Home in Mae Sai - September 2015

Please forgive my spelling and punctuation; I'm a plumber and not a English major. Just read and have fun.

You can click on any of the pictures and they become larger.

September 22nd, Today is a travel day. We had fun here in Pattaya, Thailand but are looking forward to making the trip north today.

Jon is picking us up at noon, 1 1/2 hour car ride to new Bangkok airport, check our 3 bags, pay the extra fee of 70 THB a kilogram over 40 kilograms and an hour and 20 minutes plane ride to Chiang Rai.Then another 50 kilometers to our home in Mae Sai.

We should be home by 6:00 PM today.

By the way, with the new Milwaukee saw, hammer drill, saw blades, battery packs and grinder, we are about 20 kilograms over in baggage, At 70 THB a kilogram, about $1.00 a pound, we will have to pay around 1,400 THB extra. That is around $46.00 USD.

If we shipped them ground Thai Postal Service, 3 day delivery, the postage would be 1,000 THB. We felt paying the difference was worth having them with us.

Here is a map to show you where we live in Mae Sai. 

By the way, Thai Airlines only charges us 980 Thai Baht for the extra baggage wait. They gave us six (6) kilograms and rounded down on the three bags. 

We made it to our home in Mae Sai to find that Daeng's brother and sister-in-law had moved their laundry business across the street.

They still live in our house but moved the daughter, "Nuy" and the laundry business. They also added coin washing machines. We'll speak more about that later.

 

I was a little hurt as the reason we bought this big place was so they could have their laundry business here.

Everything else was okay except the flowers we planted are not doing well.

September 24th, I was very unhappy and I slept all day yesterday but I think I can cope today.

Today, when I went to Thai Immigration Office, to have my passport updated, I was told they could not do it like they said. 

When I renewed my visa in March, the officer would only renew to Jan 18, 2016 as that was the expiration date on my passport. She told me when I got my new passport to come back and they would update it to March 13th, again. 

When I came back to do it today, they told me I must have misunderstood them and they could not do that. 

I can renew it December 8th so we will change a few travel plans around and be okay. TIT (This is Thailand.)

September 25th, I needed a little fun pick me up as of yesterday Immigrations problem. 

Check out the photo bomb in this picture, top left corner. 

We had fun at the Mae Sai Morning Market. We told the girls I was looking for a 2nd wife and had 2 applications already.

By the way, the price of gasoline and diesel about the same as when we left in June. 

The banana lady did not want anything to do with me, she just wanted to sell bananas. 

When we got home we work on our potted palms and flowers. They, with a little TLC, will be okay.

I also noticed our washerwoman whirligig is broken. That is okay as we don't have a laundry here anymore.

I am sorry to say, I am now getting a different story of why they moved the laundry. They first said they moved because Nuy is so dirty, they knew I would be unhappy. 

I am now getting the story that they could not put up with Daeng's and their Mother. 

I also think Hlong's brother gave them a story about how he will put in the coin laundry machines for free and give them 50 % which will pay for everything. 

A few years ago, I did a performa on the coin laundry business and with the expense of 2,500 THB for rent, 1,500 THB for water and electric they would have to have 400 loads of wash a month to break even.  

With all the coin laundries in the area, that was not realistic. Of course they won't listen to me because I'm not Thai. 

They are now losing about 2,500 THB a month.  Enough on the subject. 

September 26th, I feel pretty good today, for a guy that is almost 74 years old and everything we did.  We did a lot!

We started out by going to the morning market for some fun.

Then came home and worked on the potted palms and moved two to different spots so they would not look asymmetrical.

We then did all the wash including all the clothes that we covered the furniture, pickup truck and motorbikes. That required about six trips up and down the three flights of stairs to hang everything to dry on the roof.

I then opened the 4 boxes of Milwaukee tools that we brought with us, 7 1/4" 18 volt saw, 5" 18 volts grinder. 1/2' 18 volt hammer drill, 12 volt handheld vacuum along with 3 battery packs.

They did open our bags both in Los Angeles and Bangkok but nothing was missing. I am guessing that because the batteries were in the unopened plastic containers they let them pass through. I'm glad at that as each battery pack was over a hundred dollars each.

I charged the batteries and everything works great. Milwaukee makes great tools. I love the 7 1/4" saw.

I also figured the cost per gallon of diesel fuel. Here are the numbers: 24.23 THB a liter x 3.79 = 92.06 THB a US Gallon divide by 35 THB per USD = $2.63 USD per gallon of diesel fuel.

It’s time for a shower as I am completely soaked. Temperature was 91 degrees today with 59% humidity and no wind. That makes the "feels like temperature" 104 degrees.

I am happy and sad. I'm happy because we have everything lined up for our appointment for a Yellow Book at the government office on Tuesday. All paperwork is ready, a neighbor and the Moo 8 Magistrate will be coming to the government office at 9:00 AM to vouch that I live here in Mae Sai.

I'm sad because I was informed that "Su-la", the Ban Pa Mueat Morning Market Beggar, passed away while we were gone. 

It does not matter what your station in life was, death is still a sad thing.

He is mentioned in a few of our stories: CLICK HERE

Su-la, please Rest in Peace! You will be remembered.  

Daeng needed to iron some things but because the laundry moved we don't have an iron to borrow so we went to Tesco/Lotus to buy one.

The one Daeng liked the best was very light and Teflon coated for 179 THB (about $5.11 USD). The only one that was left was the display model. The clerk said we could buy it but because it was not in a box there would be no warranty.

We told her we would buy it.

Most folks don't know this, including the clerk that helped us, but Tesco/Lotus has a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee that is very similar to Costco's in the USA. It is framed, on the wall in English, as you come into the store. It is a British Company.

I have, in the last six years, returned three items and was cheerfully refunded at the service desk.

By the way, the iron works great!

Foey said goodnight to us. 

September 27th, From our home in Mae Sai we set out about 8:55 AM this morning and figured we could make the 10:00 AM church service in Ban AYO.

We stopped for a very quick breakfast at the South Mae Salong market.

We arrived a few minutes after 10:00 service started and could hear kids singing inside the church when we arrived. 

There were no adults but the kids were singing the song on the whiteboard in two languages, Thai and English.

That made us smile so we stayed until after they finished the song. We then left to go to Meechu's home to see what was going on.

We dove up the road to Meechu's home. She was not at home but her sister told us she was visiting down the road. Daeng went to get her.

We were happy to see her and she always makes us smile. We sat and talked as we ate some fruit that Daeng had brought with us. I don't know the name of the fruit. It is sweet and everyone likes it.

The unhappy part of her talking with us is she told us that she had sold some of her land and bought Chom-nom a new motorbike. Not long after that he went into Burma after a girl.

In the translation I think it came out like this: "He was not thinking with the brain in his head, he was thinking with the brain in his pants."

That means the kids shelter is about the same as when we left.

While we were talking, something else happened at the neighbors but I don't have the words yet to tell you. I have not had those feeling since a man was shot next to me in Korea. I am sorry to leave out what happened to make me throw up but I just don't have the words yet. When I get the words together I will share.

When I recovered a little, we gave Meechu and her sisters a couple of "Love Bears" for the kids that Ingrid Allen had donated. 

We told her to have Chom-nom call us when and if he comes back from Burma.

We drove the two kilometers to the children's shelter that we have been trying to get up and going for the last 8 years.

I got tears in my eyes as not much had been done since we left it in May. The wiring and water piping were still there but turned off as Meechu told us. 

The electric and water was turned off because people were coming there to party and sleep without doing anything else.

I was emotionally drained from the inhuman slaughtering that had happened at Meechu's neighbors so Daeng said we should go home.

We hiked back up the hill and drove to our Australian friend, Peter's home. I wasn't real hungry but we had lunch together and he allowed me to share with him why I was so upset.

We made it home, I showered and called San-la. She came over and gave me a very good massage but I still did not sleep much.

It is another couple of chapters in my book "The Broken Cross".

September 29th, We are 15 minutes early to meet with Attorney Jack, a neighbor and the Moo 8 Magistrate to get my home registration book aka: "Yellow Book".

It is difficult to get a Yellow Book here on the Myanmar (Burma) border as many people want them. It gives the same benefits as being Thai. 

For the ongoing story of getting a Yellow Book, we laughed as when we went to the government office this morning, the clerk told the attorney to just sit down as she and Daeng would handle this.

I don't think attorneys are liked here.

Anyway, I had to run home to get a copy of our marriage license and when I got back was told she did find it in the paperwork the clerk already had.

We were then told they were too busy and the witnesses, the head of the area we live in and the neighbor would have to come back this afternoon, when she called us.

We all left. We stopped to get a certificate from Immigrations that was also requested. 

Then we stopped for some chicken feet soup.

This morning, when we went to go for a bike ride to the morning market, my front tire was flat.

After we returned from the government offices I walked it down to the bike shop for repair. 

A tube patch for 90 cents US and I was back on the road. The 90 cents is for everything; patch, cleaning solvent, labor, tax, etc.

I'm coming back to stage 3 pretty fast even with the runaround this morning.

September 30^th, We have two goals today: get a haircut and wait to go sign the final papers for my residence book, aka Yellow Book.

I think he gives the best haircut as he cuts every hair on my head for 60 THB, about $1.80 US. I give him a 60 THB tip as with my beard it is like getting 2 haircuts.

The only problem with getting a haircut is Daeng does not want to kiss me for a few days as she says I am itchy.

Yesterday afternoon Daeng met with the Magistrate of Moo 8, area we live in and a neighbor which swore I live here.

When they were done the clerk told Daeng she would call us when things were finished so I could come back to the government office and sign everything.

Haircut and beard trim are done. If we don't hear from her by 3:00 PM,  We will go and see what's happen.

Squeaky wheel gets the oil.

About 2:15 PM, the lady called from the government office to tell us to come on over.

The saga of the "Yellow Book" comes to an end with my yellow book in hand.

I think this qualifying process in Mae Sai is one of the disadvantages of living in a border town.

Also, after the government office realized we were not giving up on getting it, things went smooth. They gave us back about half of the paperwork they originally told us we needed.

I am now a house book carrying resident of Thailand. 

Thailand - First 10 Days Back Spring 2014

It's March 6th and we're on our way back to Thailand for three months.  We pack pretty light as we have clothes and everything we need at our home on the Myanmar (Burma) border.

The worst part of our trip is the 18 hours and 10 minutes in the air.  The whole trip to Bangkok is about 30 hours pillow to pillow.  What that means is from the time we get up in California to the time we get back into bed in Bangkok is about 30 hours.

We use China Airlines as we can fly round trip for about $1,000 USD each.  Of course that is economy fair as first class is about $5,000 USD each.  I am small enough now to sit okay in the tiny economy seats.  I have lost about 76 pounds from my top weight of 326 pounds.  

Everything went smooth, the immigration officer laughed at me as I sang my "Good Morning Song" using English, Spanish and Thai. Because the streets were pretty empty at two in the morning, the taxi driver took us on city streets so we did not have to pay the 75 THB (about $2.40 US) for tolls on the highway.  

Pam at the White Orchard Inn II had our favorite room ready for us.  We like this little place as it is clean, close to the sky-train (BST) and the staff is very friendly and helpful. 

I have made the trip over the Pacific Ocean 21 times. The longest trip was in 1961 from Korea to California with 44 hours in the air on prop planes.  I was a young man of 21 years old and the trip still beat me up. 

When we arrived, we checked in our room, showed, eat and took a little nap.  Bangkok is a 24 hour town so we had no problem having breakfast at five o'clock in the morning.

This is Sukhamvit Road at Soi 5 at 5:00 AM.  The party is still going on.

We had breakfast at Took Lae Dee Restaurant in Foodland.  They have Farang food so I had an English Breakfast.

"Took Lae Dee" translates from Thai to English as "Cheap and Good".  That is a excellent translation and the folks there are very friendly. 


Here is a picture of our server at 5:00 AM.  This is why they call Thailand the "Land of Smiles". 

A few hours sleep and up again.  With the red shirt and yellow shirt demonstrations happening in Bangkok it is hard to move around this Sukhamvit Road area by car or taxi but very easy on the Sky-Train.  

We'll talk of the red and yellow shirts at another time.  

By the way, you can even get fresh vegetables right in the city.  Yea, Thailand.  

I wanted to go to a noon meeting on Saturday with some English speaking friends so I hopped onto a motorbike taxi.  At that time of day we were able to travel through the Tobacco Monopoly.  

The Tobacco Monopoly is a several square mile area in the center of Bangkok that is used to dry, treat and cut tobacco.


On the way through the area, the smell of tobacco and the chemicals that they add was so strong I almost vomited.  

I wish I could take my smoking friends through this area as maybe smelling this stuff would help them quite smoking. 

We have been talking about buying a car here in Thailand for the last few years.  Gasoline is very expensive so we have been considering vehicle with a diesel.

At this time, real gasoline, when you can find it, is around $6.00 USD a US Gallon.  Gasohol is a little cheaper and is what most folks buy for their cars. Diesel is around $3.54 USD a US Gallon. 

Also, a diesel pickup truck will get about the same mileage as a gasoline car. Being a guy, I like the idea of having a diesel pick-up truck, too. 

So we found the closest Chevrolet dealer in Bangkok and went to see the Chevy Colorado.  This is the model we liked. It is a X Cab with a 2.5 L Diesel. 

The folks at this dealership were not very friendly so we agreed that we would look more when we got home in Chiang Rai.  There is a Chevy dealer there, as well. 

During our stay in Bangkok, we took a little time to smell the flower, so to speak.  

The flowers here are beautiful.   

We also walked around the more know areas of Bangkok.


We stopped for a coke in the Nana Fun Area.  It is know as the World's Largest Adult Playground. 

By the way, here you can still buy Coco-cola made with real cane sugar in 7 oz. glass bottles. 

We were also a little sad as we made a little side trip to the little coffee shop were we bought coffee every morning in 2006.  

It was run my an elderly couple that always smiled and treated us nicely.  

When we got there we found this, an empty shop. We went through the open doorway and found the owners.  He was ill and they had to close the shop.

We spent some time talking with them to be sure they had enough food and could live alone okay.  They said their son was helping them so they would be okay.

Things change but this made us both sad.  

It also reminded us that life is like a roll of toilet tissue. The closer you get to the end the faster it goes. 

We have been here in Bangkok for six days so it is time to go north.  I also have to renew my Thailand retirement Visa.  I could do it in Bangkok but it is much easier in Mae Sai. 

We flew Thai Airlines as it still has planes from the new airport to Chiang Rai.  They also give you 20 Kilograms of free checked baggage.  Nok Air and Air Asia charge for all checked baggage.  With baggage the cost is about the same.  I also got a deal on line for 1900 THB (about $57 USD) each.

The trip was uneventful and we took a taxi the 60 Km north to our home. Every one and everything was good when we arrived.

A couple of new news items.  While we were gone, Daeng's brother Tun made a septic room so he could do kidney dialysis at home.  


They did a nice job with the glass but the plumbing has a little to be desired.

I have to remember that most folks here have never seen "A" grade work so they think "C" grade is okay and "D" grade is acceptable.  Oh well, this is Thailand.

The other new item is Daeng's niece, Nuy, is five month pregnant.  She lives with her boyfriend but come here every morning early, when he goes to work, and spends all day eating, eating and eating.  I told her she would be as big as me in a few months.  I need to try and be loving. 

She told me that after the baby is born she will be skinny again and I'll still be fat. 

It is also nice to see Bang helping with the laundry business.  Her son, Bum, is so cute and growing up really smart. 

His nickname is really "Bom" but I always call him "Bum". 

It's also nice to have coffee and Pa Thong Ko at the Ban Pa Mueat morning market.  

Our friend "Me", the lady on the left is going to have another baby.  We asked her is she knew if it would be a boy or girl.  She said she didn't know.  I told her is she was on the bottom she would have a little girl and if on top, a little boy.  


She started to laugh.  I ask her why and she said: "I think I'm going to have a puppy!"

Here is a picture of her little girl.  She is just like Mom, want more money. 

Grandma is going to stick around also to help with the new baby.  

We ran into "Mai", the fellow that helped us with our home after the 6.8 earthquake here in 2011.  He was a great help and put everything back better than it was.  

For stories about the 6.8 just CLICK HERE. 

He understand the value of quality work and is an excellent craftsman.

Watermelon anyone?  The sign says: "3 for 10 THB".  That is about 10 US Cents each.  To bad I gave up watermelon for lent.  I should have given up Brussel Sprouts. 

Tortillas in Thailand?  They don't call them tortillas but they look and taste about the same.  

Here is the way they toast them on the Myanmar (Burma) border. 

I think this is the way they have been doing it for hundreds of years. 

Renewing my Thai Retirement Visa was extremely easy as most of the immigration officers have Tun, Daeng's brother, laundry their uniforms.  They filled out most of the paperwork and I was out in about a half hour with a Visa until March 13, 2015 and municipal entries.  That means I can come into Thailand as many times as I want during the year.  
We also visited the big Mae Sai morning market.  You can buy just about anything there.  

That includes Ant Eggs for Ant Egg soup. 

It takes a lot of time to harvest enough Ant Eggs to fill a small bag like Daeng is holding.  The cost is 40 THB, about $1.25 USD. 

Now that we are here for a few weeks before we do some traveling, we did some shopping for food items, like coffee, milk, bread, sugar, peanut butter, jelly and stuff like that at Tesco/Lotus.  Tesco/Lotus is a big store. 

Daeng bought cheese and sauce to make pizza. 

We also spent three days looking and test driving cars and pick-up trucks.  I was thinking about the Chevy Colorado but when I test drove one it was very sloppy in handling compared to the Toyota.  


We stopped to buy gasoline for my motorbike and I could hear Daeng laughing.  I turned around and ask her why she was laughing.  She pointed to the drawing of the pigs on the big truck next to us.  I laughed, also. 

We went to the Toyota Dealer just south of Mae Sai and test drove the Toyota Vigo Hilux 2.5L diesel model G Smart Cab, again.  

Here is a review of the "E" model CLICK HERE.  In the USA it is known as the Tacoma or 4Runner.  We like the "G" model as it has all the extra stuff like back up camera, DVD player, etc. 

Ta, the lady we are working with, is going to call the main dealership in the morning and see if they have it in white with a cream interior.  If they have it we think we will buy it.  

More will be reviled tomorrow, Monday.