Yes, once I experienced this in Henan province during a Siberian-like winter time in a school apartment without any heating. After that terrible night, the administration put me in a hotel room with heating.

"Sleeping in a freezing room and you can get a frost-bitten nose".

Yep, whiskey or bourbon is the go I think. Although antibiotics and alcohol is not a good idea. Maybe just to gargle with or swallow a few small swigs. There has been a lot of talk recemtly that Listerine kills all sort of bacteria and viruses like gonorreah and MRSA and even HIV apparently, but not 100 per cent kill rate. Alcohol content is not high enough. Listerne also contains a few dangerous chemicals and artificial colours. The consensus with the Pattaya online crew is that high alcohol spirits are the way to kill off throat infections and possibly certain nasties caused by oral sex.

Cigarette smoke will kill harmful airbourne nasties but it's best not to actually smoke yourself. So indirect smoke can be healthy. Next time you go oblige Fifi to chain-smoke. NO no, only joking, don't let her smoke.

You are right, that's good advice.

I remember from the winter period in 2012/13 that you can buy some very thick blankets to keep warm in bed. Getting up in the morning and feeling cold a bit with your body adjusting to the temperature after some time can keep you healthy and strengthen your body. I lost weight since then and made me look slimmer after returning to Europe. I also did not eat any meat and kept to vegetables instead the last time although I am not a real vegetarian. This will also help if you suffer from diábetes.

"Ah, need some good Chinese style Long-Johns then".

At this time of the year, it will relatively cold. Houses have no heating in Kathmandu, and you need to wear several clothes on your body when you sleep. (It's still less cold than in Europe at this time of the year). In the Terrai region (south), it may quite hot on the other hand.

Don't know about my graduate student's village where I will also go for some time. Could be a very adventurous journey, there are no or only bad and also somewhat dangerous "roads". I like the challenge, and I think where the natives can go, I can go as well. Nothing is impossible in such a case, and I might slightly differ in attitude in comparison to other tourists in that respect. There is no doubt that Nepal can have a strong spiritual impact on any Western foreigner going there.

"What will the temperature be like when you arrive?"

Probably a little whisky (few drams) won't do any harm. Don't have any fags though- knock that one on the head.

GP today confirmed it is bronchitis. Several days now. Taking Augmentin antibiotic. Doc says if no improvement in four to five days it's X-ray time and maybe blood test again.

I have another notebook (laptop) with 16 GB RAM in my office room. It also has a very fast hard disk. I will no take that with me to Nepal because the other one with 8 GB RAM is much more useful (has 2 hard disks built in, etc.).

Wow! But the latter is handy as you say, not much chance of two hard discs breaking down.

My graduate student from Nepal will help me around during my 3-weeks stay in Nepal. I just received an email with some infos on hotel rooms he will book for me (and that, of course, I will pay for). He sent me some pics of rooms in two different hotels, and I have opted for Rose Star Hotel in the Guashala area of Kathmandu.
During my stay, I will also try to meet some old friends in New Baneshwor I know from my last trip in 2012/2013 and I have been in permanent contact with since. I have no news about other dear friends, don't know what happened them during the earthquake there some years ago. I still know how to find them,. provided their houses were not destroyed during the earthquake.-
Here are some pics of the hotel booked for me (below)...

It's so nice to watch her grow up from pic to pic over the years. She is adorable.

I won't take too much luggage with me. But I will have my new laptop (8 GB RAM, with two hard disks built in, one being an SSD HD, very fast), one or two books, some cloth and some USB sticks and a couple of DVDs with tertiary level teaching material to give away with me. I will probably return with two suitcases from Nepal with some nice things bought there; as a business class passenger I am entitled to have two pieces of luggage with 23 kgs each to be transported without any excess fee. Hope I can contribute to something useful there.

"Looking forward to being updated from Nepal."

Bloody Hell, 8gb Ram! We have numerous ancient computers but 4gb ram is the highest. Mind you when I bought them they were only able to boast about 1gb ram, so they've been upgraded.

You are going with your characteristic good attitude "Hope I can contribute to something useful there."

Thanks Fifi. Back in Brisbane now, I will need to go and see the local GP. In fact I use two clinics. I had a full check up about 10 days ago and doctor said all my test results ( for all STD's and other things ) were all negative. Also my kidney and liver function are good which surprises me as I was a binge drinker up till about mid-2014. Not sure if this is bronchitis but according to symptoms I think it is. I had it in China in 2012.

All the best healing that bronchitis, SB

I experienced things in the UK to be a bit messy and customer treatment very unfriendly and inconvenient. For example, long queues before boarding a train taking you from London Liverpool to a ferry to the continent. The Brits don't complain and just take it - continental people might eventually make some fuss if things don't work smoothly. I prefer things to run smoothly and I am also prepared to pay for a bit comfort and good service. On a continental high speed train, I can sit and work on my computer while having a good coffee or a good meal in the board restaurant. British Rail cars have less space and are far more inconvenient, I remember.

Next time in the UK, I will take a flying carpet instead, lol.

Tell you what, steam trains in the UK were more comfortable and reliable. Also the stations were more comfortable and friendlier- I remember it well. As boys we used to get on (jump the trains) the trains sporting knives in sheaths dangling from our belts, clutching airguns- and nobody was afraid of us.

You could be right about less carriage space- maybe the rail gauges are wider on your continental permanent-way? However, Thailand as SB will verify the trains are really narrow but not uncomfortable. I think American and British rail gauge must be the same, as The Flying Scotsman, Mallard, or some other locomotive still leave Southampton to chug around the states...as far as I know.

Looking forward to being updated from Nepal.

Fun aside, I know the country quite a bit and I have one of the most reliable and trustworthy guides on my side already - a grateful graduate student. I'll send my check-in luggage by a transport company in advance to the airport to avoid any hassle when taking the high speed train from Amsterdam to Munich airport on Sunday.

Good thinking. Humping luggage on trains is no fun. Negotiating British Rail and the tube system to get to, say, Gatwick would take it out of a twenty year old.

Yes, I already booked and paid for the flight. Regarding the Aussie, I am not sure whether I have a chance to meet him in that Pattaya twin city as I intend to travel outside Kathmandu in the south and in the north. So, unless he has turned into the legendary Yeti, the snowman, who is said to live in the remoter hills of the Himalaya, the chance of crossing that Aussie's ways are very low. After meeting the Vice Chancellor of Nepal's new Open University, I will spend most of my time in the village where my currently last PhD student comes from. His native community belongs to one of Nepal's Sino-Tibetan communities, and his PhD project focuses on the culture and native language community (Dhimal) so far not very well researched yet. To me, this trip is a mix of a work mission and some holiday to spend that makes a lot of sense to me.

If you need a good PA and travelling companion you could do a lot worse than asking Fifi(could get priority posts,) unless she's already with SB. They is both missing!

On a more serious note, it all sounds a wonderful and rewarding way of spending Christmas and I wish you well.

More of the same for me over Christmas, pounding the pavements, which I hate. I have just found out that my wife has a talent I didn't know about, skipping, she's an expert and makes that whirring noise that training boxers make- I suppose all Chinese girls are good at skipping? Anyway, no need for her to come jogging now-1000 skips is as good as a five mile jog.

There once was a Woodbine Willie, a Genuine Woodbine Willie (implying the other Willie was a fake), so which Woodenleg Willie are you talking about?
I have it on good authority that the Genuine Woodbine Willie lost his wooden leg and jumped on a horse's back to take a ride the moon to meet with the cows there.

Hahaha, well said. Yes, I have my doubts as to the authenticity of this character -genuine or not? He sounds like he could be- we shall see by Christmas.

Are you still departing by 17th for Nepal? We are looking forward to some snaps from Kathmandu, and will scrutinise carefully in case an Aussie comes into view.

Hope no ghosts slip into your checking-in-baggage. There were several apparitions in that scrooge yarn as I recall.

Woodbine Willie, will return at Christmas to tell you the true story of an actual poster who was whisked away from his home in China to a cold sewer in Bolton, England, by the ghost of his former teaching assistant, ya ge bu ma li, to whom our mean FT and restaurant owner metered out misery during his short lifetime. ya ge bu ma li, takes the bad tempered coffee shop owner down the sewer where an ex-FT he had more than once refused help lives on supermarket discarded food and fat balls to power his lamps. Don’t miss the first Gripping episode of “What goes around comes around.” {In order to protect our villain we will simply refer to him as CL}

Christian Love.