2008 October

The Dreaded Visa Run

The first time many people hear the term 'visa run' it makes no sense. Is it when I leave my credit card in a taxi and run after it? Was there a run on visa applications? But the longer you live in Thailand (and most any country, I would imagine), the better versed in the complicated - but necessary - trial of the visa run you become. Essentially, all a visa run means is that you have to check in with the immigration authorities at the border by leaving and then coming back into Thailand. This can mean anything from a two-month holiday around Asia to literally getting stamped out of Thailand and turning around to get stamped right back in again. Navigating the rules and regulations can be tricky, but you learn fast enough - you have to.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:53+00:00Thailand, Tips on Visiting, Travel|0 Comments

Meanwhile, in Bangkok: Mecca Cola

One of the first things I do in any new country I'm visiting is hit a convenience store. You'll never find a more compact display of what makes that country unique. In Korea they have kimchi (fermented cabbage) flavoured fish sticks; in India, they offer little packages of sauces for about 2 cents that taste better on their own than any Indian food I've ever had outside of India; in Japan, they have 8-oz beer cans. Convenience stores are a great barometer of the culture. To be honest, I've been in Thailand so long that things in convenience stores no longer seem strange - until I saw this in a little store in the Bangkok suburbs while out biking (and lost) the other day: Mecca Cola.

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:54+00:00Meanwhile in Bangkok..., Religion|0 Comments

Chinatown Vegetarian Festival – More Fun Than a Bucket of Snakefish

My crazy neighborhood is no crazier than during the period from September 28-October 7, when the Chinese vegetarian festival takes place. During this time, the sois (alleys) around my apartment are packed with crowds of people dressed in white, food stalls selling all manner of food, Chinese opera singers, parades, firecrackers and even the odd acrobat or two. It's quite the sight. The festival is similar to the Christian observance of Lent, but the rules are a bit different and the celebrations seem to be a hell of a lot more fun. Although to be honest, I haven't spent that much time praying in front of a statue of a naked guy nailed to a tree - it might be really enjoyable, who knows?

Greg2016-11-17T15:48:54+00:00Bangkok, Religion, Video|0 Comments