Monday, September 19, 2011

A 2nd or maybe a 3rd start!



SAME SAME…BUT DIFFERENT

Prelude:

It’s now only a few days before my flight “out of Ecuador” and my forthcoming arrival in Chiang Mai…this with a week and a 
half stopover in the states. As I’ve basically been packed for the last month or so… there is presently very little of which needs to yet be accomplished with regards to this trip.

Basically I’ve been “spinning my wheels” for the last few months. This…by the way…is not a fun way to spend ones time but…it did serve a purpose. The purpose was simply...a personal lesson in patience and inner discovery…
which by the way was…quite enlightening. 

The good thing (maybe) about my somewhat “slow” expatriation was in the fact…that I was able to spend some time with both my expat and Cuencano friends…structured within a relaxed and unhurried atmosphere.  


In addition (and a very welcome one at thatwas the fact that I have been treated to “adios” lunches…dinner and drinks (not necessarily in that order)…by various friends. You know who you are and…once again I thank you one and all…as it was “truly and deeply” appreciated!

So my friends…my next recitation will most likely occur when I am once again…back within the folds of the...

“Land of Smiles”…AKA…Thailand.
  
Arrival:

After a comfortable 22 hour flight from New York’s JFK to Chiang Mai International I’ve set foot…once again on Thai soil. 

For now I have taken up living quarters in a small “hotel” with the ambiguous name of The Western House Hotel”. If I had to give it a rating I would give it 2.5 – 3 stars. 


It’s clean….quiet (which is an important factor) and safe. It’s also situated in the “Old City”…but in the upper-most northern area and unfortunately away from most places I would frequent. So…tomorrow…I am [once again] on the move to my new digs named Lanna-House Hotel and Guesthouse. It’s a much nicer place and situated in the heart of Chiang Mai. The hotel does cost about THB2000 more for the month verses the monthly cost of my current room. By the way….the THB2000 translates to about $66 more…than what I would have paid if I stayed put! If your interested and want a look-see Lanna-House…their website is…
www.lanna-house.com

So for now…I’m still in limbo land and taken it slow. I do have a lot to accomplish these next few weeks such as…getting new pages for my Passport…extending my visa…condo (rental) 
hunting etc. etc. etc. At least these little errands will keep me busy.

Well time and things are progressing “almost” as expected. I say almost because “nothing” ever goes as planned.

My moving day started off well and my Tuk-Tuk (can you say moving-van supplement) driver even showed up on time [a rarity]. 
This by the way is a huge anomaly as “on time” usually means a…BIG MAYBE or…maybe not!
Anyway he got me to my new digs…quick time.

After the check-in process was completed and I made friends with my new room and…everything was put away in their prospective places…trouble reared its aggravating head. Actually I’m making it sound worse than it actually was.

As the room comes with wi-fi and I had the proper codes…well you guessed it. Noting happened…over and over and over. It turned out that my room didn’t have the promised 
wi-fi. This unfortunately was discovered after 
I had unpacked and put “everything” in their proper places. Well the solution was simple enough…change rooms! No problem…
except now I had to undo everything and move down the hall.

It went quickly and the hotel staff was very helpful but…to tell you the truth…it’s something I could have done without. 
At least now...it’s finished and I now look forward to my friend Jim coming to visit…get a bite to eat (early dinner) and then hit what is called... “The Walking Street”. This is an outdoor market that takes up the complete avenues length (with extenuating side-roads)…every Sunday Night. Hey maybe I’ll actually buy something…one never knows.

Well the nights drawing to a close.
Jim and I did the walking thing which BTW included a wonderfully "spicy" Thai dinner. And now my friends…Yes…it’s cost time again…
Three (3) “really tasty” Thai dishes…2 bowls of rice…2 bottles of water…about an hour and a half of catch-up talk…
Cost THB480 or $15.81 divided by 2 equals THB240 or $7.91 per person. 
So…yeah I’m a happy camper!

Well I was going to continue but…

I took a walk today up and down Tha Phae (pronounced...(“tah-pay”) Road just to take some pictures of the area. 
The following (and there are many) is the result. Hope you enjoy.  By the way except for an occasional photo cropping and contrast enhancement…well the pics are just as I saw them.



Pick an item...any item


 Massage Anyone?

 Just another Wat (Temple)

 No it's not raining. The umbrella is for the sun!
























A slice of True Life Everyday People in Chiang Mai



















A Monk Trainee

OK...I'm still struggling a bit within setting-up the new Blog and I'm yes...throwing my hands-up for now. Yes...there are many more pics but I think you'll get the idea. By the way...all these shots came from within a 4 or 5 block stroll along one of the main roads called "Tha Phae Road" which I mentioned above. This incidentally is but a very small view of the inner city of Old Chiang Mai.

Until next time...but for now Sawadee Krup :)


P.S. I'm still trying to get the "bugs" out of the finished product so...please forgive the amateur look...



2 comments:

  1. Hello Barry,
    I've been following your Cuenca blog and now this one. I am currently moving to Cuenca in 5 days, but now I'm starting to have reservations. I'm like you, a single retiree and all I read from Cuenca is about retired couples. I visited Cuenca for a month last May and even though I liked it very much, I'm concerned about my social life. My first choice was Chang Mai, but I was a little short of the income requirement for a retiree visa. Did you fulfill the requirements and if not, is there anyway around it.
    Lionel

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lionel,

    I'll answer your questions etc., but please post them via e-mail.
    My address is barry.eck@gmail.com
    I'll be happy to update you at that time.

    Barry

    ReplyDelete