We are back. A lot of things to tell you about.

Were to begin? When we last left you we were getting ready for the trip to Bangkok. We had to go shopping in Nong Bua Lamphu the the morning before we departed to get my step son some new clothes. The only long pants he owned were jeans, he did not own dress shoes, socks , belt or dressy shirt. So, we got his wardrobe purchased along with a whole lot of snacks for the ten hour van ride. The van driver came early in the afternoon and I showed him where in Bangkok the company and the Embassy were located. He put the address in his smart phone so he could use GPS to navigate when he got close. He told Phai we should leave at 4 pm. When she told me that after he left, I told her that was really early when the company we are going to doesn’t even open until 9am and it is only at ten hour drive at worst case. She said the driver was worried about finding his way in Bangkok and did not want to catch rush hour traffic. So I honored my time tested motto here “Go with the flow”. Well, working with Thai time (Thais as a general rule are never on time for anything) he showed up about 4:30pm and we departed about 5pm. There was the driver and his co-pilot, Phai and myself, Phai’s son and his wife, Phai’s sister and her husband and it turned out that Phai’s brother and his wife decided to ride with us to Bangkok and have us drop them at the bus terminal. Their home is a few hours Northwest of Bangkok. So my promise of having the back seat to myself so I could lay down and sleep evaporated. There are 11 seats in the van and 10 people riding. “Go the flow”. 

One thing I had done before we left is purchased a data plan for my iPhone so I could use GPS to monitor our progress and have web access while we travelled. Turned out it only cost a little for than $2 dollars for a 1 week, 1 GB high speed plan. That was a good decision and really helped me handle the trip. 

We drove through the night, dropped Phai’s brother and wife at the bus terminal about 3:15 AM and after a bit of confusion located the company we needed to get to about 4 AM. So now we are parked at the office building which was located on what they call a road but you would probably call an alley. Two cars can pass each other going different directions if they are very careful. Okay, it is four in the morning, we have five hours to kill. Phai did tell me when I was whining a little bit that the office manger of the company said we can actually get to office at 8 AM. Looking better. The parking lot guard told us the office building opens at 6 AM. Oh boy, only two hours to kill outside and I was starving. I looked up the “street” and spotted a 24 hour restaurant so we walked there. It turn out to be Indian food which I was not up for. It was located on the back side of a large building and also had a nightclub with was going strong at 4 AM with loud music. We did not go in. We did get directions from a janitor to the bathrooms. Turns out they were staffed and you had to pay 5 baht (about 17 cents). It also turned out that portion of the building housed a long hallway of massage parlors - the kind Bangkok is infamous for. So Phai stuck very close to me but that did not stop the girls (these were not cream of the crop women) from calling out to me to come in for a massage. I know how to say “no” in Thai and just kept repeating it. So with empty kidneys (yes I paid the 5 baht) we made it back out to the van. Turns out a short distance away in the other direction was a 7 Eleven. They are everywhere in Thailand. I bought a ready made pork and cheese sandwich which they heated for me and had my breakfast. I at least made some use of the time taking a few photos and some video which I should be able to get edited and posted before I post this.

At 6AM we go inside the large office building we came to visit, washed up and changed clothes in the bathrooms and sat on comfortable furniture in the lobby until 8 am at which time we went up to the sixth floor and met with the Office manger of Americavisa4thais.com. She was wonderful, had all the documents prepared and spent the next two hours making sure everything was in order and putting my step son and his wife through practice sessions on how to handle the interview at the American Embassy. At the embassy they would be standing in front of a window and the interviewer would be on the other side with a microphone. She rehearsed how to answer the questions they may be asked, how to smile and look the interviewer in the eyes, etc. What could wrong? I will get to that. So it is now 10 AM and they need to be in line in front of the Embassy at 1:30 pm. So the van drives us to Lumpini Park and drops us off. Lumpini Park is a huge, beautiful park on Bangkok. It would equate to Central Park in New York. It has lakes, bicycle paths, jogging paths, etc. We found a nice shady area next a lake. Luckily, it was a beautiful day in Bangkok, hot but not excessive with a wonderful breeze blowing. The park has huge Monitor Lizards so I took video and photos of those. Finally at 1:00 pm we walked to the Embassy which, while not far, required climbing  steep steps to cross a bridge over the road and back down on the other side. I keep getting these clues that I not as young as I used to be. By this time I haven’t had more than a short nap since the previous morning so I am tired. They get in the cue for the embassy and actually got in ahead of their scheduled time. Phai and I stood outside the embassy waiting for them for about an hour. Well, They came out and let us know they were turned down. Phai’s sister and husband came out shortly after and they were approved. 

Remember I said “what could go wrong”? Well, it turns out the woman at the agency got confused when she was coaching them. She had eight different interviews taking place that day and and that is not a normal load for her. The coaching takes place in Thai so I did not know what was being said for the most part. Turns out when she was playing role of interviewer she asked them “how long will be in America” They said seven weeks and she mistakenly told them to say two weeks. All the paper work (that she prepared) and my invitation letter all stated seven weeks. So they get in front of the embassy interviewer and he asks that question right up front. They say two weeks and he stamps rejected and tells them to leave. Needless to say, we were not happy. I called the office immediately and told her they were rejected and handed my phone to Phai. She explained to the manager what happened, told her we are really sad and upset, and they had done exactly what she had told them to do (in error). Now understand, I really liked this woman. She was very professional and took a lot time working with us. She had followed up continually prior to our trip to make sure everything was in order, that had the correct kind of clothes etc.

I waited a few minutes and then called Jim (the agency owner) in Udon Thani and he said he had just gotten off the phone with the office manager and felt terrible. He said that they would reapply at no charge (that is standard policy on their web site) and that Ning told him she may have made that mistake. I said Jim, I do understand mistakes happen but my wife is really upset that we would have to pay the Embassy another $320 for another interview. He said “Bud, I want to make this right so i will eat that and pay it for you”. I told him that was a fair offer and we will reapply. Basically he is pretty much giving up any profit from our business. So he has suggested they will resubmit the applications to the embassy but recommended we wait two weeks before going for another interview. He said there are five different interviewers and if they go right away and get the same person it may not be good. He said after a few weeks of him doing this many times a day he will probably not remember them even if they get him again. So they will go back to Bangkok again the first week in August. The good news is they can do it themselves this time. They know where to go and will not need us so they can take an inexpensive bus to Bangkok and back. 

Wait, I am not done. We are standing in front of the Embassy and I said to Phai, please call the van to pick us up. They had gone somewhere to park and sleep after dropping us off at 10am. Her sister called and when she hung up Phai said okay, they are coming. I asked how long it will take and Phai said her sister didn’t ask. That may one of my biggest pet peeves here. Thais seem to feel like they cannot ask those kind of questions. Well, after 30 minutes of standing in front of the Embassy waiting I said “call them again, find out how long”. Her sister called again and said it would be soon. I asked what that meant and where they were. She hadn’t asked. Now I have very little sleep and have been standing on the cement in front of the Embassy for hours with nowhere to sit. Thais can a squat and rest, I can’t. Another half hour passes and no van. I said call again. They did and Phai said they are just turning around and will be here soon. Thirty more minutes pass. I am starving and tired and it is approaching rush hour so getting out of Bangkok could become very difficult. One more call at about 4 pm and they said they are still a little ways away. Phai told them we are going to eat somewhere. This is probably the only place in Bangkok where there are not food vendors every 30 feet or less. So we head back to Lumpini Park (after climbing many steps to cross the highway) because there were a lot of food vendors outside the park. Well, guess what. They had just finished packing up and were leaving. I am an easy going guy but I was beginning to get just a bit upset. Finally I walk a bit farther and spot one vendor that looks like he is still open. We got there and he was open but only had very spicy food. Well, Phai’s sister and husband order and when they come over with their food I see the spicy pork is on top rice with a fried egg on top. I said “Phai, just get me a plate of rice with egg on top”. Well, they had just used the last of the eggs. So Phai got me a plate of rice and her sister and husband were kind enough to donate their fried eggs to me. It tasted wonderful and with two cold bottles of pepsi to wash it down I began to feel better, especially when our van pulled up just as I was finishing. 

Too make a long story a little shorter, I had the back seat to myself, was able to lay down and get some sleep (after watching Fast and Furious 7 on the drop down LCD panel dubbed in Thai and high volume). Being in a moving van on bumpy roads made the movie feel more realistic. There were no English subtitles but you don’t need to understand what is being said to “enjoy” all the crazy action in the movie. We got back to the village at 2:30 am. I went to bed and crashed. Go with the flow!

I am exhausted so I will edit and post some video from Bangkok tomorrow.

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Some of the Bangkok Skyline from the sixth floor of the Visa agency office

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Phai in front of a modern art statue in Lumpini Park

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The same statue from the other side with the water behind her.

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Electrical wires outside the office building. They are much worse in many places in Thailand.

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So what should you do the toilet paper after you have used it? See the next photo.

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Yep. You throw the used toilet paper in in the waste basket next to the toilet. I am glad I used the bathroom early in the morning before others had a chance to.

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In gas stations the urinals are outside on the back wall of the bathroom building out of sight of the pumps. I had to photograph this billboard advertising condoms and saying their Okamoto brand is much thinner. According to the banana, half the thickness of the competitors. I just read that Okamoto is the largest condom manufacturer in the world and the number 1 selling condom in Japan. They are manufactured in Thailand.

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This is an actual food booth at one of the gas stations we stopped at. Luckily they were closed for the night so I wasn’t tempted to indulge. Please note: you can get deep fried crickets or deep fried “baby” crickets, your choice. 

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The family waits for the van outside the American Embassy.

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Colorful images on the wall of the American Embassy. Note the security fence along the top of the wall.

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I didn’t forget about my granddaughter. This is the very cool mosquito net they keep over her outside which is where she spends all day.


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