This is probably my last blog from Laos for a while, I’m heading back to Thailand next week and its looking like t is going to be a full week. I have been concentrating on getting things done here which I can only do here, I can write reports and do literature research in Melbourne. I can’t make visits or meet people who a useful/crucial to the project when I return. I have four, make that five specific visits I want to do in the time I am here. A visit to Laos university engineering department, a visit to a biofuels research facility, a visit to a Jatropha plantation, a visit to the Laos state fuel company and an organisation called MTEC which is actually in Bangkok so hope to visit on the way back through. I have managed the first 3 the engineering department was interesting, we met with the head of the faculty Dr. Khampan who I liked a lot. He spoke excellent English and was quite a fun guy. One of he main reasons for the visit is that LIRE does not have any workshops of their own so design, build, install and commission will have to be done outside, the idea of involving the university is the classic two way stream of giving the students projects to work on that exist in the real world and have finance to support them and in exchange we get university facilities and cheap labour (students). How the latter is needed is questionable when you can hire people for $4 a day. However the competence of the people you get is always ‘interesting’. I have some pictures of the university but they are mainly of equipment which will not interest many of you.
We then had trip to a privately backed biofuel research facility which was interesting. As many thing here it seems to be a project which had some money thrown at it in a short burst of enthusiasm and then for whatever reason been abandoned, stopped or just lost interest. Although this facility does seem to be still be being used after a fashion, a brand new building had just been erected which according to the head honcho, Sukan, was to house the laboratory and test facility, but I found out later that they are unsure what equipment to buy ( or do not have the money). They did a have an ‘all in one’ biodiesel reactor plant made by an organisation called MTEC, a Thai government institution based at Kasetsart Univeristy in Bangkok quite an impressive facility by all accounts. LIRE have a MOU (Memorandum of understanding) with them, although what that actually means in a country where a legally binding written contract is not worth the paper it is printed on is anybodies guess. Anyway that is trip number five.
Also managed to fit a trip number 3 which was to the Laos state fuel company to meet the manager of the renewable fuels department who was a very helpful and jolly man by the name of Phoukhong who for some reason spoke fluent Russian but not English or French. The main purpose of this visit was to ascertain what standard we had to make the biodiesel to seeing that Laos state fuel LSF would be both responsible for the quality control but also the distribution. Although the meeting was cordial everything was a little vague, I am getting the hang Laos meetings, its all a bit Chinese whispers until there is actual money placed on the table. Anyway agreements discussed and a MOU touted as the next step. We do need the cooperation of the LSF to commission the proposed plant we will need to test the biofuel produced and seeing that LSF have the only test equipment in Laos they do have a bit of a monopoly an situation I am sure they are fully aware of and will come to our notice when we have a to agree a price for the testing.
Shopping is always an interesting excursion, I know my way around the town pretty well now so if I want anything specific I know. I needed a new pair of sun glasses so the Chinese market (Taled Jean) out on Road T2 (Tanon 2 – Road #2 – Its communist lets keep it simple) was the place to go. After mooching around a couple of shops I found a sunglasses stand which seemed to have the sort of thing I was looking for. The young lady, presumably the shop owner, encouraged me into the shop for what I assumed was to show me some more sunglasses. She opened a large draw which was next to the sunglasses display and to my surprise it was full of quality made Chinese dildo’s . I was wondering what it was about my appearance that would dictate her to think that I was in need of such an item, it’s a worry.
I have finally got to the bottom of how to get hold of a decent sized motorbike; I have noticed that there are a few more on the road now so I was presuming there is some way round this law. The answer is no, A. you can not register a motorcycle over 250 cc. B. only a Laos national can have a vehicle in their name. I went down to ‘Jules classics’ which is a motorcycle hire shop in the centre of town. He has a Kawasaki 650 retro style which he was wanting to sell ( for the outrageous price of $US5500) and went through the fairly straight forward process you have to go through to get round the law. First buy your large motorcycle and also buy a smaller motorcycle of the same make i.e. a Kwak 125cc or 150 cc. File down the frame number and engine number and re stamp with the smaller models number, then change the plates. Then it’s just a matter of finding a dead Laotian to register in there name. Once he had explained it all to me I couldn’t se what all the fuss was about.
Today I exercised my democratic right, Australian federal election on the 21st of this month, for those not in the know it is against the law not to vote in the election in Australia. Being out of the country I a pretty good excuse and I wouldn’t be in too much hot water if I didn’t bother but the Australian Embassy is just around the corner from the Lire office and it is one of my ‘high horse’ issues about voting. Apart from the very sound argument ‘if you don’t vote you can’t complain’ there is an even better reason. Throughout the years many people have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can live in a democracy however uneven, flawed or broken it may be. Not to vote would be disrespectful to their memory ( I will get down from my high horse now). The whole process was remarkable efficient and didn’t take to long at all. I was tempted to vote for the CEC ‘Citizens electoral council’ who I receive regular e-mails from for reasons I am not too sure, I did e-mail and them and asked them to stop and they replied by saying this was not possible for technical reasons, however I do find there press releases very entertaining. There political platform revolves around that there is a international conspiracy to reduce the worlds population by mass genocide being orchestrated by… get this… the British royal family. The main entertainment value you get here with voting is going back to the office and Laotians how difficult it is deciding which party to vote for.
Dinner at Hong view restaurant
Kiu ( Somjan borther ), Oon ( Somjans wife), Somjan, May and myself.
MK famous flushing toilet
Somjan MK and May on our trip to fix the final leak in his water filter
Sunday morning at the Abundant water facility
Tons of stone Jatropha drying at TRI biofuel research
Workshop at TRI note un opened crates containing 3 brand new chinese screw presses
Methanaol and Toluene being stored in the appropriate safe manor
Edward standing in fronto of MTEC Biodiesel reactor at TRI
Group of happy Laotions at hotel working with Belgium Anthropologist ( with glasses ) wanted there picture taking
The pool at Villa Sisavad and its 'unusual' colour
Some insect life here you don't need 'Dawsons exterminators' you need Signorey Weaver
Somjans House
May on our visit to Tat Lueang
A nice picture of Tat Lueang
Same again but me
Even the Laos ministry of tourism refer to Patuxay as a'monster of concrete'
May in front of Patuxay
We then had trip to a privately backed biofuel research facility which was interesting. As many thing here it seems to be a project which had some money thrown at it in a short burst of enthusiasm and then for whatever reason been abandoned, stopped or just lost interest. Although this facility does seem to be still be being used after a fashion, a brand new building had just been erected which according to the head honcho, Sukan, was to house the laboratory and test facility, but I found out later that they are unsure what equipment to buy ( or do not have the money). They did a have an ‘all in one’ biodiesel reactor plant made by an organisation called MTEC, a Thai government institution based at Kasetsart Univeristy in Bangkok quite an impressive facility by all accounts. LIRE have a MOU (Memorandum of understanding) with them, although what that actually means in a country where a legally binding written contract is not worth the paper it is printed on is anybodies guess. Anyway that is trip number five.
Also managed to fit a trip number 3 which was to the Laos state fuel company to meet the manager of the renewable fuels department who was a very helpful and jolly man by the name of Phoukhong who for some reason spoke fluent Russian but not English or French. The main purpose of this visit was to ascertain what standard we had to make the biodiesel to seeing that Laos state fuel LSF would be both responsible for the quality control but also the distribution. Although the meeting was cordial everything was a little vague, I am getting the hang Laos meetings, its all a bit Chinese whispers until there is actual money placed on the table. Anyway agreements discussed and a MOU touted as the next step. We do need the cooperation of the LSF to commission the proposed plant we will need to test the biofuel produced and seeing that LSF have the only test equipment in Laos they do have a bit of a monopoly an situation I am sure they are fully aware of and will come to our notice when we have a to agree a price for the testing.
Shopping is always an interesting excursion, I know my way around the town pretty well now so if I want anything specific I know. I needed a new pair of sun glasses so the Chinese market (Taled Jean) out on Road T2 (Tanon 2 – Road #2 – Its communist lets keep it simple) was the place to go. After mooching around a couple of shops I found a sunglasses stand which seemed to have the sort of thing I was looking for. The young lady, presumably the shop owner, encouraged me into the shop for what I assumed was to show me some more sunglasses. She opened a large draw which was next to the sunglasses display and to my surprise it was full of quality made Chinese dildo’s . I was wondering what it was about my appearance that would dictate her to think that I was in need of such an item, it’s a worry.
I have finally got to the bottom of how to get hold of a decent sized motorbike; I have noticed that there are a few more on the road now so I was presuming there is some way round this law. The answer is no, A. you can not register a motorcycle over 250 cc. B. only a Laos national can have a vehicle in their name. I went down to ‘Jules classics’ which is a motorcycle hire shop in the centre of town. He has a Kawasaki 650 retro style which he was wanting to sell ( for the outrageous price of $US5500) and went through the fairly straight forward process you have to go through to get round the law. First buy your large motorcycle and also buy a smaller motorcycle of the same make i.e. a Kwak 125cc or 150 cc. File down the frame number and engine number and re stamp with the smaller models number, then change the plates. Then it’s just a matter of finding a dead Laotian to register in there name. Once he had explained it all to me I couldn’t se what all the fuss was about.
Today I exercised my democratic right, Australian federal election on the 21st of this month, for those not in the know it is against the law not to vote in the election in Australia. Being out of the country I a pretty good excuse and I wouldn’t be in too much hot water if I didn’t bother but the Australian Embassy is just around the corner from the Lire office and it is one of my ‘high horse’ issues about voting. Apart from the very sound argument ‘if you don’t vote you can’t complain’ there is an even better reason. Throughout the years many people have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can live in a democracy however uneven, flawed or broken it may be. Not to vote would be disrespectful to their memory ( I will get down from my high horse now). The whole process was remarkable efficient and didn’t take to long at all. I was tempted to vote for the CEC ‘Citizens electoral council’ who I receive regular e-mails from for reasons I am not too sure, I did e-mail and them and asked them to stop and they replied by saying this was not possible for technical reasons, however I do find there press releases very entertaining. There political platform revolves around that there is a international conspiracy to reduce the worlds population by mass genocide being orchestrated by… get this… the British royal family. The main entertainment value you get here with voting is going back to the office and Laotians how difficult it is deciding which party to vote for.
Dinner at Hong view restaurant
Kiu ( Somjan borther ), Oon ( Somjans wife), Somjan, May and myself.
MK famous flushing toilet
Somjan MK and May on our trip to fix the final leak in his water filter
Sunday morning at the Abundant water facility
'sieving' the used coffee from Joma coffe shop
Tons of stone Jatropha drying at TRI biofuel research
Workshop at TRI note un opened crates containing 3 brand new chinese screw presses
Methanaol and Toluene being stored in the appropriate safe manor
Edward standing in fronto of MTEC Biodiesel reactor at TRI
Group of happy Laotions at hotel working with Belgium Anthropologist ( with glasses ) wanted there picture taking
The pool at Villa Sisavad and its 'unusual' colour
Some insect life here you don't need 'Dawsons exterminators' you need Signorey Weaver
Somjans House
May on our visit to Tat Lueang
Same again but me
Even the Laos ministry of tourism refer to Patuxay as a'monster of concrete'
May in front of Patuxay
