My last post mentioned that Stickman's website was coming to an end after 20 odd years of reporting on Thailand. Many of his readers has posted their laments and have done so, very eloquently.
https://www.stickmanbangkok.com/readers-submissions/2017/08/goodbye-20th-century-goodbye-stickman/
https://www.stickmanbangkok.com/readers-submissions/2017/08/the-end-is-near-2/
https://www.stickmanbangkok.com/readers-submissions/2017/08/final-thoughts-and-anecdotes/
Stick's readers hope he is not going to bale and will find someway to continue with his website.
On a personal note, I am packing for my yearly visit to Canada. This time, I am there from August 8th to September 9th. Hopefully the rain will be gone and I will have sunshine for the month.
I pack light, all carry on. My backpack serves to hold travel documents and my 2 laptops. My Oakley gym bag hold my sneakers, a pair of jeans, an additional pair of Oakley shorts, dry fit t-shirts, 5 pairs of underwear, toiletries and a hair dryer. It also servers as my pillow between flights. I sometimes chuckle when I see the 20ish somethings struggling down Sukhumvit with their ponderous packs. I can't imagine what they have in them. Ditto for the older tourists pushing their huge wheelies down the uneven pavement.
There is lots to think about when leaving Thailand. I am on what is referred to as a retirement visa. Whenever I leave Thailand I have to fill out a re-entry T8 form so I can get back in under my retirement visa. If I forget to do that, my visa is invalidated and I have to reapply all over again. Of course there is a charge of 1,000 baht for this but you can do it at the airport. However, you do need a current passport photo so that is another thing to remember and another 240 baht.
I use Grab Taxi (Think Asian Uber) to get to the airport and apparently they have closed the off ramp at the airport so they are recommending you leave 3 hours early for your flight. Bangkok is known for its traffic chaos.
I fly to Kuala Lumpur on the 7th around noon, overnight there and fly out very early, 6 am on the 8th. I fly from KL to Tokyo, and then Tokyo to Toronto, and then Toronto to Ottawa for a total of 25 hours flying time. Due to the wonders of the international dateline, I arrive at 9 pm on the 8th. Hopefully, my sister Elaine will be at the airport to pick me up.
Thavorn is tasked with looking after Jaidan for the time I am gone and ensuing he is in one piece, the same as when I left. I am trying to explain to Jaidan that I am going away for a long time, but he has no concept of what a long time is. However, usually after I have been gone for an hour or so he usually asks Thavorn where poppa is or sometimes, 'Where Jim Dale?'.
When in Canada we talk with the LINE app which works quite well. It has video as well as sound and Jaidan likes to see his poppa.
TTYL
Yes, your lovely sister Elaine will be at the airport to pick you up, at 8:15 pm on August 8th. Wine and cheese awaits at the house. What a marvelous sibling!
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