The chronicles of Thomas

My flight to KK only took twenty minutes, and I managed to get through airport security really quickly, so by the time I got out of the airport my flight had still not been scheduled to touchdown. Fortunately I didn't need to wait long to be picked up by Mac from Raleigh. It was a short drive from the airport to Fieldbase where I got to meet the rest of the advance team. I was the last there and it was getting quite late in the day, so by the time I had dumped my stuff in my room and had a quick shower it was time to head out for my first meal in KK. We went to a small place within walking distance for some roti. Apparently roti means bread, but to me it was more of a pancakey substance. The base of the food stays the same, a bit like a nan bread, but it is stuffed or cooked with a variety of sweet and savoury fillings. The food was ok. I wouldn't order it in a resturant if I had the choice, but it was interesting to try. It was also my first chance to chat to the other people. Quite a few of them had been on the previous expedition and so knew each other well already so I stuck with all the new people. After the meal we went out for a quiet drink at a local bar and then had an early night. The next few days were quite relaxed compared with what was to come. I spent my time reading the instructions given to me by the previous accountant, dealing with a few transactions, and attending various educational lectures with all the other people. In the evenings we would go to the same bar and chat. It was a really nice week. As time went on the group of people mixed and we all got on well. Mid week we all went out to the Fillopino market. This is a food market on the waterfront with loads of different types of stuff to try. There was a lot of bbq chicken and a huge amount of fresh seafood to choose from. The price of the food here is incredibly low. A plate of noodles and chicken cost less than five ringgit (just less than a pound). Generally food here is very cheap, even at branded places like McDonalds (where an extra value meal costs around GBP1.50) The atmosphere of the place was excellent and I hope to go back at some point. By the end of the week I was a little sad that all the project managers were going to be coming in country as we had all bonded and it would change our little team dynamic. The night before everyone arrived we all went out for a meal at the bar. The food wasn't great but the company was good, and it was a nice way to spend our final night as a group.