It’s been a long few days that started last Friday at 5 am, a six hour flight to California with a 12 hour layover and then a 15 hour flight to the land of Smiles. Thank Buddha for business class. I landed in Bangkok at 5:45 am on Sunday the 22cnd and breezed through immigration, baggage and customs in 20 minutes, a new record me thinks. What could be more fitting than being greeted by my driver with the above sign, not quite right but this is Thailand and it was close enough to make me laugh out loud.

Walking into the warm breeze of Bangkok I had to stop for a moment, although I have been planning this move for a long time it didn’t hit me until I was halfway to the minivan…I was home. My driver didn’t disappoint, he hauled ass to Pattaya using every lane possible including both shoulders and often careening down the middle of two lanes at once. I watched the familiar landscape pass me by and before I knew it I was in Pattaya.

Pookie Arrived earlier in the morning and went to her sisters apartment to sleep and after a quick nip into the 7/11 I was headed to bed as well. Jet lag can be a bitch sometimes but I was able to get a few hours sleep until Pookie called. We spent the rest of the day and night catching up. Unfortunately for me sleep was hard to come by as my body hasn’t adjusted yet but Pookie slept for the requisite 12 hours and still seemed tired.

With little sleep it was time to go check out the condo. If you hadn’t already guessed I have decided to live the first year in Pattaya, there is good and there is bad but Pattaya and Bangkok have it all and I’m not quite ready to settle down on the farm just yet, although we will be making trips up country frequently and it seems like we might be bringing back a little guest with us to visit.

For anyone thinking about a long term stay in Pattaya all I can say is now is the right time. There is a glut of open rentals on the market and you can pretty much name your own price. I contacted Alan Bolton Properties and was very fortunate to get a brand new Condo at the Nova Avenue which just opened last November. It’s a very small 46 sqm single bedroom condo but it ticked all the right boxes. Right in the middle of Pattaya between Second road and Soi Bukiow, quiet yet close to everything.

As you can see by the photos the place is very well appointed and at 15,000 baht a month a great deal considering internet and cable are included and although I have to pay electric from what I have gathered from other residents the bill should be around 1000 baht a month, we’ll see.

Of course all of this wasn’t as easy as it seems, this is Thailand after all and you have to expect things to go pear shaped quickly. Shortly after moving in we headed to Big C to pick up needed items and some food. When we came back the kitchen was flooded, the bathroom was flooded and the hot water heater was dead, Welcome to Thailand Imothy Vull…you just gotta laugh. Luckily the office was still open and the office manager is very good. The leaks were fixed and the hot water heater will be replaced tomorrow.

It’s already starting to feel like home and although I brought too many bags over with me I couldn’t do without the trinkets, photos and memories of my past life. It’s small yet comfortable and it’s home. I have to keep saying that because it’s still hard to believe, fortunately someone just rang the bell at the beer bar next door so if that doesn’t bring it home to me nothing will…you’ll have to excuse me now I think I can just make it next door fast enough for a free beer!

This last picture pretty much sums it up , it was a gift from my mother years ago when I moved into my first real apartment.

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A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step – Lao-tzu

If you would have asked me 5 years ago ” where do you see yourself in 5 years?” , I wouldn’t have had an answer, at least not a good one. You see, I finally came to the realization 5 years ago that my mother was right, I needed to settle down and be normal. My Mother knew me better than that but turning 40 started me thinking more and more about security. I had a very good job, I had a beautiful 3 bedroom apt in an upscale neighborhood,  I went out and bought real furniture for the first time in my life. I had everything a normal person is supposed to have, and I became that normal person living that normal life.

Make your choice, Adventurous Stranger,
Strike the bell, and bide the danger,
Or wonder ’till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had
-C.S. Lewis

The next thing on my normal person list was a vacation. Everything was going particularly well in my life except for the fact I was working non stop,  sometimes 7 days a week and usually 12 hours a day, but thats what normal people do…right?

I hadn’t taken a vacation in over 5 years and that was only to a local destination so I started thinking in a global sense. I had always wanted to see South East Asia and after a few weeks of research Thailand was the destination. I didn’t know it at the time and I had no reason to think it would be a life changing decision, but it was. I still find it hard to describe how I felt when I first visited Thailand but as I have said more than a few times I definitely felt like a better version of myself, more aware of my surroundings and who I was.

All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware. — Martin Buber

It’s safe to say the mundane absurdity I was calling a normal life was a lie. I didn’t want the desperation of the 9-5 job, the mortgage, the wife and 2.3 kids and just why the hell did I have a complete dining room set when I never had anyone over for dinner? I deluded myself into thinking that this was the American dream and this is what I was supposed to be. Thailand changed my game plan.

When we get out of the glass bottle of our ego and when we escape like the squirrels in the cage of our personality and get into the forest again, we shall shiver with cold and fright. But things will happen to us so that we don’t know ourselves. Cool, unlying life will rush in.– D. H. Lawrence

I was back in the kingdom within 6 months and for an extended period of time. Sometime after my second trip and planning my third my mother looked at me with a serious smirk and asked me when I would be moving to Thailand,  I thought about it for a second and asked her where that came from, her answer? “I know you too well, and this is exactly something you would do, when you get it in your mind there is no stopping you”. She was right, and I knew it. As a matter of fact I knew it from my first trip to Thailand.

Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken. -Frank Herbert

A lot of things have changed in my life over the past few years and the plan of living in Thailand has been put off and set aside but never forgotten. The normal life I was striving for was forgotten and with the economic crisis it was driven home to me that there is no such thing as a normal life and that life is for the living and should be craved like water after a 50 mile walk through a desert. “One day” is the mantra of the conformist who lives by the rules of the normal society, “Today” is my mantra and as you read this I am in the air heading to Thailand where I will begin a new chapter in my life.

One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things. – Henry Miller

There is a plan of sorts but it’s not a detailed list of daily, monthly and yearly things. I want to explore and find out more about the Kingdom of Thailand and about myself. Many emotions are scurrying through my brain and have been for some time. Elation, joy, sadness, trepidation and of course fear…I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared shitless…but in a good scared shitless kinda way.

Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white. – Mark Jenkins

I don’t want to know that my life will be a certain way in 20 years and I will have a house that is paid for and a child in college and a social security check to look forward too. I want the future to be a present that I get to open every day and be surprised with. Some days the present may make me happy and,  as is always the case,  I’m sure some presents will disappoint, it’s all part of living life. I don’t want to be that guy on his death bed wondering what if? I want to have no regrets and take the chance.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain

Sure, this grand experiment with my life may not turn out as I planned, but seeing as I kept the planning to a minimum I won’t be too disappointed if it doesn’t and who knows I might be disappointed even if it turns out well. I haven’t neglected the essentials such as insurance, visa’s, shelter, money and a strategic bail out plan which involves a plane ticket and my brothers couch…joking…”he says, hopefully”

Right now I am the richest man in the world because I have friends, family and the uncertainty of what tomorrow brings as I live my life on my terms.

I am reminded of many traveler’s quotes at the moment, some of which I have shared throughout this post but the one that stands out in my mind from a comfortable old book  is the one I’ll leave you with today as I begin my journey.

It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door, You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to. – J.R.R. Tolkien

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Your item was delivered at 11:24 AM on July 20, 2010 in WASHINGTON, DC 20007 to THAILAND

July has been a very long month for me as I get ready to move to Thailand. Aside from wrapping up estate details I’ve been wrapping up personal details as well while getting all my ducks in a row for the impending move. Everything seemed like it was going in slow motion until this past week when all the pieces started coming together nicely.

Booking a flight from Baltimore to BKK can be a pain in the ass since Thai Air closed it’s New York operations, while there is still a plethora of airlines and flights available to Bangkok the vast majority of them are overpriced. ANA Airlines wanted almost $3000 for an economy seat and a flight that would be 27 hours in total, some of the other airlines were cheaper but 32-55 hour flights are not an option!

So I wandered back to Thai Air and figured I might be able to upgrade to premium economy since I still had about 40,000 frequent flier miles left with them, of course I would have to purchase another flight to LAX but if the stars aligned just right this could work out well…and it did. I have to thank my sister at this point because I hadn’t really thought about heading to California first. Economy on Thai Air one way from LAX to BKK was $800 while premium economy was $1032. I decided to chance my luck and check the business class option…$3300 one way, ouch.

So,  I opted for premium economy and then remembered my frequent flier miles. An upgrade from premium economy to business would cost 35,000 miles

Unfortunately when I entered my award miles information my luck ran out ” we’re sorry there are no upgrade seats available”.

Then I remembered how helpful Thai Air staff had always been for me, so, I called the LA offices and asked about an upgrade. I was told the same bad news but I would be put on a waiting list for upgrade. The friendly female Thai voice on the other end then said ” call back tomorrow to make sure you have been put on the list as Bangkok sometimes gets this wrong”. Before I called back the next day my phone rang and my new bestest Thai friend let me know that there was no need for a wait list as they secured me a business class seat

Okay, maybe I am a little too happy but this ass has only ever known economy seating …and just look at this seat!

I also sent away my passport to the Thai embassy this week, hence the title of this post. I guess I am an odd one but that little sentence at the beginning of this post made me smile like a Thai

There was one little snag there though, I had forgotten that a requirement of the tourist visa is a round trip ticket, yes, my excitement, and tightness, got the better of me.

I received a phone call yesterday afternoon from a very nice Thai woman at the embassy and for a brief moment I thought I was going to be denied a visa or have to shell out another grand for a return flight Luckily for me she had another option that was much easier. She told me to send her a fax stating the reasons why I had not bought a return ticket and what dates I would be entering and leaving Thailand and that would be all I would need…”you can expect to get your passport with tourist visa by next Friday”

I love Thailand

Once I apply at a Thai language school and get accepted for an Education Visa, which usually takes 4-5 weeks, I will have to leave the country anyway to actually get the new visa so it all works out in the end. I’ll probably head to Cambodia for a few days and visit Angkor Wat then pick up the new visa and head…home I don’t foresee any problems obtaining the ED visa as I have no criminal record or strikes against me of any kind and of the narrowed down choices for language schools they are all reputable so I don’t anticipate any problems there.

One of the last pieces of the puzzle is housing and where to live. I have changed my thinking to some extent on living in rural Thailand. While Nakhon Phanom is beautiful and very laid back it is also out of the way. I want to explore all of Thailand and have easy access at a moments notice to head in any direction. I have to blame Rick over at Behind the Noodle Curtain partially for this change of heart. He wrote an excellent piece entitled A Day in the Life of My Bangkok & A Day in the Life of My Bangkok Part 2.

Through these posts and a few others Rick has come to terms about where he should be and it really made me think about where I want to be. While I love rural Thailand and all it has to offer, and I will surely be heading back there often, I think the city life is where I will end up hanging my hat. It has the best of both worlds with quiet secluded sections and loud, smoggy and smelly streets. More importantly it has more access to all of Thailand and I believe with more choices I will be in a better position to write about all of Thailand and partake in all she has to offer.

Which city?…housing?  Stay tuned, this is just the beginning!

No smileys were maimed or injured during the writing of this post…while this author is also annoyed by said smileys they just couldn’t be helped

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The old adage gets thrown around throughout your life and has come to mean different things to different people. When we are young and we first leave home to strike out on our own it’s usually the first time in our lives we hear the phrase and later in life when our parents have passed you tend to hear the phrase again. Each time the phrase takes on a new meaning. When we leave home young and ready to take on the world we know we can always go back home, Mom told us we could,  much to dads chagrin. Even so part of us left that can never really go back, we felt the freedom of being on our own and we want more of that.

When your parents pass the phrase takes on a much different meaning, unless you or another family member will be living in the family home then chances are you really can’t ever go home again. Sure, you can drive up the street you used to live on and reminisce about old times with the family but chances are the people living there now won’t be too happy about you dropping in.

This week my family wrapped up the final piece of our parents estate by selling the family home. In a way it was quite a cathartic experience, going through all the old memories and getting the house ready for sale with my brother and sister was painful at times but it brought out much more smiles and laughter than I would have imagined.

Together we wrapped up the lives of two wonderful people that we will miss dearly,  but they aren’t really gone and even though the house has been sold I realized that the old adage really isn’t true. You can go home;  home isn’t just a house or a place where memories were made but the feelings and memories themselves. Home is in your heart and as long as you live and breathe you can always go home. Having family to share that with makes it all that much sweeter.

Looks like I have a lot of loose ends to wrap up in the next 6 weeks before the house closes. If my timing is right then that should put me in Thailand somewhere in the last two weeks of August. It will be sad of course to close this chapter in my life but I look forward to beginning a new chapter in a new land that I hope one day to comfortably call home.

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While I’m still in the middle of wrapping up my parents estate with my brother and sister I am also doing what I can to wrap up my travel plans to Thailand. Even though it might seem crazy to take my cats with me there is just no other option. They have been with me through thick and thin for a decade and all the other options just seem cold and uncaring.

Luckily,  Thailand is a country you can bring your pets into and as long as you follow the rules there should be no reason for a 30 day quarantine on arrival. Aside from the list of things you need to get done to bring pets into Thailand you also need to check with the airline you’ll be using as to their rules for pet travel.

Most airlines will let you bring up to two small pets aboard the plane as long as they are under 20 kg, larger pets must travel either in excess baggage or as cargo. Pets also must have a recent health certificate from your vet. If cargo is the only option you need to find another carrier as the cargo hold of planes is generally not pressurized and not climate controlled. The excess baggage hold is pressurized and climate controlled. Please check with each individual airline you intend to use on their requirements

Below is what is needed to bring your pets into Thailand per the Thai embassy.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE IMPORTATION OF DOGS AND CATS INTO THE KINGDOM OF THAILAND

1. A health certificate in English, signed or further endorsed by a full-time authorized veterinary official of the government of the exporting country, if it is previously acknowledged by a veterinary surgeon, stating :
1-1. number and species.

1-2. breed, sex, age and color or animal identification.

1-3. name and address of the owner OR the kennel of origin.

1-4. certification of condition items 2-5.

2. The animals must come from an area where animal diseases are under control. They are found to be healthy, free from signs of any infectious and contagious diseases including ectoparasitism at the time of export and fit to travel.

3. The country has been free from Rabies for at least the past 12 (twelve) months OR the animals are vaccinated against Rabies with an official approved vaccine not less than 21 (twenty- one) days prior to the departure.

4. Either the dog is vaccinated against Leptospirosis at least 21(twenty-one) days preceding departure OR The dog is subjected to a test for Leptospirosis with negative result during the 30 (thirty) days prior to the departure.

5. The animals shall be vaccinated against other significant infectious or contagious diseases i.e. Distemper, Hepatitis, and Parvovirus, with an official approved vaccine at least 21 (twenty-one) days prior to the departure.

6. The animals must be conveyed in nose-and-paw proof crates designed to avoid any risk of injury or unnecessary suffering.

7. The animals are not allowed to expose to other animals if they have to be landed in transit at any approved intermediate port. They shall not be allowed to leave precinct of the port except to an officially approved transit quarantine area.

8. The animals are subjected to quarantine at approved premises for a period of at least 30 (thirty) days upon arrival during which they shall be submitted to tests and/or treatments deemed necessary. The importer/owner shall be fully charged for the incurred expenses.

9. Failure to follow the import procedures may result in returning the animals to the country of origin or destroying without compensation.

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I’ve been planning my trip to Thailand for Some time now, 2 years or so to be exact, and now that it’s almost upon me there are a million things to do.

I was planning to move to Thailand some time ago but my mothers health deteriorated fast and she passed away and then my fathers cancer became worse. I’ve basically spent the past 15 months in limbo living out of suitcases in my parents basement…Yeah, I know, 44 year old man living in the parents basement isn’t what I had planned.

Now that my father has passed my brother, sister and I are packing away all the memories and closing out my parents estate which is a lot harder than I had imagined. It’s not just all the moving and packing of physical items but the memories involved and the stories that go with each picture or nik nak. All the while I have to start making my plans for heading to Thailand at the same time.

Putting away things that will stay behind and figuring out the things that need to go, including two cats that have shared the good and bad with me over the past 10 years, is a pain in the ass. And even though I can think about what needs doing I can’t literally do anything until we get the estate closed out. It shouldn’t take long but until then I’m in a holding pattern. Of course, once the estate is taken care of then I will have everything to do at one time…oh joy.

I have to tell you I have mixed emotions right now, We haven’t had a chance to catch our collective breaths in 15 months. One thing led into another and into another and we are still at it closing out the estate. Some nights I just want to sit down and have a long cry to get all the stress of the past 2 years out, and I’m sure that night will come soon enough but until then it’s more packing and moving and remembering the years.

I know I will be in Thailand soon enough but right now it’s more about family and all of us getting through this together. Very soon I will be down to an inflatable bed, a blanket, a few suitcases and two cats…hopefully things will go quickly otherwise I will go stir crazy.

There probably won’t be as many posts over the next few weeks as I wrap everything up on this end but I should find time to make you smile or piss you off…depending on who you are.

Hopefully I remember not to wear either the Red or Yellow shirts when I land in Bangkok

I’ve been checking into many things concerning a possible move to Thailand and the most important would be health insurance. The majority of American companies will not cover you overseas and if they will the premium is high, so I started with the 2 biggest Thai Health insurance companies and here’s what I found.

BUPA- Their platinum plan that covers up to 2 million baht per disability for hospitalizations and Out Patient Benefits up to 50,000 baht total per year. The premium for this coverage is 50,202 baht in the age band of 41 to 45 years of age. If you want coverage for hospitalization only, the premium is much lower at 28,111 baht per year. There are different rates for hospitalization coverage per disability of 1 million and 5 million baht respectively.

Exclusions :
- Coverage is worldwide, but in the United States BUPA will only cover medical expenses, which are the result of an accident
- Annual Check up (one visit per year) covered up to 700 baht
- Emergency Medical Assistance fully covered
- Overall maximum coverage of 2 million baht applies (per disability)
- Pre-existing conditions are NOT covered
- Not covered (this is not a complete list) : Birth control, treatment for infertility, hormone replacement therapy, congenital abnormalities, mental illness and stress related conditions, dental treatment, sexually transmitted diseases, alcoholism, drug abuse, transplant surgery, renal dialysis, treatment for injuries resulting from dangerous sports. Interestingly not more than 200,000 baht will be paid for injuries occurred while driving a motorcycle (or being a passenger). Bacterial infections after an accident are not covered.

IAG -Now known as NZI ( I think). Their Comprehensive insurance package in the age band of 40 to 44 years. Premium is 59,589 baht per year. With increasing age, rates go up . For example between the age of 60 and 64 you would pay 135,897 baht per year.
This package has a standard co-pay per medical condition applicable to out-patient claims of 1,800 baht.

Exclusions :
-Overall maximum of coverage is 80 million baht
-Out-patient treatment is covered up to 340,000 baht (an excess as stated of 1,800 baht per condition)
- Dental treatment covered up to 34,000 baht (but insured person has to pay 25% of the costs incurred per claim)
- Medical check-up covered up to 10,200 baht
- Chronic medical conditions covered up to 34,000 baht per year
- Organ transplants covered up to 13,600,000 baht
- Nursing at home covered up to 170,000 baht
- Emergency evacuation and repatriation covered in full
- Emergency medical treatment outside are of cover up to 2,040,000 baht
- Exclusions (this is not a complete list):
Pre-existing medical conditions. After 2 years of continous insurance some pre-existing conditions may become eligible again
Chronic medical conditions.
Hormone replacement therapy, congenital abnormalities, kidney dialysis, injuries due to professional sports, sleep apnoea, sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS)

Several things being excluded are worrisome, such as Dialysis and STD’s.

The pre-existing condition part can be a bummer for most people over 40. High blood pressure is a biggie that leads to many other problems so it seems if you have a heart attack and you had high blood pressure even if it was minor the heart attack wouldn’t be covered. Then what about kidney stones and discectomies? I’ve had both!

Neither seem to have a requirement for a pre screening physical but I’m sure if something happens it can point to another ailment that would leave you high and dry.

I guess I have a lot of looking around to do.

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There’s something about Thailand that seems to draw people from around the world like a beacon. I can’t put my finger on it but I felt that irresistible draw myself a couple of years ago. I’ve always wanted to visit South East Asia but throughout all my research on where to go I kept coming back to Thailand.

Having made the decision I booked my flight and arrived in Thailand for the first time a little over a year ago…wide eyed and ready for anything. The two weeks I spent in Thailand were incredible and seemed to last forever. The sights, sounds, and smells of bangkok had me mesmerized and then there was Pattaya! Even though it all seemed to be coming at me at once, I never felt more relaxed.

Well, all good things come to pass and before I knew it I was home in the states and very fuzzy. It took me a good month to come down from the high…all I could think about was Thailand. I thought I hid it well but obviously I didn’t. Work suffered and I kept falling back into the daydream. Eventually I snapped out of it and was back to myself but the thoughts lingered and the beacon was still calling. I decided the next trip would be sooner rather than later and much longer than the previous trip.

The second trip found me arriving in Thailand in late June of this year and with a healthy allotment of vacation time the trip was set for five weeks. My first trip I made some good friends in Pattaya and decided that was the place to stay. You can’t beat a beach town with about 3000 some odd bars and 30,000 some odd beautiful women. Of the friends I made my first trip a few already lived in Pattaya, some were in the process of moving to pattaya, and at least one was contemplating the idea….he gave up contemplating and moved there this summer. The five weeks went by pretty fast but I got to see a lot of the things I missed my first trip such as the Sanctuary of Truth and Nong Nooch Gardens. Made many new friends and had a great time…even met a girl…but thats a story for another time.

Coming home was hard but I didn’t have the same daydream type effect this time but the beacon was still calling. After coming home from the second trip I started planning the third for January of 2008 and also a fourth for either May or August. The January trip will be brief, only 2 weeks which really isn’t enough but will have to do. The May trip might not happen because it depends on what I decide for the August trip….and the August trip…well, lets just say that might be a very long trip.

My heart made the decision months ago, now I’m just waiting for the brain to give in. The brain is still going over all the possibilities and contingency plans but for all it’s arguements it’s not gaining any ground. My brother has known for a while what I’ve been thinking and even told me my mother suspects it, which was confirmed tonight when I went by the parents house for dinner and mom basically asked when I was moving to Thailand…she expects an announcement any day!

There won’t be any announcements soon but mom knows me too well and my heart usually wins. This is a big decision and one not to be taken lightly but all things considered I think a change would do me good. When I figure it out I’ll let you know…but not before I tell mom!

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