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Greetings from Chiana Mai, Thailand. I have spent an incredible week in Koh Jum, an island off the southern area of Thailand (town Krabi). It is everything dreams are made of and at a price you can affoed!! Wow...
I walked a lovely white sand beach, swam in the Andaman sea, rode Long Tail boats, ate and ate and ate.... my new favorite munchie is a watermelon shake.. wow.... WE lounged, had massage, collected shells and explored most every inch of the island. I have found a piece of property for sale on the beachfront so we shall see!!!
Communication here reminds me we are in a third world nation. You can not book two legs of a flight from one airport, so you fly from Krabi to Bangkok and then see if you can get a flight to Chiang Mai (which we could not), so you go to the train station and see if you can get an overnight sleeper car (which we could not.. booked up two days) so you go to the train station, who says they are full but there is a way (of course) so some sneaky little guy drivves you all over Bangkok killing time, then takes you to this international transportation building and bribes someone on the sidewalt to go buy you tickets on a tour bus at twice the normal price.... but even then it was only $30, 8 hours of sleep in a recliner and Viola... in Chiang Mai.
We were very lucky to have a two story home waiting for us here, available for our use the next few months. Can not complain at all. Today I try to see the dental clinic, shop at Tesco (like walmart) for supplies to take to the mountain village, exchange more money from American dollars to Baht and head out on the next leg of our adventure to a tiny mountain village. There my friend Theo Lupien will marry in a large village ceremony. We don't exactly understand what will happen but we know it takes either a full day or three days depending on how you look at it. I can 't wait and intend to just go with the flow.
We went to the open air market today. Wanna buy a pigs head? Ewwww..... things are culturally very different. Still, it is a colorful experience and I am enjoying it immensely.
Hope those of you who participate in Scuba Sunday's have fun at the beach. I hope to wind up my trip with a week back on that island the end of February and then will come home, that is if Hubby survives without me. Speaking of which, has anyone heard from Bob? I have not so hope he is okay.
Cheer to you all.
Pam Lamont
Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
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Sounds dreamy!!! Do you know of a link to look at real estate for sale?
BY THE OCEAN !!!
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quote:
Originally posted by pslamont
Greetings from Chiana Mai, Thailand. I have spent an incredible week in Koh Jum, an island off the southern area of Thailand (town Krabi). It is everything dreams are made of and at a price you can affoed!! Wow...
I walked a lovely white sand beach, swam in the Andaman sea, rode Long Tail boats, ate and ate and ate.... my new favorite munchie is a watermelon shake.. wow.... WE lounged, had massage, collected shells and explored most every inch of the island. I have found a piece of property for sale on the beachfront so we shall see!!!
Communication here reminds me we are in a third world nation. You can not book two legs of a flight from one airport, so you fly from Krabi to Bangkok and then see if you can get a flight to Chiang Mai (which we could not), so you go to the train station and see if you can get an overnight sleeper car (which we could not.. booked up two days) so you go to the train station, who says they are full but there is a way (of course) so some sneaky little guy drivves you all over Bangkok killing time, then takes you to this international transportation building and bribes someone on the sidewalt to go buy you tickets on a tour bus at twice the normal price.... but even then it was only $30, 8 hours of sleep in a recliner and Viola... in Chiang Mai.
We were very lucky to have a two story home waiting for us here, available for our use the next few months. Can not complain at all. Today I try to see the dental clinic, shop at Tesco (like walmart) for supplies to take to the mountain village, exchange more money from American dollars to Baht and head out on the next leg of our adventure to a tiny mountain village. There my friend Theo Lupien will marry in a large village ceremony. We don't exactly understand what will happen but we know it takes either a full day or three days depending on how you look at it. I can 't wait and intend to just go with the flow.
We went to the open air market today. Wanna buy a pigs head? Ewwww..... things are culturally very different. Still, it is a colorful experience and I am enjoying it immensely.
Hope those of you who participate in Scuba Sunday's have fun at the beach. I hope to wind up my trip with a week back on that island the end of February and then will come home, that is if Hubby survives without me. Speaking of which, has anyone heard from Bob? I have not so hope he is okay.
Cheer to you all.
Pam Lamont
Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!
I wish I would have known before hand that you were going to Thailand. I spent almost nine years of my life in Thailand! Five years were spent between Bangkok & Chiang Mai, and the other four and a half years was spent at BhangKwan. For those of you who don't know, Bhangkwan, is the maximum security Prison in the outskirts of Bangkok for inmates with sentences 24 years and above. I was given a sentence of 125 years!! IF you are doing the math, and you think something is off? Well, I was pardoned by the King of THailand, King Bhumipol just under four years and three months.
It's a beautiful place to visit, or live...but after awhile corruption starts to wear on you. It is probably the most corrupt place I have ever been. It probably ranks right up there with Nigeria.
Thailand is a very interesting place to say the least. There is one misconception though, Thais think all westerners are rich! They don't call it the[i]land of smiles[i/] for nothing!
Cost of living is real cheap there. I paid roughly $100.00 a month for a for a four bedroom two bath, and maid quarters. I had two mades that came with the $100.00 a month price tag. I was told that I only have to give them one weekend off a month![:0] I decided that wasn't right, so I gave them every weekend off. Most of the time they stayed with me even when they were off. Usually only going home one weekend out of the month.
Keep in mind, this part of the world man still comes first![^] When I'd come home from anywhere, one of the maids would greet me at the door, remove my shoes and proceed to massage my feet for about 15 minutes. They did all my shopping for me, food, clothes, etc,etc.
From where I was staying in Chiang Mai, I was able to sneek into Laos & Burma too which made living there all that much enjoyable. Burma has some of the most pristine coastline I have ever seen. I'd love to own some beach front property there.
Handle every situation like a dog,If you can't eat it or hump it,piss on it and walk away...
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Beachboy, what did you get busted for to warrant so much time? If you don't mind me asking?
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Pam,
Thanks for the wonderful story. Keep us update.
canhle
canh Le
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OMG Pam...what an amazing adventure! Please send our best wishes to Theo...he is a wonderful person. So glad you are keeping us updated...I have heard amazing things about Thailand and hearing it from one of our own just makes it better.
Be safe and have FUN!
Carrie
http://www.carrierojo.etsy.com
http://thedb.com/vintageandvelvet
"Freedom has a scent like the top of a newborn baby's head..." U2
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Krabi?! I knew there was an island named after me in Fiji (Rabi Island) but I didn't know of a town in Thailand! 
Aloha,
John S. Rabi, ABR,CM,CRB,FHS,RB
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
"The Next Level of Service!"
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quote:
Originally posted by Dr. Feelgood
Beachboy, what did you get busted for to warrant so much time? If you don't mind me asking?
sure no problem, I'm neither proud or ashamed of my past. I spent 30 days in jail for an fight with Arabs in my hotel in Bangkok. During my 30 day stay at the Sapankwai Police Station I was befriended by many Thais, and this one Sombat told me if I needed some work when I got outside to check him out. Well to make a long story short, Sombat was well connected. He introduced me to some Thai Military people. If you know anything about Thailand you'd know that the Thai Military and Thai Police have been fighting one another for control of the narcotic trade within the Thai borders. I worked for the Thai Military indirectly in this trade.. At the time I was arrested with two other Thai Nationals, and Two aussies and on Chinese from Hong Kong. I got 100 years for the product, and 25 for the firearms. I'd go into further detail, but I don't wanna shock nobody here![:0]
Handle every situation like a dog,If you can't eat it or hump it,piss on it and walk away...
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Support the 'Jack Herer Initiative'NOW!!
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Beachboy,
That was quite an interesting story.It is intellectually stimulating. Thanks for sharing.
canhle
canh Le
wow, Pam, your vacation sounds amazing!
Your stories just get more interesting, Beachboy! That sounds like hell.
There's a movie called "Return to Paradise" with Vince Vaughan, Joaquin Phoenix, and Anne Heche about Americans going to prison for possession there, and how easily it can happen.
On the humorous front, Bridget Jones and the Edge of Reason has a long part in it where she goes to Thai prison ... funny but scary. Good book; the awful movie they made of this sequel didn't do it justice at all.
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