A Mixed Bag

Making It Legal….

I know the sub-title above may be somewhat misleading but I bet…it got your attention.  

As you may guess (or maybe not) this had to do with my entry into Thailand and my 

continuing stay here.

Now normally when a visitor comes to Thailand they have “in-hand”…

a return ticket back to whatever country they originally came from or….a ticket showing 

onward travel. I being me of course…had none of the above and yes my heart was in my 

mouth and…my brain was working overtime trying to come up with a reasonable answer 

for immigration control if indeed quareed. Thankfully…my fears were unfounded and 

I passed through Thai Immigration with no problems what-so-ever J

My immigration fears however did not completely abate. This do to the fact that…

two (2) weeks into my staying in Thailand I had to now apply (via Thai Immigration) 

for a three (3) month extension to my existing visa.

Now normally this is not a big deal but…being a cautious kind of guy J…I sought and 

found assistance to my problematic minds train of thought.

My assistance came via the help of a Thai acquaintance of mine (from my previous time 

in Thailand) who has over the years…donated his time in assisting the Thai Immigration 

office in various venues. Subsequently…Tom (his nickname) has many “solid” contacts 

within this organization.

Anyway after meeting with Tom at his office and handing over needed documentation we 

once again met yesterday at Thai Immigration where all I was needed for was signing a 

few pages. Otherwise I waited about a half hour outside “in the shade” for Tom to appear 

with hopefully (I say this ‘cause one never knows until the deed is done) my now updated 

passport and extended visa. Thankfully…it went smoothly and off we went.

So now…I am once again legal (if not tender…sorry could not pass that up JJ) at least  

for the next few months…when I get to do this “all over again”.

After that I’m good for a year J

On a more general but serious note…

the Northern Province of Thailand (which BTW includes Chiang Mai)…is experiencing 

some major flooding do to some abnormally high amounts of rain.  Yes…it is still rainy 

season but thankfully near its end.

One must however…understand that Thailand (especially the Northern tier) receives what 

is commonly known as localized squalls (sometimes heavy---think “Monsoon” heavy). 

Personally…except for one nights’ view from my window…I have  been lucky and have 

not experienced this rain. Also and lucky….Chiang Mai proper has not experienced any 

flooding at all…but it has come close. This…especially in and around the Ping River 

(this being the main waterway) in and around Chiang Mai.

OK…enough of the foul-weather stuff!

On a personal front…

Being single and…having experienced a wayyyy tooo long period of the single life while 

in Ecuador…I set out to find someone here in Chiang Mai. Yes I am looking for someone 

of the Thai Female Persuasion. As I am not a “bar-type” person nor am I generally a 

“night-person” I sought assistance in this exercise by a couple of on-line dating services. 

The response was high (sometimes too high) but the type of person I was looking for was 

somewhat low.

This is when I found “Prim”. 

       

At this stage of the game I won’t even attempt to guess about any sort of future ‘cause it is 

simply way too early in what I can only call a “budding” relationship.

I will however say this…

We met for coffee (this lasted about an hour and a half)…and from what I could tell we 

indeed “hit it off”.  We have a “real” date set for next Wednesday eveningJ

Here is just a little info on Prim for those that are interested...

(if your not…too bad J).

She is 45…pretty….intelligent…speaks English (quite well)...divorced with two adult 

children (both professionals and live in different cities)…is employed by the Thai 

Government as an inspector…owns a 1 or 2 year old new model car…is currently living 

in the city of Lamphun (pronounced Lampoon) but moving to Chiang May next month…

like in the very beginning!

So…my life is looking and moving upwards slowly but surely.

I know that waiting for my next Blog can be an excruciating experience for some (LOL) 

but…hey such is life.

And on that note and until next time…have a wonderful and happy day J J