Sunday 29th August, 2021 0330

No, not a late drinking session, (although I am drinking a beer because the swines have turned the water off, so no tea or coffee) I just can't sleep. What little shut-eye I did get was plagued with a bizarre dream wherein they had placed my bed next to an Airbus A380 and were expecting me to climb the stairs!

Apropos the errant Uzbekistani students, I suppose it pays testament to both the skill of the school negotiators and the fact that the police here (so often vilified as being Stasist by people who have never been here) are being incredibly lenient in that the transgressors escaped with a fine and a strict injunction to return home and renew their papers within one month. I have no idea of the size of the fine.

Continuing in the vein of Uzbekistani students, Jody has been asked to go to school today to help a different bunch. They need transfer documents in order to repatriate to university in Tashkent, leaving for good. Not her job but never accuse the Chinese of being reluctant to flog a willing - or even unwilling - horse!

As for me, I now have a 20¥ stool on which to sit in the shower. In small degrees I am regaining the use of my right arm and still-swollen hand, albeit not enough yet that I am still typing this left-handed. The legs remain a worry, although as Jody suggested yesterday that could be because for the past three weeks I haven't eaten enough to sustain a guinea pig. Yesterday I did manage to eat two slices of home made toast and marmalade without incident. The horizon just might be appearing.

With an awful lot of time on my hands, when bored with watching films, my thoughts often turn to retirement. Whilst after eleven years - after coming here for one! - I am reasonably au fait with, and very comfortable with in the main, China and the culture, maybe a move would be in order.

I have never said I would see out my golden - that's a laugh - years necessarily in China so once again I researched neighbouring nations. Since I last looked it seems that Cambodia now has an R retirement visa valid 12 months a pop. Handier than Vietnam where you have to leave and return every quarter, and warm.

I was looking at Phnom Penh hotels. I think it makes sense for me personally to be like Major Gowen in Fawlty Towers. No bills, no cleaning. No cooking either, sadly, and possibly still as yet minor internet interference. But only having to worry about laundry, medicines, getting fed and watered rather appeals to me.

I found a place for £270 a month. The Pickled Parrot hotel, bar and restaurant. Well, the name grabbed me!