Expired visas sent us across the Laos border and so the application for our Non Immigrant B status in Thailand finally began.
Weeks have passed since we’ve last been in touch, and a lot has changed. But all for the better, as from now, we are making a life in Thailand.
After completion of my TEFL course, and obtaining my credentials, we celebrated our new status with another week in Koh Phangan, lazing about and basically enjoying the last bit of doing nothing! We found a cheap bungalow within walking distance of Thongsala as we had to say goodbye to our scooter, a luxury left behind in more affordable days!
Tanned and rested, we worked our way back to our ever familiar Bangkok, but this time round looking forward to the unfamiliarity of job hunting!
As we worked our way through the entire job listings websites, and went for three interviews (which is a daunting experience when you have dressed the part in clinging humidity), we thankfully found ourselves in teaching positions which fitted our needs like a glove. We’re both in Primary teaching positions, both at the same school and both happy with the offered salaries.
To the North, a mere one hour drive from Bangkok is the town of Angton. It neighbours the former capital called Ayuthaya, which means it is outside the realms of city life, but close enough to reach for shopping and entertainment purposes. And this shall be our home for the next year.
We signed up, got ourselves an apartment and started making arrangements for obtaining our work permits within the Thai perimeters.
And that is what initially brought us to where we are now.
A very tight budget strangled our plans to travel throughout the North of Laos, as we came to realize over a bowl Noodle Soup. Accommodation wise, the country is relatively cheap; we were caught off guard the dining expenses. Local eating spots are pricey, not to mention places serving Western dishes, and one easily has to shell out more for food, than a nights stay in a midrange guesthouse. After spending only one night in the small town of Vang Vieng, we back tracked to Vientiane, the capital where guesthouses are inexpensive, but full, yucky, but full or just too expensive, and sometimes full!
The “Sabaidy” Guesthouse where we spent the remainder of the week, proved to not live up to the “Greetings” or “Hello” meaning of their name. Instead we were not so warmly welcomed to shared dorms with smelly stairways and unfriendly staff. At least they had hot water showers, and Ferdi and I managed to nick a smaller room, which we only shared with another couple for two nights. Soon after we’d settled, boredom kicked in, and as we awaited our visa application day, we passed the time by watching DVD’s and taking daily walks to the market.
Laos is an amazing country, filled with numerous outdoor activities such as trekking, tubing and rock climbing, and we didn’t want to turn this trip into a half hearted attempt at enjoying all the beauty that the country has to offer. Therefore we chose to stick it out for a few days, get our paperwork sorted and head back to Thailand as soon as possible.
At this stage we’re planning to visit some of the Northern Parts of Thailand, stopping off in small towns while making our way to the intended destination, Chiang Mai, in time for the Songkran Festival, a celebration of the Thai New Year. Unfortunately we are minus two cameras, and cannot afford to replace or repair any one of them.
On our next visit, we will definitely make the most of all the enjoyment offered and capture the moments with a new camera.
Accommodation Rates:
Sabaidy Guesthouse, Vientiane: 20 000 LAK per person per night, dorm sharing.
Tip of the Day:
When exiting Kao San Road in Bangkok on the opposite side of the Burger King exit, you will notice to your front left, the purple travel centre. There one can obtain useful info and access free internet, 24hrs a day!
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