head back (on different days) to Dubai I do so with some trepidation. I cannot stay with Tai in the EK accommodation any longer and until I have work and a residence visa I will need to stay in a hotel; this is not a cheap option. Especially as I want to stay as clsoe as possible to Tai so that we can be together whenever we can and so that i can be close to the familiar surroundings that we have there. Being there in the daytime should be OK. Overnight is not going to be allowed. I hope we are able to get through this period. I want to be with her more than anything in the world - and to be able to build our lives and careers together and in time to build our home together.

 

It puts the pressure on to find work as soon as possible. Cross your fingers for me.

 

In the meantime hopefully we can still get to Turkey for a few days in early May and then there are certain celebrations at the end of the month to look forward to.

 

It is now also six months to the day since Tai left Bangkok for Dubia. I remember her departure so well. I remember how I suddenly felt that the most important person in my life was going away. And suddenly feeling quite devestated at the realisation. We had been so busy in the weeks and days before she left that the reality only became clear at the airport. For the first time I could say to her with complete honesty and total certainty that I was in love with her. I meant it that night. And I have said it every day since. I will be there for you honey, always.

It is Good Friday, the beginning of Easter and I was reminded in an sms this morning that I already have my Bunny - and she is with me every day not just for Easter !

 

The Easter bunny is a symbol or spring and of new life.....which I like as I know that I have been given a new life with my bunny. :)

 

The Easter bunny has its origin in pre-Christian fertility lore. The Hare and the Rabbit were the most fertile animals known and they served as symbols of the new life during the Spring season.  The bunny as an Easter symbol seems to have it's origins in Germany, where it was first mentioned in German writings in the 1500s. The first edible Easter bunnies were made in Germany during the early 1800s. And were made of pastry and sugar. It was German settlers who took their Easter traditions to the USA in the 1700s.

In the USA in particluar the Easter Bunny leaves baskets of treats on Easter morning for good children. The Easter Bunny likes to leave chocolates, coloured eggs, plastic coloured eggs and other fun things for Easter. The Easter Bunny likes leaving these in a basket or even in caps and bonnets as he used to do long ago. In the UK the tradition is more around giving chocalate Easter Eggs. These can be extravagantly wrapped and priced !

 

"Oh! here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hoppin' down the bunny trail,
Hippity hoppity
Happy Easter day

 

There are of course many bunnies sold as pets at Easter.

 

Looking after your bunny takes a great deal of time, caring and love...so before you adopt your rabbit you should consider the following advise from a vet:

 

 

One year on: Brian W Scott.
19 July 1932 to 30 March 2006

30 March 2007

It does not seem a year ago; but Dad died a year ago today.

He really was a decent man; wonderfully loyal, honest, sensible, hard working. He gave his best for his family. He loved us; though he never told us. He never judged us; he was proud of our successes and tolerant of our mistakes.  He had a great sense of fairness, of right and wrong. And a nice dry humour.

He bore his illness with great courage and dignity and even a little humour.

When things are difficult my mother asks herself "What would Brian have done?" So do I. He still appears in my dreams sometimes. He would never have questioned my move to Dubai or the reasons for it. He would have given his usual strong quiet support and always his interest.

If I have any regret it is that Tai only met him on the one occasion. I wish they had enjoyed getting to know eachother. They would have enjoyed eachother's company. My father would have wanted to take her for long walks to appreciate the English countryside, its wildlife and the changes of scenery. He would have been explaining the joys of Belleek and Masons' Ironstone to her. And then there would have been the tour of the local village hall to appreciate his fund-raising work !

My mother meanwhile has great support and friends in the village. After living with someone that you love for 50 years I can only imagine how different life must suddenly be on your own. But she has managed with great strength and will continue to do so for a long time to come.

I hope he is still watching proudly over us. 

A short update - with more pictures to come after we get back to Dubai.

 

Tai and I are in Thailand for the wekend. In fact we have about 75 hours here from arriving at the hotel on Thursday night to leaving for the airport at midnight on Sunday.

 

Of that time I get about half of it with Tai, although we are sleeping for half the time we are together :) if that makes sense. On Friday she flew an evening turnaround to Hong Kong and she has been away with her family for Saturady afternoon and Sunday morning.

 

The flight over was a very light passenger load - only 73 passengers in Economy - it will be much busier on the way home.

 

As the only Thai crew on board Tai gets to make all the Thai language announcements and does so with great clarity and confidence. She is good at what she does and gets on well withe her colleagues; the warmth of her smile is genuine and she is very relaxed with her passengers. I enjoyed being on her flight; although it did feel a little strange. I feel guilty watching her work while I sit there.......

 

Should I mention who won our two games of Reversi.....

 

It is good to be back in Bangkok - there is life, energy and colour here that Dubai wil never have. There is so much more to see and do. So many more places to eat. So much variety.  Just walking the streets is fun - and the street vendors and marke traders are part of the local scene that Dubai can never have.

 

 

 

 

A new week in Dubai - actually although it is Monday it is almost midweek in Dubai!

 

I interviewed on Saturday and early today. Saturday was really enjoyable but I have no idea what to make of this morning's meeting. Probably should not really say any more than that for the moment and see what happens next. Is it a job that I want to do? Is it an industry that I would enjoy? I know I can make any job interesting and find challenges in anything that I do....but.....

 

Tai came back from Bangkok with a dreadful bout of flu. All the worst symtoms of a high temperature, chills. body ache, sore throat, blocked sinuses. I have not seen her that unwell. And she has slept more than she has been awake since first thing Saturday morning.

 

I am glad she is recovering; I want the old Tai back. She is like me; she hates being sick.....fortunately she is not flying until Thursday and that is a short turnaround.

 

Meanwhile it is almost a week since I last went out other than to the supermarket or for an interview. I am beginning to get cabin fever :) - when Tai came back from Perth we had a couple of nice sunny, happy lunches out in Jumeirah. That was before she went away to Bangkok last week.

 

 

 

 

 

Time flies - except on weekends when Tai is away. Another month gone; not sure that I made a lot of progress last month with the job hunt; but I did get back to BKK for over a week with Tai and that felt like being home; it is good to know that there is a place that will always be home for us.

 

Tai is on her way to Perth. It is a tough flight; eleven hours; some sleep; a little sight seeing; a few hours rest and then a long haul with a full load back to Dubai. But it is almost a quarter of the month's flying hours in a two night away trip. Sadly she only has only a couple of days of rest before heading of to Bangkok and Hong Kong.

 

I can tell you that there is little to do in Dubai of you are not mobile; know no one here and have seen everything in the city already !

 

Still it has been a good day to work on the personal finances and to clear up some old long outstanding paperwork ! So I feel like I was quite useful today.

 

A wise person said to me this morning that the best is still to come......I need to prove her right!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has been a tough couple of days. Job hunting is starting to frustrate me. One meeting yesterday was postponed after I arrived. The recruiter that I was supposed to meet was sick; but she had not told her assistant about our meeting. Feeling stood up I called to see what had happened. We will reschedule for another day but it was not a good start to the week.

 

Another meeting in the afternoon was better but really just a case of meeting people who I hope will make some introductions for me and pass on my resume.

 

I am finding this job search harder than expected. My resume is good. My experience is extensive. I am available immediately. I am not that expensive; there are no school or relocation costs. But there are simply not that many vacancies and the recruitment process is slow.

 

I work the phone - people are helpful but it is hard to get past the gatekeepers to the decision makers. And then many of the decision makers are away on business...."he will be back next Saturday" is a regular expression.....

 

There must be work here for me - I really am quite smart ! And I am good at what I do.

 

In the meantime I feel a bit guilty that it is Tai who is working so hard.....all I can say is that I have done many many years of hard work !!!

 

Fingers crossed for a change in fortunes and some good news......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tai and I arrived back in Dubai this morning. As usual EK 385 was packed and it was not a very comfortable flight. 

 

I enjoyed being back in BKK with Tai. She was excited to be home and it is amazing how much we were able to do in one week.

 

It was all good; well a couple of rough moments ! There were some highlights.

 

We went and saw Tai's old primary school as well as her University. I enjoy learning about her life :)

 

The Let Us Sea resort in Hua Hin is a very attractive small resort with a spa and with rooftop decks above half of the rooms where you can lie back and star gaze. The restaurant is good; it has beach access and the staff pay great attention to the small details. There are only 40 rooms built either side of a 100 metre long pool.

 

We ate on Sunday night at Breeze restuarant. This is the newest addition to the restaurants at State Tower (the Lebua hotel). It is in the open air on the 52nd floor. Mainly a seafood menu  the food is excellent and is very nicely presented. A very romantic place to eat. Not cheap !

 

Tai had a haircut; not just a cut but a complete restyling. And the new short style is very classy indeed; she looks fabulous. After over three years of seeing her with long hair this will take some getting used to and will mean a huge new collection of pictures.

 

I bravely went to Bumrungrad for my first full medical check up for four years and am basically in better shape than I was four years ago.  That was pleasing; must keep up the exercise.

 

And we shopped! Pratunam; the markets around Silom and Saladaeng; the textile market; the market at Thammarsat University and at Saphan Taksin; Central; TOPS. A healthy contribution to the Thai economy!

 

Some pictures follow:

 

 

Well, we are back in BKK - although things have not gone quite as I hoped; albeit rather as I feared might happen.

 

We had a great flight over - it was fast to BKK - just five hours flying time. And we spend most of the flight paying Reversi and Tetris against eachother; the flight passed very quickly. I am truly hopeless at Tetris....

 

But today I am in Bangkok on my own while Tai is at home with her family. Not quite what I hoped for. I know she will have a great time with her family. I just was not ready to spend 2 or 3 days on my own in BKK and I really had hoped that we would be spending the holiday together.

It was a difficult evening for a while last night when I knew we would be apart; but there really is no room for me with all the family arriving home to meet Tai. And they should have time to be together as a family and I should be OK with that ! It is like she went on a layover - albeit to Ratchaburi.

 

Instead I will keep busy - reviewing contracts for our Dubai apartment and rather more scary - going for a full medical at Bumrungrad hospital tomorrow. That will be my first full medical since early 2003 and it will be interesting to see what changes have taken place. I dug out the old report so that I can compare the two !

 

Time for a haircut as well....lots to do tomorrow ! Doesnt sound very exciting does it!

 

 

 

 

 

Tai and I will be in Bangkok around 6pm on Monday night (5 Feb). We will be flying together on EK...a few firsts; our first long flight together, Tai's first flight as a passenger out of DXB and her first passenger flight since graduation. It is also her first trip home since coming to Dubai. And I am happy for her.

 

Many of her friends in Emirates have already had the opportunity to head home; and I know it will mean so much for Tai to be able to spend time with her family and to catch up with her friends....

 

It will be a busy and happy time. So much has happened to us both over the last few months. Life is often about choices that you make. But the best choices are those that are made together. We have chosen eachother and chosen to build our new life in a new city.....we will always have family and friends but now it is an extended and new family. 

 

I have not mentioned Alex here for a while; I always thought I would stay and work as close to him as I could; a very wise friend once advised me that I should make sure that I look after myself; don't do things because of the past but get out and live your life. Actually he was my lawyer and a wise friend.

 

Tai once wrote that I should forget the past and embrace the new.

 

Alex will always be a part of our lives. Tai loves him very much and I believe he knows that he will always have a home wherever we are. I won't be able to see him as much or as often as I did in the past. And I always miss being a part of his life; I miss watching him grow up day to day. But he is a wonderfullly mature boy. And I hope we will always be able to find a way to bring him to Dubai or to share holidays with him.

 

If he ever reads this I hope he knows that my love for him never changes.

 

But Tai is right, and my lawyer is right. If you find someone to love then embrace it, cherish that love; learn from the past and live for the present and future. I am engaged to an amazing woman and that is life changing !

 

More from Bangkok in the next week; and hopefully a few pictures as well.

 

 

 

It is the 1st February; the beginning of a new month - Tai has been flying two months; on 3 February we will have been engaged for two months; there is our first trip back to BKK together starting on Monday 5th; Valentines (although Tai will be in Vienna) and Tai's birthay at the end the month.

 

It is also the month when I really should find some work in Dubai; I should not be despondent; I only started my job search 20 days ago ! But things just seem to move more slowly here.

 

We were out in the desert today! Riding 4WDs, camels and eating under the stars. It was a fun day.

 

It would be good to get settled here soon - we have a year to wait until our apartment is ready. So I need a job to get a residents permit to be able to sign a lease to have an apartment near to Tai in Dubai; and I need a job to keep me busy and give me something challenging to do. And I need a residents permit to own a car etc etc. And a car would be a real benefit for us here.

 

It will be a busy month. I wish I felt completely certain how everything will turn out.....I know I am doing the right thing; and I know what I want for me and for Tai.....the destination is crystal clear and is everything that I want....I just hope that there are no bumps or detours along the way....

 

It was a fun day to start the month - and here are a few pictures from our desert safari!

Its the afternoon of 27th January and our Africa specialist has been called back there; this time to Nairobi.

 

Tai was on home standby from 6am to 6pm and the call came around 1pm; just when we thought that it could be a quiet day and time for a nice dinner tonight. Instead it will be the usual quite night at home!

 

We did at least get to go out for the day yesterday; and had a nice day.

 

But Tai was only back from Accra on Thursday morning and slept much of the day on her return. It takes one day to recover from flying and to catch up on sleep and to be able to relax together and be used to being around eachother. So that left us yesterday to go to the beach and the mall, to do a little shopping (another trip to Zara !!!!) and to eat.

 

And then she is gone again; that will be six nights out of eight that she has been away.....our holiday back in Thailand will be much needed. It also means that my Thai teacher is away too much and I am not practising as much as I should do.

 

At least I have plenty to keep me busy tomorrow ! And a run and some exercise this afternoon will help.

 

I miss her when she is away  - only good news is how happy I am when she comes back.

Tai flies home late tonight arriving back in Dubai on Thursday morning. Today feels like a long day; in part because I have no meetings to go to and in part because I want her home......

 

At least things have changed since I was at school. When my parents went to Nigeria there was simply no way to contact them other than by airmail letter. Phone calls needed to be booked a week in advance and were at best unreliable.....and the internet was not even in anyone's dreams.

 

They had no television; and the BBC world service came by short wave radio - and you constantly had to move the radio to get better reception.

 

Now I can call Tai at any time; Etisalat profits should be soaring. But it makes such a differnce to be able to talk with her at any time and to hear her voice and about her day ! And I hope it makes a difference for her as well and helps her stay connected to home and better still, to me !!

 

The good news - it is a lovely sunny day in Dubai and I really should go out. Another run around the building estate later ! And some spring cleaning and laundry to be done !!

  

 

 

 

 

Readers of www.rascott.com will know all about Tai; they will also know that I write about her, think about her, miss her when she is away, and am deeply committed to her. Home is Dubai, actually home is wherever Tai is; Tai is already working here and I am in the process of job hunting so that we may be here together. New readers to this blog can find more on my web site.

 

Tai is on reserve this month - and this was the third overnight standby this month. The wake up call came at about 4.10am this morning; the 11pm to 11am standby shift is hard. It is best to go to sleep early if possible and then hope that there is no 11.00pm wake up call.

 

The only trouble with today's call is that Tai is gone for four nights - she left on Sunday morning and returns on Thursday morning with three nights in Accra and one night working the overnight flight back to Dubai.

 

A quick geography lesson - Accra is the capital of Ghana on the West Coast of Africa; the flight goes on from Accra to Abidjan in the Ivory Coast which she will fly as a turnaround on Tuesday.

It was the first black African country to obtain independence from colonial rule. Upon achieving independence from the United Kingdom in 1957, the name Ghana was chosen for the new nation as a reference to its ancient roots in the Empire of Ghana. 

In reality we have been lucky this week ; it is a week since Tai flew to Moscow and she has not been called up at either an airport or home standby since.

 

Accra is a long haul on an A330; today's flight will take almost 10 hours; and with a 90 minute delay on departure it is a long day.

 

This is the first long layover - it is only four nights - but will seem like a long time.

 

So to cheer up my day here are just a few pictures from the last couple of days.

 

When I was a teenager my parents lived in Nigeria; often the flights to or from Lagos would fly via Accra. Of course this is a great experience for anyone; it is unlikely that Ghana wil be high on a list of holiday destinations or even business travel destinations; but with Emirates Tai gets to see and experience first hand one of the major cities of Africa while staying in reasonable comfort and with the companionship of her crew colleagues.

 

Meanwhile, the maid, (me !!!) can clean, do laundry and also some serious job hunting !

 

 

 

 

 

Gentle reader,

 

In an effort to allow better access to the large number of photographs that I am now taking on my travels and in Dubai I have linked my website (www.rascott.com) to MSN live spaces and will continue to add new pictures here.

 

Some of my favourite pictures will also appear on my web site; apologies for the duplication.