…..for a different kind of adventure. Instead of hiking, kayaking, exploring, etc., I’ll be teaching a week long class to faculty and administrators from Zhejiang YueXiu University of Foreign Languages in in SE China.

(This isn’t the university. its the view from the hotel where I’m staying for a few days before the course begins)

The students are enrolled in a doctoral program at Assumption University in Bangkok, the same university where I occasionally advise doctoral students on their dissertations. You may remember my 5.5 week visit a couple of years ago, during the hottest time of the year, to work with my student Thip as she successfully finished and defended her dissertation.

This will be a bit different — five days of lectures from 10-5 every day. It will be challenging, even for a guy like me who loves the sound of his own voice (remind you of anyone running for US President?). But I have a few ideas in mind for making the classes more interesting to the students, as well as to myself. The class starts on Monday so if I’m not completely wiped out very day from class, I’ll let you know how its going.

In the meantime, I’m back on the river, as you can see from my photos, at my favorite hotel in Bangkok, the Chatrium Riverside. I came in four days early to adjust to the time zone, overeat at the hotel’s sumptuous buffets and chill by the pool (literally — its been unseasonably cloudy, breezy and cool). Its also given me a chance to work on my lectures with little distraction, except for the incredible views outside the window of my one bedroom suite (BTW, I am paying for my room, but I did get a travel writer upgrade to the suite).

(my work space)

Its hasn’t been all work (and chillin’ at the hotel). The other evening I took a walk along the main drag just outside the hotel to get a great foot massage. Tonight I’m going out for dinner with my two former students from Assumption, Drs. Thip and Sawat. I’ll tell you more about that in a day or two, assuming I can still string together a few coherent words after talking all day.

(PS — the course has nothing to do with adventure travel. Its on organizational theory, one of my so-called “areas of expertise” back when I was a full time academic and organizational consultant. Just another attempt to keep those brain cells working.)