Friday 21st April

• Hopefully Show and Workshops for Elementary School in morning, and
• then 5.00 pm Show at Lhoong Raya Barracks

Hags had not too bad a night and feels a bit better, so we decide to go ahead with the show at the Elementary School and Kindergarten that Doug of Amurt has set up for us.

"But I'm a guru!"

Doug and Ista come and pick us up at 7.30 am and we drive about 40 minutes out of town to a school whose name I'm afraid I forgot to write down. I grab a desk in a classroom and make badges with the Kindergarten children. They are lovely, but there are masses of very grabby women, who aren't lovely at all. We get through 100 badges, which is far more than there are children, and I feel ratty and wish I could explain that I really can't let adults have them, or there will not be enough for the rest of the children we will be working with - actually I have to say that even this explanation might well achieve nothing - the women really want what they want! Once I have finished and put the badge equipment away, a teacher comes up and demands that she be allowed to make a badge - I mime, sorry, but I've finished and it's all been packed away - "But I am a guru, a teacher!" shouts the woman. Luckily I kept my mouth zipped closed, but I was really furious. Hags has been doing the show in the courtyard for the elementary school, and it sounds as though it has been going really well, and when I get out in time for the fire finale, all seems well - but Hags said that because he was feeling ill, it was one of his worst shows, and that he had kept dropping. Poor Hags - he minds his dropping far more than the children do - at least it is clear that the children enjoyed the show very much and had a great time.

(No pictures of this morning's session, sadly, as I was completely beseiged with badge-making, but got some good pix at Llhoong Raya, later in the day, which I will put up as soon as I can isolate where they are on the computer.)

Feeling dreadful

Hags now feeling dreadful, so we hasten back to the hotel and he goes back to bed - thank goodness for our cool, airconditioned room here - I rush around doing internet, etc., buying the helicopter flights from the UN and preparing last badge bits.

Hags begins to feel a bit better, so he heads off to try to buy a new battery charger for the camera (as he had left ours at Gapang), while I do more internet and diary....We had arranged for Dedy to come and collect us at 4.30 and it is nearing that and no sign of Hags.....I pack up everything we need for the show (save only H's white shirt as it turns out!) and get it downstairs. Dedy is late and there is no sign of Haggis! 4.45 Dedy arrives, but still no Haggis. I have visions of him collapsing in the street from this mystery bug and being carted off to hospital....I have both the mobile phones - why do we never have one each when we need them? I'm on the verge of setting off to scour the streets, when Haggis suddenly arrives in a tuk tuk - he had had no watch with him and had only just realised the time. We bundle into Dedy's taxi, run through the checklist for the show.

Working under extreme difficulties

We arrive at Llhoong Raya about 15 minutes late (I know this is only a tiny bit late, but we really have prided ourselves on our timekeeping to date) but Andy, the camp co-ordinator doesn't seem too put out, luckily. He leads us to a balai where Haggis is to perform the show. The ipod is nearly out of battery (with Haggis being ill, the practical/technical side of our life has slipped a bit) and the play list seems to have disappeared. We can't find the Sweet Georgia Brown track anywhere, but Hags decides to go straight into the hat routine to Frank Sinatra "I Get a Kick Out Of You" track, and that and the Saw Doctors' "Pied Piper" are on a different "on the go" list, so that's cool. The show is going well despite Hags feeling illish. To my delight I have managed to find "Hey Mickey" on the ipod, so that Haggis can do his fire routine to music, but at that very moment the power in the ipod runs out. Hey ho! Haggis is looking very rough now, and couldn't continue much longer anyway, so we skip the fire piece. Luckily the audience really enjoyed the show - and Andy seems delighted by it all.

Put the invalid to bed

Back to the hotel and put Haggis back to bed again. A massive repack for tomorrow. Basically we are just taking show stuff and minimal clothes down to Aceh Raya on the UN World Food Programme helicopter tomorrow morning, and leaving everything else in the office at reception in this hotel. This is almost the last repack! Hallelujah! Make a big pile of stuff that we will deliver to Linda North at Yayasan Lamjabat on Monday (2 parachutes, badge machine, badge cutter, modeeling balloons, beanbags, boomsticks, facepaints, etc). Hags directs the packing from bed, and eventually it is all done, and the bed is clear of suitcases and I can collapse into bed as well.