Greetings,

I have about 2 weeks to a month left in Thailand and 2 weeks until my lease is up. If I did not suffer from “trench throat” not seen in a case this bad since World War I, I’d be tempted to go. As fate would have it, no dice. Since having a 60 day tourist visa, an automatic 30 day is available for ~2,000 baht or ~$60US.

Here are some photos from the last few days which just scream Thailand.

1) Manual Ball Retrievers = I have no clue how this even passes for “safe” in Thailand. Do these guys have health insurance? Picking up balls with a sign that says “don’t hit us” isn’t my idea of safe. I didn’t even like driving balls with these guys around. Ever been hit with a golf ball? I got hit in the side of the head once from close range but it was an easy shot and it hurt, a lot.

2) Village Girls & Doi Suthep. Little girls like such could be in Vietnam or any other SE Asian country but not these two. Snapped these two on one of the many 309 steps to the temple. Was there the other day, may write about it some other time.

3) Ginger, Garlic, Basil stir fried chicken with an egg for $1.15US. The food is something I love here more than ever. The variety is unreal and the price is even better. After spending time in Thailand, “The food” is something I am sure all travelers and residence alike miss. What does $1.15us get you back home?

4) Super shady squat toilet: This squat toilet is super shady and again could be found elsewhere but… For some reason or another Thailand, which is more developed than many of its neighbors still loves the squat toilet. Personally, I detest the squat toilet like I”m sure most tourists and locals a like do.

My lease expires on the 10th and I’m in no rush to leave until then, despite part of me wanting to have hit the road a month ago. May go direct to Tanzania, not sure to be frank. Either way need to get those anti-malaria pills, pronto. A friend of mine who lives there got it after 3 years of living there… That said statistics are totally random so it could be your 100,000th bite or your 1st, why risk it?

Cordially,