One way or the other, there's going to be an outcome to this trip which has taken a turn towards following a rabbit trail through a minefield.  

Last night I met up with a bunch of teachers who happened to be in Bangkok and we got hammered.  This took place on Soi 11 which is a famous spot in Bangkok for expats.  One teacher is moving here for a new job from Indonesia and I worked with him in Dalian China many years ago.  He still tells the story of how I met him at the Bangkok airport in 2006 and took him to Khaosan Road.  He remembers, and I don't, about how I somehow got into a Thai bar and almost got beaten up while he managed to get me out.  He's a great guy for sure

But the real highlight was bumping into a teacher I used to work with in Wuhan 10 years ago.  He has evidently stayed there ever since.  He regaled us with the suspense-filled tale of how he escaped Wuhan on January 21st.  That was literally the last possible day he could have gotten out before the world-famous lockdown started at midnight.  Since then he has parked himself in Bangkok and partied.  He is extremely popular and well-known with everyone on the Soi.  He wins the award of the century for timing his moves the way he did.  We also met up with a principal from a different school.  I wasn't aware he was the principal and said some dumb things I wouldn't have otherwise.  But whatever, he was a cool guy and paid the bill for us.  As for the Wuhan teacher I would say there is about a 0% chance his school will open before the semester finishes.

As super fun as that night was, it also raised many questions.  Are places going to start closing?  Should this Wuhan exile make another move if that happens?  If so, where?  What about me?  All these questions and more I hadn't a clue how to answer.  But my gut tells me it's not a good idea to stay here much longer.