Today we planned as an “admin” day. Pack things up and get ready to move on to Bangkok and beyond.
Today is MJ’s last day in the area for the foreseeable future as she will be moving on to Europe after we part ways in Bangkok. With her health issues and with her many friends in the area, the transition is not without sadness.
I packed up a large box of things to send home and we mailed it today. I did not enjoy the process.
I expected it to take a while. I expected to pay a significant amount to ship things, but I did not want to carry all that stuff around for the next 2 months, and I needed to get the weight of my luggage reduced because these smaller airlines I use for short jumps are picky about their weight limits.
I had organized everything into packages and piles, and I would recommend if you are ever going to ship anything from Thailand… don’t do that.
I made a list of everything I had, including values. That was difficult since it was purchased in several currencies. I listed the currency purchased in, then at the end converted everything into US dollars so I could give them a total.
That worked out. They didn’t even want the total.
But they would not take my list. I had to rewrite it by hand on their piece of paper. 2 pieces of paper.
Okay. I can do that.
They said to save space on their paper, I should group things by type. Instead of listing each t-shirt, write 8 t-shirts instead.
Okay, I get that, but I had to go through my list, find all the t-shirts, get the value which was in different currencies, and add them up. Did the same for postcards and book marks; pants and skirts… you get the idea. Some things were still individual, but I did as they asked and rearranged my list and prices. Then I put everything in a box.
They said I needed to weigh everything. But not together in the box, individually.
Now, I believe, they are just messing with the foreigner. But there was a spot on the form for weight next to each line, so maybe they really needed that. I doubt it.
I unpacked the box. I unpacked the bags of things and sorted out the t-shirts, since that was they way they were listed on the form. Then I sorted out the post cards and bookmarks… and it went on with the woman trying to help me by shoving things out of the box onto the scale and me trying to explain they were not listed that way and I needed to unpack.
It was an angry time for me, but I held my tongue.
In the end, nothing added up. Nothing was exactly right. I don’t even know if everything got weighed, but… I do know everything got put in the box, and they only rejected one item. A pen that I bought to sterilize water. I have not used it yet, so I decided to ship it home, but because it was rechargeable, they would not accept it.
So, I took it off the form and the box was closed up. I paid, and they asked me what they wanted me to do with the box if it could not ship. Abandon it or send it to a Thai address.
I do not have a Thai address other than the hotel, and where they would take it, and MJ knows the owner and such, that did not help me get my stuff to the states. So I checked abandon on MJ’s advice.
In the end, I left my box, my money and all confidence that anything would get home. Might be a very expensive lesson in dealing with the Thai postal service, or it might work out just fine. I have no idea.
I do know MJ tried to ship some things and they denied her, but I shipped the same items and they did not question me. I listed everything on the form that was in the box, and where the weights might be wonky, the item list was correct. They did not even glance at it for the production they made of making sure everything was weighed.
So, I am told, the box may be stopped in Bangkok, and if they go through it, or question things that are on the list, I may never see any of it again. I have no idea.
It was a very unsettling experience.
And of all the things that will tip them off, it will be the damn dog. I purchased a plush dog on a pillow from a pharmacy of all places. They sell them because they are designed to calm the spirit and such. It was not expensive, and I thought my daughter might like it when I got home, but it slept with me for a couple of nights and it was nice to wake up to a calm face.
Anyway, when I was packing up the things to ship, and trying to reduce the weight of items, I decided it should be shipped.
When I was closing up the bag to take to the post office… it barked.
I had no idea it barked. It had not barked before that point, and to my knowledge, it should not bark because that would not make one calm.
I searched the whole thing over to find an off switch, a battery, anything. It was sewed up tight. I did find the button to make it bark, but that was all it did. Push the button and bark. That did not help.
But in the box it went. Obviously it had a battery of some kind, but it is small enough, it had to be a watch battery and not something an airline would stop, so, I put it in the box.
It was not barking when we left the post office.
But it will probably bark in Bangkok.
Now there’s a title for a book. “I will probably bark in Bangkok.”
I messaged my sister-in-law. Told her the box should be coming, and I hoped it was not barking when it arrived because I did not want to upset Abby, their dog.
I doubt the box will arrive, so problem solved.
I understand their rules. I understand their concerns and customs and all that stuff. I knew it would be a long and expensive experience.
I also knew things would be complicated by the language barrier.
The experience lived up to and exceeded my expectations, and that is possibly the nicest thing I can say about it.
So, we went back to the hotel and chilled for a bit. Then MJ wanted a certain meal for her last in the area, and she wanted a drink, so we went back to the tree house pot bar, then on to the gate market for dinner.
Gabby gave me my first scooter ride in Thailand from the bar to the market, and MJ took a grab. It was a great ride, but I am glad we took cars around and not motorbikes. I felt more protected in the cars.
The night market was not as busy as usual, meaning less vendors to choose from. I could not decide, so I decided to try something ‘same-same’ but different. KFG
They have KFC here, but they also have these carts which are KFG. Which means not KFC chain, and to differentiate, they use the Thai word for Chicken, which is ‘gai.’ So, KFG.
Not going to lie. They have something with this. Might even be better than the “C” version.
Until you see the kitchen. Flavor good. Need help hiding the kitchen.
But good ride, good food, good time with friends old and new to end my time here in Chiang Mai.
Tomorrow we fly to Bangkok for a few days, and then MJ and I part ways. She is off to Europe, and I to Cambodia, but I thank her for taking the time out of her life to show me around Thailand.
The experience had some ups and downs, and I certainly could have planned a lot more things to see before I got here, but it was an authentic look at the culture from someone who has seen the real and the foreigner operate in this society.
I am excited to see Bangkok and move on. I really have no interest in Bangkok as I am not a big city girl, but a side trip to Ayutthaya I am looking forward to, and I am ready to move on. A little more confident in my abilities to navigate the world than I was before I came to Thailand.
