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Visa Run

One of the problems living in a foreign country is that you are in fact, a foreigner! How easy it is to stay in the country you have chosen depends on their Visa rules. I happen to have picked Thailand, which is not a very Visa friendly country. You would think they would encourage foreigners to stay longer, we bring money into the country and help the local economy. But the government does not make it easy. Upon arrival you are given a 30 day Visa. When those 30 days expire you must leave the country, or face a fine of 500 Bhat a day that you overstay your visit.

When you leave the country, it can be for as little as a couple of hours, as long as you receive an exit stamp, you can turn around and come back in and start a new 30 day Visa period. But you can only do that 3 times within a 6 month period.

It was time for me to make another Visa run last week, so my son Sean, his girlfriend Pink and I planned a trip to the closest border, which is Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. Myanmar is under military rule, and there are a lot of bad things going on for the people of Burma. Not the best situation for sure. I would have loved to ventured into the country to see the beauty it has to offer, but that was not a real possibility. When you make a border run to Burma, you basically stay within a couple of blocks of the border, and stroll up and down the streets of their outdoor market.

Shopping in Burma (as I prefer to call it) is quite different than shopping in Thailand. The vendors are much more aggressive at trying to get your business, the quality of the merchandise may be a little sketchy, and you are constantly being approached by beggars. Not the most relaxing or enjoyable experience.

The best part of the Visa run was the drive through the country to get the border. This time I had my camera working, and I was able to get a few shots of the Thai countryside, which is so beautiful.

We decided to spend the night in Chiang Rai, a town a little over an hour away from the border. Sean had a friend he was going to meet up with in Chiang Rai, which happened to work out well. His friend John knew of several places he could recommend for overnight lodging, so when we arrived in town, we meet up with him, and we followed him to the first place. The first place was nice but a little to stiff, the price was high, and although the rooms were clean, it felt really sterile. Taking a look at my tye dye and crazy curly hair, he thought maybe we might enjoy something a little more funky, and less expensive, along the river. Sounded good to us, so we followed him over to the second choice.

While this place was beautiful, it was just not quite what we were looking for. I was beginning to feel a little like Goldilocks, and hoping that this next place would be “just right”

And it was! The rooms were great, the setting was beautiful, and we had found our place for the night. I don’t usually take photos of the room I stay in, but this place was worth a shot.

The grounds were absolutely gorgeous, with exotic plants and colors all around. I had a ball running around taking photos of all the beautiful flowers.

After we had a chance to settle into our rooms, John returned and we went out to dinner. So nice having a friend who knows the best rooms in town, and now the best food!

The restaurant was situated on a lake, open air of course. On the lake was a floating stage, with a Thai band offering live entertainment.

The food was good, the atmosphere was very relaxed and pleasant, and we had a good time. Following dinner we decided to check out Chiang Rai’s night bazaar. Chiang Rai is the third largest city in Thailand, and they had quite a bazaar. Several blocks of vendors selling their handicrafts, food, pretty much anything you wanted to buy you could find it here.

In the middle of the night bazaar there is a large beer garden with live entertainment. On one of the stages was a Traditional Thai dance performance.

Always beautiful to watch.

We sat in the beer gardens for awhile, enjoying a few Thai beers, and fresh fruit, and headed back to our rooms.

In the morning I woke up very early, and decided to go out looking for coffee. I was very fortunate to find a coffee vendor directly across the street from where we were staying.

Sipping on my coffee, I decided to take a walk and explore the area a bit. To my left the street curved, and it was filled with old buildings. To my right the street went up a hill, which looked inviting for an advantage point to take a few photos. So up the hill I climbed, coffee in hand, camera ready for what I might find.

The view overlooked a part of the town, and I could look down into a housing area as well. This gives a pretty good idea of how some of the housing is in Thailand, and how the beauty of the green and lush surrounds the old, sometimes makeshift homes.

And I had a view of what must have been some type of Wat, the building was decorated in Gold.

Again, you can see the lush green that is prevailant here even in the cities.

At least most of the cities. When I returned to our rooms, Sean and Pink were ready to make our final leg of our trip to the town of Mae Sai, which sits on the border of Burma. We were there in about an hour, parked our car, and found a place for breakfast. Being a border town, it is not quit as lush and beautiful as you will usually find in Thailand.

After breakfast we walked across the bridge to Burma. At the Thai border, the immigration officer was looking at my passport for an awfully long time, and calculating numbers on a piece of paper, and making me quite nervous. Finally he gave me my exit stamp, and we proceeded to the Myanmar immigration office, where our photos are taken, and we are given a day pass in exchange for their holding onto our passports.

We do our shopping, mostly we buy DVD’s, they are so incredibly cheap here, then head back across the bridge, exchange our day pass for our passports, and hit the Thailand immigration office. Again, the immigration officer, a woman this time, is taking her time with looking over my passport. There is always the fear that they are going to deny you entry into the country. Boy would I be screwed! She finally stamps my Passport with a 30 day Visa, and I know, without her stuffing a little reminder brochure into my passport, that this is the last one I can get. I have had 3 now within 6 months.

We had a leisurely drive back to Chiang Mai, with a few stops for photos along the way of the beautiful countryside of Thailand.

Back in Chiang Mai the reality hits me that I only have 30 days left. Then I must leave. I have decided to head back to the States for awhile, visit family and friends, while I work on getting a Non-resident Visa, which will allow me to stay for three months at a time.

Leaving now I will avoid the hot season, which has already begun. The air does not feel that hot, it just feels humid and muggy, and will only continue to get more uncomfortable. So I am not too sad about leaving the hottest part of the year. When I come back, it will probably be towards the end of the rainy season, and I will find a Thailand that is even more lush and beautiful than it is now. I am looking forward to that!





Digital Images 
by ccdeleo
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